Got it...

Barely made it for sunset but managed to capture a few pix of the Opera House! Wish I had a better camera like some of the guys out there but these will do for a disposable. Saw some wildlife out there as well...animals too

Back

Back in Sydney finally...have had my fill of Greyhounds for a while. That trek was only 13 hours though. Saw some incredible countryside! Today is a beautiful sunny day here in Sydney even though the autumn chill is in the air.. Crazy how its Saturday morning for me and happy hour time on Friday for you. Since I haven't really cruised the city yet I am going to do that today. Gona strap on my fanny pack, tighten up my money belt and toss the camera around my neck and see what the city is all about. You know those post card pix of the Opera House with the Harbor Bridge in the background at sunset? I am going to try and duplicate that tonight after a cocktail in the Opera Bar. Should be a pleasant evening...

I keep narrowly escaping being hit when I cross the streets...cant get it in my head to look the other way...

Byron Bay

Have been chillin in Byron Bay for the past few days. Incredible town! The vibe here is pretty chill. Did a fair amount of hanging at the beach and getting some much needed R and R...not to mention the walks down the beach tend to be easy on the eyes;-) So I keep forgetting to take pictures of my food the few times I have broken down and purchased a real breakfast...well that is as real as they can do over here. I am use to the nice big hearty breakfasts we have all come accustomed to in the states. If you don't want toast and butter you have to pay a pretty penny for it. Each time I buy bfast that is somewhat comparable to Country Host's Farmers Platter it not only costs me 15 bucks but the taste isnt 15 bucks worth of taste. Throw a coffee on there at the bill is 20 green backs. I am not trying to complain...well yes I am...I just want a hearty bfast that is going to get me going in the morning lol. On the subject of food I have only had three meals that have been fantastic! 2 were cooked by my host and the other was at a restaurant in town. Otherwise everything is just ok.

Went out last night with a couple Israelian girls (or is it Israelite girls?) I met. Learned some Hebrew and had an interesting time..

Here are a couple pix from today. I took a long hike up the the lighthouse here and grabbed a pic of the furthers eastern part of Australia. Heading back to Sydney tomorrow. Only a 12 hour bus ride this time.

Thats it...

Oh..that one pic....not sure what I was feeling...

I was offline for a few days and just got off a lovely 23 hour bus ride from Airlie Beach to the final stop of Byron Bay. Damn Australia is huge! The pix below are obviously from my stay in Airlie Beach. Had a fantastic trip cruising around the Whitsundays for a couple days and nights. Took my 2 first scuba dives and what could have been a better place the the Great Barrier Reef? Well...maybe somewhere with a bit better visibility. The dives were still an incredible experience though. To be honest I wasn't sure how my mental capacity would handle it with the last time being in the depths of the ocean was when I had my incident in '95. Going under was quite frightening at first as I began gasping for air through the little hose. Once I realized how fantastic the tank of air was on my back I relaxed and wow! The experience of swimming with fish is like no other. I and definitely hooked! I stayed another night in Airlie Beach and the decided to make my way down the coast rather then fly. I heard Byron Bay is a beautiful chill place so we shall see tomorrow. Might learn to surf or might just lay on the beach and do nothing.

I am gona shower and grab so food...tchau

h

First Dive Maybe?

Flew up to Hamliton Island today and caught a ferry over to Airlie Beach. Heading out sailing tomorrow for a few days around the islands and the Great Barrier Reef! Thinking it might be as good a place as any to start diving ya? Quaint little town it is with just a couple things to do...well besides drinking that is. The locals say the only reason to be here is for sailing and diving. Realized I really haven't taken any pictures except of maps to get my way around towns so hopefully I will be coming back with a card full of photographs. Oh..here is a quick one of the Opera House. Hope to get better sunset pix when i get back to Sydney. Nothing to exciting to talk about this time since everything has been going along smoothly. Hope to wrestle some sharks soon though.

tchau

Food...

So food seems to be a fun/gross learning experience in new countries so this post is dedicated to just that. If you remember Spain and France proposed some interesting entrees such as cow brain, duck heart, and intestines...here are pix of food in Australia so far...lol. I realized after viewing these pix that the first is a terrible angle haha...but what can I do now. I was at a bday party bbq in central coast and served were sausage dogs, bread, and grilled onions. Dog Wrap would it be called? I just thought they ran out of hot dog buns or were budget conscious cause food is so terribly expensive but they said no thats how it is done. Next Spud Sandwich. Just as it looks in the pic with a top on it. Actually was quite tasty. And the wine I thought amusing. The girls ordered white wine and it came out in a pitcher. That is my food entertainment so far....pretty weak but was funny to me at the time so amuse me and laugh...

So speaking of expensive food. Every country I go to, including third worlds like Brazil, kill me on how expensive food and drinks are. Actually how expensive everything is! We do have it pretty good I must say. Avocados on sale for 1.99 each, little thing of strawberries for 6.99, cranberry juice 10 bucks, and Corona is for special occasions only...Over $80 for a case. I was going to get a pic of some 6 pack prices but the liquor store owner didn't look like he wanted me to start snapping pictures. The cheapest 6 pack was near beer at 12.95. And this isnt for imports only..most of their stuff is local and it is just as expensive. Going out to eat is another story! Traveling does make me even more thankful for where I live....

h

Still Alive

I am still alive! I have received a few emails wondering here the blog posts are..been occupying my time with good times and away form my computer (which is dead and I haven't bought a plug adapter for yet), therefore, no pix this time. Got back Monday night from the central coast where some good times were had with family and friends of my host family. Sunday was Ansac Day which provided some excellent experiences of old time Australian traditions such as 2 up and a full day of drinking and laughs. Look up Ansac and 2 up..don't have time to explain on here:) Broke even on the 2 up betting but won some cash on the horse races.

So I had the privilege of meeting my first disgruntled Australian who had the balls to say Americans are the dumbest race in the world. Best part is the reasons he had when asked why he thinks this haha...his came from TV shows he watches and....uh..thats about it. He says this as he is on Itunes, surfing google (stupid Americans is the search), messing with his IPhone all on a Dell computer. I pointed that out and he didn't have much to say except for his come back of 'Canadians bands make the best music'...oh..he was the guy who tipped over all the trash cans on the walk to the house which got us stopped by the cops. Amazing...these are the types of people you meet in travels around the world. I am sharing this cause it cracks me up the lack of intelligence some people posses.

Anywho...I am working on a itinerary now to make my way up the East Coast and to try and get to the Outback a little. If that all works I doubt there will be many updates. We shall see. I have to get running so this is it for now.

It has already been an experience!

h

G'Day Mate

RedBull $4.50, Sydney Map $6.95, Bus Fare $4.50, Bondi Beach after a 14.5 hour flight Priceless! Now to stay awake for another 15 hours so I rid jet lag quickly...Thankful I have a butt after that flight. Dont know how those with scrawny butts do it. So the positives of Sydney vs my first day in Spain last year is the lack of hookers every 5 paces...I always like to look at the bright side of things. I realized after logging on to my email that I deleted my Sydney contact's phone numbers and home address here. sheesh...my travels can never be smooth. Nearly missed my flight in phx due to Wells Fargo taking forever to change currency for me then the flight was delayed. This gave me 10 minutes to make the change in SLC...First sprint through the airport and barely made it. But now im here and might stay the night under the lifeguard shack if I cant get in contact with my friends. Let the games begin....

AUSTRALIA ABOVE

EUROPE BELOW