February 2008 – Page 2

The Road

Note: I was delaying publishing these last two entries because I wanted to post pictures as well, but I’m having a devil of a time finding a decent connection – and that’ll most likely be the case for the next little while, so here you go, sans pictures. Pictures added.

Lousy sleep. Had a 9am pickup to get my car near the airport. The car is a Sirion Daihatsu and, unlike my cars in Australia, a manual. A little different driving with the stick on the left, but I’ve managed okay. All the gears are in the same position, thankfully. I have a rough idea of where I’d like to go (always book ahead), and Lake Tekapo is the first on my list, so I headed towards there. Lots of beautiful scenery on the 3+ hour drive. Lake Tekapo itself is really nice, much bluer than my camera gives it credit for. I had a couple of hours before check in, so I took the car up to the Mount John Observatory. Nice 360 degree views from up there. The drive up was on a narrow road, but thankfully there was no one descending.

Not so lucky on the drive down, but managed to squeeze by a couple of the cars making the climb. Headed back to the hostel, parked the car, and walked to get some lunch and check out the Church of the Good Shepherd. Not much else to do in Lake Tekapo, so I checked in, took a bit of a nap, and had a shower. Grabbed some groceries for dinner after the shower, and picked up some blank cds – the radio station signal is horrible in New Zealand (too many mountains I guess), and I’m getting tired of hearing myself sing. Just kidding, I could never get tired of that – but a little accompaniment never hurt.

Was about to have dinner, but stopped in the room for a moment, and Mair (spelling?! Sounded like Mayer), an Israeli guy who had checked in that morning as well, asked if I wanted to hike up Mount John with him. Having not eaten, it probably wasn’t wise of me to agree, but agree I did. I threw some muesli in a bag, grabbed some water, put on my shoes, and joined him. We walked along the main road before deciding we were way off. Headed back towards the hostel, grabbed the car and drove to the parking lot near where we were pretty sure the actual entrance was. Mair was ex-Israeli army, and had been hitching across New Zealand for the past month. He’d also been doing a bunch of hiking in New Zealand, so I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up, but I managed just fine. Spent some time at the top – much more rewarding after walking up, as opposed to the drive earlier.

Headed back to the hostel and cooked dinner while two Brazilian girls played table tennis. The hostel was mostly filled with Asians, who looked on their playing with what I am sure was more than a small measure of disdain at their lack of skill. Tried to burn some music cds, but the hostel computers aren’t rigged for it. Chatted for a bit then hit the sack.

Always Book Ahead

I had hoped to get a rental car out of Christchurch, but everyone in town was fully booked. Seems like New Zealand will require pre-booking for everything. I booked a car for tomorrow morning, and then tried to add another night at my hostel, and found that it too was booked. I called a nearby hostel and managed to get in there, so all was not lost. I headed over there and dumped my bag, then hit the town.

With another full day in Christchurch I figured I’d do a bit of wandering, so I headed off towards a nice rooftop I’d seen beforehand. Ended up at Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, after cutting through what appeared to be a University of some sort.

From there I ventured towards the hills I’d seen on my way to the grocery store. Got close enough to decide that I didn’t really need to climb them. The sky was grey, anyhow, so visibility wouldn’t be outstanding.

Ventured to the art gallery, and had a walk through there. Some nice stuff, but nothing to really wow me. Some of the more modern stuff was pretty nice, and they had one room where you could wear red tinted glasses (like 3d glasses, I suppose).

I’d tried to see the inside of the Christ Church Cathedral a couple of times before, and not had luck, but managed to catch them at a time when there was no show going on, which was pretty handy . Headed in there, and had a peek – then checked out the Church Gift Shop (which church is complete without one, really).

Spent the rest of the day wandering, and occasionally reading. There was a New Zealand guidebook in the hostel book exchange, so I was keen to finish my book so I could make the swap.

Back at the hostel, I swapped my book, and watched what I thought would be about the last 5 minutes of Titanic (the boat had just gone into the water – sorry if I’ve ruined it for anyone), but there ended up being a good half an hour left.

Hey, Lolly

I figured most people wouldn’t be calling people after midnight, and I was mostly right. More annoying was the air hockey table that got some use during the night – although I couldn’t place the racket at the time. Also, every hour or so there’d be an announcement about watching your luggage, which was much (much much) louder than it needed to be. All in all I managed a few decent hours of sleep, and didn’t wake up feeling too bad.

I was up early though – earlier still now that I consider the time difference from Sydney. I grabbed some not-so-good breakfast at the airport lounge, and called a few hostels for rooms. Still booked, I finally managed to get one at the YHA, but couldn’t check in until 10. I read a bit then decided to watch a movie on the computer. “The Ballad Of Jack and Rose”, which wasn’t terribly special. Not Daniel Day Lewis’ finest work.

Caught the airport shuttle to the hostel, checked in, had a shower, then headed to Cathedral Square to check out the, yep – you guessed it, cathedral. There was a small market with mostly jewellery, so I checked that out, and was going to venture further abroad when I joined a small (but soon much bigger) crowd formed around a street performer. He was a juggler/comedian, and pretty amusing, so I watched him for a bit.

Headed down the street towards the royal botanical gardens (every town has to have one, apparently). Stopped en route to check out another market (artist’s work), and then some small artist’s shops in the art centre. Wandered about there for a while, and decided to get some food. Listened to some live music and ate, then finally ventured to the gardens.

The gardens were nothing spectacular, although the Avon river does run through it. They are also part of Hagley Park which is, according to my shuttle bus driver, the third largest municipal park in the world.

Next to the park was the Canterbury Museum, which I figured would be closed, but wasn’t. I foregoed any donation and had a nice walk through there. Lots of stuff on extinct New Zealand creatures, and New Zealand history. Actually much better than I was expecting.

Walking past the market on my way back to the hostel I heard some nice live music that sounded like it might be worth checking out. It was a woman by the name of Hera , that sounded pretty good (although I only heard one song before she ended her set). She had a face tattoo, which was surprisingly tasteful.

Back at the hostel I had a nice (and probably much needed) nap, for an hour or so, then went and grabbed some groceries.. Brought the groceries back to the hostel and did a little New Zealand research to see if I could map out a bit of an itinerary. I think I’ve got a good idea of what I want to tackle.

At night I went back to Cathedral Square and took a few night photos. I stopped at a convenience store on the way back to the hostel, and picked up one of the item’s on Ella’s “Must Do” list – a “lolly cake” . Basically a coconut covered chocolate cake that someone has inserted marshmallow like sweets into. I have to admit it was pretty decent. Different, at the very least.

Sleeping In Airports Dot Com

It’s important to bring things full circle, so Louvelle and I marked my last day in Australia the way we began it – by heading to the Fair Trade Cafe for breakfast I had cinammon toast with apple slices, which was good, despite the raisin bread. There was even vegemite on the side, which could only have been more perfectly Australian if it were served by someone named Bruce. Personally I didn’t think it really went with cinammon toast, but after giving it a go, it wasnt such a bad combo.

We stopped at the Glebe market on the way back, and Louvelle bought a nice skirt and an awesome belt. I settled on another book, even though I still have one on the go. Louvelle had a dance class (again, full circle) – her first time being able to dance since she hurt her foot, so I went home and tried to find a place to stay in New Zealand. Called a few hostels, but didn’t have much luck. Checked out one of my favourite websites, sleepinginairports.com and decided I’d probably just sleep in the airport, since reviews on the site were good, and I didn’t get in to Christchurch until after midnight anyhow.

Ella kindly jotted down some things to see and do in New Zealand for me, which was really quite handy. Lee joined in with some suggestions too, so I have a few ideas to choose from. Of the three pages of information Ella wrote down for me, the page marked “Must Dos” appears to only be a list of various candies, cakes, milkshakes and other sweets. We all have our priorities, it seems.

Louvelle got back from dance, and was kind enough to accompany me to the airport. Or, probably more likely, wanted to ensure that I actually left. Got the third degree when I was checking in, but finally got my boarding pass. We used the last of my Australian money on some sushi rolls, and then it was time for me to head to customs. We said our goodbyes and made some tentative plans for our next rendezvous (she’ll be in Canada in June), and then I was off.

The flight was fairly uneventful – I managed to sleep a little bit, which was nice – even if it was only 8 or 9pm Sydney time. The woman beside me left at the beginning of the flight and didn’t come back until we were preparing to land, so it was nice and roomy.

A new time zone in Christchurch, so I wasn’t really as tired as I ought to have been (the nap couldn’t have helped). I walked around the airport to find the perfect spot to setup shop for the night, but the majority of good spots were taken. I ended up grabbing a free spot along the wall near the water fountain and the telephones and laid myself to what I hoped would be sleep.

The Chair

Gathered all my stuff to head to Manly beach.Â On the way to the bathroom I noticed someone walking by outside with an umbrella and thought I’d best check the weather.Â Turns out rain was called for, and the sky looked mighty gray, so I set those plans aside, and decided to head to the Royal Botanical Gardens, and search for Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair.

Â Found the chair, with little effort.Â Nice view along the water, and I’m only slightly ashamed to say I took a couple more pictures of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.Â

From there I grabbed some food, and read – then headed to the Nautical Museum in Darling Harbour (ya, I’ve pretty much seen what there is to see in Sydney).Â Museum actually wasn’t too bad – for some reason there was an iceman exhibit that was pretty interesting.Â Not nautical related at all, but (… therefore?) interesting.

I checked out the casino after that, and it was a little less spectacular than the Melbourne casino.Â Didn’t gamble at all, but had a quick walkthrough.Â Ended up leaving through a bad exit, so I had to circumnavigate Sydney to get home.Â Managed to do so just before Louvelle got home.

Louvelle and I grabbed some cheap Indian for dinner, then headed back home and napped.Â At about midnight, we headed to the King’s Cross section of Sydney, which is essentially the red light district, and pretty wild,Â but after spending too long trying to find a couple of different bars, we ended up being tame and getting some olives and tea, while playing hangman on the paper tablecloths.

Â Tomorrow, is my last day in Sydney AND Australia (insert sad face here), and my flight is a little earlier than expected, so I’ll probably chill out in Glebe, pack, and bid the city and country adieu.

No usb access on this computer, so no new photos for a bit.Â Sorry.Â Nothing too special, I assure you.

Valentine’s Day

Lots of people carrying flowers around the city today.

Another not so exciting day in Sydney.Â Got up, putzed around on the computer, then headed to Paddy’s Market to buy a small backpack.Â Wanted something for about $15 to throw things like my shoes in, and stuff I shouldn’t be carrying at all, like my hoodie – which I forgot to leave in Canada.Â Ended up getting a probably-too-big bag, but at least there’s room for growth.Â I have definitely been the lightest packer I’ve seen on the trip thus far – which is probably a good thing.

Headed back to the bookstore to read some books on southeast asia, as I had planned to have one purchased for me in Canada, since books are so pricey here.Â Talked to Lee’s girlfriend, Ella, when I got back to the house and she said I can get a book in southeast asia for $3, so there’s no point getting one now.Â Works for me.

Planned to see a movie in the evening, but in the end I couldn’t be bothered to leave the house.Â Stayed in, did some reading, and that sort of thing, and went to bed fairly early once again.Â Think I am back on schedule, sleep wise – although on Saturday I leave for New Zealand, where I’ll be introduced to yet another time zone.

Sydney, Again

Well, after a whirlwind of a weekend, I was back in Sydney and set on relaxing for a bit.

Headed downtown to drop off the car- thankfully traffic wasn’t too bad. Figured since I was downtown I’d wander around – so I did that. Checked out the Queen Victoria Mall again, but the shops didn’t interest me much.

Decided to check out The Rocks, since I hadn’t seen much of it. Turns out I’d seen more than I thought, so I just grabbed some lunch and read my book. Lunch was wedges with chili and sour cream, which I thought sounded good, but ended up being wedges with chili SAUCE and sour cream. Chili sauce seems more popular than ketchup (or tomato sauce as they call it) here. The sour cream here is also pretty hard – more like cream cheese consistency. The wedges were pretty tasty.

I headed to Circular Quay next, and read some more of my book, then headed to the Borders bookshop in the Pitt Street Mall (which is an outdoor mall/plaza kind of thing) and browsed there for a bit.

Caught the bus home, and watched an episode of Lost, then relaxed for a bit. When Louvelle got home, we headed to a Nepalese place on her street for dinner. Not the best food, sort of a poor man’s Indian food, but I’d try it again somewhere else before I judge the nation’s food as a whole.

Planned on staying up late, but passed out just after 11pm. Probably still recovering from the weekend.

Highway 1, 12 Hour Drive

Not a full bus, so I managed to have two seats to myself, but it was difficult sleeping well on a bus. Managed some sleep, but woke up a little stiff necked.

Pouring rain in Canberra, so I threw on my raincoat, and headed for somewhere to check my bag – since there were no lockers at the bus depot. I got the brilliant idea of checking my bag at one of the museums in town, but it was still too early, so I headed to a cafe where I could plug in my computer and write out some journal entries and organize photos – I was a little behind, as I’m sure you know.

I asked a security guard in the mall the best way to get to the National Museum of Australia, and it turned out that he once worked there, so he told me what not to miss. He did give me the wrong bus number, but I managed to figure that out before I got on board. At the museum, I checked my bag, and latched onto a tour that was just starting. There were only two of us on the tour, so we were able to ask any questions without worrying about slowing down a big group.

Lots in the museum on various Australians, and their history. Pretty interesting, actually. They’re an odd mob, these Australians.

I had the notion of renting a car, so I headed to a few car rental places. Sadly they were mostly booked out, but I managed to find an SUV that wasn’t much more than a regular car, and was available that day. I booked it, and then headed to the Australian War Memorial

Had a probably-too-quick look around then headed to Capitol Hill to check out Parliament House. It was the opening day of Parliament, but other than a rally for tomorrow’s National Day of Apology, it was pretty quiet. The national day of apology was for the Stolen Generations, Aboriginal children taken from their family to slowly eradicate the Aboriginal culture. Sad stuff, and the apology is a long time coming.

From Parliament House I bid adieu to Canberra, and headed south to the coast, to Bateman’s Bay. My plan was to drive up to Jervis Bay, but the easiest way to get there was to go south first. I bypassed Bateman’s Bay and took a quite scenic drive along Highway 1, up the coast. The road didn’t hug the coast very much, but it did pass through some amazing National Parks. I managed to avoid hitting any kangaroos, and fumbled with the radio stations for a couple of hours until I reached Jervis Bay.

I hoped to spend the night in Jervis Bay, but everything was closed up. My guess is it’s too quiet during the week. I drove through Jervis Bay, and stayed for about an hour. Saw a wallaby on the road, and came across a school soccer field with a bunch of kangaroos. Passed through a bunch of towns, and stopped in Kaima for some dinner. Kept on trekking, and eventually reached Wollongong, where I hoped I might find a hostel. No luck in that regard, although I asked a couple of locals, just in case I’d missed them. Sydney was only 100kms away, so I fought my tiredness and headed back to Louvelle’s.

Got to Louvelle’s at about 10:30pm, and let Louvelle drive the rental around for a bit. She hasn’t had much experience in a left-side driving car. She tends to drive a little too close to the left, which is what I find myself doing too. We found a great parking space near the house, and headed back inside. Had a much needed (as confirmed by Louvelle) shower, then headed to bed.

Mmmm… cake

Another unexpected day in Melbourne.

I got up early, checked my email, then grabbed a shower and got my bag ready for checkout. Philipp and I grabbed some breakfast, then I headed back to Brunswick Street to find a new book, and take a look around. Similar to St. Kilda, with lots of cafes, and small shops, Brunswick Street is Dean’s favourite area in Melbourne, and I can see why. I managed to find a (ridiculously priced – the book prices in Australia are just staggering) used book, and headed back to meet up with Philipp.

Philipp and I headed to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, stopping en route to check out a couple of guitar stores for Philipp (he wants a guitar with him in Tasmania). The centre was overrun with kids, so we didn’t get a chance to watch any movies, but we took in the Independent Games exhibit, which let you play a bunch of independently made video games. At 2, we had tentative plans to meet up with the girls from the trip, so we headed across the street to Flinder’s Station. Ruth and a friend, Norman, met us first, then we waited a little while longer for Pia, and her friend Susie to arrive. Last but not least was Leen, who arrived just before we’d given up hope and left. The girls (but mostly Leen) were seeking a brownie, so we headed to St. Kilda (which has a lot of cake stores, I have to say), where we met up with Natalie. After window shopping (aka drooling) in the cake shop windows, we settled on one with enough seating for the eight of us. I had a vanilla slice, which was pretty yummy. A few others weren’t happy with just one selection and got two cakes, so they must really have been craving something sweet.

We walked down to St. Kilda pier, watched some kite surfing and sat and chatted for a while, then eventually said our goodbyes. Philipp and I headed to the grocery store to grab some pasta for dinner. The kitchen at the nunnery was extremely poorly designed, and not all of the burners worked, so with all the tripping over other chefs, it made for a slow cooked meal. After dinner, I said goodbye to Philipp and headed to Southern Cross Station to catch my night bus to Canberra.

Grampians

After such a long day yesterday, the prospect of some long walks today wasn’t terribly inviting, but I got up early to face the music anyhow. On my way to the bathroom I spooked some kangaroos that were hanging around the campground, and watched them hop away.

We had a quick breakfast and made our way to Hollow Mountain, which was a nice, somewhat technical (although not very challenging – even Natalie, who only had flip-flops on her feet managed), hike up the mountain. Later, we went on another walk, this time to the Pinnacles. It was a simple walk, but uphill, and therefore a little tiring. Some great views at the top, which helped make it worthwhile.

We stopped for less than a minute to take in the Giant Koala, which was hardly worth a picture. Australia is fond of big things, it seems. We did our best to eat all the remaining food at lunchtime, near Mackenzie Falls, then descended a few hundred steps to check out the falls themselves. The climb back up from the falls was listening to Tatiana express her hatred for stairs, and mine and Philipp’s general agreement. We rewarded ourselves with some ice cream treats, then headed back to the bus and on our way to Reid’s Lookout, which was reminiscent, but a little nicer, than the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

Last stop on the tour was Brambuk Cultural Centre. I thought about bringing my camera, while I checked it out, but decided against it. The reward was a bunch of kangaroos hopping about, as well as a deer, which was quite surprising to see. So I didn’t get a picture, but they were nice to see regardless. They seemed very tame, so I can’t really say I’d seen them in the wild.

Half of the tour group (Brittany, Tatiana, Katrine and Martin, Jonas, and the Diggler) were heading to Adelaide, so we dropped them off in Ballarat to catch their connecting bus, then headed back to Melbourne. I was hoping to catch a bus to Canberra that night, but we arrived too late, so I booked a room in the same hostel as Leen and Philipp (The Nunnery), so as not to add a third guest to Amy’s roster (her sister had arrived over the weekend). We picked up Dean’s brother, Max, freshly pickled at the St. Kilda festival, then headed to the hostel. Philipp and I went and grabbed some cheap pizza at a place called Bimbo’s on Brunswick Street, then went to bed. It had been a long weekend.