Australian Video Review!

Five weeks in Australia simply flew by. Luckily I had my camera at the ready - at least for much of it - and this is the fruit of those pictures, handily packaged up in this video. Watch simply for the darling penguins, koalas, glimpse of a dolphin and even a shark! I'm packing a lot into 8 minutes so don't blink.



Great Australian (and American) music to boot!
- Architecture in Helsinki (Aus)
- The Boat People (Aus)
- Wavves (USA)

Roboroom

Shhhhhhweep goes the door as the green button is pressed. Opening upon a fairly clean commode I find this 'heaps' nicer than the last public washroom I'd turned down. I enter and press the inner green button - Shhhhwoop, the door closes behind me. A friendly voice from everywhere begins instructing me on how to go to the bathroom. The nicest touch however is when I take a seat and a full-piano version of What the World Needs Now (is Love, Sweet Love) begins playing for my enjoyment (and perhaps to muffle sounds to the outside world?). The song does not make up for the automated TP dispenser whirring and whirring without producing anything but noise (luckily I'd realized this ahead of time and had come prepared - hopefully the next 'bloke' did too!). The lack of soap from the laser guided dispenser was disappointing, but would have been forgiven if on the way out the room had sighed "Ahh, What a relief!"

It's Oh-vah

Finished up my east coast tour today which was bittersweet. Saying goodbye to all my new 'mates' was pretty difficult with the reality of not seeing many of them again. The tour itself was much different and so much more than I'd really come to expect, in all the best ways. I think I pretended I was still 18 while taking a couple of months off my lifespan in the process, and am sure that it was worthwhile. Highlights were many and came quick but sailing in the Whitsunday's, scuba & snorkelling the reef and today's bungy jump were all up there. Back in Sydney now just for a day and a half before the day-long travels back home (where I leave and arrive at about the same time due to time change). Hopefully I remembered to take the odd picture or two, but Facebook is sure to turn up a couple in the weeks to come... I worry I won't be quick enough for all the untagging that will likely need to be done...

Tiki

I've been Contiki-ing for a week and it feels like a month for the amount that has been packed into that time. Hence the lack of free moment to write quirky and interesting blog posts to you all. I'm more alive than ever, embracing the "you can sleep on the bus" mentality and running with it. The weather hasn't quite been the dream I'd hoped for but that hasn't put much damper on the party. And now that it has turned - hot and sunny now - I'm going to spend the next two days in the ocean dragging along behind the sailboat I'm partying, er sleeping on. Beyond that it is GBReef diving and WWRafting then trying to say goodbye to all my new friends!

Will have photos and stories for you when I'm home December 13th!