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!

Non-Stop

Why did I leave such little time for the world-renowned city of Sydney? (Simple answer is I was loving Melbourne so much.) Since arriving and realizing how much there is to see and how short a time I'd allotted to see it in it has been a non-stop whirlwind tour. Luckily for me the sun and warmth has continuously been on my side for the first multi-day stretch of the trip (and only supposed to heat up from here).

Arriving bright and early I trucked it around (and by trucked it I mean hiked it) all over this fair city getting a full memory card worth of photographs of the iconic Opera House from every imaginable angle. Being welcomed by my gracious hosts after a full day of sight-seeing with a hearty dinner was more than I could have asked for.

Joined by Yian Yian the next day we walked the Harbour Bridge, ate at the market, toured museums, science centers (gotta go back still!), the observatory and more - and without a break met for drinks, dinner and more drinks in some of Australia's oldest pubs. The rooftop patio wasn't too shabby either.

Bright and early today was a hearty breakfast with another friend, Peita, from my brief frat house days in Vancouver before some fun in the sun. You'd think a day at the beach would be relaxing, but Dan doesn't like to sit still (and frankly neither do I) so the beach included snorkeling, body surfing, frisbee, and dinner+drinks at the Australian equivalent to the legion (overlooking the large crashing waves of the beach).

Alas this has turned into a 'What I did on Summer Vacation' post which I swore I wouldn't resort to. But there's no time to be creative and rewrite it - so this will have to also serve as an 'I'm alive and doing fine!' post too since I meet my two-week adventure tour an hour away from here tomorrow at seven in the morning (7 am) (0700h). Guess I can't complain.. just hope the kookaburra doesn't ruin my rest!

Impressed/Impressions

I've been ushered directly into a party. A confluence of music, culture, fashion, and bright spirits that everyone seems to have heard about. And I've skipped the queue.

Despite my shoddy clothes and hiking boots I've been offered the insider's tour, complete with food and drink and personal meetings. It began by entering the en vogue Melbourne neighbourhood of Carlton North, steps from Brunswick Street where all social ventures seem to revolve around meals and drinks. In that vein I've drank the local brew in the corner pub for dollar tacos, feasted at the impossible-to-get-a-table Moroccan restaurant, lunched at the $4 pizza hot spot with fashionable people beyond my understanding.

Perhaps most exciting for me is my introduction to the absolutely surging and dynamic Melbourne music scene. This has allowed me to drink with a singer in the band (The Boat People) before watching their show and then chat with him about their upcoming opening slot for Crowded House. In addition to that I've been sleeping in the music room of the former Isle of Man who is working on a new project as we speak (keep an ear out for Wilding). Browsing the Beat, Melbourne's local music mag, is like looking at Lee's personal daytimer as it is full of friend's bands playing around town and around the country.

All of this and still the chance to check out the local football club (soccer), Melbourne Heart, a day oggling penguin babies, sea-dragons and sharks at the aquarium, a bike ride/river paddle. Most hilarious was the 90's throwdown at the Town Hall full of unbuttoned, curly-haired (and I don't just mean that on his chest) characters, plus the angry grinding red-head, and the overly enthusiastic Zac Galifinakis dancing like it was 1999 all night long!

With the plethora of quirky little shops, tasty independent restaurants, grungy corner bars, talent-filled music halls and plenty of oddly dressed but outgoing people to frequent these places, it seems that Melbourne's party is going to go strong into the night and I'm just happy that I've gotten this opportunity to stop in for a drink.

Aussie Eyes (Pics!)

I haven't quite been able to give you 1000 words on everything that I've seen so here are a few highlight pictures to satiate your appetite until I return to Canada with a full-out slideshow. Feast your eyes on these!

- Darling, curious, Koala kub

- Kermit's well-deserved star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame
- Buzzzz

- What Australian photo blog would be complete without Kangaroos?

- Or their little Wallaby counterparts?
- Remarkable climb up the Remarkable Rocks

- Fur Seal Nap Time
- Comments needed!