A little bit of fun on the moon

On my last night in Sydney, I joined the two American girls staying in my dorm for a trip to Luna Park, a tiny amuesment park on the Sydney Harbor. The park is about 70 years old, a present from the city to the people of Sydney after the completion of the bridge. It was a gift to thank them for putting up with all the disruption the construction caused. Its smaller now than it was then, but it still holds its charm.

I have a certian love for amusement parks, especially ones from the turn of the century. I jumped at the opportunity to takes some pictures while here. Since the park is right on the harbor, I was able to get a few great pictures of the bridge at night. There was a man taking pictures next to me with a professional set-up. He saw I was struggling to keep my camera steady on one of the dock pylons, and he offered me his tripod for a few shots. I couldn't believe the kind guesture! Who ever that friendly Aussie man is, thank you!




Enjoy guys, I had a great time taking these!



Linds

The Gates of Luna

Luna Swirl

Coney Island in Oz

Enter

Bullseye

The Liquorice Candy Building

Cupcakes in the Sky

The Shire Of Byron

Byron Bay: The Folly Beach of Australia

A puddle jump of a town. Laid back, chilled out, alternative suburbs.

I checked into my accommodation here, Byron Springs Guesthouse, and immediately got a feel for the atmosphere here. The guesthouse was a big house, chopped up into about a dozen rooms of either eight-bed dorm style or singles. It housed the usual bunk beds, hallway shared bathrooms, common kitchen and friendly dog, this one named Cairo. Outside there were picnic tables around a BBQ, lawn chairs for sunbathing and a hammock for napping. And all was in the middle of suburbia.

After I got settled in my room, I took a walk into town to go explore. The woman who owned the guesthouse told me it was a short walk into town. About 2 miles later, I was seeing signs of life. A few shops here, a hostel there, an internet cafe or two and a couple of restaurants and bars dotted the main street that ended at a beach. It was a cozy little beach side town that I could tell gets crazy in the busy months and houses beach-going holiday-ers both foreign and Australian.

Mixed in along the streets were backpackers like myself, families on holiday and locals, and by locals, I mean hippies. The area of Byron Bay, I'm told, "tolerates" certain activities. So, the tye-dye, patchouli, dreads and vintage VW buses explained themselves. This place reminded me of Folly Beach meets upper King Street meets Bonnaroo then add in a little bit of suburbia and you've got Byron Bay. It’s a completely different place than where I just left in Sydney.

On my walk back from town, I ran into some fellow backpackers, sort of. Two guys literally rolled out of the bushes in front of me on the sidewalk. It was 8 o'clock at night and these guys had been partying all day. One had a fresh tattoo and the other had a fresh wound, apparently from an episode the night before. Although seeming a little sketchy, they started talking to me and ended up being really funny. They were lost looking for the place they were staying. They were walking the same direction I was and we eventually came to their lodge which from the street seemed to be filled with people that had been partying all day too. I stopped in for a drink and ended up talking to a Swedish guy for a while. After a few beers and games of Uno, I had met a couple of Aussies, English girls and a French guy, and this wasn't even where I was staying! When the cops came because of a noise complaint, I figured it was my time to go. I thanked the kids for the drinks, said farewell and headed back to where I was staying.

The guesthouse was quiet when I got back, quiet enough for me to question if anyone else was staying here. It was a far cry from the crazed college-lodge I was just visiting. I took advantage of it and did some reading and emailing. Getting to sleep here was no problem, the bed was super comfy and the only sounds outside my window was crickets, birds and the ocean, way off in the distance, a world away from my accommodation in the city.

I woke up and went for a walk on the beach. The path to the beach reminded me of the paths at home, long, flanked by trees and bushes, ending at a dune that dumps you down to the beach, except when I got to the beach, the water was bluer and the sand whiter. The beach itself was beautiful. Anytime I see water that isn't brown, I think it’s beautiful. There were strange things washed up on shore, either a jellyfish or a sea anemone of some sort. The one in the picture was alive and moving side to side slowly. It was kind of creepy, it reminded me of that movie "Abyss."

Then there was a strange giant bird literally watching a man fish, I think he was waiting for leftovers. The thing had to of stood 4 feet high and didn't flinch when I walked towards it.

Although I’m enjoying my relaxing here, Byron Bay isn’t really a place for the solo traveler. The town is small and doesn’t leave much to do at night by yourself. And my guesthouse is quite a walk away. I cut one night from my stay here and added it to Brisbane. I figured, I would add in the Koala Park. I’m taking a train out of here tonight and will be in Brisbane at 10:30. Until then, its beach time!

Next report comes from further north.

Linds

Sydney, The Second Half

Today marks one week since I've been in the fabulous city of Sydney, Australia. I was supposed to be shipping out today, but plans have changed. See, this is what I'm talking about, I love this traveling by myself thing. I found some more things to do in Sydney and just like that, I'm staying for a few more days. Although it will make the remainder of the trip a little tight, but still do-able.

Bob Ross in Oz?

The last few days in Sydney have been a mix of typical tourist blah-ness and little more off-the-beaten-path fun. Tuesday I spent a leisurely afternoon walking around the Art Museum of Sydney. Although it boasted some well-known painters (the old guys) it had many unknown (to me) Australian artists from back in the day. Not that I find this type of art particularly interesting, the colonial type of art frankly bores me, but I found myself looking at the paintings differently. I was looking at shapes, perspective, light, color combination, highlighting... what? I used to walk through art museums and think "I like those colors" or "Wow, that guy did a good job making that house look like a house." But now, after I have seen what goes into making a painting firsthand, I'm looking at art as an artist.

Not that I can claim the works that Luke and I produced as "art," that's for the buyer to decide, but I feel that we (I) did a pretty great job. I enjoyed the experience so much that I think I may attempt some solo painting of my own back home, sometime, when I have time after my long days spent trying to hastily find a job to put money back in the bank account. (Hint, hint for all those whose companies may be hiring...)

I guess you can say, while in Africa, of all places, I got in touch with my inner Bob Ross, I mean artist. (I think I'm developing an obsession...) Look for original "Lind" works coming your way soon!

The Top of the Coat Hanger

Wednesday morning I had the privelage of participating in argueably Sydney's biggest tourist attraction, climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge. If you didn't know, one of the big things to do in Sydney is to take a climb up the bridge, with a professional tour group, and soak in all the vistas the height has to offer. Its not a small venture.

I looked into doing this when I got here and was turned off by the price, its not cheap. In fact, it costs as much as my hostel did for a five nights stay. Friends of mine back home, the Rigters, had traveled here to Australia a few years ago. They gave me great advice on things to do and see and they highly suggested doing the bridge climb. I mentioned to them that is was slightly out of a backpacker's price range and, feeling that I shouldn't miss out on this great opportunity, they offered to buy the climb for me as a present for my trip. I was unable to refuse this generous offer, of course, and accepted their gift.

The climb proved to be a truely one-of-a-kind experience! I chose an early climb, 8:15 am, as to avoid crowds and keep clear skies. When I arrived, me and 11 other people were put in a "debreifing" room. This is where we signed our life away, got an update of conditions on top of the bridge and, oh yeah, got a breath-a-lizer test! Yes, I had to blow! (It came out clean guys, come on...) Its mandatory to take a breathalizer test for this event. I guess they are serious about not having some drunken fool up on the bridge and plumeting into the harbor, although you are strapped in with more reinforcements than an air force pilot.

After "debfreifing," you and your group go to the next room. This is the room where everyone gets assigned a spiffy gray and blue jump suit to wear over you clothes. Yes, a jump suit, think flight suit, space shuttle style, sexy! Not really, they wouldn't even flatter Gieselle. After we put on our flight suits, we move on to the next station: equiptment, and you apparently need some serious equiptment to climb up the Sydney Harbor Bridge. You get a thick waist strap with some connectors on it and your "life support," a piece of equiptment that attaches to a cable that follows the walkway on the bridge. After your harnesses, you get the goodies: beanies, hats, sunglass holders, hankercheifs, fleeces, anything that they think you could possible need while up on top of that bridge for an hour and a half. They catch is, everything is clasped to you in one way or another, either on you belt, on you wrist or on your jump suit. Are we going to Mars or the top of the bridge?

After the goodies, its time to get linked with Houston. We get assigned radios that fit into our belts and head sets that use the same technology that the military uses to communicate with, something about bone vibrating... I'm not sure. All I know is that after I had all this "equiptment" hanging off of me, and our group exited out the building, I felt like I was part of the scene in Armagedeon where the "astronauts" are walking out on the tarmac towards the shuttle. Did we really need all of this stuff just to climp to the top of the bridge? I mean, I jumped off one and all I needed was some rope, a carabineer and a prayer!

We manage to get "comfortable" in our new garb and made our way to the bridge. We hooked in to the cable that runs along the bridge and we were off to the summit. Along the way, we got some touristy tid-bits of info, through our sheek military grade headphones about Sydney, the bridge and some of their history. We were still under the bridge at this point, just getting our fill of Sydney history when my declassified military technology that was supposed to be vibrating something in my ears was vibrating some bone in my head and giving me a headache. I looked down at myself dressed in this half-assed-version of an astronaut suit that was about 3 inches too short for my legs and made me look like I should have been in some sort of facility for mental patients and just had to laugh, I felt ridiculous! But, I was having a good time.

To get to the top, you must walk a few cat walks and climb a few ladders. On ladder number 2, you pop up inbetween the eight lanes of traffic on the bridge, in plain view of every Australian commuter that decided to cross the bridge that day. Talk about feeling like a tourist. I was betting that every Sydney-sider that crosses the bridge on a daily basis got their morning kicks by laughing at the tourist hiking their asses up that bridge. Once you ascend all the ladders, constantly hooked in, constantly being supervised, you reach the actual arch of the bridge. Finally, a view of Sydney, and its worth all the silly hokie-ness of the jump suits. You could see for miles, from ocean to mountains. It was magnificent.

After some more Sydney knowledge and a few pictures taken by our guide (personal cameras were not allowed, imagine my disappointment!) we crossed the summit and came back down the other side. After about 2 hours, we were back at headquarters to end our mission. We shed headphones, harnesses, hankies and eventually those god-awful jumpsuits. Where's the decompression tank?

We collected our photos and certificates from our trusty guide, because without him, we would have never made it over that bridge. Well, I can't give him all the credit, I think maybe Houston had something to do with it too.

Although I thought some of the precautions were unnecessary, and the jump suits could have been a little more flattering (I mean, at least a two-piece suit, come on guys...) I really did enjoy myself. Once you got over how ridiculous you looked and realized everyone else felt the same way, you just laughed and had a good time.

A world away right down the street

Through the magic of friends and travel, I had managed to sign myself up for a blind-rendezvous with a friend of a friend here in Sydney. My friend Jared is well traveled and during one of his many adventures across the globe, he met a fun Aussie named Scott. Jared dropped him an email trying to get me some advice on what to do and see while here and Scott and I finally got in touch. I figured a friend of Jared's is a friend of mine and I met up with Scott for a drink. It was fun to hang out and talk with a real Australian, as I've been around mostly other travelers here in the hostel. I got some more good advice and got to see another side of town that I would have never know to venture into. Thanks for the hook up Jared and thanks for a fun night Scott!

Can eucalyptus get you drunk?

Today is Thursday, one of my extension days, and I decided to venture out of the city and see the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are about 45 minutes outside of Sydney and are accesable by car, train, or tour bus. I found a really cool eco tour full of sights and hikes and took that route to the mountains. Our group for the day ended up consisting of only four people, all American, and a tour guide. There was an older couple from Colorado and a med-student from El Paso. What are the odds?

We left Sydney early, at about 8 this morning. Only 30 minutes outside of the city the mountains come into view at the horizon. They arn't particularly high mountains, I think only about 5,000 feet or so at their highest, but they are old and full of gorges carved out by rivers and streams. Our first hike was down into one of those gorges, called The Grand Canyon of Australia. We decended over 250 meters in only a short while and went from dry eucalyptus forests at the top of the trail to lush damp swamp lands, full of ferns, at the bottom of the canyon. It was truely amazing how quickly the landscape changed. And it was gorgeous! The rock formations surrounding us were incredible, unlike any I have ever seen before. We followed along a small stream that had carved out the rock through the millenieum. At some points the stream was 50 feet below the trail and hidden in a narrow gully somewhere underneath us and at other points it was above us dripping down over small waterfalls. There was evidence of rock climbers and repellers all around us. The landscape was truely magnificent.

We stopped for a quick lunch and some rest near the lowest point of the canyon. Its was all downhill until this point. Only one way out, up, way up. Wow, the calves are feeling it now! But all the hard work was worth it once you reached the summit and saw the views. Breathtaking. It really is The Grand Canyon of Australia.

We drove to another location for another short decline into another valley. This time it was to view The Three Sisters, a famous rock formation in The Jamieson Valley. At the bottom of a rather long and steep set of stairs, we arrived at an old coal mine. This was to be our way back to the top, not through the mine, but up the old mine car tracks. The World's Steepest Railroad runs up the side of The Jamieson Valley, and they have turned it into something close to a rollercoaster. The ride is short but I believe it climbs the mountain at about a 50 degree angle. It starts you off on you back and as you ascend, you lean foward until you are sitting straight up. Twenty seconds of speeding up to the top on an old coal car track through natural tunnels of pitch black darkness is a fun way to end a strenuous day of sightseeing.

Heading North to Summer?

Today is Friday and my last day in Sydney. I fly north to Byron Bay tomorrow afternoon ---> SURF!!! I'm so excited to get to the beach! I'm going to chill out there for a few days and then its on to Brisbane for one night. After that, Fraser Island for an overnight tour of the island. Then I fly out from Brisbane to Cairns for the rainforest and the reef. I decided to fly versus taking the bus because I'm running out of time! The east coast of Australia is roughly the same size as the east coast of the US, so drive times are LONG... and plane fares were roughly the same as bus fares. You do the math.

I'm excited to go north to the beaches but also a little sad to leave Sydney. I've been here for 8 days and have grown kind of fond of the area, the hostel and the kids in it! Its been fun here. I've gotten some great advice from lots of different people, money saving advice, the best kind. I'll be back in Sydney on the 1st of November for one night before I fly out to Santiago. One final hurrah.

Next blog will be from Byron Bay. Ahhh...surf...

Linds

Ascent to the Sails

I have found, every time I travel, the gravity of situation doesn't hit me until I'm in the plane. It doesn't matter how much time I have, or haven't, spent planning, or how excited I am about my destination, or who I'm traveling with, or without or even where I'm going. I don't ever feel like I'm leaving until I'm in my seat and looking out that tiny porthole.

Australia was no exception. I boarded the enormous 747 jet in the Johannesburg airport and walked to my economy seat (no first class this time) I prepared for the long flight ahead. Jacket, iPod, book, notebook, gum and that fun little goodie bag Qantas gives you with airplane socks and a sleep mask. I was seated at a window, usually the coveted seat on a normal flight. On a 12 hour trans-oceanic flight where tight quarters breed leg cramps, it’s an equivalent of a Chinese finger trap, the more you move back and forth between the arm rest and the window, the worse the cramps get. Add in over 3 feet worth of legs and its torture.

Needless to say, I didn't attain much sleep on this agonizing flight. To make everything a little more uncomfortable, the time change stripped away any energy I had left. I lost a full night's sleep and also jumped ahead another 8 hours. I sucked up the loss and prepared for a landing in Sydney. It was mid-afternoon when we flew over the south end of the city and my 11 hour wait to use the window paid off. The coastline was amazing. In the span if 10 minutes, I saw cliffs, yellow sand, blue water, coves, surf and then the harbor, and finally, the Opera House and Harbor Bridge. That was another moment in the History of Linds. I was flying over Sydney Harbor, a place I can honestly say that I thought I would never see.

To those who don't know, Australia has one of the toughest entry restrictions when it comes to customs. It seems that they want to keep their little island as "clean" as possible. No plants, seeds, fruits, vegetables, animals, anything that is living, was living a short while ago or has a chance of living if it is brought into the country. So in other words, unless it was processed into some form of clothing or other material, nothing that came from the earth or feeds off the earth or has the potential to do either can enter Australia. And they make you very nervous about it. As soon as we were out of the plane and into the terminal, staff members were in our face asking us if we took any of the "snacks" given to us on the plane with us in our bags. It's that serious and violation means being quarantined.

I made it through customs unscathed and made my way from the airport to The Blue Parrot, the hostel I had myself booked in. It’s a small hostel in a backpackers' area of Sydney called Potts Point, know for its restaurants, bars, shops and sometimes shady weekend night life. (Sounds like King Street Charleston to me!) I checked into an 8 person all-girl dorm; bunk beds, ensuite bathroom, constant coming and going, lights almost always on, lockers banging not to mention the street traffic outside. I didn't live in a dorm in college, but I can imagine that life is something similar to this.

This leg of the trip I decided to do my best to save cash. I figured, I'm traveling solo, there are no obligations to do anything, I can save my money by not eating out for every meal. So, I went grocery shopping. A few bucks at the Woolworths supermarket down the road from the hostel and I had coffee, breakfast and sandwiches for a week. Here's the best part: I had to label all my food and put it in the community fridge. Is this really what dorm life is like?

I arrived on Thursday afternoon but was useless. I checked in, grocery shopped, did a quick loop around some of the streets near the hostel, then crashed. I woke up early on Friday morning to start my first real day in Sydney. Sydney is a major city but it’s not unmanageable on foot, everything is in walking distance. And that's what I did, I walked for 7 hours straight.

I left the Potts Point area and walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens, a huge park with walking paths that weave through enormous native fig and gum trees and native plants that eventually brings you down to the rocks that border the water. The path follows along the edge of the bay and takes you to the tip of the park called Mrs. Macquarie's Chair (where there is actually a bench carved into a huge boulder.) It's here that I got my first glimpse of the pair of Australian icons, the Opera House and the Bridge. It was unreal. I was stunned. The smooth sail-like arches of the Sydney Opera House point upwards toward the backdrop of the massive iron structure that is the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Despite their obvious clash of textures and styles, the two structures unite as one image that welcomes you into this city.

I spent the rest of the day walking, everywhere. I went to the Opera House and viewed this interesting edification up close. Sitting up on the edge of the harbor, it's surrounded by massive stairs on all sides. I climbed to the top and once underneath the curves of white, I realized they were made of tiles. Standing underneath the eaves of what seems to be impossible curvature gives you a further appreciation for its architecture.

The Opera House is flanked on one side by Circular Quay, the hub for all things transportation; buses, trains, ferries. Sydney is located on one of the largest natural harbors in the world so, many parts of the city are accessible by boat. The ferry wharfs are a constant flow of ships moving in and out, blaring horns and a show of impressive in-water maneuvers by the captains who can squeeze these 80 foot vessels into a just slightly larger slip in the dock.

On the other side of Circular Quay is one of the bridge pylons. Not until you are standing underneath this almost 100 year old display of masonry do you get a true sense of how large it really is. The bridge's early 20th century design of massive brick pylons and dense iron work makes our bridge in Charleston look toothpicks.

The afternoon threatened us tourists with clouding gray skies and just as I thought it was going to rain, I ducked into the free Museum of Contemporary art. I figured I could get some of my cultural experience out of the way. It didn't rain, in fact it was hot and sunny again, a phenomenon that I've come to realize is very familiar in Sydney, coastal weather. Not soon afterwards, it was raining. I wasn't ready to end my afternoon so, I hopped the tube toward the markets in Sydney's version of Chinatown, an area known as the Haymarket. The markets are basically full of cheap Asia knock-offs of various useless items. But, way in the back, there is a fresh fruit and vegetable market. I love markets. Tons of yummy fruits and veggies, and here, only a few I haven't seen before. Outside, there really is a Chinatown, a few blocks of concentrated Asian restaurants, stores and culture.

There is an enormous Asian population in Sydney and it shows in their Chinatown and all the other parts of the city. You are also reminded that Asia is only a short plane ride away by the flock of Asian tourists passing through the city by the bus loads, literally. There are tour buses full of Asians at every major tourist attraction. If you ever wanted to make a killing, buy a bus, learn Japanese and come to Sydney. There are also many Indians amongst the population and tourists. It’s a type of culture shock in and of its own. Sydney is a town of tourists and foreigners. Not until you make your way outside the central part of the city do you begin to really get a feel for real Aussies.

My second day wasn't much different than the first, I walked. I made my way to the Circular Quay to board one of the ferries bound for the Taronga Zoo. I figured it was the easiest way to see some of Oz's animals. It just so happened to be on a Saturday. Weekenders. I got my fill of real Aussies, and their kids, while making my way through the packs of families with strollers, ice creams and temper-tantrums. But, I was able to see some lazy kangaroos and passed-out hiding koalas. I also managed to get an up close shot of some giraffe and zebra, unlike my African "zoo" experience. Here's your zebra photo, Todd! Interesting side note: in Oz as well as South Africa, instead of calling them crosswalks, they are referred to as "zebra crossings." And, in South Africa, they pronounced it "zeb-ra" rhymes with "web-ra." Strange folk.

I made my way out of the tourist waterfront area and walked further into the CBD. I passed through streets that were guarded by the tall buildings which housed offices of various major businesses. I made my way to the shopping district which boasted the same famous names you would find in any major city. After passing by familiar street names such as King, Pitt, George and Market, I arrived at another park, Hyde Park, in the city center.

It was here that I got my first glimpse of the Sydney Tower, in my opinion, a tacky attempt to modernize the city's skyline. It adds a sort of Vegas-theme park element to the city. It clashes with the other architecture you can see from the park, St. Mary's Cathedral, a gothic cathedral in the center of the city. The main walkway of the park hosted an art exhibition with huge 8x10 foot canvases of local photography. The walkway was lit by huge round lanterns that hung from the trees. In a different place and time, this park might be considered magical.

On Sunday, I decided to get out of the central city and visit Sydney's most famous beach, Bondi Beach. I hopped the bus for this one and rode about 10k outside the city. Bondi is a smaller beach nestled in between the rocks of the surrounding cliffs. There is a coastal walk a few miles long that starts at Bondi and takes you up and down cliffs and in an out of small cove beaches. I took the walk and got a feel for Sydney beach life.

Weekends are time for Sydneyers to let loose, so I'm told, and the beach is the place they do it. Bondi was full of locals and tourists alike, walking up and down its main street full of shops and restaurants or sprawled out on a beach towel in the sand. No beach chairs here guys! Surfers, still donning wetsuits, crowded the line up just off the beach. Volleyball was in full swing on every beach.

One thing I've noticed about Sydneyers is their enjoyment of being outside. There are always people lying on the grass, in parks, at the beach, where ever. Weekends are time spent with friends and family with picnics and grilling out. The parks at the beach have outdoor grills and small picnic pavilions that were packed with families and young people alike grilling a Sunday lunch maybe with a beer or a bottle of wine. Dogs running around catching a frisbee, a friendly game of footie or rugby dotted the picnic grounds. Everybody was out today! And they stayed out all day. Back and forth between the beach and the picnic. It looked like an awesome way to spend a weekend day.

Another fun event I encountered on the walk was "bowling." Not the Kingpin version of bowling, this version more resembled bocce ball, except its played on a flat lawn outside at a "bowling club." At first, I just thought old people played it (think shuffle board on cruise ships with the actual sticks,) but then I saw groups of people my age with pitchers of beer on the benches behind them. Yet another concept I could see taking off back in the states!

I read that Aussies are a very athletic and health conscience group of people. They are! You can see it everywhere you go. People are jogging or walking the paths along the water, exercising in the park, or at the lap pools that dot the coastline. Some are just normal chlorine pools built on the hill over the water, but some are built into the rocks on the shore and use sea water. And people are always swimming laps in them. All this physical activity around the city is making me want to join in and go for a jog!

Although, I don’t really need to. I'm getting plenty of exercise as it is. I figure, I'm walking at least, at least 10k a day, probably more like 15k. And I'm feeling it! I wanted to go jog this morning with all the other Aussies in the park, but my legs are in shock from all this work I've made them do recently. Sydney isn't flat! There are huge stairwells and inclines all over the place and even though they are hating it now, my legs will be thanking me later. The Salomons are keeping my feet happy. I still want to try to get an endorsement from them, I've taken their shoes to 4 continents and 7 countries now. I think I deserve a check!

Now it’s Monday and I decided to make my way to the Sydney Fish Market and eat some just off the boat fish. You can buy the fish from a stall, walk to the counter, buy some chopsticks and soy for your sashimi or have them cook up for you and eat it right there. Speaking of sushi, I ate at a very interesting sushi restaurant last night. It was one of those places where they make individual rolls of sushi, put it on a tiny color-coded plate and sit it on the sushi train that loops through a counter where you and many others are seated. What ever roll looks yummy, you pluck from the sushi train and eat. Stack your plates, take them to the register and you pay by the color, anywhere from $2 to $6. It’s brilliant and fun, we need one back home! Back at the fish market, I decided to try some Tiger Prawns and Oysters. The prawns were huge delish. No cocktail sauce here, only chili sauce. The oysters were alright, bigger than the oysters in South Africa, but not better than the oysters back home. How is oyster season going back there in Chucktown? I’m missin some big time oyster roasts this year! You guys better eat some tasty ones for me!

As of now, I have 3 days and 2 nights left in Sydney. I may stay one more day before I head north in order to fit in all the stuff I want to do. There are day trips to the Hunter Valley (wine country!) that I wanted to try to make and also a day trip to the Blue Mountains, Australia's version of the Grand Canyon. I also was going to try to climb the bridge, yes I'll be on top another bridge, just not jumping off this one!

For all those wondering what its like traveling solo, here, its no problem. This place is so much like America that you don't have to worry about much. Everyone here speaks English and everything is written in English. As I said earlier, everything is within walking distance, more or less, so getting around is easy. I've come to the conclusion that Australia, at least Sydney, is very "user friendly," a good stop for first time, beginner travelers. Any apprehension I had about being by myself here has virtually disappeared. I feel perfectly safe everywhere I go. Aussies for the most part are very friendly people, thank-you's and your-welcome's are abound. I've talked with some people in the hostel and as the theory goes, most travelers are friendly, fun and respectful of other travelers.

I'm enjoying this city more than I thought I would and loving being by myself. I've got my notebook, iPod, laptop and as of tomorrow, a phone. I feel almost too in touch! If it weren’t for Gara's wedding, I honestly think I would be staying here longer. And once I head north to the beaches, I know I'll want to stick around.

Thanks for reading guys, make sure to leave me a note. Miss ya but not missin ya...

Linds

Jet-lagged in Potts Point

Just a quick on here guys. I just arrived in Sydney a few hours ago. I lived through another 12 hour trans-oceanic flight, got myself through customs, got a phone, got some Aussie dollars, and navigated my way to the hostel. I'm checked into to an all-girls room in a smaller hostel in the Pots Point of Sydney. Its near the water, near the bridge and opera house, close to the CBD. I can walk everywhere.

I'm terrible jet-lagged but wanted to go to sleep at a normal time as not to screw up my days. Once I got settled in my room, I got out the ole laptop to type this up and....nada. Can't get the damn thing to turn on. Its not the power converter for the Aussie plugs and it worked fine when I left South Africa. Maybe its jet-lagged too. Cross you fingers for me that it fixes itself. Otherwise, posting will be a bitch.

I'm exhaused, but just wanted everyone to know that I'm in Oz and safe. I'll write a proper blog soon. Ciao!

Linds

Think I'll find the Wizard in Oz?

Wednesday October 10th is my final day in Africa. I ship out of East London at noon, then from Jo'burg I begin a 13 hour journey down under. I arrive in Sydney at one o'clock in the afternoon on the 11th.

Not only am I leaving Africa, I'm leaving the company of others. Once I fly out, I'm solo, just me, no friends, no arranged meetings with friends of friends in other cities, no one else, just me. I've been thinking about this moment for months, ever since I began to plan this trip. I always knew I was going to visit Luke in Africa. I threw around many ideas for the other part of the trip, but Australia was always in my plans. A few of my friends teased me with the idea of them joining me, but the time away from work and the lack of money were factors going against them. So, I figured, I have the money, I can get the time off from work (or just quit,) screw it, I'll go by myself.

And here I am, about to ship off to a country, a continent I've never been to, know very little about and know NO ONE!!! At least they speak English, right? I was nervous about it before I left the states, then once I got here, I began to get excited about being solo. It was going to be a challenge, a test of what I'm actually capable of. And I'm still excited. I've got a tentative course laid out, a few places I want to see, a few things to do and a lot of room to improvise. I planned it like that on purpose. I figured, I'm by myself, no one else to make decisions, I will leave room for changes. If something pops up or if I find some new place, or if I get a suggestion from someone I meet, I can easily change my course. But, as of now, this is my rough course of action:

October 11th, I arrive in Sydney. Hostel it there for about a week. Check out the city: Harbor Bridge, Opera House, museums, markets, gardens, etc. I might try to figure out where wine country is and go do some Australian wine tastings. I also may try to catch an Aussie Rules Rugby game, at the suggestion of a few friends. I plan to travel north out of Sydney via Greyhound, oh yeah baby, I'm takin' the bus! No worries, Greyhound is actually a decent way to travel down there, its nothing like the shady half broken down system back in the states.

After Sydney is the Gold Coast of Australia, beaches and surfing!!! I haven't figured out what town I want to stop in yet, but once I do, it’s a few days there and hopefully some surfing this time! After I get my fill of the Gold Coast, it’s off to Brisbane.

I'll spend a few days in Brisbane sight-seeing and then its north again to Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. I think I'm going to find some way to camp there for a night or two, maybe find an inexpensive tour to join. Very beautiful place, lots of photographs there, hopefully.

After Brisbane, its further north to Cairns. There is a few hundred miles between those two cities and hope to find a stopping point some where in between, but haven't found one yet. Once I get to Cairns, it’s all about the reef, baby! I've already booked my seat on a 10 person charter of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a 3 day, 2 night charter on a 40' sailboat full of dives, snorkeling and sun!!! I haven't decided whether or not to drop the cash on getting certified to dive. I believe it’s a 2 day process with written tests and practice dives, not to mention a few hundred dollars. I'll cross that bridge when I get there. But, I will definitely be able to snorkel from the boat. I chose this charter over others I researched mainly because it’s on a sailboat and its only 10 passengers and 3 crew members. The crew encourages the passengers to help sail the boat. I figured, I've always wanted to learn how to sail, why not try it out while cruising over one of the 7 natural wonders of the world?!?! So, you can add sailing to my list of firsts on this trip. (Dylan and Rick, I'll show you guys a thing or two when I get home...ha, ha.)

So, Cairns is the last stop. I bought a flight back to Sydney on November 1st. And from Sydney, I fly on to Santiago, Chile. I had some difficulties arranging tickets to Tahiti and Easter Island. The travel agent I was working with since before I left the states decided to flake out on me. I inquired about my flight path in early August and received a quote from her. When I went back in September to start making plans to buy these plane tickets from her, she decided to change her story. It’s long and boring, but she couldn't get me to where I wanted to go anymore and was giving me the run-around as to why. So, thankfully, the Vehorns have a travel agent here in South Africa that they have been dealing with for years. I made one quick phone call to her and in a day had tickets. I chose to cut out Tahiti and Easter Island since it was so close to the date and prices were beginning to rise. I'm still flying to Chile, and I hope to find a flight to Easter Island from there. We will see though. That portion of the trip is still very far away and I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

As promised, there is my tentative schedule from now until I decide to come home. If anyone has any suggestions, advice, friends, family, or knowledge about Australia, I would greatly appreciate the information. I'm basically sticking to the east coast, between Sydney and Cairns and I'm still looking for places to visit in between. Its all one big adventure guys. The blogs will be flowing!!!


Sorry there isn't any pictures for this blog. Its literaly painstaking to wait for them to load on this internet over here. I promise beautiful photographs of Australia, as soon as I get there, and get fast internet. Thanks again for everyone's support!!! Wish me luck on this HUGE journey I am about to take! Much love!

Linds

The Boma Glows at Night. The Reservoir Flows, sometimes. Lucerne and the Money Wind. Artists Without Sleep.

Life around the farm Since Luke and I have been back from our trip, we've been hanging out on the farm. As I told you guys earlier, Harrison Farm grows a crop called lucerne. It’s like alfalfa and the locals buy bales of it for feed for their livestock. It’s been a busy place here lately with people constantly rolling up the driveway and wanting to buy bales. The first cutting of the lucerne yielded over 1,000 bales. These were all sold by yesterday. More lucerne is being cut and baled right now in order to feed the demand.

I'll give you guys an idea of what goes on here, almost everyday. Around 7 a.m., the first bakkie (baak-ee) or truck, rolls up the driveway and beeps their horn, wanting lucerne. Either Ronnie or Luke (usually Luke) gets up, follows the bakkie out to the lucerne shed, makes a sale, comes back to the house. This goes on all day long. Back and forth from the shed to the house selling bales of lucerne for R50 (about $7.15) all day long. While that's going on, Ronnie is out in the fields, on the tractor, either cutting lucerne, raking lucerne, baling lucerne or performing some other farm duty. In the meantime, Luke and the 3 other farm workers are either selling lucerne, collecting the bales of lucerne or stacking lucerne in the shed until about 5 p.m. Lucerne is the word, my friends. During the day while all this lucerne action is going on out on the farm, Janet and I are left up to our own devices at the house. I'm either taking pics, reading, typing, hiking or yogging, emailing, or researching on the internet.

Luke and I, left up to our own devices, have also found some ways to entertain ourselves. All water on the farm is obtained by pumping it either from a well underground for drinking water or from the river for irrigation. Around the farm there are old reservoirs, big cement cylinders about 7 feet deep and open at the top, that were/are used to hold extra water. Reverting back to our childhood thought processes, Luke and I have been planning how to turn one of the reservoirs on the farm into a swimming pool. We decided to drain one of them in order to clean it out and paint it. We rigged siphoning pipes up to drain part and opened up some drainage pipes to get out more water. Our entertainment for the day would be trucking up to the reservoir to check the water level. Sounds exciting, huh? Oh, it is. We've got it down to just a few inches of water. But I think it will be left up to Luke to clean and paint it, I just don't have enough time left here to help, oh damn.

So, in other words my friends, living on a farm without having much to do gives you plenty of time to do dumb shit, as stated above. We act like children on our summer vacation. It would be like my childhood summers if I could only get grounded for something...

When we decide to act like adults, we usually start our evenings off with sundowners; wine, its all about wine here. Sundowners leads into dinner, usually cooked at the boma (firepit) over a blazing braai. Right about the time we finish braai-ing, the money wind picks up outside. Money wind, in terms of a lucerne farmer, is wind that blows form the south, dry wind. Why would a lucerne farmer want dry wind, you ask? Because, the drier it is, the less water for plants, and the less water for plants means less food for livestock to eat, and less food for livestock means more people need the lucerne to feed their livestock. So, we are always happy to feel the "money wind" when it starts blowing, even if it’s chilly.

The current state of weather in this part of Africa is drought. There hasn't been rain for months and rarely is there a forecast for wet weather. Tuesday surprised all of us. The news had been calling for storms all week, but it hadn't rained. All of the sudden, black clouds rolled in overheard. Luke and I were down at the big house painting and I suggested we head up to the other house and take a break while we wait to see if it rains. As I walked outside, I heard this roaring noise off in the distance under the clouds. I thought I was hearing rain. About a minute later when the clouds were over us I realized it wasn't rain that was falling, it was hail! Hail the size of grapes were pelting the house and bouncing up from the lawn. It was crazy, the first storm of the season brings hail to Africa, never though I'd see it. The entire time it was hailing, all I could think about was the poor lucerne. Would the hail damage it, ruin the crop? Not to worry, the lucerne survived. And the little bit of water that did result from the storm wasn't enough to halt lucerne sales either. Artists in Africa, almost

Aside from all the farm talk, Luke and I have been working on something important. My time here in Africa wasn't all going to be spent tooling around on farm or having adventures on safaris, bungee jumps and wine tastings. Luke had a "project" lined up for us.

For those of you who don't know, Luke is an established artist and painting is one of his many talents. His little creative mind cooked up a project for the both of us to work on while I am here, a "collaboration of artists" as he calls it.

While on our trip, we obviously collected hundreds of photos. From those pics, we chose one animal, one flower, one landscape, one still life and a self-portrait of each of us. We will use these six photographs as the inspiration for our paintings. Now, some of you may be thinking, "Lindsey paints?" No, I don't paint. I may exhibit some artistic talents, but painting with oil paints on a canvas is a first for me. So, needless to say, I was a little intimidated by any mention of my picking up a brush in order to create something. But Luke ensured me that I would do just fine.

The whole point of this "project" is for both of us to contribute to the same painting. We each start on a painting, then after we work for a few hours, we swap canvases and add to the other painting. In a few hours, we switch again, and so on and so forth. Each of us is adding their own style of painting to each canvas. And, to my complete surprise, I'm actually doing well, I think... I'm definitely enjoying mixing slabs of paint together and making it look like stuff. I feel like I'm back in elementary school art class. Actually, I feel like all those days of watching Bob Ross when I was a kid have paid off, "happy trees" and "happy clouds." Remember that guy? The old guy with the fro that came on PBS in the morning when I was a kid? You know, he always talked like he was high from his "happy trees." That guy.

Although we don't have any "happy trees," we do make some Bob Ross Magic of our own happen in one of the rooms in the Big House (the old farmhouse.) We turned it into a makeshift art studio. All that really means is that there are some easels set up, a table with paints lined up on it, our work stations with our palettes and brushes, stereo with iPods set up for our listening pleasure, a few (now empty) bottles of wine and us. We usually paint in the morning and afternoon, the light at night is pretty poor. Not to mention, we are sitting in a very old, very uninhabited, sparsely furnished, creepy house. And even though I'm 25 years old, I'm still afraid of the dark and the ghosts that may be floating around in it. So, because of me, we don't spend much time down there at night!

Our first two paintings turned out better than I expected. The first is of the elephant we saw at Lalibela. This is the photograph it came from.
Next up is our J-Bay painting. I love this one. I think it’s because of the color and the place. I really loved Jeffery's Bay and all the color that was in the scene. This is our painting. This is the photograph.

Believe it or not, I actually helped paint these! Now do you see why I am so impressed?! Now remember, Luke and I equally contributed to both paintings, we both deserve the credit, if you think there is any to be deserved.

We are currently working on two more paintings and hope to finish them soon. I only have 6 days left in South Africa so the days for this project are numbered.

So, what are we actually going to do with the paintings? Well, Luke hopes to exhibit them in a friend's gallery in Queenstown and who knows, someone might actually buy one. Any takers before they go up for sale? You could own one of only a few rare Linduke (Lin-dook-ay) originals! Linduke is our "African" artist team name, get it... Linds + Luke = Linduke. (Like I said, too much time on our hands here!)

A long slow goodbye...

Today officially marks one month since I've been gone from Charleston, the longest I've ever been away from home. Four weeks of living in a completely different place and now it’s down to the last six days of my African experience. I've seen many incredible places I never knew existed in a country I never knew was so beautiful. I've spent time on a farm where all I hear are the words "lucerne" and "money wind." I've been a guest to a family that has treated me as one of their own. I've had a great time.

With only a short time left, I hope to make the most of it, getting those last few shots, making sure I make that mountain really look like a mountain in that next painting, enjoying my final authentic South African sundowners in front of those beautiful sunsets, basking in the heat of my last few braais and spending some time with my friends, family, here on the farm.

Although I accomplished a lot while I was here, there is still much more to do here in South Africa. I know that I will be back to this wonderful place one day, soon. I hope it to be in the company of another first-timer, a friend that wants to see this place for what it really is. And I, yet again, will be writing stores and taking pictures of all these amazing places.

Many thanks to the Vehorn family for letting me into their home and taking care of me while I was their guest. I've enjoyed spending time with them and hope to repay them the favor one day.

My next stop is down under, I'm headed to Australia on the 10th. I graduate and now its time to fly solo. I will have 22 days of solo adventure. Just me, my camera, my journal, a bus ticket or two, a few hostels and everything the east coast of Australia has to offer me.

I'll write a proper blog on my projected path through Oz and post it soon. Till then, wish us luck on the painting! As always, thank you for reading what some call words. Look forward to hearing from everyone.

Linds