Jen took me to the Tree Top Walk in the Valley of the Giants. On the way we stopped by Denmark (the Denmark Bakery) for some delicious curry veggie pasties and chocolate mud cake.
The Tree Top Walk is a walkway that goes up to 38 meters high among the tops of the trees in the Valley of the Giants. It was fun to be up there, although the walkways would swing a little if I walked in time with Jen. Also, I'm not a huge fan of heights. But that wasn't a problem on the second part, where we walked through the Tingle forest. The Tingle trees have root balls that form hollow shelter-like things when the inside burns out in fires.
2007/09/30
2007/09/29
The Wind the Bridge and the Gap
Mind the gap. It's quite large.
Jen and I took an awesome trip to the wind farm near Albany. 12 rotors, sun setting, I got some great pictures, I'll work on getting them uploaded. Also went to see a natural bridge and a gap (more exciting than it sounds, also good pictures). Apparently they used to be attached to Antarctica.
For dinner we made (or attempted to make) some Indian curry from some curry paste Myles had made earlier. First yogurt, then veggies in the wrong order, then more paste, cocnut milk and boiling down. The rice turned out great though (I made it).
Jen and I took an awesome trip to the wind farm near Albany. 12 rotors, sun setting, I got some great pictures, I'll work on getting them uploaded. Also went to see a natural bridge and a gap (more exciting than it sounds, also good pictures). Apparently they used to be attached to Antarctica.
For dinner we made (or attempted to make) some Indian curry from some curry paste Myles had made earlier. First yogurt, then veggies in the wrong order, then more paste, cocnut milk and boiling down. The rice turned out great though (I made it).
Total Footy Destruction
Jen and I went down to her and Myles' house in Albany yesterday, but Myles is off in Esperance and she needs to catch up on work, and I'm still trying to plan this whole car rental/dive class thing. But we took some time off to watch Geelong DESTROY Port Adelaide by 119 points (that's a lot) in the Grand Final (of AFL - Australian Football League). I haven't watched much Australian Football, but I find it significantly most interesting than most other sports. If I understood the rules better, I'd probably enjoy it even more. It's like soccer, but people score more often, and it's like football but people pass more and don't wear pads, also there's no resetting the line.
2007/09/27
26 for Jeff on his 26th on the 26th
That is, 26 things to find on my 26th birthday on the 26th of September.
After I did all that, I met up with Jen for dinner, we went to a delicious vegetarian restaurant in Perth called Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant.
After that, we went back to the Mitchells' house (Myles' parents) and I continued the tradition of using my birthday as an excuse to force people to watch 70's SciFi movies, this year, Logan's Run. Also, there was delicious cake to eat.
* means I got a picture of it or did it.Hanke's list of 26 for his 26th on the 26th!!
- *Perth Mint to see the gold pour
- *Perth town hall
- Someone wearing ugg boots.
- *an akubura hat
- *London Court
- *the bell tower
- *the Lucky Shag
- *the CAT bus
- *a Java Juice
- *an Australian Flag
- *Captain Cook Cruise boat
- Fremantle train station
- didgeridoo shop
- Maritime Museum
- *Perth railway station
- Barista Cafe
- *Art Gallery -> Egyptian exhibit
- aboriginal art
- painting of a swag
- a busker
- vegemite
- boomerang
- cricket bat
- *palm tree
- *parrot
- *surf shop
After I did all that, I met up with Jen for dinner, we went to a delicious vegetarian restaurant in Perth called Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant.
After that, we went back to the Mitchells' house (Myles' parents) and I continued the tradition of using my birthday as an excuse to force people to watch 70's SciFi movies, this year, Logan's Run. Also, there was delicious cake to eat.
2007/09/25
Iron Chef at the Mitchells'
Jen wanted to cook dinner, and I decided to help. I learned about making a roux for a leek tart, she also made a spinach "puff", I put together some lemon tahini dressing (under her direction), and some apple & beet salad (pretty easy to do), green salad, and a violently delicious blueberry crumble. All in all, too much good food. No complaints here.
2007/09/24
A Seppo Spends the Avo in Freo
After the wildlife park, I went out to Northbridge (north of Perth) with Jen, Myles and some of their friends. Jen made me dance, but it was okay. I totally fell asleep on the train back to Guildford.
Jen, Myles and I (along with some of the people that were out with us last night) decided to hang out in Fremantle for the afternoon. During the car ride down, Jen introduced me to Jackson Jackson. I found one of their songs particularly appealing: Waxed World. "I’m a hairy man / In a waxed world", here's a sample: http://www.mp3sale.tv/track.php?ms_trackid=958963 .
Our first destination was Little Creatures (a pub in Fremantle). They have really good veggie nachos, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their beer. We stayed there for a while, some people came and went. Eventually we headed to Mexican Kitchen for dinner, and really, the "Mexican" should be in quotes. My quesadilla tasted decidedly pizza-like, I think they used tomato sauce on it, but was good nonetheless.
Jen, Myles and I (along with some of the people that were out with us last night) decided to hang out in Fremantle for the afternoon. During the car ride down, Jen introduced me to Jackson Jackson. I found one of their songs particularly appealing: Waxed World. "I’m a hairy man / In a waxed world", here's a sample: http://www.mp3sale.tv/track.php?ms_trackid=958963 .
Our first destination was Little Creatures (a pub in Fremantle). They have really good veggie nachos, and everyone seemed to be enjoying their beer. We stayed there for a while, some people came and went. Eventually we headed to Mexican Kitchen for dinner, and really, the "Mexican" should be in quotes. My quesadilla tasted decidedly pizza-like, I think they used tomato sauce on it, but was good nonetheless.
2007/09/23
Koalas and Wombats and Roos, Oh My!
After the Birds of Prey, we headed into the Caversham Wildlife Park (inside Whiteman Park), another AU$17 (soooooooooo worth it). This is the kind of thing you can do and then think to yourself: Well, the rest of Australia can't be that much better than this, I'm good, let's go home now. At least, for me it was.
After we saw all sorts of cool Australian animals, we made it to a kangaroo enclosure where you could go and hang out with kangaroos and even pet them. I took full advantage of that. Also, some of the kangaroos had joeys, little feet sticking out of the pouch. There were even some white kangaroos, they aren't albinos though. After that there were a bunch more cool animals, and a super-cute pair of black swans with cygnets.
One of my favorite parts was the shelter where you could pose for a photo with a wombat!
The wombat I posed with was named Matilda. She was decidedly un-rabid (you know, the kind that would only get +1/+2 from a Holy Strength *coughnerdcough*), and seemed pretty sleepy, in fact, most of the animals were just lazing around, I think it was the time of day, we were there around 12:30. Even the Tasmanian Devils weren't moving much, I was a little bummed about that. I would have been more bummed, but there was a little koala enclosure where they were feeding the koalas, and they let us touch them! Best zoo experience ever. Also, there were dingos. No, I did not see them eating any babies.
The only animal I was really hoping they would have that they didn't was a drop bear. I guess it's understandable, given how large and dangerous they are.
The main thing I would change if I were to do it all over, would be to go back around 3 PM, and get to the Tasmanian Devils around 4, Apparently, that's when they feed them.
After we saw all sorts of cool Australian animals, we made it to a kangaroo enclosure where you could go and hang out with kangaroos and even pet them. I took full advantage of that. Also, some of the kangaroos had joeys, little feet sticking out of the pouch. There were even some white kangaroos, they aren't albinos though. After that there were a bunch more cool animals, and a super-cute pair of black swans with cygnets.
One of my favorite parts was the shelter where you could pose for a photo with a wombat!
The wombat I posed with was named Matilda. She was decidedly un-rabid (you know, the kind that would only get +1/+2 from a Holy Strength *coughnerdcough*), and seemed pretty sleepy, in fact, most of the animals were just lazing around, I think it was the time of day, we were there around 12:30. Even the Tasmanian Devils weren't moving much, I was a little bummed about that. I would have been more bummed, but there was a little koala enclosure where they were feeding the koalas, and they let us touch them! Best zoo experience ever. Also, there were dingos. No, I did not see them eating any babies.
The only animal I was really hoping they would have that they didn't was a drop bear. I guess it's understandable, given how large and dangerous they are.
The main thing I would change if I were to do it all over, would be to go back around 3 PM, and get to the Tasmanian Devils around 4, Apparently, that's when they feed them.
The Birds!!! (of Prey)
The plan of the day had Gaynor and me going to Whiteman Park, mainly because they have Tasmanian Devils there, and I was pretty psyched to see one. However, on the way into the park we caught sight of a "Birds of Prey" exhibition. So we set off to see that (after a small walk around the town).
When we arrived at the entrance to the show, the girl selling admissions was preoccupied. Flying ants had swarmed her table, they were completely covering it. She couldn't easily move the table by herself, so I helped her move it farther away from the swarm. We paid the fee (AU$8) and went in to wait for the show to start. There were a few lizards in the bench I sat down on first, and lots of flying ants swarming around, having them crawling all over you is a strange sensation.
The show itself was very cool. It was a simple setup, just one trainer, a bunch of posts in a field (for the birds to land on), and benches for people to watch from. The trainer was mic'ed, and explained all about the birds as she used food to coax them into flying around. My understanding was that all the birds were either in rehab to be released back into the wild, or they could never be released. One bird had been kept as a pet, with first one wing broken, then when that healed, the other one, all to keep her from flying. Saddening.
The trainer showed us some games they used to train the birds, to help them with hunting. With one bird, she spun a ball with food at the end of a rope, and the bird had to catch it out of the air. It looked really hard, and the bird wasn't having much luck. With another one, she had a rubber snake on the end of a rope that she dragged along the ground, and the bird would dive onto it, and tear chunks out of it (apparently the snakes don't last very long).
One of my favorite parts was the barking owl named "Oscar" (as in "the Grouch"). He really did look like him, and if you barked at him, he would bark right back. There was also a barn owl, and a few other birds. That would have been enough, but at the end, we could "hold" a bird (slip our hand into the leather glove he was attached to). I was pleased.
Falcons are awesomely beautiful animals.
When we arrived at the entrance to the show, the girl selling admissions was preoccupied. Flying ants had swarmed her table, they were completely covering it. She couldn't easily move the table by herself, so I helped her move it farther away from the swarm. We paid the fee (AU$8) and went in to wait for the show to start. There were a few lizards in the bench I sat down on first, and lots of flying ants swarming around, having them crawling all over you is a strange sensation.
The show itself was very cool. It was a simple setup, just one trainer, a bunch of posts in a field (for the birds to land on), and benches for people to watch from. The trainer was mic'ed, and explained all about the birds as she used food to coax them into flying around. My understanding was that all the birds were either in rehab to be released back into the wild, or they could never be released. One bird had been kept as a pet, with first one wing broken, then when that healed, the other one, all to keep her from flying. Saddening.
The trainer showed us some games they used to train the birds, to help them with hunting. With one bird, she spun a ball with food at the end of a rope, and the bird had to catch it out of the air. It looked really hard, and the bird wasn't having much luck. With another one, she had a rubber snake on the end of a rope that she dragged along the ground, and the bird would dive onto it, and tear chunks out of it (apparently the snakes don't last very long).
One of my favorite parts was the barking owl named "Oscar" (as in "the Grouch"). He really did look like him, and if you barked at him, he would bark right back. There was also a barn owl, and a few other birds. That would have been enough, but at the end, we could "hold" a bird (slip our hand into the leather glove he was attached to). I was pleased.
Falcons are awesomely beautiful animals.
2007/09/22
Post-Travel Relaxation
Yesterday was a lazy day.
Gaynor took me to see UWA (University of Western Australia), It's a nice campus, with some beautiful spots, I especially enjoyed the sunken gardens. There was a cool white peacock (peahen?) in the courtyard of one of the buildings. We even scoured the grounds to find the Computer Science and Software Engineering building (she was more into it than I was). Later, I had an iced tea at Matilda Bay Cafe (it was good). On the way back to the house, we drove through Kings Park; there are some great views of the city from there.
Gaynor took me to see UWA (University of Western Australia), It's a nice campus, with some beautiful spots, I especially enjoyed the sunken gardens. There was a cool white peacock (peahen?) in the courtyard of one of the buildings. We even scoured the grounds to find the Computer Science and Software Engineering building (she was more into it than I was). Later, I had an iced tea at Matilda Bay Cafe (it was good). On the way back to the house, we drove through Kings Park; there are some great views of the city from there.
2007/09/21
Wind-down
After I had settled in a little, Gaynor gave me a little tour of Swan Valley (big on wine etc). We decided to chase the sun to the ocean, but we missed it. That isn't to say it was a total loss, we didn't quite catch the sunset, but the tail end was still beautiful. We even walked along the beach, and dipped our feet into the Indian Ocean. Also, Australian sand is very comfy. On the way back, we picked up a pizza (I was totally passed out for most of the ride), and had pizza and Bundaberg Ginger Beer (good stuff) with Rod (Gaynor's husband, Jen's boyfriend's dad) when we got back. Then, I promptly fell onto my bed and into a deep sleep (it was about 7:30 PM local time).
28 Long Hours of Travel
The flights themselves were relatively uneventful, as was the time spent in-between.
The first flight was to LA (1 hour 20 mins), with a 4+ hour layover until the second flight, to Melbourne (think "Melbin", 15 hours 15 mins), a 3 hour layover until the third flight, to Perth (4 hours 15 mins). Add it all together, and it comes out to 27 hours 55 mins total. Not including the customs and immigration lines. From 6 PM on Tuesday the 18th to 1 PM on Thursday the 20th. Oooof.
The ride was comfortable, even though my stuffed-almost-to-overflowing backpack and hiking boots didn't leave much room for my feet. My eye shade, earplugs, and travel pillow were essential. To pass the time I mostly slept, did a little bit of eating and watched movies, four in fact: In the Land of Women(***), Mr. Brooks(**), Surf's Up(****), Meet the Robinsons(**) (out of *****). The seatback entertainment centers had a bunch of movies/songs to choose from, although I had seen most of the movies worth seeing (and some that weren't, surprise surprise). It was fun drifting in and out of sleep listening to Portishead (even if the software didn't have a good set-of-songs loop function).
One nice thing (I think I knew this before and forgot), if you request special meals, they give you your food before everyone else.
On the Melbourne-Perth flight there was less sleeping and they showed the Flying Scotsman (****).
Jen's boyfriend's mom (Gaynor) picked me up at the terminal, and she had an old picture (long hair & beard with funny hat) and new picture (short hair, cleanshaven, at the Teacup ride) to recognize me by.
The first flight was to LA (1 hour 20 mins), with a 4+ hour layover until the second flight, to Melbourne (think "Melbin", 15 hours 15 mins), a 3 hour layover until the third flight, to Perth (4 hours 15 mins). Add it all together, and it comes out to 27 hours 55 mins total. Not including the customs and immigration lines. From 6 PM on Tuesday the 18th to 1 PM on Thursday the 20th. Oooof.
The ride was comfortable, even though my stuffed-almost-to-overflowing backpack and hiking boots didn't leave much room for my feet. My eye shade, earplugs, and travel pillow were essential. To pass the time I mostly slept, did a little bit of eating and watched movies, four in fact: In the Land of Women(***), Mr. Brooks(**), Surf's Up(****), Meet the Robinsons(**) (out of *****). The seatback entertainment centers had a bunch of movies/songs to choose from, although I had seen most of the movies worth seeing (and some that weren't, surprise surprise). It was fun drifting in and out of sleep listening to Portishead (even if the software didn't have a good set-of-songs loop function).
One nice thing (I think I knew this before and forgot), if you request special meals, they give you your food before everyone else.
On the Melbourne-Perth flight there was less sleeping and they showed the Flying Scotsman (****).
Jen's boyfriend's mom (Gaynor) picked me up at the terminal, and she had an old picture (long hair & beard with funny hat) and new picture (short hair, cleanshaven, at the Teacup ride) to recognize me by.
Getting to the Plane
I started the day (the 18th) in bed in San Francisco. I was unpacked, but had pretty much everything I needed in my room. I planned to wake up early (7:30 AM) so as to have plenty of time to take care of everything. That didn't work particularly well, and I ended up crawling out of bed at around 10. Anyone who knows me well probably isn't surprised by that. Even starting at 10, I should have still been plenty of time to make it to my 6:05 PM flight.
After breakfast and shower, I was doing okay, but I had to run out and make some copies (passport and driver's license), get a plug adapter (for my dual-voltage hair clippers) and pick up some Honey Maid Golden Grahams (present for my friend). So between all that and the packing, I ended up running 15 minutes late. I left my house at 4:15 in a mad dash for the airport, which didn't turn out to be very "mad" due to the delays waiting for Muni and BART. I arrived at the airport around 5 PM. Unfortunately, I still had make it to the check-in desk, get my boarding pass, get through security and to the gate. I wrangled my boarding pass in only 20 minutes, and security turn out to be relatively quick, so I managed to get on to my flight with moments to spare.
Moral of the story: Don't leave things until the last minute.
After breakfast and shower, I was doing okay, but I had to run out and make some copies (passport and driver's license), get a plug adapter (for my dual-voltage hair clippers) and pick up some Honey Maid Golden Grahams (present for my friend). So between all that and the packing, I ended up running 15 minutes late. I left my house at 4:15 in a mad dash for the airport, which didn't turn out to be very "mad" due to the delays waiting for Muni and BART. I arrived at the airport around 5 PM. Unfortunately, I still had make it to the check-in desk, get my boarding pass, get through security and to the gate. I wrangled my boarding pass in only 20 minutes, and security turn out to be relatively quick, so I managed to get on to my flight with moments to spare.
Moral of the story: Don't leave things until the last minute.
2007/09/15
The Rough Plan
Australia: September 18th - November 6th
Honolulu until December 3rd:
Christmas, etc.
San Francisco: Back in time for New Years
- Perth
- Albany
- Kalbarri
- Shark Reef
- Exmouth (5 days, dive lessons!)
- Broome
- Darwin
- Fly to Uluru (or nearby)
- Fly to Cairns (think "Cans")
- Fly to Brisbane (think "Brisbin")
- Drive south to Sydney
- Drive to Ferry
- Ferry to south island
- Drive around south island
- Ferry to north island
- Drive to Aukland
Honolulu until December 3rd:
- Thanksgiving with David
- Hanging out
- Hanging out with Parents
Christmas, etc.
San Francisco: Back in time for New Years
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
