Wow, okay, so we were really bad and did not update at all for a very long time....oops!
Well, just to keep things written down and in order I'm going to list a few things we've done since comic con.
We continued to work as much as possible. Linds became the regular morning 8-4p regular at the Catholic Leadership Center. I took over as night shift supervisor for about a month, give or take a week.
We moved from Jenny's house where we were renting a room to a house in Bentleigh East where we house sat for three weeks and looked after, Jasper, a very fluffy and clingy cat.
That saved us some money and gave us a chance to be on our own for a few weeks with the freedoms of a kitchen.
We saw Les Miserables for my, Brittney's, birthday. But it was also Lindsey's first time seeing it on stage and the Aussie cast were incredible. Just fantastic.
We also gave in and saw Wicked. Linds had been trolling the seats and prices and found some front roll balcony seats that were $40 cheaper than everything else in the balconies due to 'restricted viewing.' Ha! restricted viewing meant not seeing a few characters briefly as they danced. We lucked out. That performance was also amazing. It actually brought Linds to tears during Defying Gravity, and she's seen it two other times!
Linds made a friend through the CLC/Pinnacle. Allison Brown went to CIA in California and they hit it off. We talked Allison into staying in Melbourne for a while and she is going to be the new regular at the CLC when we leave. We ended up hanging out with her and her boyfriend, Jerome, a lot after we moved into the hostel for our last two weeks.
Pint on Punt is an Irish pub that has the cheapest hostel prices. So, we lived above a pub for two weeks with four other girls. It was an experience.
Hmmmm, let's see. We had a few drinks at Robarta's on Fitzroy street near St. Kilda beach and then ate at Apartment 29 just down the road (they have giant jenga!). Allison and Jerome are great to hang out with and we hope to stay in touch with them. Allison is going to learn how to make chocolate in Belgium and they'll live there for 3-4 years. So, that's a trip we would like to save up for :)
Linds and I also found this Thai place on Bridge Rd right next to Hoddle street called The Piano. It had the best pork belly and crispy duck. The. Best. and of course they had a gorgeous piano and the music was great.
Allison also ended up introducing us to Messina gelato. (located on Smith street between Victoria parade and Johnston street in Fitzroy/Collingwood). It has the best gelato and the craziest combination of flavors ever! super delicious. We invited Deb from work with us one day when we all got off at 4 from the CLC and we spent a good hour and a half there. Soooo, good.
We also made it to Chin Chin's! they have my favorite two dishes and cocktail in all of Melbourne. The soft shell crab and the pad seuw. Linds got a drink with jasmine infused vodka and it came with an adorable pink rose petal floating on top. But it was also super delicious. The rule of Chin Chin though is no reservations. You show up and wait, which can be fine if you don't mind hanging out in the bar in the basement :)
We never did manage to make it to the zoo or try the tram restaurant, but we did eat at some fantastic places and hang out with some of our favorite people before we left.
We still have one whole day left and Linds works 8-4. I worked on packing and am going to meet Allison for one last day at Messina before going to the CLC to say goodbye to everyone. Deb and Pat are going to have dinner with us and then that's that.
Long days of travelling ahead and 7 flights left until we are back in Indy, but it'll be worth it to finally get back home.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Oz Comic Con
We went to Comic Con just to see Jason Dohring, two Game of Thrones actors, and Arthur Darvill (just me, linds hasn't seen Doctor Who).
We spent over an hour in line and we got so worried we wouldn't be able to get a seat at the stage we needed. Conveniently, everyone we wanted to see were all one after the other on the same stage so we were super lucky. Pretty much, super lucky all around because we got our tickets and went straight in and the stage area we needed wasn't even half full. We got to get some awesome seats and I got to see the panel with another actor I like, Dante Basco. He's mainly a voice actor now and he voiced Zuko in the Last Airbender. And for the next two panels they didn't clear the room so we kept getting better and better seats as people left after each panel.
So, we were super close to the stage for when Jason Dohring came in. He's played in Veronica Mars and guest starred on a lot of shows we watch including, Lie to Me, Supernatural, and Ringer.
He wasn't the best speaker, but we didn't really care too much. I mean, it was Jason Dohring :) He did tell a story about his time on set with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki from Supernatural. Apparently they have a gym in this giant trailer that follows them around to each location (they're super fit) and he said he went to slap Jared on the arm in a 'hey, buddy!' way but he hit him and his arm just reverberated all the way down his arm and up to his shoulder :D
After Jason was the Game of Thrones panel with Daniel Portman (Podrick) and Kristian Nairn (Hodor). They were hilarious. Also, Daniel had the most amazing Scottish accent, sigh.....OH! and Kristian is also a DJ from Ireland, which we hadn't known before.
Unfortunately after the GoT panel we were cleared from the room because they had started a line for Arthur Darvill an hour before his panel, but we just hopped in at the end and went back inside. Of course, we weren't as close as the last three panels but oh well. It was super cool being in the same room as the man who played Rory on Doctor Who. There were also a lot more people cosplaying in Doctor Who outfits than anything else. Too many Weeping Angels for my taste :/
After Arthur's panel we were done with seeing people on stage and we went to walk around the World Exhibition building where all of the booths and vendors were inside. So many people dressed up, we saw a lot of Star Wars outfits, superheroes, villians/monsters, and cosplayers from favorite shows. It was truly an experience. But we had to work the night shift later from 11-5am so we grabbed some lunch after our exploration of the comic con world and went back home for a nap. If we ever get the chance do go to a comic con in the States it would be so worth it :)
We spent over an hour in line and we got so worried we wouldn't be able to get a seat at the stage we needed. Conveniently, everyone we wanted to see were all one after the other on the same stage so we were super lucky. Pretty much, super lucky all around because we got our tickets and went straight in and the stage area we needed wasn't even half full. We got to get some awesome seats and I got to see the panel with another actor I like, Dante Basco. He's mainly a voice actor now and he voiced Zuko in the Last Airbender. And for the next two panels they didn't clear the room so we kept getting better and better seats as people left after each panel.
So, we were super close to the stage for when Jason Dohring came in. He's played in Veronica Mars and guest starred on a lot of shows we watch including, Lie to Me, Supernatural, and Ringer.
After Jason was the Game of Thrones panel with Daniel Portman (Podrick) and Kristian Nairn (Hodor). They were hilarious. Also, Daniel had the most amazing Scottish accent, sigh.....OH! and Kristian is also a DJ from Ireland, which we hadn't known before.
Circus OZ!
Ohmygosh! ok, so we went to the Circus Molly's last night in Australia. We first went out to dinner at Margo's, a restaurant in Crown Casino that is amazing. Then we walked along Southbank to Birrarung Marr behind Federation Square. As we walked along the river towards the Big Top we could hear bells. There were so many of them and they were playing just a random song. I got a video of it. There were these really tall metal poles that were all lit up outside the entrance where the bells were being played from. It was cool.
We got our tickets and went inside. Every seat in that place was super close and a good spot to see everything. And you can't go to the Circus without buying some kind of food. We got donuts :) 5 sugar coated donuts for $3, woot woot!
The name of their new act was called 'But Wait! There's More!' The entire show was great! So many cool acts and the thing was super hilarious too. There was one part, and I'm going to try and convey just how funny it was, but I won't succeed. You really had to be there to get it, but I guess this will just help us remember better :) Okay, so at one point they were doing an act where there was a 'judge' with a buzzer just like in America's Got Talent and the rest of them kept running out and doing something different trying to win. There was an older guy doing some BMX tricks and he always had his bike with him and at one point he came running out with the bike on a leash and a whip, and he started turning in circles and snapping the whip in an imitation of training a horse. It was going really well and we were wondering how he could keep that bike up and pulling it around so well while snapping the whip, but then the bike fell and at first we were like 'uh oh' but then two others ran out with a black cloth and stricken expressions and covered the bike while the man stood in the center with his mouth open and another came out with this board where he stood next to the fallen covered bike and snapped it against the floor. It made it sound like a gunshot and the man in the center let out this whimper/sob and ohmygosh, we lost it. They totally 'killed' the bike for falling down. It so doesn't sound as funny retelling it but we could not stop laughing. Everything happened perfectly and it was so ridiculous :D
sorry guys, it seems I can't upload that video of the bells. Anyways, that was our night at the circus! :)
We got our tickets and went inside. Every seat in that place was super close and a good spot to see everything. And you can't go to the Circus without buying some kind of food. We got donuts :) 5 sugar coated donuts for $3, woot woot!
The name of their new act was called 'But Wait! There's More!' The entire show was great! So many cool acts and the thing was super hilarious too. There was one part, and I'm going to try and convey just how funny it was, but I won't succeed. You really had to be there to get it, but I guess this will just help us remember better :) Okay, so at one point they were doing an act where there was a 'judge' with a buzzer just like in America's Got Talent and the rest of them kept running out and doing something different trying to win. There was an older guy doing some BMX tricks and he always had his bike with him and at one point he came running out with the bike on a leash and a whip, and he started turning in circles and snapping the whip in an imitation of training a horse. It was going really well and we were wondering how he could keep that bike up and pulling it around so well while snapping the whip, but then the bike fell and at first we were like 'uh oh' but then two others ran out with a black cloth and stricken expressions and covered the bike while the man stood in the center with his mouth open and another came out with this board where he stood next to the fallen covered bike and snapped it against the floor. It made it sound like a gunshot and the man in the center let out this whimper/sob and ohmygosh, we lost it. They totally 'killed' the bike for falling down. It so doesn't sound as funny retelling it but we could not stop laughing. Everything happened perfectly and it was so ridiculous :D
sorry guys, it seems I can't upload that video of the bells. Anyways, that was our night at the circus! :)
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Penguin Parade!!!
Okay, so after our big trip we were pretty tired but there was only a week and a half left till Molly had to leave and there was something Linds and I had been wanting to do since we got to Melbourne. So, we book a day trip with a group to take us down to Phillip Island. Melbourne is at the top of a bay shaped like a U and Phillip Island is at the tip of the bottom right corner just before it opens up into the Ocean.
Our morning started off relatively well. We had to take two trams out to a place where we could be picked up but we were able to stop in this really cool cafe connected to this bike shop. It's a little hard to describe but the atmosphere was great and the coffee very good. We were the last ones so after we hopped on the bus and everyone had a chance to introduce themselves we were off! To our disbelief we drove right passed our house as we made our way onto the motorway that would take us south. Lindsey got the coveted seat up front and was chatting with our driver, Jason, and he said he would drop us off right there on our way back because we were the only one's in St. Kilda and he didn't need to go back that way :)
*side note: we saw an amazing full rainbow on our way too because it was raining in Melbourne, but slowly let up as we went further south.
When Jason's awesome playlist wasn't keeping us entertained (a playlist straight out of a 1967 chevy impala driven by two brother's) he would give us information about places we were stopping at or passing by. For example: Cranbourne is a town south of Melbourne and is an aboriginal word that means 'crane stalking through water.' In the 1850's people found a bunch of meteorites in that area and the largest weighed 3 1/2 tons, a world record at that time! Some people are still trying to find more even today.
Molly and I made a friend along the way. Her name was Evelyn and she was from New York! Yay America :) She was working in Sydney for 3 months but came to Melbourne to sightsee. She was much fun to be around and helped us take pictures with each other (we returned the favor of course).
Our first stop was just a rest room break at a place called Tooradin, which is another aboriginal word meaning 'monster residing at the waterhole.' Pretty creepy, huh? It didn't help that there was a lake right beside the restrooms and cafe. But, luckily, we survived and were on our way again.
Our official first place of interest was called the Maru Wildlife Park. It was super cool! So many animals and we got to feed the wallabies (soo soft and cute and adorable) and the kangaroos. Molly finally got to pet a koala and get her picture taken. It was an all around very fun place. Dingo's, wombats, peacocks, wallabies, koala's, kookaburra's, kangaroos, etc. We got to see them all.
Once our time with the animals was done we sat at the picnic tables out front and had lunch where we got to chat with some of the people on tour with us. There was a couple on honeymoon who were adorable. The woman especially was hilarious and so funny! She kept trying to feed the whole bus all the chocolate she bought at Haigh's the day before. Seriously though, she had a hoard and was just giving it away! I took the chocolate almonds :)
Which, ironically, led us to our second place of interest which happened to be along the road just after we crossed the bridge onto Phillip Island. The Chocolate Factory!!! mwahahahahahaha
The had made penguins out of chocolate :) I think everyone bought at least one thing. Linds and I got some Tia Maria chocolates that were soooooo delicious (we totally made them last for a good two weeks as we rationed them).
*a historical and important fact to know about Australia's history: the aboriginal people did not gain citizenship in Australia until 1967. Before that there is a whole era where children were being taken from their families to 'breed the color from them,' ugh, and they are called The Lost Generation because the aboriginal people passed down knowledge and history through stories and verbal accounts. Nothing was written down. With these children being taken from their families too young to learn their history or heritage most of the aboriginal culture has been lost.
Phillip Island was gorgeous and full of wildlife. We stopped at a wildlife preserve called Swan Lake and took a mini hike to see the swans and other animals. Wallabies were everywhere around the island, and we stopped at a place called The Nobbies which was absolutely stunning. It's along the coast line and you can look out to your right and see the bay where it leads up to Melbourne and to your left, the ocean. There were a few rock formations and the furthest out apparently has over 20,000 seals that live on it! We got to look through a telescope to see 'em lounging around :) There were also a lot of penguin burrows around because we were really close to the beach where the penguins come back after a day out at sea catching food.
Which brought us to the end of our day. It was getting darker and the penguins would be coming back soon so we made our way to the Penguin Parade! We caught a quick bite to eat and then got a seat on one of the benches on the beach. It was like those metal bleachers you would sit on at a soccer or football match at school, except we were on a beach waiting for the sun to set so we could see tiny little blue penguins :) It was great. The sky was gorgeous as the sun set and the excitement of everyone was so infectious. These penguins grouped together to form 'rafts' so that they could be safer together as they rode the waves in onto the beach. Then the would huddle there for a moment or two to assess things and if they felt safe they would make a break for the grassy surroundings and make their way to their burrows. We were also allowed to walk along the boardwalks they had and watch as hundreds of them hiked along their little worn paths back home. One even got on the wrong side and needed to cross the pavement right before the building. The park rangers and employees had to clear a space and stop everyone from leaving so the little guy could get across and under the rope. It was so cute :)
And that was it. It doesn't sound like much, but we made a lot of friends and had so much fun. It felt like a family by the end and we were actually sad to say goodbye. It was a really good day.
Our morning started off relatively well. We had to take two trams out to a place where we could be picked up but we were able to stop in this really cool cafe connected to this bike shop. It's a little hard to describe but the atmosphere was great and the coffee very good. We were the last ones so after we hopped on the bus and everyone had a chance to introduce themselves we were off! To our disbelief we drove right passed our house as we made our way onto the motorway that would take us south. Lindsey got the coveted seat up front and was chatting with our driver, Jason, and he said he would drop us off right there on our way back because we were the only one's in St. Kilda and he didn't need to go back that way :)
*side note: we saw an amazing full rainbow on our way too because it was raining in Melbourne, but slowly let up as we went further south.
When Jason's awesome playlist wasn't keeping us entertained (a playlist straight out of a 1967 chevy impala driven by two brother's) he would give us information about places we were stopping at or passing by. For example: Cranbourne is a town south of Melbourne and is an aboriginal word that means 'crane stalking through water.' In the 1850's people found a bunch of meteorites in that area and the largest weighed 3 1/2 tons, a world record at that time! Some people are still trying to find more even today.
Molly and I made a friend along the way. Her name was Evelyn and she was from New York! Yay America :) She was working in Sydney for 3 months but came to Melbourne to sightsee. She was much fun to be around and helped us take pictures with each other (we returned the favor of course).
Our first stop was just a rest room break at a place called Tooradin, which is another aboriginal word meaning 'monster residing at the waterhole.' Pretty creepy, huh? It didn't help that there was a lake right beside the restrooms and cafe. But, luckily, we survived and were on our way again.
Our official first place of interest was called the Maru Wildlife Park. It was super cool! So many animals and we got to feed the wallabies (soo soft and cute and adorable) and the kangaroos. Molly finally got to pet a koala and get her picture taken. It was an all around very fun place. Dingo's, wombats, peacocks, wallabies, koala's, kookaburra's, kangaroos, etc. We got to see them all.
Once our time with the animals was done we sat at the picnic tables out front and had lunch where we got to chat with some of the people on tour with us. There was a couple on honeymoon who were adorable. The woman especially was hilarious and so funny! She kept trying to feed the whole bus all the chocolate she bought at Haigh's the day before. Seriously though, she had a hoard and was just giving it away! I took the chocolate almonds :)
Which, ironically, led us to our second place of interest which happened to be along the road just after we crossed the bridge onto Phillip Island. The Chocolate Factory!!! mwahahahahahaha
The had made penguins out of chocolate :) I think everyone bought at least one thing. Linds and I got some Tia Maria chocolates that were soooooo delicious (we totally made them last for a good two weeks as we rationed them).
*a historical and important fact to know about Australia's history: the aboriginal people did not gain citizenship in Australia until 1967. Before that there is a whole era where children were being taken from their families to 'breed the color from them,' ugh, and they are called The Lost Generation because the aboriginal people passed down knowledge and history through stories and verbal accounts. Nothing was written down. With these children being taken from their families too young to learn their history or heritage most of the aboriginal culture has been lost.
Phillip Island was gorgeous and full of wildlife. We stopped at a wildlife preserve called Swan Lake and took a mini hike to see the swans and other animals. Wallabies were everywhere around the island, and we stopped at a place called The Nobbies which was absolutely stunning. It's along the coast line and you can look out to your right and see the bay where it leads up to Melbourne and to your left, the ocean. There were a few rock formations and the furthest out apparently has over 20,000 seals that live on it! We got to look through a telescope to see 'em lounging around :) There were also a lot of penguin burrows around because we were really close to the beach where the penguins come back after a day out at sea catching food.
Which brought us to the end of our day. It was getting darker and the penguins would be coming back soon so we made our way to the Penguin Parade! We caught a quick bite to eat and then got a seat on one of the benches on the beach. It was like those metal bleachers you would sit on at a soccer or football match at school, except we were on a beach waiting for the sun to set so we could see tiny little blue penguins :) It was great. The sky was gorgeous as the sun set and the excitement of everyone was so infectious. These penguins grouped together to form 'rafts' so that they could be safer together as they rode the waves in onto the beach. Then the would huddle there for a moment or two to assess things and if they felt safe they would make a break for the grassy surroundings and make their way to their burrows. We were also allowed to walk along the boardwalks they had and watch as hundreds of them hiked along their little worn paths back home. One even got on the wrong side and needed to cross the pavement right before the building. The park rangers and employees had to clear a space and stop everyone from leaving so the little guy could get across and under the rope. It was so cute :)
And that was it. It doesn't sound like much, but we made a lot of friends and had so much fun. It felt like a family by the end and we were actually sad to say goodbye. It was a really good day.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Sydney, Alice Springs, and Uluru
So, June was a pretty busy month for us. Molly, my friend from IWU, came to visit us for 3 1/2 weeks. Linds and I kept up with work that first week she was here, but we did manage to go to the Australian ballet performance called Croma. It was a mix of classical and modern ballet. My favorite was the third act when they used rapiers, it was cool. And the last act was just pure fun.
We also went to the Aquarium, which turned out better than Linds and I thought it would be. It doesn't look to big from the outside but when you go inside all the levels just keep going further down.
A week after Molly arrived though we were off to Sydney! An early morning flight got us in around 10:30 which meant we couldn't check into our hostel yet. So we dropped off our luggage and headed out for lunch and a walk around. We didn't make it far before we were walking past the Lion King theater and just had to go inside and see if they had any cheap last minute tickets......they did :) We splurged because Lion King is awesome and we had heard great things about the Australian cast. The ladies at the desk were also super helpful when it came to good food places. They suggested a locals favorite nicknamed Grapes on the Roof. It was a very small little Chinese dumpling place that had hung up grapes and vines along their ceiling. It was super cute and also really really good. My favorite was the pork buns but the dumplings lived up to their reputation. I believe the real name was Chinese Dumpling House and it was a short walk from Paddy's market.
Which we walked through to get to China town where we found the magnificent N2 gelato shop. soooooo goood! they use liquid nitrogen to make the gelato and the whole shop looks like a chemistry room with beakers, and the employees where googles and gloves and lab coats. It was pretty innovative.
We checked out Darling Harbor for a quick second before going back to the hostel, which was the Railway YHA. We got to stay in a remodeled train car and the YHA is always a safe bet when you're looking for cleanliness and security so it was a good place. Also super close to the train station itself!
After getting settled and changed we took a bus out to Bondi Beach. It is one of the more iconic beaches of Australia and even though it was pretty cold with it still being winter it was also really really pretty. We stayed for a little while and then took the bus back to get ready for Lion King. And it worked out in our favor to stay close to the theater because the pub across the street had meal deals for ticket holders! Woot Woot. $13 meal and drink. super nice :) We had a pretty good night. The show was amazing.
Saturday had us up early enough to walk to Pancakes on the Rocks in Darling Harbor for breakfast. Even if we had to walk in the rain....we did it for pancakes :) Which also worked out really well because the Maritime Museum was just across from the restaurant which was our next stop. After that we walked to the Art Museum and then down to Mrs Macquaries Chair which looked out onto Sydney Harbor. We had some pretty amazing views of the Harbor bridge and the Opera house as we walked through the Botanic Gardens.
And then it was time for our Opera House show! We saw Patygarang performed by the Bangarra Dance theater. That was really cool. It was based off of a diary by an explorer/sailor that came into contact with an aboriginal tribe/village. And it was all about first contact, learning about each other, tensions, and how the land would always belong to the people who were here first.
Afterwards we walked through the Rocks area which is really cool. A lot of old buildings and stores that had been there since Sydney first became a city. They always have markets going on down there too with a lot of cool artifacts, clothing, and food. Linds and I couldn't resist getting corn on the cob :) just like the markets back home.
We were pretty wiped after that but didn't want to waste half the day it felt like. Even though it gets dark around 5:30-6 it still felt too early to turn in. We could have gone to fireworks over Darling Harbor but the possibility of seeing an independent film that would only show in Sydney was too much for Molly to pass up so we all went to the Sydney Film Festival and saw Snowpiercer starring Chris Evans. Which pretty much ended our adventures in Sydney.
Another super early flight in the morning had us calling a cab and leaving at 5:30 the next morning for our next stop....Alice Springs!!!!!
Ohmygosh! Alice Springs was pretty cool. We stayed in Alice Lodge Backpackers hostel and Alice Springs is small enough we could pretty much walk anywhere in ten minutes or less. So, we headed to the Botanic Gardens first because we heard the cafe had some good food, which they did! Linds got this iced coffee that was pretty awesome too :) We hiked up the hill, saw some wallabies, and got a good look out over the town and surrounding mountains. It was super cool.
Then we walked to the Reptile Center where we saw a lot of cool animals and even came back a little later for the reptile talk and close encounters. We got to get up close and personal with a goanna, bearded dragon, blue tongued skink, and an olive python. Everyone had the chance to touch or even hold all but the goanna. So, Linds being afraid of snakes decided to have one of the biggest wrapped around her to try and face her fear of snakes......she's braver than I. She did it though and lasted a pretty long time :)
After that adventure we headed out to the super market to get some snacks for our campervan road trip the next day. And even hiked up Anzac hill with our groceries since it was getting dark too fast to come back. Molly just made soup that night, but Linds and I head out to the restaurant inside one of Alice's resorts and had a mini dinner.
The next day had us packing up our stuff again and walking to Wicked Campers Rental office.
I was pretty nervous about trying to drive in Australia so Linds took the first shift. It was a manual campervan so we were worried about stalling the car in front of the guy renting it out to us but Linds was awesome and we survived!!! hehehehe, at least until we got to the petrol station and couldn't figure out where the petrol tank was. That was a fun experience. But we felt better after two other people we asked for help couldn't find it either....or, once we did, how to open it. We caved and called the guy back at the office for help. Five minutes later we were on our way to Uluru!!
Driving in that campervan for about 1,000 km was an interesting and fun experience. I'm super glad we did it! We ended up jamming out to songs most of the way and taking pictures of the passing landscape. It's about a 5 hour trip to Ayers Rock Resort which also had the campground we would be staying at just outside the nature park. We bought our passes into the park first and drove out to the dune viewing of the Olgas, then drove to the base of Uluru just to at least get up close and personal before we watched the sunset. Watching the sunset and sunrise is supposed to be one of the biggest experiences when you go out to Uluru and the Olgas. It was pretty cool. But my favorite part about being out in the middle of nowhere Australia was stargazing later that night.
We decided to get some meats, cheeses, dips, and bread and do a version of our Roman picnic in the back of our campervan. Unfortunately, even in the middle of Australia's desert it was still winter and freezing cold so I couldn't stay outside staring at the stars for too long, but it was soooooo amazing.
Our plan was to get up and drive to the sunrise viewing area, but Linds and I didn't sleep very well and I let the alarm go to snooze one too many times. We made it ten minutes after the sun officially rose over the horizon. oh well, we could still see how the sky changed colors and the rock went from dark purple to pink and the to red so we call that a win :)
Then it was back to the campground for some much needed showers and to pack up our stuff and then we drove back to the base of Uluru. There was a bit of confusion and we went in thinking that what they called the Mala walk was interchangeable and also meant the base walk. So we thought we could walk around the entire base of Uluru in an hour and a half. But they were two different things and the base walk was supposed to take three and a half hours. :/ oops
Molly went one way while Linds and I went another and after an hour and a half we met up in 'the middle.' Linds and I are super walkers and made the base walk in 2 hours and 15 minutes! woot woot :) but man that was pretty intense and the flies only got bad towards the end. We're pretty proud we did it though! We munched on popcorn and watched two guys get nabbed by park rangers for climbing the rock when they weren't supposed to. that day was really really windy and they could have easily been blown off and died which is why the climb was blocked off, but they did it anyway. I would have done it if I could have but it looked crazy.
Once we were all cooled off and back at the van we packed up and headed out. We needed to make it to our designated camp ground before dark. With so many nocturnal wildlife our insurance on the campervan did not cover us if driving at night. Unfortunately we were behind by 40 minutes and just had to turn the brights on, keep an eye out, and pray. We were worried when we saw a giant black spot too close to the road but thought 'nah that's too big to be anything that can move into the road. that must be a boulder or something.' nope! noooooo, it was a cow. A giant cow that could have killed us. thankfully we made it safely to Stuart's Well campground which offered free campervan parking. But it was also super sketchy and we've pretty much seen one too many criminal minds episodes to feel safe there. Our reaction to fear though apparently is to giggle incessantly. We survived the night though and peeled out of there once the sun was up. It was only an hour back to Alice Springs which gave us enough time to pack up our stuff and clean the van.
We dropped off the van with no problems and walked across the street to get our airport shuttle pick up and then it was just one more flight back to Melbourne.
A packed 6 days of travel that left us weary and longing for our own beds but it was one of the best adventures ever!
Stay tuned for our day trip out to Phillip Island where we saw penguins!!!!!
We also went to the Aquarium, which turned out better than Linds and I thought it would be. It doesn't look to big from the outside but when you go inside all the levels just keep going further down.
A week after Molly arrived though we were off to Sydney! An early morning flight got us in around 10:30 which meant we couldn't check into our hostel yet. So we dropped off our luggage and headed out for lunch and a walk around. We didn't make it far before we were walking past the Lion King theater and just had to go inside and see if they had any cheap last minute tickets......they did :) We splurged because Lion King is awesome and we had heard great things about the Australian cast. The ladies at the desk were also super helpful when it came to good food places. They suggested a locals favorite nicknamed Grapes on the Roof. It was a very small little Chinese dumpling place that had hung up grapes and vines along their ceiling. It was super cute and also really really good. My favorite was the pork buns but the dumplings lived up to their reputation. I believe the real name was Chinese Dumpling House and it was a short walk from Paddy's market.
Which we walked through to get to China town where we found the magnificent N2 gelato shop. soooooo goood! they use liquid nitrogen to make the gelato and the whole shop looks like a chemistry room with beakers, and the employees where googles and gloves and lab coats. It was pretty innovative.
We checked out Darling Harbor for a quick second before going back to the hostel, which was the Railway YHA. We got to stay in a remodeled train car and the YHA is always a safe bet when you're looking for cleanliness and security so it was a good place. Also super close to the train station itself!
After getting settled and changed we took a bus out to Bondi Beach. It is one of the more iconic beaches of Australia and even though it was pretty cold with it still being winter it was also really really pretty. We stayed for a little while and then took the bus back to get ready for Lion King. And it worked out in our favor to stay close to the theater because the pub across the street had meal deals for ticket holders! Woot Woot. $13 meal and drink. super nice :) We had a pretty good night. The show was amazing.
Saturday had us up early enough to walk to Pancakes on the Rocks in Darling Harbor for breakfast. Even if we had to walk in the rain....we did it for pancakes :) Which also worked out really well because the Maritime Museum was just across from the restaurant which was our next stop. After that we walked to the Art Museum and then down to Mrs Macquaries Chair which looked out onto Sydney Harbor. We had some pretty amazing views of the Harbor bridge and the Opera house as we walked through the Botanic Gardens.
And then it was time for our Opera House show! We saw Patygarang performed by the Bangarra Dance theater. That was really cool. It was based off of a diary by an explorer/sailor that came into contact with an aboriginal tribe/village. And it was all about first contact, learning about each other, tensions, and how the land would always belong to the people who were here first.
Afterwards we walked through the Rocks area which is really cool. A lot of old buildings and stores that had been there since Sydney first became a city. They always have markets going on down there too with a lot of cool artifacts, clothing, and food. Linds and I couldn't resist getting corn on the cob :) just like the markets back home.
We were pretty wiped after that but didn't want to waste half the day it felt like. Even though it gets dark around 5:30-6 it still felt too early to turn in. We could have gone to fireworks over Darling Harbor but the possibility of seeing an independent film that would only show in Sydney was too much for Molly to pass up so we all went to the Sydney Film Festival and saw Snowpiercer starring Chris Evans. Which pretty much ended our adventures in Sydney.
Another super early flight in the morning had us calling a cab and leaving at 5:30 the next morning for our next stop....Alice Springs!!!!!
Ohmygosh! Alice Springs was pretty cool. We stayed in Alice Lodge Backpackers hostel and Alice Springs is small enough we could pretty much walk anywhere in ten minutes or less. So, we headed to the Botanic Gardens first because we heard the cafe had some good food, which they did! Linds got this iced coffee that was pretty awesome too :) We hiked up the hill, saw some wallabies, and got a good look out over the town and surrounding mountains. It was super cool.
Then we walked to the Reptile Center where we saw a lot of cool animals and even came back a little later for the reptile talk and close encounters. We got to get up close and personal with a goanna, bearded dragon, blue tongued skink, and an olive python. Everyone had the chance to touch or even hold all but the goanna. So, Linds being afraid of snakes decided to have one of the biggest wrapped around her to try and face her fear of snakes......she's braver than I. She did it though and lasted a pretty long time :)
After that adventure we headed out to the super market to get some snacks for our campervan road trip the next day. And even hiked up Anzac hill with our groceries since it was getting dark too fast to come back. Molly just made soup that night, but Linds and I head out to the restaurant inside one of Alice's resorts and had a mini dinner.
The next day had us packing up our stuff again and walking to Wicked Campers Rental office.
I was pretty nervous about trying to drive in Australia so Linds took the first shift. It was a manual campervan so we were worried about stalling the car in front of the guy renting it out to us but Linds was awesome and we survived!!! hehehehe, at least until we got to the petrol station and couldn't figure out where the petrol tank was. That was a fun experience. But we felt better after two other people we asked for help couldn't find it either....or, once we did, how to open it. We caved and called the guy back at the office for help. Five minutes later we were on our way to Uluru!!
Driving in that campervan for about 1,000 km was an interesting and fun experience. I'm super glad we did it! We ended up jamming out to songs most of the way and taking pictures of the passing landscape. It's about a 5 hour trip to Ayers Rock Resort which also had the campground we would be staying at just outside the nature park. We bought our passes into the park first and drove out to the dune viewing of the Olgas, then drove to the base of Uluru just to at least get up close and personal before we watched the sunset. Watching the sunset and sunrise is supposed to be one of the biggest experiences when you go out to Uluru and the Olgas. It was pretty cool. But my favorite part about being out in the middle of nowhere Australia was stargazing later that night.
We decided to get some meats, cheeses, dips, and bread and do a version of our Roman picnic in the back of our campervan. Unfortunately, even in the middle of Australia's desert it was still winter and freezing cold so I couldn't stay outside staring at the stars for too long, but it was soooooo amazing.
Our plan was to get up and drive to the sunrise viewing area, but Linds and I didn't sleep very well and I let the alarm go to snooze one too many times. We made it ten minutes after the sun officially rose over the horizon. oh well, we could still see how the sky changed colors and the rock went from dark purple to pink and the to red so we call that a win :)
Then it was back to the campground for some much needed showers and to pack up our stuff and then we drove back to the base of Uluru. There was a bit of confusion and we went in thinking that what they called the Mala walk was interchangeable and also meant the base walk. So we thought we could walk around the entire base of Uluru in an hour and a half. But they were two different things and the base walk was supposed to take three and a half hours. :/ oops
Molly went one way while Linds and I went another and after an hour and a half we met up in 'the middle.' Linds and I are super walkers and made the base walk in 2 hours and 15 minutes! woot woot :) but man that was pretty intense and the flies only got bad towards the end. We're pretty proud we did it though! We munched on popcorn and watched two guys get nabbed by park rangers for climbing the rock when they weren't supposed to. that day was really really windy and they could have easily been blown off and died which is why the climb was blocked off, but they did it anyway. I would have done it if I could have but it looked crazy.
Once we were all cooled off and back at the van we packed up and headed out. We needed to make it to our designated camp ground before dark. With so many nocturnal wildlife our insurance on the campervan did not cover us if driving at night. Unfortunately we were behind by 40 minutes and just had to turn the brights on, keep an eye out, and pray. We were worried when we saw a giant black spot too close to the road but thought 'nah that's too big to be anything that can move into the road. that must be a boulder or something.' nope! noooooo, it was a cow. A giant cow that could have killed us. thankfully we made it safely to Stuart's Well campground which offered free campervan parking. But it was also super sketchy and we've pretty much seen one too many criminal minds episodes to feel safe there. Our reaction to fear though apparently is to giggle incessantly. We survived the night though and peeled out of there once the sun was up. It was only an hour back to Alice Springs which gave us enough time to pack up our stuff and clean the van.
We dropped off the van with no problems and walked across the street to get our airport shuttle pick up and then it was just one more flight back to Melbourne.
A packed 6 days of travel that left us weary and longing for our own beds but it was one of the best adventures ever!
Stay tuned for our day trip out to Phillip Island where we saw penguins!!!!!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Calories? What Calories?
It has come to our attention over the past week that most Australians do not know what s'mores are. This has resulted in chaos and disbelief. We, as children of America, are blessed in ways we have not yet known til now.
Linds and I were finishing dinner and talking with our fellow tenant in Jen's house about s'mores. We first asked her if she knew what they were and she said no so we proceeded to tell her all about the gooey chocolate deliciousness. At first she tried to rationalize why most Aussie's wouldn't know about s'mores and said it was probably due to the fact that most don't have bonfires because of the chance of wildfires and therefore would not roast mallows over an open flame.
Of course Linds and I were already on a tangent about the different kinds of s'mores and what else you could roast over a bonfire and her only response was 'You certainly don't care about how many calories there are do you?' she said with a bit of a chuckle.
Silence.
Linds and I could only stand and stare and think 'Who cares about calories? They're s'mores!!!!'
Ah well.....
We love food too much.
Which brings me to my next point.
I would love to write an ode to bacon wrapped scallops.
It will be called An Ode to Bacon Wrapped Scallops.
I don't know how to write an ode but I'm sure I can figure it out.
I'm also researching a lot about how to make cool, fun, and tasty cocktails. I feel like this would be an acceptable hobby for me when I get home. I could collect all kinds of different glasses and ingredients and at each holiday make themed drinks. And not just alcoholic cocktails but mocktails too, for the kids of course, because most holidays involve family getting together. I don't know. It's an idea.
This post is more of me rambling than anything. Works picked up and we have a lot of fun things planned in the month of june so there will definitely be more posts then.
Linds and I were finishing dinner and talking with our fellow tenant in Jen's house about s'mores. We first asked her if she knew what they were and she said no so we proceeded to tell her all about the gooey chocolate deliciousness. At first she tried to rationalize why most Aussie's wouldn't know about s'mores and said it was probably due to the fact that most don't have bonfires because of the chance of wildfires and therefore would not roast mallows over an open flame.
Of course Linds and I were already on a tangent about the different kinds of s'mores and what else you could roast over a bonfire and her only response was 'You certainly don't care about how many calories there are do you?' she said with a bit of a chuckle.
Silence.
Linds and I could only stand and stare and think 'Who cares about calories? They're s'mores!!!!'
Ah well.....
We love food too much.
Which brings me to my next point.
I would love to write an ode to bacon wrapped scallops.
It will be called An Ode to Bacon Wrapped Scallops.
I don't know how to write an ode but I'm sure I can figure it out.
I'm also researching a lot about how to make cool, fun, and tasty cocktails. I feel like this would be an acceptable hobby for me when I get home. I could collect all kinds of different glasses and ingredients and at each holiday make themed drinks. And not just alcoholic cocktails but mocktails too, for the kids of course, because most holidays involve family getting together. I don't know. It's an idea.
This post is more of me rambling than anything. Works picked up and we have a lot of fun things planned in the month of june so there will definitely be more posts then.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Working in Australia
We really really like working in Australia. Linds and I both have experience back in the States working within the hospitality industry and while not every state and every venue is going to be the same we have noticed some differences.
For example: Working in the States there is always an attitude of 'when you're at work. you. are. at. work. whatever you're supposed doing, you don't socialize or dilly dally or do something else first. and if you've gotten everything you were supposed to do done, then find something else, look busy, clean everything again. make sure you are always moving'
And really when you read that it's all common sense to us like 'yeah of course why would you dilly dally or socialize while working?' but here's the thing.....
Every single place we've worked at has blind sided us with this different view of how to act at work. And there's no way to explain this correctly or make it sound like a big deal at all, because until you actually experience something like this first hand it won't makes sense or even matter at all to you. But it has made an impression on us and that's why I thought I'd share, because it's a very subtle thing but it's also made the biggest impact on us as an employee in hospitality.
Okay so here's the thing, when we show up to work 98% of the people we work with are always happy to see you and greet you and generally feel really good about making you feel comfortable as they show you the ropes. I think it goes back to the culture where most people as a rule treat each new person as a friend until proven otherwise.
Then throughout work we have been told over and over again that we 'work too much' or 'work too hard' and Linds and I have stared at them like they're crazy because we haven't done anything out of the ordinary for us. Most co-workers, and even most of the time it's a supervisor, make it a point to socialize while working. They want to know our names, ages, how we like Australia. I've even had an in-depth conversation about the political and social differences between our two countries and why those work or do not work and whose is better, etc...
The biggest thing though are the breaks. Every single place makes it their personal mission to ensure every person gets at least one break. The airport in Brisbane made sure we got three! (15 minutes at the beginning, 30 minutes to eat, 15 at the end). And even if are not scheduled long enough for an proper 30 minute break we are always told to get a drink, and not just a glass of water, oh no, we're allowed to have any soft drinks, tea, or coffee and take the few minutes in back to chug it down.
Most places also insist that we eat too even if we're not on break yet. It's like if there's leftovers from a platter during a banquet it's common knowledge that it is free game till it's thrown out.
This all seems probably a bit weird and unprofessional but the best part about all of this is...it's not. We all work just as hard, with just as much dedication and motivation. In all honesty I feel even more better about going to work knowing I'll be taken care of. And that makes my attitude better throughout my whole shift which reflects back to the customers.
And again I think that stems back to each nations culture. America has a really big thing about all 'work and no play' is what gives you a better life. Here in Australia there's always a holiday to go on (I mean they took two weeks off for Easter). Travelling is encouraged and life in generally is pretty laid back. In the States I feel like we're pressured to go to school, make it into a good college, get a degree, maybe even a masters, and have a job lined up straight out of graduation.
It's part of the reason I decided to come here with Linds. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere yet. Too worried about finding a job straight away and taking the first one that came up. I still don't feel ready, but I am more excited to get back home and into the field I studied while at college. It'd be nice to start building up experience and learning more about the criminal justice system and how I can help.
Linds is forever stuck in hospitality but she likes it there and I think her experience here in Australia and as a front of house employee will make her a better chef and co-worker in the kitchen.
Anyway, thought I'd share. It's just something that we discuss quite a bit and I didn't do a very good job at explaining but oh well :) at least I tried.
For example: Working in the States there is always an attitude of 'when you're at work. you. are. at. work. whatever you're supposed doing, you don't socialize or dilly dally or do something else first. and if you've gotten everything you were supposed to do done, then find something else, look busy, clean everything again. make sure you are always moving'
And really when you read that it's all common sense to us like 'yeah of course why would you dilly dally or socialize while working?' but here's the thing.....
Every single place we've worked at has blind sided us with this different view of how to act at work. And there's no way to explain this correctly or make it sound like a big deal at all, because until you actually experience something like this first hand it won't makes sense or even matter at all to you. But it has made an impression on us and that's why I thought I'd share, because it's a very subtle thing but it's also made the biggest impact on us as an employee in hospitality.
Okay so here's the thing, when we show up to work 98% of the people we work with are always happy to see you and greet you and generally feel really good about making you feel comfortable as they show you the ropes. I think it goes back to the culture where most people as a rule treat each new person as a friend until proven otherwise.
Then throughout work we have been told over and over again that we 'work too much' or 'work too hard' and Linds and I have stared at them like they're crazy because we haven't done anything out of the ordinary for us. Most co-workers, and even most of the time it's a supervisor, make it a point to socialize while working. They want to know our names, ages, how we like Australia. I've even had an in-depth conversation about the political and social differences between our two countries and why those work or do not work and whose is better, etc...
The biggest thing though are the breaks. Every single place makes it their personal mission to ensure every person gets at least one break. The airport in Brisbane made sure we got three! (15 minutes at the beginning, 30 minutes to eat, 15 at the end). And even if are not scheduled long enough for an proper 30 minute break we are always told to get a drink, and not just a glass of water, oh no, we're allowed to have any soft drinks, tea, or coffee and take the few minutes in back to chug it down.
Most places also insist that we eat too even if we're not on break yet. It's like if there's leftovers from a platter during a banquet it's common knowledge that it is free game till it's thrown out.
This all seems probably a bit weird and unprofessional but the best part about all of this is...it's not. We all work just as hard, with just as much dedication and motivation. In all honesty I feel even more better about going to work knowing I'll be taken care of. And that makes my attitude better throughout my whole shift which reflects back to the customers.
And again I think that stems back to each nations culture. America has a really big thing about all 'work and no play' is what gives you a better life. Here in Australia there's always a holiday to go on (I mean they took two weeks off for Easter). Travelling is encouraged and life in generally is pretty laid back. In the States I feel like we're pressured to go to school, make it into a good college, get a degree, maybe even a masters, and have a job lined up straight out of graduation.
It's part of the reason I decided to come here with Linds. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere yet. Too worried about finding a job straight away and taking the first one that came up. I still don't feel ready, but I am more excited to get back home and into the field I studied while at college. It'd be nice to start building up experience and learning more about the criminal justice system and how I can help.
Linds is forever stuck in hospitality but she likes it there and I think her experience here in Australia and as a front of house employee will make her a better chef and co-worker in the kitchen.
Anyway, thought I'd share. It's just something that we discuss quite a bit and I didn't do a very good job at explaining but oh well :) at least I tried.
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