Live from australia...

This is the view from my hotel room (no really!)

 

The first day was an adventure. My traveling companion had a little issue involving no luggage whatsoever showing up for him at the airport. luckily he was able to take his mind off of it for a moment:

 

 

we landed at 5:45 am here (note, I am moving here partly because it's glorious and partly because I will under ZERO circumstances be getting back on that plane!) and were at the hotel by 7:30am. We grabbed a bite on a sidewalk cafe that served a proper english breakfast (this being a colony and all...) with BIG bacon sausage etc.... Australians do coffee a little differently though, its not made with brewed grounds but instead its more like an espresso with steamed milk. It doesn't TASTE like espresso with steamed milk though... just like the 3rd best cup of coffee i have ever had. (the other two were both from tim hortons)  For some inexplicable reason you order it by asking for a "flat white". I have learned that some things are best left unknown and so i simply have taken to asking for it by name and pretending like I'm in the know.

 

Something that has always interested me when i travel is the variations of the english language when spoken (or in the case of the british murdered) by other folks. You listen for the stereotypes: when I first traveled to canada I waited with heavy breath for my first "Eh?" (still makes me laugh, just like "beaver"). When we lived in pittsburgh I couldn't wait to meet my first "Yinzer" (yinz know what I'm talk about don't yinz?). So of course I was hoping everything here would be all "Dingo ate your baby!" and "that's not a knife!" or at least a "G'day". This morning I finally got a "No worries" but that's it so far. I rather disappointed to find out TV lied to me. I thought for sure i'd be ducking wallabies and boxing with kangaroos and that every other person I met would be on a walkabout. Oh well in the words of mark twain I guess I have learned my lesson:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness...

then again he also said:

Travel has no longer any charm for me. I have seen all the foreign countries I want to except heaven & hell & I have only a vague curiosity about one of those.

and i certainly can relate to that (only I usually only have that black thought while actually AT the airport).

 

a few more pictures to brighten your day:

Download them all here: aussie pix #1 zip

This is Manly Harbour, a 3 minute walk to the OTHER side of the peninsula (isthmus whatever):

a Panorama of the same:

 

Whilst there I got a craving for a plate of milk and cookie:

(yes thats whole milk, first time in 31 years i drank an entire glass of whole milk)

 

 

Today I awoke after 11 glorious consecutive hours of sleep-deprived jet-lag induced sleep and jogged (yes I actually jogged) BEFORE sunrise. This was the spectacular view of the sun returning to me from your side of the planet waiting for me post-run:

 

And now finally a question:

Should I buy this hat? (vote below)

should i buy the hat?
	buy the hat.
	dont buy the hate.
	Buy me the hat (only for crystal)
	you and the hat are ridiculous.
	you look good in any hat (only for mom)
	steal the hat
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