...and sometimes, we don't

Well, we're finally pushing through the jet-lag, and I thought I'd sum up a few things I've learned on this trip.

1) Sydney is full of Ibis. They take the place of pigeons in the urban ecosystem, but are ten times as big. And they eat anything. Including KFC. Which bothered me a bit...

This is an Ibis. But not the only one, trust me. 

2) Americans are no longer the most ill-mannered tourists in the world - the Chinese have taken over. They were everywhere, and not in a good way. I've seen a lot of "ugly American" behavior overseas, and I'm glad we're surrendering this title. At least, I think I am...

3) Hawaii's beaches are great, but the hiking is better. Maybe I'm not a beach-guy, but hiking around in Hawaii, whether across Haleakala or bounding across lava rock on the Big Island was a lot more fun than sitting on a beach.  Of course, beaches are nice too...especially after you wreck your calves hiking.

The trails at Haleakala are awesome, dusty (except when they're wet and slick) and really, really scenic.

Who needs beaches when you can have all this?

Okay, beaches are still pretty cool.

4) Sydney is a neat city to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Too hot. Melbourne felt more like my speed - people there wear layers and drink strong coffee.

This is us in Melbourne. Not sure who that lady behind us is...we tried not to stare.

5) Australia is not a big empty dusty place. It's filled with lots of people bustling about in cities and towns, and it's even cold sometimes...around the coast. The rest of the country is a big empty dusty place.

This is what Melbourne looks like. Pretty neat, huh?

6) Tim-Tams are delicious! But Vegemite isn't.

7) Our hosts in Melbourne, Spike and Morrison are as cute as a bug's ear! And their dog Orson is awesome. Ben and Fahey are okay, too.

8) Ask Big John Younger for a rum and coke, and you get a glass of rum and a moment of silence for the coke.

This is Big John Younger, Fahey's dad. Noel is her brother, and he's even bigger.

9) In my hands, a didgeridoo is more of a didgeri-don't.

10) Our house-sitters were awesome! We came home to three happy, well-fed (and well-adjusted) dogs and no burgles. Hurray!

This blog is called "Sometimes, we go traveling." But only sometimes. So this closes things out...until next time.

Wipeout!

North Shore of Oahu is where the surfers go - not the weekend amateurs, but the pros.  The surf is high and the water is dangerous.  But non-surf people (like me) are attracted to it anyway.   In fact, we kind of got turned off by the crowds and constant "tourist vibe" of Oahu. So we headed back to the hotel, enjoying the parts of Oahu that are green and rainy (and mostly owned by cattle ranchers or the U.S. military).

At North Shore, it's hard to watch the big swells without starting to hum the "Hawaii Five-O" theme song. 

Once back at the hotel, we enjoyed a final night of decadent food before the long plane ride home.

The plane ride was uneventful, and we stumbled into the house at about midnight.  It's our first day back, and we're pretty wiped out.  We'll spend the next couple of days trying to get days and nights sorted out, and maybe go through our photos again, and maybe even post a few more.  I know there's a picture of me trying to play the didgeridoo lurking about somewhere...

Waikiki (or maybe not)

This is Waikiki beach, home to loads of Japanese tourists, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Juicy Couture, and Japanese tourists.

We got the plop out of there.

We set off for sights and a quiet beach, and we weren't disappointed. Once outside of Honolulu, Oahu is just as beautiful as any of the other islands.

That's Coconut Island. If you couldn't tell.

This was our bit of quiet beach. Took a while to find, but totally worth it.

 

 



 

What are we doing tomorrow? Well, more of the same, I guess. We have the whole other side of the island to explore.

????

The only worry I had on this trip was the flight from Melbourne to Sydney- if it was late, we'd be in trouble. Well, wouldn't you know it...
A mad dash through the Sydney airport - sorry, airports - the domestic and international are two separate airports, connected by a train - and we made it.
We left Sydney at 9:30 pm on October 5, and arrived in Honolulu at 11:00 am on October 5. Weird. At least, I think it's Honolulu....I saw a woman lash an expensive surfboard to a cheap car. But to tell the truth, we're a bit discombobulated. We'll let you know when we figure it out.

The Great Ocean Road is Australia's version of the Pacific Coast Highway. We got to it on a ferry. The kind that holds cars. We drove a car onto a boat. A CAR ON A BOAT. Now I know why I came to Australia.

After a long drive along the coast, we turned inland, in the town of Lorne, where we encountered this. Cheeky Aussies.

 

Inland, things get marshy, and we encounter black swans. Being a black swan is a rare genetic trait everywhere else, but the geese here are isolated, so the rare became commonplace.

We're staying on the east side of Melbourne, where there's clouds and rain and wineries. The farther west you go out of the city, the dryer it gets, and the more cattle and sheep and rolling hills.

 

 

 

I'm so glad we went to the coast yesterday, since there won't be anything like that in Hawaii, where we'll be tomorrow, or...you know, Oregon.

 

The Central Business District or, "the city" is the heart of Melbourne, along the Yarra river.

 

 

Melbourne

Sydney is sunny and warm, hot even. Melbourne is cool and rainy. "Hurray," sez the wife, "Just like home!" We're being put up by our friends Ben and Fahey, who live in the suburbs. Their home is beautiful and their children are charming, and I'm not saying that because they read this blog.

Yesterday was a trip to the wild animal preserve, which serves as an educational center, and a place for tourists to go to see a koala without having to go out into the woods, because that would be too much trouble.

The wife has Fahey and Ben's youngest, Mo by the hand. In the background you can make out Ben the and their older son, Spike. No telling where Greg got to...maybe taking pictures or something.

This cockatiel isn't a resident of the zoo, they're just around. This place is full of tropical birds, even parrots turn up in backyards I'm told (though I haven't seen one yet).

Koalas sleep 20 hours a day. Zookeepers use this fact to give us a chance get up close and personal. At this point I began to think we were being rude.

Australian tourism rules require at least one picture of a kangaroo on every visit. So here it is.

This is a rock wallaby. On a rock.

Tasmanian devils are exactly as aggressive and insane as you may have heard in bugs bunny cartoons. When we walked up to the enclosure, this one raised his nose and sniffed my wife like she was on the menu. And they're little. But apparently, size is meaningless to a little devil.

The kids are climbing on a replica of a giant iguana that roamed around Australia a while back.

I included this pic because it's cute. No other reason.

After the sanctuary, it was a trip through wine country and lunch. Lovely.