Day 12 - Great Barrier Reef

Today is my last day with the group and we are going scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

At 7:15 am all 14 of us met at the front door of the hostel to get ready for our 15 minute walk to the harbour. The day wasn't really sunny, but warm enough. We boarded the catamaran, along with about 100 other people for our excursion out to the reef.

After about 15 minutes, Stephen wasn't feeling very well. Then Emma wasn't feeling well. I am grateful for small miracles - the sea sickness patch - because the water was rough and I would have been pretty green.

It took two hours to sail to the outer reef and I was enjoying the sun when it peeked out from behind the clouds. Ahhh, this is the life... sunning on a big catamaran and sailing out to the Great Barrier Reef.

Since I have not scuba dived for 19 years, I had to take their introductory course for the first dive. It was very remedial. Three of us all linked arms with the instructor and he took us down to the reef. It was annoying because we all were banging our fins on each other. It was amazing, but I didn't see any really colourful fish like I did when I snorkelled the other day.

After the scuba diving, the crew prepared a cold lunch for us - prawns, different kinds of salads and pasta with a choice of three sauces. One thing the Aussies know how to do is make the food on a day trip worth the money paid.

Two hours later, being the sucker that I was, I went for a second dive. This time I told the instructor that I wanted a little more freedom to venture out on my own since I am already a certified diver.

The second dive was deeper, but it wasn't as nice. Oh well, what's a little money; I've already thrown the budget out the window. Oh, now that I think of it, I didn't have a budget at all.

After a long day on the reef, we headed back to Cairns. Since I am parting ways with the group today, Sarah drove me to my hotel in Cairns where I will spend the next four nights. When I checked into the Bay Village Tropical Retreat I was upgraded to a one bedroom apartment - SCORED! First thing I did was have a shower and unpack so I didn't have to live out of a suitcase for four days. Since four of us - Gaelle, James, Emma and me - were leaving the tour, Sarah wanted to make the night special by having dinner at a restaurant called "Rattle n Hum" by declaring it 'sparkly' night, so we all wore something sparkly for the occasion. Note to self: don't wear jeans in Australia even if they do look nice with your new sparkly T-shirt.

I took a cab to the airport to pick up my friend, Jeff, as he is coming up from Sydney to visit me.

Day 11 - 10,000 feet and still goin' up

Am I still in Sydney? It's raining again??? Yikes! I actually enjoy the rain though because it's a warm rain. I don't know if I was hoping that the rain would cancel our sky diving or not!

Hannah, Ivan, Elia, Stephen, Emma and me piled into the bus to go to the skydiving office to sign our lives away. Mom and Dad, you won't be able to live on my life insurance money, but you are my beneficiaries.

We drove to the airport and got into a very small plane and we're off. The entire adventure was recorded and burned onto CD, including the gearing up and the landing.

We're at 14,000 feet now and it's GO time. The door slid open and Ivan was the first to go. That's when I started to wonder "What am I doing?" My turn! I was strapped tightly to my instructor, Sinno, and then suddenly - head back, arms crossed and Oh my Gawd! I'm flying. This is exhilirating. The wind was unbelievable and my ears were hurting, but all I can say is WOW!. Sinno spun us around 360 degrees and I almost lost my breakfast; then left, then right. AWESOME! Then, a minute later, the parachute came out - I feel relieved now. We sailed down to the beach and landed. WOW, what an experience. If you ever have the chance to spend alot of money to go skydiving, don't just think about it, DO IT!

We all got back into the van and headed towards Cairns, leaving Cassowary country and the rainforest. I fell asleep on the bus and when I woke up, I saw a sign saying Innisfail and then Edmonton Central District. I wasn't asleep that long was I??

We just arrived in Cairns. Meeting time -- 6:30 pm at the bar in the hostel. No more tents for me. Just a comfie bed from now until ???????

I went shopping and bought a new piece of carry-on luggage for all my purchases. My clothes are getting pretty wrinkly in the one I brought, so I had to buy new clothes to wear here ha. Unfortunately, I won't be able to wear them in Canada until May, if it's nice, but I will wear them over the next three days.

Tonight we're going to The Woolshed for a feast. This is my last night with the group so I intend on celebrating. I have met 13 friends from all over the world - Hannah, Emma, Stephen, James and Calum, all from the UK; Gaelle from France; Elia and Ivan from Croatia; Ross from Scotland with the dead sexy accent; Marie from the U.S., Rachael from St. Albert (country not necessary); Jolanda from Holland; and of course, Sarah, our fearless tour leader. My 12 days with them has been fabulous. We have bonded; confided; told stories; laughed; had fun, no, a gas; and watched out for each other. Paddy has been our second home for 12 days. I am hooked on travel and my next destination will be ???? after Las Vegas of course. I tried my hardest, but couldn't find a part 3 for my Cher outfit. I'll have to settle for Edmonton's finest.



Stay tuned for more of my travels in Cairns over the next four days until I come back to Canada.

Till then, Ta.

Day 10 - I think I have a permanent smile

Today we woke to rain, but I didn't care because we were going to get wet anyway. The rain here isn't like rain back home, or like the rain we had in Sydney for that matter. It is fine and warm here. But, to be fair to Sydneysiders, it was very unusual weather and it isn't generally that cold.

Today was our day for white water rafting. I'm going to use bad grammar because I need to emphasize how much fun I had; it was the most awesomest day of my life. It was sooo much fun.

We boarded the bus and were taken to Raging Thunder Adventures, along with several other adventure seekers. It was left up to us to break into groups of six, and we also chose our guide. Our group was made up of six women and we chose Vinnie to be our guide because he was nice to look at; actually, truth be told, it was me who decided on the nice looking Aussie to be our guide.

After our brief introductory safety orientation, and Vinnie telling us that somebody always falls in at some point, we put our helmets and life jackets on and headed down to Tully River. Apparently Tully is the worst place to live in Australia because it gets so much rain - up to seven metres. That is why Tully has such good white water rafting.

Some of the commands - To the left means everybody to the left of the raft; to the right means, well, you figure it out; all down means put your paddles vertically in the air, handle end down and sit on the bottom of the raft; lean in means, well, lean in.

We all got into the raft and headed down the river to begin our adventure. I was scared at first, but quickly overcame that.

If Female Viagra is meant to produce heaps of fun, get me some more. I couldn't take the smile off of my face after the first rapid we went over. It was called "Foreplay". I guess they figure they need to warm us up. Not too bad, but I thought this was the extreme rafting trip! "Just wait", Vinnie says. Little did I know what was coming.

Oh cool, another rapid! This time it was called "2-15" meaning that it either takes two minutes or 15 minutes to get through. Oh my Gawd, we're going to flip. Vinnie quickly assured us that we weren't going to flip; he was saving that for later. Oh great! We got through the rapids in two minutes and other rafts got stuck and took much longer. That's the fun of it though - getting stuck and not knowing what's going to happen.

There were large boulders and medium sized boulders that made up the rapids and our raft would quite often hit them head on. Poor Emma thought Vinnie had it in for her.

We had great conversations during the entire trip. Rachael was wearing her swimming goggles because she didn't want to lose her contact lenses. She was quite the picture and we had quite the laugh at her expense. Our conversations involved everything from crocodile sperm to Rachael checking out Emma's bum, but that's another story. It was heaps of fun. Oh shit, look out, another big rock, and it's coming towards me. It didn't hurt though because the raft takes the hit. I think I will have a few bruises though tomorrow.

There were three rafts on the river and when we all came together, we would splash each other with our paddles. Our raft was usually first to get through the rapids and I always yelled to the other group, guided by Dino, that "We're having more fun than you are, na na na na na na". Vinnie started a joke about me getting an Aussie husband and the next thing I knew, Rachael was going to stay in Marie's tent tonight to leave an extra spot in our tent. It was all in fun though and nothing came of that.

We stopped at a rock, or should I say huge boulder and climbed to the top and jumped in the water. It was about 20 feet high. Our life jackets and helmets remained on though so nobody would get hurt. It was pretty high and we were all encouraging the scardy-cats to jump.

Next, stop for lunch on shore. It was a barbeque and you wouldn't expect something like that in the middle of the jungle/rainforest. Australians know how to do things big. Yes, it was like we were rafting through a jungle and Vinnie told us that crocodiles are here sometimes. Fortunately, I didn't see any, but Rachael is sure she saw one.

When we finished lunch we got back into the raft to continue our trip down the river. It was time to horse around again and then we were in for a a very fast and rocky rapid called "The Regurgitator". But 'Why Vinnie, would you feed us lunch before this particular rapid?' It wasn't that bad though. Next rapid was down the lava flows. We had the chance to jump in the water and float down the rapids on our backs. Once we got out of the rapid that sucked us under water, we had to swim hard to get out of the water. If we couldn't swim across though, the guides had ropes to pull us out. It was sooo much fun.

Oh shit, I hear a water fall and I was envisioning Niagara Falls. No worries though; it was only a water fall coming down a cliff. We steered towards it and rafted through it. It was hard when it smacked down on our heads, but it didn't hurt. That was just the first water fall. We then came to "Disappearing Falls" where we had the opportunity to jump down the falls. We were told that we would have to equalize our pressure because the falls are so strong that they will take you down deep and fast. That was alot of fun too. Are you sick of hearing me say "that was alot of fun" yet?

After those falls, we had about four km remaining of our 12 km trek. Next came a set of three rapids called "Jabba the Hut"; then "Flip Wilson", where we all flipped the raft; and then "Shark's Tooth". I have no idea how they come up with these names. It was fun navigating through the rocks. The last rapid of the day was called "Double 'D' Cup"; probably named for its curvy route.

I didn't fall out of the raft today, but thought we were going to capsize several times. I am an addict now. Vinnie definitely has a nice office to work in. I wanna move here. Oh, have I said that before?

If I have gained any weight on this trip, I lost it today with all the paddling and moving back and forth on the raft from the "Go Left" or "Go Right" commands. I have a sore bum. I can see why rowers have a six pack and I think I will have sore abs tomorrow, and my shoulder may be sore too. This was definitely the most fun I have had so far on this 12-day adventure. There are only two days left and five left in Australia.

Day 9 - Travel Day to Mission Beach

Last night I got frocked up and we went to a restaurant called Cactus Jacks. I had a drink called 'Female Viagra'. I don't know what it was supposed to do, but it was very tasty. Payment is like some cell phone plans in that you pay as you go, and payment must be made in cash. Good thing I didn't have much cash because I would have most certainly ordered more viagra, and who knows how it would have affected me.

I haven't told you about the shower or kitchen facilities at all of the campgrounds we have stayed at. It puts any campground I have stayed at in Alberta or BC to shame. You don't have to pay to have a shower here and all of the shower heads have been those rain shower heads with full water pressure, and they're clean. The camp kitchens are all sheltered and have stainless steel sinks, fridges, power, barbeques and nice picnic tables. It's nice to have power because we all recharge our phones, camera batteries and I recharge my netbook.

Last night as I was standing at the sink I saw something move on the pole beside me. It was a huge, and I mean HUGE beetle - yikes! I thought is was a cockroach, but was informed otherwise. I could have sworn it was a Hissing Madagascar Cockroach, but I'm not in Madagascar. When it crawled to the ground I used all my might to kick it away and it scampered away.

Today is a travel day to Mission Beach for a stay of two days. Tomorrow is a choice of white water rafting, ferry over to Dunk Island to just relax for the day or sea kayaking. I'm going to give white water rafting a go. And for the adventurous (as if we aren't already), skydiving on Thursday. I'm considering it. Alot of the others are doing it, but it is expensive so I haven't completely decided. Seeing my indecisiveness in words now has made my decision-making process easier. I'll do it; I'm here, what the hell! There is a choice of 10,000 feet or 14,000 feet and if I'm going to do it I may as well do the 14,000 feet. At that height we freefall for 60 seconds. Again, don't worry Mom and Dad as it is tandem, just like the hang gliding, but I think it will be waaay more exhilarating.

We just stopped in a town called Bowen. Its claim to fame is two fold: a large mango (just like the easter egg in Vegreville) and the movie 'Australia' was filmed here. I had some 100% pure mango sorbet - no sugar added. Emma said it was different because it didn't have sugar, and I told her you don't need sugar added to mangoes because they are already sweet. She quickly replied by saying "a little sugar is always good". Again with the English ways (smiles).

Next stop along the way - lunch at a roadside campground. After we filled our tummies, we made another stop 20 minutes later at a place called "Frosty Mango" where freshly made tropical fruit sorbet and ice cream is made. There is Paw Paw, Dragon Fruit and of course Mango, as well as tons of other flavours. I had a double scoop of ice cream, and it was real. If I don't stop eating ice cream and sorbet, I'm not going to fit in my winter clothes when I get home. Speaking of that, this bus tour has went by so fast, I can't believe there is only three days left. The tour ends in Cairns and then I spend three full days there before I go home to chilly Canada.

We've pulled into Mission Beach where we are camping for two nights. Apparently, there is a plethora of cassowaries here. Hey, I just saw a bikini on a tree, apparently from someone having a little bit of fun last Christmas, and it hasn't been removed.

Tonight we are making a Croatian dish. Elia is from Croatia and one of my cooking partners. I've never had Croatian food.

Tonight will be a relaxing evening with a walk along the beach. Maybe I'll catch the sunset if we finish supper early enough.

Day 8 - Whitsunday Islands

This will be a short blog because I didn't do much OTHER than sail all day. Life's rough.

What a beautiful day. We hopped on a bus that took us to the harbour to start our day cruise on the Ragamuffin sailboat to the Blue Pearl Harbour. The ride (or whatever you call sailing) out there was beautiful with beautiful weather. I felt like I was hobnobbing with the rich and famous. We saw dolphins jumping in the water and tortoises as well. The water was so clear we could see them swimming, and then of course the dolphins did their jumping. I wish they would have been beside the boat.

There are 74 islands that make up the Whitsundays. The Blue Pearl harbour is at one of them and has a beautiful beach made of coral instead of sand. It is also a great place to snorkel. Some people decided to scuba dive. I thought I might change my mind until the dive instructor told us the diving would only be a maximum of six metres depth. I have been as deep as 80 feet before and didn't want to just go 20 feet down for $90. I will wait until Cairns. We got off the boat onto mini muffin, the yellow dingy that took us all ashore. The water was so clear that you could see the Great Barrier Reef. I had to wear an attractive stinger suit to protect me from the stinging jellyfish that start to come out this time of year; they weren't out yet though. Maybe by the time I get to Cairns they will be. The fish were absolutely gorgeous. Green ones, blue ones, purple ones, green, yellow and purple ones, big ones, small ones, different colours of clams. It is indescribable. I was swimming through thousands of fish and they were brushing up against me. This IS living!


After snorkelling we were treated to a nice lunch of chicken, salad, pumpkin salad (they're big on pumpkin in Australia) while moored in the harbour. You can't get better that this. Did I say "THIS IS LIVING"?

We were being silly and took Titanic pictures on the way back and we were treated to more food - fresh fruit this time.

It was a full day on the water and the heat can be tiring. We are going out for dinner tonight after the disaster we had yesterday and weren't able to.

I'm typing this on the ground just outside my tent.

Time for more Aussie expressions:

Frocked Up - dressed up
Ridgie didge - don't know what it means, but it sounds funny
'Ave a good one! - assuming it means have a good time
Bonza mate! - don't know what it means
What a dag! - don't know what it means

I have alot more from a towel I bought so I am not sure what some of them mean. I thought I would just share them with you.

Day 7 - Travel to Airlie Beach

I had to put this picture in my blog because it is from the zoo and is funny.

My day started off very early. We were scheduled to leave camp at 7:30am. For some reason I got my time wrong. It was only 5:30 and I thought we only had an hour, so I got up. I was wondering why no one else was up yet. I must have been tired from lack of sleep from the kangaroos hopping by the tent, the crows with their Aussie accents (they do sound different here) and kookaburras singing.

As soon as I logged onto the computer, my Mom was quick to Skype me. Although the connection was better (well, sort of) and there was no delay or jerkiness, we were cut off and I felt bad because I couldn't spend much time online with her because I only purchased half an hour of Internet time and the connection here is awful. I keep getting booted out and I have to navigate my way around to get back in. I wanted to post one more picture for yesterday's blog, but kept getting booted out. I finally gave up. What normally takes three minutes to do took me 25 minutes ... so frustrating.

It's Jolanda's (I've been spelling her name incorrectly previously) birthday today. She's 26 years old. I can't even remember 26 years old. We're going out to dinner at Airlie Beach tonight to celebrate.

We just crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. It goes through a town called Rockhampton, the center of Australia. A large sun dial is in the middle of town and on one side of it is a sign that says "Temperate Zone" and the other side says "Tropic Zone". Sarah told us that you can feel it get colder as you walk towards the "Temperate Zone" sign. As we all walked towards the temperate side, Sarah said "Just kidding". I can't believe we fell for it. It sounds so tropical, doesn't it. That's because it IS!

What are caterpillars scared of? Dogerpillars. I know, I know, sick. Don't blame me. We just drove past a sign in front of a primary school where the school children made the sign. We've been on the road for six hours now and I'm bored. The scenery isn't very nice because we are heading towards the outback and it is very hot. Oooh ooh - road kill. We're in kangaroo alley - seeing a roo dead on the side of the road is more common than deer or moose in the mountains.

I'm becoming quite the little camper. I hung my clothes on the line last night to dry, underwear and all, just like Norma back home. It wasn't quite dry this morning so I just packed them in my day bag and I'm using the dash board of paddy as a dryer. It doesn't take any time at all with the hot sun. At 10:15 this morning, it was already 28 degrees. It must be 35 or more now.

And now for the excitement of the day so far - a flat. The tire shredded as we were driving 100 kpm. 37 degrees and changing a flat in Australia. It's a team effort of supervisors and workers, or it was until we realized that the spare tire had the wrong rim on it. Sarah called a tow truck and when it got here we had already been waiting for over an hour. This has been an exercise in patience. I told Hannah that I thought her and Calum were an item and she informed me otherwise; they are just good friends. Sorry Hannah and Calum. We had reservations for Jolanda's birthday dinner. We won't get to Airlie Beach now until dark. We have been playing cards, playing the shopping game (a memory game I'll have to show you when I get home) and just amusing ourselves. FOUR hours later, we were finally on our way. Yeah! Our dinner out was nixed, but we will go out tomorrow night. We are in this campground for two nights which is a treat to not have to break camp tomorrow morning.

Day 6 - Australia Zoo

After our full day of activity yesterday, we pulled into a campground in Redcliffe. The campgrounds here are nice - stainless steel barbeques at some; stainless steel picnic tables at others and full sinks. Some even have all three. After we pitched our tent and I showered all the sand off me I was in search of a wireless Internet cafe. I didn't want to venture too far down the beach in case I got lost, when I came across four Aussie ladies, or should I say sheilas. They didn't know of any wireless Internet locations anywhere on a Friday night after 9 pm in Deadcliff as they call it.

They pointed out a couple of other spots across the water: Deception Bay, AKA Decrepid Bay, and Moreton Bay is also called Moron Bay. They were very nice and we talked on the Beach for about an hour. Aussies are so friendly and fun. When I returned to the campground, I found out there was wireless there. It wasn't free, but at least I got to connect with my friends via e-mail and update my blog. When I was finished, Ross and James caught up on their e-mail too, or at least until the Internet timed out. I purchased an hour's worth of time, but I'm sure I got alot more because it seemed I was online forever.

During my 17 days so far here in Australia, I have learned a thing or two:

Number one - I wanna stay ha ha!

A few Aussie expressions:

G'Day Mate - I used that once and I felt like an Aussie
Fair Dinkum - pulling the wool over your eyes
Heaps - Alot of

I was up with the birds this morning and some very nice singing birds were right outside our tent. It was very nice. I was taking care of some business at home - paying a bill. OK, that's done - back to the business of sun and fun.

Today we will just be going to the Australia Zoo - home of the Crocodile Hunter. Some others in our group opted for a hike to the Glass Mountains. We have a long drive ahead of us as we are heading towards Airlie Beach where I will be sailing around the Whitsunday Islands on an 80 foot long racing yacht called the Ragamuffin. She has won alot of competitions. I can picture my brother and his wife green with envy. Snorkelling will be on the menu, as well as scuba diving if I choose, for an extra fee. I think I'll wait until we get to Cairns before I scuba dive because that is where part of the Great Barrier Reef is.

Back to the zoo.


I am very glad I chose, or was talked into, the zoo. Can you say A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, or as Susan would say, AWESOME! We spent four hours in the zoo and still could have seen more. This zoo is the best zoo I have ever seen. It's more of a wildlife park in that it is all about conservation. Their saying is "if you stop buying, hunting will stop." There was a wildlife show at the Crocoseum and it put any animal show I have seen to shame. There were Macaw parrots flying free. I have never seen so many beautiful birds as there are in Australia. We were treated to seeing how a crocodile hunts, by a man splashing to attract the croc, and we were given a lesson on a few varieties of snakes. A guy was in the water swimming with a very long snake. For the most part, if you leave a snake alone, it will leave you alone.


The kangaroos were out in the open - it just isn't right to cage a roo. I bought some food to feed them and got some great photos of me - feeding and laying beside a roo. I happened on a bunch of them hopping away and got some great video coverage.

All the animals were spectacular. Do you think they would notice a Macaw parrot in my carry-on luggage? That would be the ultimate souvenir for my Mom and Dad. What do you get for someone who doesn't need anything?

Time to get on our way to our next destination. Tomorrow will be a travel day.

Try to imagine typing in a very bumpy bus ride. That's what I'm doing now - one-finger typing. This is very frustrating and slower than using one arm after my shoulder surgery because the cursor jumps all over the page and it is time consuming fixing jumpin'-cursor syndrome. Then when I finally realize there's a really big mistake, I can't find where the mistake is a sentebecause the screen is so bmiddle of a ouncy. Later, when I'm proof reading, I find the middle of a sentence in the middle of another sentence. It just happened for the 5,000th time, but I'm not going to fix it because I think you need a challenge to figure this out ha.

We stopped for lunch at a picnic playground. Emma had an extra sandwich and asked if anyone wanted it. I asked if there was butter on it because as alot of you know, I don't like butter. Emma said "Of course", as if to say "Why wouldn't there be?" That's England for you. Now I think I understand why my Dad puts butter on every piece of bread - he's English! I'm still trying to figure out my Mom.

I think there is a love connection between Hannah and James because they look pretty cozy. Ahh, young love!

We drove by a small bush fire as we were driving down the road close to our campground. We have now checked into our campground and the first order of business is pitching our tent and then laundry. We might be on You Tube because all the local campers were taking pictures of us because when we arrived we were a flurry of activity putting up our tents. Hey, there are some wild kangaroos over there watching me. Crikey! That's a wrap.

Days 4 and 5 - Moreton Island

We had to get to the ferry bright and early for the hour's ride from Brisbane to Morton Island. Eeew! I have never seen such a big beetle in my life. It was on its back on the floor of the loo since last night and it couldn't right itself and I wasn't about the touch it to help it out. Next morning, it was still wiggling its legs. They sure have long deaths. On the drive to the ferry Stephen was talking about a big UV. I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly and then I realized he was talking about an RV. We all got a laugh out of that. The ferry ride was so warm and it was nice basking in the sun. As we approached the island I took alot of pictures. It was very beautiful. When we arrived, our attentive taxi driver, Jim, was waiting for us in the Mitsubishi (Missy) 4-wheel drive. It was a huge bus-type vehicle that had very good suspension. The ride to our cabins was more fun than an amusement ride. I was sitting in the back of the truck and it was very bouncy - not such a good thing you have to pee. Good thing we were wearing seat belts! Sometimes the vehicle rocked back and forth so much I was afraid it was going to tip, but I was amazed how it never did. I was laughing out loud because it was so much fun. When we arrived at the cabin we all claimed our beds and went to the beach for about an hour before we started our adventures. We all hopped in Missy and Jim took us to the most northern point of the island, where there's a lighthouse and lots of whales and turtles. The whales were too far out to get a picture of them though. Sure Ellen, you're thinking - twice now you've been too far away from the whales to take pictures!!! Believe me, if I could swim with them, I would. After spending time watching the whales, or at least their spouting, we went to another beach where we walked to a wall of rocks to watch the water break. Water splashed every where, including onto Yolanda's camera. Now she can't take pictures, but hopefully, it will dry out enough to start working again. The sand here has alot of silica in it so it squeaks when you walk. Next destination, Blue Lagoon - no, not from the movie. Blue Lagoon is a fresh water lake with tea tree and eucalyptus in the water. After I swam in it for awhile, I was healed of all my ailments. We had a long, hot day and retreated back to our cabins for dinner, but not before we checked out the sunset at the nearest western beach. When you're on a small island, any beach isn't far away. The sun sets very fast. Last night's dinner was Risotto. I'm eating better than when I'm at home. It's really too bad there are no kangaroos in Canada; it is very tasty. After dinner the boys decided to play a game of beer pong. It's a game where you bounce a ping pong ball off the table and try to make it land in the opponent's cup which is full of beer. When it lands, one person on the opposing team drinks that glass and whoever drinks all their glasses first loses. It was a lot of fun; although, I didn't partake in this particular activity because I don't drink beer Yuk!

I went to bed before 10 pm and had a great sleep - one of the few I've had since I've been here. Must be because I was in a bed and not on an inflatable mattress. We leave here at 3 pm Friday (today) and we have alot to do before then. First thing's first - breakfast - cereal and yogurt. We only take the gear we need today - water, flip flops, swim suit, cameras (the cameras have been stored in plastic bags because of the very fine sand), sunnies (sun glasses) and sunscreen. The rest of our gear was left on the beach in a truck so we wouldn't have to haul it around. Then we made lunch. I had to make a sandwich with white bread. White bread? White bread is a foreign substance. This isn't right, but you have to work with the cards that are dealt. It didn't even feel right making a sandwich with it. The first thing we did was climb Mount Tempest, the highest point on Moreton Island. I dare you to try hiking up a mountain in flip flops in sand. My calves were killing me. The sand was way too hot to walk in bare feet. Okay, we're here now. Snap,snap, let's go. I'm hot. I need air conditioning, at least until we get to the desert to go sand boarding - laying on a waxed board face down and riding down a sand dune. I thought there was alot of sand in places where sand shouldn't be after surfing, but let me tell you, sand boarding in the desert is way sandier. We could hardly wait to get to the sea to rinse off while we waited for the ferry to come and pick us up. Now we've checked into our next campground and pitched our tent, showered, ate and caught up with my blogging and e-mails. Tomorrow we're going to the Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's zoo. You've all heard of Steve Irwin - he's the Australian crocodile hunter who was killed by a stingray. I wasn't really interested in going because I went to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, but I have been told that "You have to go, it's an Australian icon." There are rhinos and I can feed the elephants whoo hoo! More later.

Day 3 - I'm Back

The last blog entry ended before we went to the bar, so this is a continuation. I also have alot of blogging to do because I haven't had Internet for three days.

I have to start this blog by asking "How many sexual positions can you count?" On Tuesday night in Byron Bay we went to Cheeky Monkey, a local bar with very unusual entertainment, or at least it's not anything I've seen. There was a dancing contest where the women took as many clothes off as they were comfortable with - both women that we saw got down to their underwear, or knickers. Then the really interesting entertainment got going when they had to display as many sexual positions they could think of, with each other, with their underwear ON. The winning entry was 15 positions. The next part of the competition was the dance-off final with five women and five men. This competition was also clothing optional. One guy was wearing Calvin Klein colourful tight underwear, and that looked pretty fine. All of our jaws were hanging on the floor, including the Brits. Nobody had the courage though to take it all off. Different entertainment in the bars here, that's for sure.

This morning we woke up, had breakfast, packed up our tents and headed into Byron Bay.

Seven of us went for surfing lessons. Fletch, short for Fletcher, was our very patient instructor. We used beginner boards, so they were smaller and not made of fiberglass. He showed us how to body surf, board surf and the regular standing surf. He went over safety, techniques, how to mount and dismount the board, and what to do if you fall off the board. I tried only once to stand up because I was having too much fun board surfing, where I lay on the board and caught the waves that took me into shore. What a gas. Lesson over and time for a group photo. We all looked like pros, NOT! I had sand where it has no business being ha ha. Time to go to the other beach to have lunch. We all gathered around the closest picnic table and made our lunches; it reminds me of bike trips with Edmonton Bicycle and Touring Club, where we all make lunches on the go.

Immediately after lunch, Rachael and I went hang gliding. Don't worry Mom and Dad, it was tandem with an experienced glider. It was awesome. I looked pretty goofy in THE SUIT. I felt like a bird. It has been an expensive day so far today, but you only live once, right?

I could make a fortune here, that is if I charged people for using my computer. We had free wireless at the campground last night and I told everyone that they could use my computer if they wanted to check their e-mail. Yolanda and Marie took advantage of my offer. Aren't I nice??!!!

We are in the paddy wagon travelling to the suburbs of Brisbane tonight. We just crossed the border into Queensland, the land of the banana benders and also known as the sunshine state. We just gained a hour; oh goody, another hour of fun!

We are now at our campground with no Internet connection, and tomorrow leave for Moreton Island for two days. Moreton Island is a sand island with a population of only about 60. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning as there is only one ferry per day to go over there.

Our mode of transportation when we are there - 4-wheel drive. Since we can't take paddy over to the island, we can only take our day packs with supplies that we need for two days. I don't even need my sandals, but I will need ALOT of sunscreen. James, Elia and I are cooking Kangaroo stir-fry for dinner. That was my idea. Yummy!

Kangaroo is tough to cut, but if cooked right, is very tender. Ooh, ooh, ooh, I just saw some sort of marsupial, but don't know what kind, but it has big ears so it must be able to hear well. I think I've seen one on TV. By the time I got to my camera, it was gone.

Now for Day 4 and 5!

Day 2 - Byron Bay

All my pictures lately have only been added to the beginning of my blogs and I can't move them. Enjoy though.

We started the day with a nutritious breakfast and then loaded up the paddy wagon. Before we left Coffs Harbour we went for a walk up to Muttonbird Island. It was very steep walking to the top. The only exercise I signed up for was in Sydney, so I'm going to have to speak to Sarah about that! We saw a few whales, but unfortunately my camera couldn't get a close-up. We will likely see more though on the trip. For my next trip to Turino, Italy in four years for the next World Masters Games I will definitely be purchasing a higher powered camera. Don't get me wrong; this camera takes great pictures. I have discovered though that with the bright sun here, sometimes I can't see the display so I have to use the old fashioned peep hole.

We stopped at the Big Banana to take a picture. Besides the scenery here, Australia is known for their larger than life statues so there are alot of photo ops. We drove by a field of kangaroos laying under a couple of trees. It is 9:35am and it is already too hot for the kangaroos. I put my sunscreen on before we started our walk at 8:00.

We just passed some banana trees; actually, a field of them. Australia is one of the largest producers of Bananas in the world - 175,000 tonnes per year. Oh look, sugar cane on the right. Apparently we will be seeing heaps of sugar cane mills as we get further north.

We are headed to Byron Bay today, the learn-to-surf capital of Australia. I'm going to try surfing and hang gliding. Hang gliding is expensive, but I've always wanted to fly, so I'm gonna give it a go. I don't know how surfing will go because of my balance issue. It has never taken me this long to adjust to land life. We just stopped at a look-out called Pat Morton Look-out, overlooking Lennox Head. The view was absolutely spectacular, but what's new. Sarah also just found out that the winds aren't good today for hang gliding. I'll be happy with just surfing, even if I can't get up. We're half an hour out of Byron Bay right now.

The first thing we did after setting up camp - camping, you say! Yes, I am camping some nights. I'm doing better than in Penticton though. Anyway, the first thing we did was go to the Cape Byron Lighthouse. This lighthouse is located on the most easterly point of Australia.

Byron Bay is full of hippies and you see all sorts of funny things on the beach. Aussies are playing bongo drums and just basically clowning around. It is a very community spirited town and they fiercely protect it. At one time McDonald's tried to bring in a restaurant, but people from Byron Bay fought that and won. It is a quaint little town with alot of shops along main street. I bought an Aussie towel just because I forgot to bring one big enough for the beach. I only brought two small ones for showers.

Right now Rachael, Byron, Emma and Calum are cooking supper - Spaghetti Bolognese - Mmmmm. Dessert is waffles with whipping cream and maple syrup. Emma calls it pudding - she's from England.

We are going into town to a bar called the Cheeky Monkey. I like the names of things here - they have fun.

Day One of My 12-Day Oz Xposure Tour

G'day Mate.

I was up and at 'em early this morning. My day started very early. My wake up call that was supposed to be at 5:30am came at 4:52 am. Good thing I was already awake.
Janis may not have appreciated it, but she never said anything. I think she could sleep through anything.

Janis is taking one of my suitcases back home because I can only take one on the bus tour, so I put most of everything I bought in the suitcase that she is taking back for me. She is a bad influence on me in a good sort of way as she travels alot. I was going to claim everything I purchased, but she just kept saying "Nope, not necessary. "Didn't you bring that skirt and belt to go to the opera?" "Of course, that's right", I said "I did". "You don't need to claim those pictures of you on top of the bridge; it's advertising." "Oh, okay. I didn't know that". There goes another receipt out the window". Soon I had it whittled down to half of what I bought.

I didn't sleep very well last night, if at all. In anticipation of this trip, things were always popping into my head - "Where's my money belt?", so I got up and looked for it; "where's my camera battery charger?" and up again; "oh no, what good is a battery charger if I packed the power adaptor in the wrong suitcase?". I soon had both suitcases unpacked. Why did I bother packing at all yesterday? Answer - because I had to, even if I had to do it twice. OK, time to go to bed and try to get some sleep, only for the 5:30am wake-up call to arrive at 5:22. They don't seem to have a strong concept of time here.

The cab driver drove me to Travelodge - where the bus will start the tour. I was an hour early. Maan, I could have stayed on the computer downstairs longer. I rushed through yesterday's blog and as a result have to edit it. I was very careful to not lose my voucher as that is proof that I indeed did pay for this trip. I managed to keep it until it was time to have orientation. "What the *%$! happened to it? Oh no, I'm not going to be able to go. Sarah, our tour leader said "Don't have any worries about that." I was relieved; that is until I had to prove that I bought insurance for this trip. Even though I have travel insurance, I also had to buy Trek America insurance because there are risks on this trip. It is an adventure tour after all. I tried to call my travel agent to get some sort of confirmation from her that I could give Sarah. I wondered why at 2:30 in the afternoon they weren't open. I quickly remembered the time difference. It is Sunday back home. Sarah said I was OK though - "no worries".

There are 13 adventure seekers on this trip. Sarah makes it 14. People from England, Scotland, Croatia, Holland, France, and get this - my massage therapist's wife, Rachael, from St. Albert, is on this trip. She was here playing soccer in the Games. Dave, my massage therapist, told me that Rachael was going to be playing soccer, so when she told me her name and that she is from St. Albert and playing soccer, I put two and two together and miraculously got four.

The first thing Sarah warned us about is that kangaroos and wombats are hit by vehicles on a regular basis, and when it happens it isn't a pretty sight. We've been warned!

We are going to a beach town called Coffs Harbour today and going to have a traditional Australian barbeque. Don't ask me what that means because I don't know.
Maybe it means we'll eat the kangaroo that becomes road kill after being hit by our vehicle today. Maybe that's why Sarah warned us.

Our first stop was at what we would call a truck stop. Good thing I'm wearing my new sport compression socks. I bought a pair for my calves and a pair for my quads at the Health and Lifestyle Expo at the Games. They have helped my legs recover from yesterday's race in half the time than if I wasn't wearing them. My legs were pretty sore after the race. It didn't help that I had three races within one week. My legs didn't have time to recover on their own. I digress.

It's already warmer than it was in Sydney. Good thing the bus is air conditioned. The Mercedes Benz version of a paddy wagon more accurately describes our mode of transportation. The truck stop is a simple cafe and McDonald's with a McCafe.
Surprisingly, McCafe's have good lattes. Time to go, but where's the paddy wagon. Whaaat! I'm lost already? But how could that be? The parking lot is small and my sense of direction can't be that bad, could it? Oh, there it is, on the far left. I'd forgotten we came in that way. I seem to get disoriented alot in Australia, and I swear the ground is moving. I think I have a problem with my inner ear putting my balance off. Yesterday my balance was terrible because of the trauma my body went through during the 1/2 marathon. I hope I'm better when I get back, or there will be good reason why I walk into walls. Remember that, Debra? D'oh!

We are still in New South Wales and stopping in a town called Taree for lunch beside the river. Whew, it's hot, but being beside the river keeps it a little cooler.

Elvis isn't in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He's here in Taree. As I was walking to the loo, I saw a guy who looks like him, or at least had hair and side burns like him. It's amazing that old men think that's a good look.

You have heard of self-cleaning ovens, but have you heard of self-cleaning toilets? Yes, they have such a thing here. Push the button and the door slides open; then there's music; push the button and you get toilet paper dispensed; a sensor dispenses soap and water and at the same time, the toilet flushes itself; then push a button and it lets you out, but no worries; if the mechanism breaks down, you won't be trapped as the door can be opened manually. Who'd've thunk!

We are approaching Billabong Koala Park, a koala hospital in Port MacQuarie for injured koala bears. Port MacQuarie is host to Ironman Panthers. My friend, Ben Johnson is from Port MacQuarie. I would like to do that race some day, but first, let's go see the koala bears. There are koalas here that have been burned in bush fires, hit by cars, in fights with dogs. There is only one koala per sectioned-off area. We saw them being individually fed antibiotics. It is sad, but great to see them being tended back to health and then released into nature again, but some of them are permanent residents of the hospital.

This keyboard is annoying. It jumps around so much that all of a sudden I'm three paragraphs above where I was typing. It wastes a lot of time having to erase what I just typed only to type it again where it should be.

Next Stop: Coffs Harbour is a beach town of 50,000 people and apparently, we are staying near the beach tonight. Maybe I'll get a good sleep with the fresh sea air. After a long day in the paddy wagon, it's 5:40 pm and we have arrived in Coffs Harbour.

We checked into the local Backpacker's hostel. It's a nice hostel. Oh, I just changed my mind. Is that a hair on the sheet? Eeew! I am staying in a room with three women - Elia from Croatia, Gaelle (pronounced Gyelle) from France and Marie from Kentucky.

We went for a walk along the beach and then had a Aussie barbeque - Kangaroo, chicken kebabs, sausage and salad. Sarah talked about what's on for tomorrow. We're heading up to Byron Bay, which is the learn-to-surf capital of Australia. I think I'll give surfing a go. Lessons for three hours are offered for $55. I might even try hang gliding.

For some reason I can't add any pictures from today, but I'll try again tomorrow, so check back.

Last Day in Sydney

Yesterday was my last day in Sydney and I have never walked so many stairs in my life - up, down and all around at the train stations. I didn't get much exercise during my 11 days in Sydney, but all the walking definitely kept me in shape. I had a wonderful time here in Sydney and I will definitely come back here some day. I have to visit my new friend, Jeff, who I met at the Opening Ceremony, but we lost touch and then reconnected yesterday after the half marathon.

Yesterday I ran my half marathon and it was ugly. I hadn't trained for three weeks and my legs were not ready for 21 kms. I ran the race in 2:16:24 - my slowest 1/2 marathon ever. I wish I would have wore my new compression stockings on my quads. It may have helped so my legs wouldn't have got so sore. Oh well, it was a great experience running along Olympic Boulevard and in front of Olympic Stadium. Stay tuned for my official results.

The Closing Ceremony was last night and it was so much fun. I met up with friends from St. Albert and Edmonton, and I met a lot more people from different countries around the world and it was nice because we all had a common bond - the love of sport, and being here, so it was easy to approach people, and it didn't hurt that I was a little tipsy, just a tad.

I leave on my 12-day bus tour today going up to Cairns (pronounced Kenns or Canes, depending on which Aussie you speak to). Aussies don't pronounce their "Rs" after a vowel near the end of a word. I am typing this as I am waiting for the cab to take me to my starting point. I don't know how often I will get to a computer, but keep checking for my blog entries.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate the comments that some people are entering.

Bye for now.

Hmm...What To Do

This is my last relaxing day in Sydney and I took absolutely no pictures. I needed to do some laundry so asked our friendly concierge, Core, where I could go. Apparently they don't have coin operated laundromats in Sydney, but there is a laundry facility almost directly across the street where they will do my laundry for a fee. This is perfect because now I don't have to wait in a laundromat for hours while my clothes get washed.

After I dropped off my clothes, I went to Olympic Park to pick up my timing chip for the 1/2 marathon tomorrow morning; then went to Paddington for a few hours. I heard about Paddington before I left Edmonton. It is a trendy area in Sydney with tons of shops and of course, an outdoor market. As we were walking down the main street I quickly spotted a 2XU store. 2XU (stands for two times you) is a brand of triathlon gear that is available in Edmonton, but only from a generic triathlon store that carries the brand. Being in the store was like being in triathlon central, and I bought a tank top that was waaay expensive, but I love it. It's bright yellowy-green. OK, off to the market. Alot of artisan wares were to be had, but nothing really struck our fancy, so we went for lunch and continued shopping along the main avenue. I don't even know what it is called; perhaps "Paddington Avenue". In yesterday's post I told you I was having no luck with shoes, but I tried again today and have decided to give up. I can't believe how many shoe stores there are here. At one point today there were three shoe stores beside one another and then a fourth two doors down. They all have those 5-inch heels, and I'm sorry, but I want to live. They sure love their shoes here, but I'll wait until I get home to shop for shoes.

During our outing, we heard on a radio that the open water swim was cancelled because the water was too cold, and they don't allow wetsuits because "we just don't do that here" even if the water is cold. There were alot of athletes upset about that. It wasn't very good planning on part of the Sydney World Masters Games Organizing Committee. They should have anticipated that Chowder Harbour, the harbour where the swim was to take place, never warms up.

A couple of friends from St. Albert invited us to a barbeque this afternoon at their brother's place, but I couldn't fit it in, what with Paddington. The barbeque was scheduled to be after they did their open water swim and I bet they were disappointed it was canceled.

We went out for dinner with a friend of mine from Edmonton, Maureen. It was a nice evening and when we were walking to the bus stop after, we couldn't believe what we saw. We were in transvestite central. I should have asked this "guy/girl" (I don't know what to call him) if I could take a picture, but was too stunned to think of it in time. He obviously wanted to be noticed, so I don't think he would have minded. He had long brown, curly hair; was wearing a nude coloured tube top with his midriff showing and his skirt was so short that he had to pull it down somewhat which showed his plumber's crack. Our jaws were hanging on the floor - yikes! I wish I had a six-pack like her 'er him. Anything goes in Sydney and that's one of the reasons I like this city. I'm not sure if the rest of Australia is like that, but I suppose I'll get a taste of it during the next two weeks.

Back to the hotel for an early night. I have the race tomorrow and then to rush back to start packing because the Closing Ceremony is tomorrow night just across the harbour from our hotel.

Stay tuned for my results from tomorrow, but I don't think I'll be able to post them for a couple of days because I start my bus tour to Cairns in two days. If you really can't wait for me to post the results, you can use the link I provided in previous postings. It is the same link for each race.

What a Day...

Today was not much of a day for pictures. While I was waiting for the bus to go to Bondi I was looking for a trash can and couldn't find one. They aren't big on alot of trash cans, but amazingly, the streets are clean. People don't litter here in Sydney.

I'm on the bus to Bondi again on the top deck of the double-decker bus. The wind is blowing through my hair, and I don't mean a wind chill kind of wind. Maan, I'm hungry and as I'm walking along Bondi Promenade I'm eating sushi. I was thinking of going for a Bondi Kiss, but unless I know exactly what it's like, I'm not comfortable trying it. Ha, had you going eh! It is a drink at one of the bars on Bondi Beach. There is also a juice bar here called Sejuiced. I like the play on words.

I'm getting bored of Bondi Beach now. I can't believe I'm saying that, but Bondi Beach isn't very big. Not only that, but I ONLY have five hours until I have to meet Janis for the Bridge Climb and I have so much to see. I better get crackin', but before that I have to try an apple strudel at the local gelato place. O-H M-Y G-A-W-D, I have never tasted anything like that in my life. I needed a knife and fork because it was so big, but it was also flaky, but crispy flaky, not philo pastry flaky. It was like a little (or big in this case) taste of heaven.

I decided to take the city bus to Bondi Junction instead of the hop on-hop off bus. I wanted to see how non-tourists travel. Only in Australia would a guy get on the bus with sandy, wet bare feet, a wetsuit and a surf board. I almost took a picture, but I didn't think he would appreciate it.

Bondi Junction is a massive shopping centre - the biggest in the southern hemisphere. There are five levels of shops. Their summer is fast approaching, so winter clothing is on sale, which of course would do nicely for our summers. I didn't really do alot of shopping, but spent alot of time looking around. I have went in almost every shoe store I have seen looking for part 3 of my Cher outfit to no avail. There doesn't seem to be any shoes here that have lower than 5-inch heels. Just for the fun of it I tried some on. They look ugly on my feet and not only that; I can't walk in them. I'm scared of falling off the platform. Be afraid, be very afraid of these weapons on your feet.



I'm now on my way to the Bondi train station to get on a train to go to Central station to transfer to another train to transfer to a third station. Central Station is the largest train station because it is the hub for everywhere. It is easy to get lost, and that is just what I did. When I finally found (or should I say was directed to) the train platform I was supposed to be on it turns out that it is the one right beside the one I got off of.

My shin hurts from all the walking in flip flops. I'm going to have to ice it tonight as my 1/2 marathon is in two days and I don't want to have any pain while running.

I'm now at Circular Quay (Secyalahh Key). I think I'm going to delete "Rs" from my vocabulary because some words sound nice without the "R". I'm walking to the Harbour (Haahbaah, as they say) Bridge to meet Janis. It's not far away.

I can only think of one word to say - A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! You were tucked in your bed at 10:00 pm while I was getting suited up at 5 pm the next day to climb the bridge. They sure ensure you are safe. I felt like an iron worker. I had a suit on that looked like a fighter pilot suit. My glasses were attached to strings attached to the suit; a hat was attached to a string attached to the suit, a belt that was tethered to the bridge was attached to the suit; a handkerchief was wrapped around my wrist and attached to the suit; a fleece jacket was in a pouch attached to the suit. It is very windy atop the bridge and they ensure nothing falls onto the bridge deck below. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the most traveled bridge on the entire continent. We did the twilight tour, so we saw the sun going down and setting. What a beautiful sight. That was awesome! I was 134 metres above the harbour. When we were at the summit and looked back, the traffic was streaming by. That's one thing about Sydney - at 11 pm or even later, when I am going back to the hotel, it is always busy on the streets. I've never seen anything like it. They say the city of New York never sleeps; well I think Sydney also has that reputation. Daniel, our fearless leader on the climb, took several pictures of us all.

After the climb we went for dinner on the harbour at a restaurant called Wolfies. I had garlic and olive bread with herb butter as an appetizer; Aussies call it the entree. Kangaroo and Crocodile with a red wine sauce was my entree (or main dish), and for dessert - blueberries and strawberries with vanilla ice cream and strawberry crumble. I wanted to savour every morsel because it was so good. I don't think I have ever experienced a meal so nice in my life. Kangaroo has the consistency of beef, but a wilder taste and I can't describe crocodile. It's going to be hard to beat that meal and I challenge anyone who wants to try. You can even take me to Sydney to try. We had a perfect view of the Sydney Opera House on one side and the Harbour Bridge on the other - very nice. It can't get better than this. It was a very nice price too. My meal cost $81. Time to get going as I'm yawning.

It's Bondi Day

...and I don't mean the tree. Oh, wait, that's bonzai.

Today I start my Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour to Bondi Beach and around Sydney. But before I started that, I came here to Tom n Toms for a flat white and to Skype Mom. They don't have coffee here; instead they call it a flat white and it is coffee made with milk instead of water. I don't generally drink coffee because I don't like it, but this was better. I still prefer lattes though and I'll stick with those.

Mom and I talked face-to-face and also instant messaged, all from half way around the world. Mom's getting to be quite the techie. While I was talking to her I took my computer out onto the street so she could see the nice weather here in Sydney. I think I made her jealous. Skype isn't the best communicator though – it’s jerky, there is a delay and we were always cutting out. A couple times the line was even dropped, but no worries, we were able to call each other immediately again. I decided to also start instant messaging so we could talk and read at the same time. Dad came home from Tim Hortons while Mom was talking to me so he rushed in to talk too. I don't think he was too interested in it though because he just put his face down so I could see him and said "Hi Dear" and walked away. That's OK though; I know he isn't much of a computer buff. Either that or he doesn't miss me yet! What, how could he not miss ME!! He's probably glad to get rid of me for a month (ha ha).

I better get on my way now to catch my bus. It's a rough life ...

I boarded the double-decker bus at Darling Harbour (Daahling Haahbaah - as in ahhh - is how they pronounce it). I’m on the top next to the leaves on the trees. This is great! First stop – The Rocks. Time to shop. I walked into an authentic Australian clothing shop and quickly found a pair of boots I like – Brand name “See you Downunder” and the Downunder is upside down underneath and words “See You”. I’m not sure you can visualize that, but I may go back and buy them and you can see for yourself. I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that they wear boots here. I just settled for a cute little T-shirt number and bought a lottery ticket, actually 14 plays for $9. The jackpot is $15 million.

Boarding the bus again now for the next stop, but I’ve already seen the next stop and the next. We just passed a Ferrari and Maserati car dealership. I had to go in and record the showroom because we just don't get that in Edmonton. The air smelled like it was imported. The next stop looks interesting - King's Cross. It is an area of Sydney known for its shops, and at night becomes the "Red Light District". The first thing I saw when I got off the bus was a prostitute, or I assumed she was. It is the first place that I don't feel completely comfortable, but I don't think it's dangerous, but I wouldn't want to be here at night. I don't think I'll stay here long. I think I’ll transfer to the Bondi Beach Hop-On Hop-Off bus as I am currently on the Sydney Hop On-Hop Off bus.

I’m on the bus again, but headed for Bondi Beach this time. The weather is perfect for a day at the beach. Oh look, I’m there. Bondi Beach is gorgeous and there are hundreds of women and men sitting on their surf boards waiting for the perfect wave to ride in on. I’m walking along the beach doing lots of recording. I love my new camera. I use it as a recording device too so I don’t forget things I want to add to my blog. I can hear the envy in your voices now. Why does she get to be over there walking barefoot on a beach and we’re stuck here in Canada with snow? Whaaat! I just saw a 60-year-old man with a six pack and I’m not talking beer. I guess that’s what you get when you surf every day. I took a walk to the point and got some great coverage of water splashing high against the rocks.

Did you know that I’m a superstar? Let me tell you how I became one. I noticed a lady taking a picture of all of her friends and I asked if they would like a picture of all of them together. She thought that was very nice of me so she called me a superstar.

Eeeew – a tiny spider just fell onto my keyboard. I didn’t even know they came that small. It must be fried in the circuitry by now because it went under my space bar. I don’t think it’s poisonous though. Can you believe I’m typing this on the beach while I’m waiting for the next bus? I feel like a techno geek! All I need now is Australian citizenship. Gotta go, the bus is here… As the bus winds its way back to where I started I am trying to type, but not having much success – too bumpy. I’m taking the train to Olympic Park to check out the action there and use the computers there.

I’m at SOP now and using the computers. One of the stilt men approached me to give me a cheap drink coupon for the party happening up here later. I think maybe I’ll go if I can manage to get out of here before midnight. This video is taking forever to upload. I want to share my videos with you, but they take so long to upload. I think I'll have to make my recordings much shorter in the future.

It's Go Time

Hmmm, what should we do today? Oh, I know. Why don’t we run an 8 km race. But first let’s go to Tom n Toms for lattes. Oh, free wireless. Yeah! Angela caught me online and we were Skyping for awhile (texting or instant messaging for you non-Skypers out there). Ahhh, life is good – drinking a latte on the patio in 25 degree weather while blogging and skyping.

Oops, where did the time go? Time to get ready for the race at Paramatta Park. First stop when we got there was the porta loos. Funny story: The porta potties here actually flush, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I was contemplating going out and asking someone how to flush, but decided to figure it out myself. Damn tourists! What is that plunger looking thing? A better description would be a stick shift. I decided to make like I was changing gears in my Mazda, and I was never so happy when a toilet flushed.

First thing I did was run into a friend from St. Albert. Sheesh, I have to come all the way here to see my friends!

It’s 2:30 pm and time to toe the line. It was supposed to be a cross country race, but it wasn’t like the river valley in Edmonton. It was more like running three laps on a soccer field. By the middle of the second lap, I was feeling the heat in my face. It is hot here. Yikes, I forgot to put on sunscreen. My time was 44:50 and I don’t know if that is a good time or not because I have never ran a cross-country race before so have nothing to compare it to. I guess it was OK because I’m still standing and I’m on the right side of the grass.

Time to go to Manly, but not before we stop by the hotel to clean up and try to look presentable. Manly Beach is a very trendy area that is accessible by ferry. As I type this I am on the ferry to Manly. I’m here. That was fast, eh! Oh no, I’m speaking Canadian! Here I am in Manly and the first stop was Gelatissimo. If this is gelato heaven, I am there. Cheryl, let’s go here for gelato instead of the place beside MEC. Do you think we’d be able to make it in an hour? I had two flavours because, well, one isn’t enough – caramel truffle and another flavour that tastes like Ferrero Rocher. Walking along the beach, flip flops in hand, watching volleyball, running, surfing and skateboarding, all on the beach. I could definitely get used to the way of life here.

Dinner is at a local hotel and I am having pizza – seafood pizza. A bunch of Kiwis just came to our table. Warren is chatting me up and has invited me to stay at his place next time I’m in New Zealand. Maybe this is my opportunity to stay here (hee hee). Time to head back to catch the last ferry before we are stuck here for the night. But wait, I think I need another couple of scoops of gelato. This time it’s chocolate chip and coffee.

Here are the results from my race today. As you can see from the results, I am not as good of a cross-country runner as a road runner.

Blue Mountains

I ate breakfast a mere hour and a half ago, but I’m already hungry. We have a nice looking bloke as our tour operator, so perhaps I won’t notice how hungry I am (smiles). The tour buses here have seat belts; a novel idea. It makes sense since wearing seat belts are the law. I wonder if the tour buses in Canada have seat belts. Aussies call them safety belts. I just saw a sign that said “Give Way” instead of “Yield”.

First Stop – Featherdale Wildlife Park. It is a rescue park that is still used as a rescue facility, but it is now also a breeding facility. I fed kangaroos. One Kangaroo seemed to take a liking to me and was holding my hands with its hands. Their fingers (if that’s what you would call them) are very fine and their long claws didn’t scratch me and when it stood up on its hind feet, it was almost as tall as me.

I also petted a koala bear. They are very cute, but they aren’t really that soft, or at least the one I petted wasn’t. I even had a snake slithering on me. Some of the varieties of parrots are very colourful and beautiful. My Dad would love seeing the parrots so I made sure to take some video.

We’re heading towards the Blue Mountains now. The history behind why the Blue Mountains are called Blue is because the Eucalyptus leaves give off a vapour. When the sun shines, it scatters the vapours and that creates the blue colour.

We have arrived at our first lookout point and it is cold and windy. Darryl, our friendly bus driver, says it occasionally snows here. The elevation is 900 meters and I almost feel like I’m at home, but not quite.

Next stop, Scenic World. I have never been in a rain forest and it was very lush, but it was also very cold because of the elevation. There is a legend behind the Three Sisters; something about three sisters being turned to stone instead of being killed by a monster named Bunyup. At the end of the tour I only had 10 minutes to power shop. I bought some possum merino gloves, and I bet you can guess what colour.

Right now we are driving through Katoomba with shops lining the main street heading towards our next stop, Sydney Olympic Park. Oh, I can hardly wait - I've never been there. I never thought I would become one of THOSE people who take their laptop with them on a tour, but I don’t want to forget anything.

We’re now at Sydney Olympic Park and we decided to take the ferry back to Circular Quay. I didn’t even know there was a ferry from SOP. See what you learn when you go on a tour! Hmmm, I feel like having dinner at Circular Quay as by the time we get there, the sun will be starting to set and I think it will be beautiful to sit on the harbour and have dinner. It was a nice day – venturing outside of Sydney and seeing different sights.

I have to get to SOP again soon so I can use their faster Internet to upload and e-mail videos.

Before I left Edmonton I bought a 2-day "Sydney Bondi Beach Hop On-Hop Off" tour where I get on and off a double-decker bus at various locations around Bondi Beach and in Sydney. I am going to start that tour tomorrow morning after I do some laundry. Laundry...it’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.

See ya tomorrow!

Yesterday and today

Yesterday...



This is going to be a long entry – yesterday and today. I've been remiss about my entries, but I always run into problems - either slow Internet, or just too busy. I may as well forget about posting too many pictures or videos. The videos from my camera are too big. Updating my blog isn’t as frequent as I thought it would be either. I can always catch up later though.

Sunday started off early. We were up and at ‘em at 5 am for our first race. I wasn’t sure if it was safe at 6am on the streets of Sydney while walking to the train station, but when I gave it a second thought, I realized I was being silly. Of course, it’s safe here. People are so friendly. When we arrived at Sydney Olympic Park (I like saying that) it was abuzz with activity. We all gathered at the starting point and I ran into a fellow Edmonton Triathlon Club member and his wife, as well as another friend who was at the Gold Coast for the world championships of short distance triathlon. She extended her trip to come to these Games. There were about 2,500 running. The gun went off and the race started. Wow, I’m running in front of Olympic Stadium and the weather is chilly, but it is only 7:30 in the morning. The weather warmed up nicely and I soon took off my long sleeved t-shirt. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was running – about a 5:05 minute/km pace. At this rate, I would be finished in just over 50 minutes. I was having so much fun talking and laughing with other competitors and watching the scenery. Hey, was that just a man I passed? And another! Hey, did you see what I just saw? Probably not, since you’re in Canada. A man, about 70, was racing in bare feet! It felt good passing men, particularly since they started five minutes before the women. Most of them were in much older age groups, but there was one guy who was in the 40-44 category. About fifty two and a half minutes later I was crossing the finish line; but how can that be, I was running 5:05 minute kms? I should have finished in 50 and a half minutes. Here are my results. Later I found out that the course was actually 10.28 km, so I was very happy with my time. I just calculated my speed (on the running room online calculator ha). I ran a 5:06 minute kilometer or an 8:12 minute mile, and 7:31 mph or 11:77 kph. How's them for stats? No post-race food so we quickly found something to eat at a local restaurant and headed back downtown (SOP is about 40 minutes by train away from our hotel and that’s why we spend so much time travelling - to get to our races and pick up our timing chips). We wanted to check out the market. It’s like a farmer’s market, but bigger and no vegetables, but alot of people were eating corn-on-the-cob-on-a-stick. I bought part two of my Cher outfit for Las Vegas and three boomerangs. The boomerangs came with instructions!

Before we knew it we had to catch the train to SOP again for the Opening Ceremony. For about the first time, we were impressed and our standards went up again. The Opening Ceremony was fantastic. Aussies really know how to put on a party. All 28,000 of us marched into the Olympic Stadium with our respective sport instead of with our country. We were on the Jumbo Tron and it had an Olympic feel to it. Just like in the Olympics, each sport is announced as that group entered the stadium. OK, here come the stats - oldest competitor, 101 and the youngest, 24. These are the biggest World Masters Games in history. Wow, I'm part of history! The entertainment was fabulous. The people were crazy and we had sooooo much fun.












Today...


WHAT...I can wear shorts and sunscreen??? First on the agenda - the Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens is something that everyone coming to Sydney must do. It is beautiful and huge. I saw fruit bats, which are huge bats that fly out during the night towards the Blue Mountains in search of fruit and come back to hang out in the trees at the Botanical Gardens during the day. They are much different than bats in the Northern Hemisphere. They are huge and look like regular birds when flying. The bats are slowly destroying the gardens because when they hang from the trees, their sharp claws (or whatever you call birds' feet) dig into the bark of the trees and kill any new leaves. They call them flying foxes because the bats' faces look like a fox.

The sea wall follows the edge of the gardens and leads to a point called Mrs. MacQuarrie’s Chair. There is a lot of history behind this point and it is a great place to take pictures of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

I decided to go for a tour of the Opera House since I had a free voucher. There are tons of stairs here and my legs are feeling a little stiff from my run yesterday. My legs generally don’t get sore after a 10 km race, but I have been sick and I ran hard because, well, I’m in Australia. What does that have to do with anything, you ask. Well, the answer is NOTHING. It just sounds good. The architecture of this building (or work of art is a better way to describe it) is amazing and took 14 years to complete. It’s just as beautiful in person as you see on TV and the Harbour is truly just as beautiful as they say it is. It isn’t just a saying that the Sydney Harbour is the most beautiful harbour in the world – it truly is. I can't wait until we go on the Bridge Climb during twilight and see the Opera House lit up in all its glory. I can see why people love Sydney. I am going to make it my mission in life to find a way to move here. Sorry Mom and Dad.

I am on the train now going out to SOP to pick up my timing chip for my 8 km cross country race tomorrow afternoon. I just have to somehow multi-focus - on this blog entry and where I am, or I am liable to miss my stop, and who knows where that would take me. Gotta go now - Lidcombe stop has arrived.

I'm baaack ...

Guess who I saw first when I got off the train - the old man from yesterday's race with no shoes, and he didn't have shoes today either. Must be a culture thing.

OK, so I picked up my chip and the Games Centre has put out about 20 computers to use. Finally, Internet connection for as long as I like. Some German people needed help to send an e-mail. They had a sort-of interpreter with them who was computer illiterate. After long explanations trying to tell them that they need an e-mail account so they could log in and send, I finally decided to let them use my account to send their two sentences. Sometimes I am too kind for my own good. I typed in the two addresses they wanted the e-mail to go to and I let them type the message. Then they didn't understand that I typed in both e-mail addresses and it went to both people and they wanted me to send it to the second person. I finally lost my temper and told them to go and find a technical person to help them who can speak German. Where's Angela when you need her??? I told them that this is my account and I have my own stuff to do, blogging included! They still wouldn't leave me alone and I told them to leave me alone. I think I started something because all of a sudden a few people said "you seem to know what you're doing - can you help me". I had to say "No".

I am finally able to upload videos, but they still take a long time, but there is at least progress. I have been on the computer for 4.5 hours and no one has asked me to move. Get a life you say! I have to take advantage of fast, free Internet because I haven't seen it anywhere else. I'm getting more impressed by the minute. Maybe the gliches on the first day were because everybody was checking in at the same time. I am sitting beside some athletes from Ukraine and they smell. I'm uploading a large video right now and it's taking forever and I'm hungry. I wonder if I can order pizza. Oh, they have McDonald's here, but they call it McCafe. Apparently it has a variety of coffees and cappuccinos that are very tasty. Maybe I'll check it out on the way back to the hotel. I may as well sleep here though since I have to come back tomorrow. It may take that long to load this video. I'm just babbling/typing as I wait.

Oops, the computers just went down - yikes. I was talking to some locals while waiting for net to come back up. I found out lots of funny things about Aussies. Queensland folks are called Banana Benders and Perth Aussies are called Sand Gropers. Don't ask!