Last Post from Australia

This may be my last post from Sydney, Australia. Wow. What a ride. 60+ posts. Two countries (New Zealand and Australia). Four States (New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland). Various Aussie clients. And a couple pounds of kangaroo meat.

Not too much going on this week since the Hunter Valley Tour. I took it somewhat easy on Monday. After work I hit up the gym for the last time (contract is up) and did some laundry. I also got out my suitcases to start the packing process. I also decided to head to Tap House for a beer and do some more work (wrapping things up this last week).

Today I went to the Opera House after work. One of the partners at my firm gets free tickets to this Sydney Writers' Festival. He offered them to the first takers and I decided to go for it. Seeing the Opera House up close was really the last major thing on my Sydney bucket list. It wasn't going to be in the actual opera house part, but just in another room (Playhouse). Still cool to be there and to hear the author talk (might buy his book for the flight back). Here are some quick snaps I took.

I think I'll go ahead and end on that. I might post tomorrow or once I land, but this is essentially the end. It's been an amazing experience. However, I am also excited to go home to my friends, family, co-workers, and, of course, my fiancee.

Hunter Valley and other nights

Whew. Been a busy couple of days. Going to bed soon, but wanted to post about my latest adventures before a new week begins. Heck, only a few days left in Sydney!

Wednesday we had the last Wine Wednesday in the park (well, at least the last one I'll attend). On Thursday, four of us went out to a few bars. Part of the reason I wanted to go out on Thursday night was to see this club Ivy. Everyone has talked about it (and they either love it or hate it). It seems to have a more "dressed up" crowd (men in dress shirts, maybe some blazers. women in going out dresses). On the weekends it's $20 or more to get in, but on Thursdays it's free. So I figured I'd pop in quick, check it out, and head home. Of course, I had to check out the rooftop pool.

It's actually a pretty cool looking club (didn't stay long and left around 10 or 11pm). Almost has a Vegas feel to it.

On Friday we watched an NRL finals game at a pub then made our way to Absinthe Salon. It's a small, intimate bar that, well, serves absinthe. You have to make a reservation so I called and booked for 6 people at 9pm (they close at 10pm). However, the game went long so I called to cancel. However, the lady said that if we show up before 10 and order, we can stay later. Sounds good, so we left the pub around 9:30 and made it to the salon around 9:45. We had to ring a bell upon arrival. They remembered me and left us outside as they prepared our table.

Once inside, you can see they're going for a old, French salon vibe. No music was playing and it was not very loud. To be honest, it almost felt like we were doing something illegal. Of course, the presentation of the absinthe didn't help take that feeling away.

We had the waiter/bartender order up some for us because none of us knew anything about ordering absinthe. For those who haven't had it, it's strong, usually 50%-70% alcohol. Hence, you place a little bit of sugar and let water drip down on it.

It's made from fennel, anise, wormwood, and other herbs. Kind of a bizarre thing, but as a fan of black licorice, I enjoyed it. Afterwards, we made our way to another bar and then ended up at a bar/club (that served free popcorn. Tasty).

On Saturday I took care of some wedding things and walked around the botanic gardens. Gorgeous day. Over 80 degrees and sunny.

Saturday night we threw our last North American party. I got to teach another drinking game, this one called "throw the ball at the can." Classic. We headed out to a bar, but didn't stay too long. However, apparently all of these nights finally caught up to me and I slept through my 7am alarm. I awoke to a co-worker calling me and asking where I was. It was 7:45. Our tour bus to Hunter Valley leaves in 15 minutes. Oops... I threw on some clothes and ran out the door. According to our friends at Google Maps, it's a 21 minute walk from my place to the bus pickup point. I hauled down the street (considered taking a taxi, but when he gave me push back, I continued on). I made it. 8:00. Whew.... And, hey, I wasn't the last one!

Anyway, bus antics aside, 11 of us signed up for a Hunter Valley tour to see the wine region near Sydney. We started off at Mount Pleasant.

I learned here that this region is best known for its Semillon wines (dry, white wine). This was probably my favorite wine of the day. Dry, a little bit of citrus and minerals. They also served the Australian obligatory Shiraz and other wines as well.

We then stopped for lunch. Had a tasty pear, gorgonzola, and prosciutto pizza. Then did a little cheese tasting and grabbed an ice cream. After that, it was off to a distillery. A vodka distillery. Now, I really wasn't too pumped for this one, but it turned out to be fun and educational. It was interesting to taste the vodka. You're given just a little out of a test tube. And we were tasting their flavored ones.

We then took a little tour and learned how they made vodka.

Using wheat, they basically make pure alcohol. However, they have to distill it to remove out the "bad" alcohols (the stuff that will make you blind, etc) and get it down to pure ethanol. You then dilute it with water to get it to 40% and, ta-da! You have vodka!

Next was Hope Winery and their cool tasting room. Some pretty good wines, although I was coming to the conclusion that Barossa is a better region. However, it was still fun and beautiful country.

We ended at a sparkling wine place. Those were fun to taste, including a red Shiraz Tempranillo blend. This was also the "chocolate tasting" portion of the tour, but that ended up being some free samples of chocolate in a chocolate gift shop... Yeah, the tour was fun, and a good value, but slightly disappointing. But if you're in Sydney and want to check out wine country, you definitely should.

I should head to bed now. Gotta start my last week at work in Sydney!

Bar Hopping and Cairns day 2

On Tuesday night I met up with some people to hit up a bar. As we were walking to our destination, the Rook, I was showed Uncle Ming's. We didn't stop by, but it was suggested I go there for dinner. We then walked by Stitch Bar. Here's where we took a little detour. It had a sewing motif, complete with old Singer sewing machines. I had one of their special whiskey-based drinks (similar to an old fashioned). Came with an almost tennis ball sized ball of ice. Fancy.

 

We then made it to the Rook. Here I had a beer (Little Creatures IPA, not bad) and enjoyed a tasty lamb burger. I thought that was going to be it, but because it is my last full week, they said they had to take me to another bar. So we went to Rabbit Hole. I decided to splurge and ordered another cocktail. This one was also described like an old fashion, but not really. Had several types of whiskys and scotches, including Laphroaig (that really smoky one). It came complete with a torched cinnamon stick. You're supposed to take a whiff of the smoke and then take a sip. Quite the presentation. The preparation was fun to watch, too.

 

Wisely included a glass of water to dunk the stick in

But that wasn't the end. They had one more bar to take me to. It was Palmer & Co and had a 1920s US feel to it (I've noticed a lot of flapper style bars and events here in Sydney...). I had a tasty Manhattan here and then finally called it a weekday night. Good time and fun bars.

 

Moving back to Cairns, we woke up around 6:30am for our tour. We also had to pack up and check out of our hostel. We took the Ocean Free tour. It was a 2 hour boat ride out to Green Island, our snorkeling destination. It was a gorgeous day. In the 80s. I made sure to diligently apply sunscreen (although I ended up getting a little burned on my back and back of my arms).

 

Note: This isn't Green Island

Skipper navigating with his feet

The dingy we towed behind us

The water and weather was so beautiful. And the 3 guides were great. We had a good breakfast and lunch, along with some snacks and drinks.

 

Because it was 2 hours to the island, it gave me a chance to enjoy some sun.

 

 

The ride also gave us time to get to know some people on the boat. One lady was in Cairns for work that week and another was this girl in college who was studying abroad in Sydney. Her life long dream was to see the Great Barrier Reef. Her excitement and energy was fun. She also went scuba diving. I may have mentioned it before, but we couldn't go scuba diving because we had a flight that evening (gotta wait at least 18 hours for the nitrogen bubbles to work out of your system).

 

When we finally got to the island/Great Barrier Reef, I was worried the water would be cold. After all, I spent half of Saturday freezing. But nope! The water was just as awesome as the weather. I got in and snorkeled for about 45 minutes. It's so beautiful. All the colors and fish swimming around. Some vibrant colors, but also just cool looking dull purples, blues, and greens.

 

Gotta get a water proof camera...

 

After the first round of snorkeling, we caught a ride on the dingy to Green Island. It's basically a resort island that seems to heavily cater towards Asians. There's also a random crocodile park/zoo.

 

 

Apparently the guy that owns this place used to catch problem crocs for people. He'd get paid in tribal art, and this random place had crocs and this art everywhere. Bizarre place.

 

 

 

But it was also home to the largest crocodile in captivity. 5.5 meters long (almost 17 feet).

 

Cassius - 5.5 M

 

This baby was huge! And there were crocs everywhere! It was pretty sweet seeming them growl at each other and move around (although they don't always move around that much...).

 

After having a tasty mojito at one of the bars on the island, a couple of us relaxed on the beautiful beach before catching a ride back to the Ocean Free.

 

 

 

 

Once I got back to the boat, it was another 30 minutes or so of snorkeling. I found a shallower area this time. It was so cool. I was just a few feet above the coral! (may have bumped it with my flipper once... um, oops). So pretty. It's also just fun swimming freely in the middle of the ocean (no life jacket or anything). The water is so warm and clear, yet there's clearly a current that can take you away. There was a shark in the water just before I got in, but by the time I got my flippers on, it was gone. I thought that would have been cool to see from the water (don't worry. not a scary shark).

 

It was then another 2 hour ride back to shore. We tried sailing (no motor) but it wasn't windy enough.

 

Sun starting to set on my trip to Cairns

 

Once back ashore, the 2 of us caught a cab to the airport and it was back to Sydney! The rain forest and Great Barrier Reef. You gotta see these if you're ever in Australia!

Cairns - Saturday

On Friday I flew with a co-worker to Cairns. Cairns is in Queensland, a state north of New South Wales. It's a town of about 150,000 people and is near the Great Barrier Reef. It is also near the rain forest (one of, if not the oldest in the world). This was the last major tourist destination on my Australian bucket list. Sadly, I won't be able to do everything I wanted to in Australia (visit Perth, Uluru (the largest rock in the world. From what I hear, it's way better than how I just described it here), and just spending more than 2 days at any given place I visited over a quick weekend. But such is life. I can't really complain now, can I?

Anyway, we touch down in Cairns (pronounced "Cans") at around 10:30pm. I can immediately feel the humidity. And coming from Sydney (which had been a bit chilly lately) it felt like arriving in Florida for a winter vacation. I suppose all the palm trees added to that effect [editor's note: This is looking to be a looong post. Hence the weekend was split into 2].

We took a shuttle to our hostel. Dreamland Travellers Rest hostel. Yes, that is the, um, lamest name for a hostel ever. But it was nice (for a hostel. And my last hostel of my life! I hope haha).

The front

Our three person bedroom

After checking in we went for a walk around the heart of Cairns. We weren't looking for anything too crazy, but, wow, that area was popping. Everyone was out and about, going out, hitting up bars and loud clubs. I suppose it kind of makes sense. Cairns is mostly a tourist/backpacker town.

We woke up the next morning around 7 and Captain Matty of Barefoot Tours picked us up around 7:45am. Captain Matty was barefoot with dreads. I'd put him at about late 30s. He fits a lot of hippie-esque stereotypes (although later at a bar proclaimed to me that he wasn't a hippie). A really fun, energetic guide, albeit very inappropriate at times. May or may not have complemented various customers on their bust size. And our icebreaker 5 questions we had to answer as we drove up to our first stop was: 1) Name 2) Where are you from (very eclectic group) 3) When do you leave Cairns 4) Martial status (you can see room for some inappropriateness with that question) and 5) When you wipe, do you fold or scrunch?

Anyway, we were headed to some waterfalls and the Tablelands. Here's our first scenic stop.

Oooooo!

On a side note, a co-worker who suggested this tour talked about how at one of the stops, people bought some beers and the group was wild and fun. Our group was a little milder than that. Still fun, but not quite as crazy (and I feel like the tour guide kept trying to get us to open up a bit). For various scenic sites, he'd pull up and we'd quietly say "oooooo." He'd then back up, then turn in again and we'd have to go "OOOOOO!! WHOA!!!" Actually, pretty hilarious.

Our first of 4 swimming spots also ended up being the warmest swimming spot (despite his lies later on about the temperature of the next stops). This one had "a nipple factor of about 4" according to Captain Matty.



He whipped up some fruit and coffee/tea for breakfast here

I always thought I was the wimpiest person on the planet when it came to water (hate cold water). That is, until this trip and I found those worse than me. So I guess that makes me feel good. I'd like to take credit for being the first one in the water here. Not too cold.

Our next stop was our first waterfall. We walked along a trail to it. I dipped my toes in. Daaaaang. Now that's cold (or a nipple factor of 6). Matty perched on a rock and snapped photos of us jumping in.




Captain Matty

That water was "refreshing." I didn't hang out too terribly long in it. Eventually found a nice rock that was warmed by the sun and laid down on that. Very relaxing. And here's another shot of me after drying off.

Here's another lookout before lunch.

OOOOOOOOOO!

We stopped in Millaa Millaa for lunch. We were at the cafe owned by what city slicker Aussies would call a bogan (seems to roughly translate into redneck. I know, not the nicest of words).

Our group got 2 free jugs of beer to share and I ordered a good ol' fashion Aussie meat pie. That gravy was good.

An example of our group not being too wild: There was a little bit left in both jugs. Couldn't let that beer go to waste! Besides, I honestly think the owner would have started yelling at us if we didn't finish. I kept offering it to the different tables, but no luck. I suppose you can guess who finished it (oh, such terrible beer).

The 3rd water hole (and 2nd waterfall) was by far the coldest. An Herbal Essence ad was allegedly filmed here.

I swam up to that waterfall with others in the group. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!!And ouuuuccch. Water falling 90 feet or so can really hurt. I was out there for maybe 10 minutes and came to shore just shivering like crazy. But hey, it was fun! Right...?

And here's one more scenic stop.

Whoaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually, really cool!

And then on to the final spot. His favorite. Thankfully, it was warmer than the last one. But, of course, the ice water I had with lunch was warmer than that.

This place had a natural rock slide. I wasn't too great at going down and ended up feeling like Tom Brady at a water park. But still a great time.

 





 

The hardest part was getting out of the water to the far right (not pictured) and trying to crawl up. The rocks were incredibly smooth and slick. You felt so silly trying to flail up these rocks. I basically emerged from the water, a la some fish from the swamp 3 billion years ago.

 

And here's something that's cool. Can you make out the ants below with the green abdomens?

 

 

I noticed these while walking around. Later, Matty came up to the guy next to me and asked him to lick it. It tastes citrus-y. He said no, but I said, what the heck. I'll try it. I licked it and... whoa! Ok, probably overreacted, but not expecting that. Almost like a Warhead. And my tongue felt tingly for several minutes. These babies make citric acid and use that to defend themselves and kill prey. Oh, Australian animals.

 

Here's a group photo. And here's a Facebook page where you can see more photos Matty took during the day. Please, don't make comments on them. He's asked us not too because it can get a little crazy.

 

 

This was an awesome tour and I would definitely recommend it.

 

As we were driving back, I asked around to see what people were up to that night. Matty suggested the Bavarian restaurant. It was the first day of Oktoberfest and they were having a celebration. He also knew the owner. So a bunch of us agreed to meet up there around 8pm.

 

As I walked there, I passed through the Night Market.

 

 

To be honest, not that great. A bunch of touristy stuff inside. Also, $15 40 minute massages.

 

Once I met up with our gang, I ordered a stein (1L). Ahh.. almost brought me back to when I was in Oktoberfest in Munich.

 

 

 

And tasty food!

The owner also got me a shot because I was getting married. I threw it back and.... ah! I imagine jet fuel isn't far off from that. We looked at the bottle and saw this stuff was 80% alcohol. Not 40%. 80%. Crap!

 

They had various events, including driving in a nail with the other side of a hammer. Some people couldn't do it or took 4 minutes. One guy took 8 seconds. I was really happy I succeed in about 20 seconds. Whew. My manhood was at stake while I was up there! But from the little I gained from not sucking at that I probably lost by sucking at tossing bottle caps into a stein.

 

We stuck around there until about 12 or 1 am. The group went off to this club but I wasn't interested in doing that. Besides, I had to wake up at 6:30am the next day for my next tour...

 

Nice and Clean

Ahhh... Just got out of the shower for the first time this weekend. It was fun walking in a rain forest, swimming through waterfalls, and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. But it feels good to be home, clean, and not in a hostel anymore. I'll post about my Cairns trip tomorrow.

2 Weeks and Sydney Observatory

Holy crap. I leave two weeks from today. Two weeks seems like such a short amount of time compared to the 3 months I'll be here. What a trip.

Before I left Sydney I really wanted to visit the Sydney Observatory. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, the constellations are completely different. No Big Dipper or North Star?! But, alas, they have the Southern Cross (which is on their flag).

Now, seeing how this is at night and I only have a phone, I couldn't really take photos. But here's the first telescope we looked through. It's about 140 years old (oldest operating telescope in the Southern Hemisphere).

Our guide was Carlos. His deprecating humor, Spanish accent and knowledge made him a great guide. We first stepped outside and saw the full moon and Southern Cross. We then looked through the telescope pictured above and saw Saturn (very faint) and Venus (incredibly bright, even to the naked eye). One unexpected cool thing about being in a small observatory dome is the echos. On the other side of the room, Carlos' voice will boom. But then I'll hear the little boy whispering to his mom as if he's in my ear. Crazy. Like you have voices in your head.

We then went to another observatory. This was a more up-to-date telescope (aimed with a computer, not by hand). We saw a cluster of stars that were 1,600 light years away and 60 light years wide. It appeared as a bunch of pinhead white dots. Next we saw Neptune with its blueish hue. Finally, we looked at the full moon. Wow. That was bright to stare at, but I got to see the craters up close.

Lastly, we went and saw a 3D movie that gave a bit more perspective on just how freaking huge the Universe is.

Overall, it was a lot of fun. However, I was hoping to learn more about the Southern Hemisphere constellations but still worth the trip.

Tomorrow I leave for Cairns (pronounced "cans"). There I'll see a rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef. I'll write up this last trip of mine probably on Monday.

The Winery

Today after work a few of us went to a wine bar in Surry Hills (area of Sydney). This was to keep up with the Wine Wednesday tradition.

We went to The Winery. A fun and cool place. Complete with cowhide chairs and love seats to sit on. Great, hip vibe.

I ordered a bottle of Shiraz from Barossa. Fruity, with a raspberry/cherry flavor with a lot of spice (black pepper I'd say). Really enjoyable and easy to drink.

Gotta love that low light setting

I also ordered a little bit of food. We then started having fun and taking pictures. Seeing how it was really dark, I realized we needed another light source. So I used the candle in the middle of the table.

Towards the end, the waiter informed us that they were having a free Riesling tasting. Well, we couldn't turn that down, could we? It was great and informative. I don't typically like Rieslings because they are a little too sweet from me. However, I learned that German Rieslings (the most typical/traditional type) are sweeter, but Aussie ones are dryer. We tried an Aussie one, California one (from Monterey) and a German one. I really liked the Australian one. It was nice and dry and mineral-ly. Great wine.

So another successful wine night. Tomorrow we go to the planetarium to see the Southern Hemisphere! Then I gotta pack for my weekend trip to the Great Barrier Reef!