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September 01 PicturesHere is where you can view our pictures: http://ihrmanaugusttravels.shutterfly.com/
About half of them are there now and we are working on the other half. August 27 More on ParisI forgot to mention a couple things about Paris (and we keep remembering more about the entire trip so after this we will just have to resort to verbal communications because we are finally back in the US)!
- The Eiffel Tower was lit up like the EU flag with blue spotlights all over it and a circle of stars near the bottom. Then at 10pm it glittered for 10 minutes. It is hard to explain but hopefully a few of Chris's many pictures will help you understand.
- The fountains were turned off all over Paris and at Versailles =( It was very disappointing. August 26 ParisWe enjoyed the last couple of days in Paris where we went to the Eiffle Tower, the Arch de Triamphe, and Versailles: We rented bikes at Versailles and really enjoyed our time there. We also did another wine tasting event to learn about French wine so hopefully when we return we wont be scared to go down the French or Itqlian wine isle. We are off to the airport now and will share pictures soon: August 25 Travelers' fatigue in ParisWe were so tired of traveling and looking at old buildings, churches, and artwork that we took an hour to decide whether we wanted to pay to get into the Louvre! We ended up having Chris go in to see the major highlights while I waited (since I have already been there). Then we went to an American restaurant for dinner! Yes, we are about ready to come home but we still have a few exciting things to do in Paris. Today we are exploring the city more (without museums) and tomorrow we are going to the Palace of Versailles. August 23 MunichWe spent just over 24 hours in Munich and it probably rained for 20 of those hours! We went to a beer garden when we arrived and they ended up closing it because of the rain (we were under cover but the puddles were getting ankle deep). Then we spent today doing a 4 hour bike tour of the city. Most of the tour was in the rain but it wasn´t too bad. We have found that quick-drying clothes and sandles work well in the rain. It was nice to see all the sites by bike (it was faster and used different muscles).
We are now at the airport on our way to Paris - our last stop where we will spend 3.5 days. Cinque TerreWe spent 2 days in Cinque Terre, Italy which is on the Italian Riviera and is very beautiful!! It was the least touristy, and coincidentally our favorite, place in Europe so far. There are 5 towns on the coast and there is an 8 mile hiking trail that connects them all. We spent most of one of the days doing the hike and exploring the towns. It was a surprisingly hard hike with lots of stairs which pretty much went down to the water at each town and way up in the hills in between the towns. It was also still pretty hot so we took the opportunity to swim at each town.
The towns were more beach resorty than we expected and we seriously considered staying an extra day there (and skipping Munich) to relax on the beach and recover from so many long days! In the end we decided that the hassle of changing our plans wasn´t worth it and we just made the most of the time we had there.
The area is known for pesto, olive oil, and wine, so of course we had to try lots of all of those! We never found any local wine that we liked but we are still just learning about European wines (we did a wine tasting event one evening in Rome that I think I forgot to mention where we learned a little and tried some great wines). By the time we left Cinque Terre we were starting to get sick of pasta =) August 19 Pictures have to waitWe can't post pictures from any of the public computers we are using because you have to install something and we don't have permission. So we'll do that when we get back to CO after 8/27. Rome(Aug 16 - 19)
We spent the last 3 days in Rome where we have been dealing with the crowds and heat. It is in the low 90s and I don't think we have seen a single cloud. It is also the busiest tourist month of the year and all the locals take the month off so many of the shops are closed. Of course it is still Rome and even with the heat and the crowds it is wonderful. We have gone to the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, and many fountains. We have been getting up early to avoid lines and then we take a nap in the afternoon to recover and escape the heat. Today we got a little bit of a late start and only got to the Vatican museum at 9am so we had to wait in a 45 minute line (luckily it was still early so we were in the shade). I have been to Rome once before but it is Chris's first time. I was here in the month of April before and have noticed a few differences... One is that the Spanish Steps only have flowers on them in the spring so they are much prettier then. The other is the use of the fountains in the summer - they are used constantly for filling up water bottles, drinking out of, cooling off, kids playing in them, dogs swimming in them, and people washing their hands and feet. It is quite entertaining to watch. We haven't gotten up the nerve to drink the water and it is more because of the things people touch the fountains with than the water itself. August 16 VeniceAug 15 & 16
We are in Venice now - it is Chris's first time but I have been here twice before. We spent the 1st day walking around town getting lost. We would see a pretty building in the distance and try to walk to it but would round a corner to find that there was no bridge on the road we were on or the road just dead ended. So we never found the building we were actually looking for but we did accidentally find a lot of other beautiful buildings and areas. We are overwhelmed by the crowds of tourists and the vendors trying to sell you stuff off the street; we are basically experiencing culture shock at being back in a western country and are still trying to enjoy it here. It rained a lot and we had to time our breaks with the rain - this is the first time rain has impacted our trip as we had a few quick storms in Thailand that didn't bother us while we were swimming and it didn't rain at all in Africa. We have been enjoying pizza, pasta, gelato, Italian coffee, and wine!!
Today is our second day in Venice and I am sick. I assume it is from something I ate or drank before we left Africa and I am very grateful that I got sick in a nice hotel instead of while we were camping! Chris went to explore the city alone and I am just hanging out on the internet. General thoughts on our time in AfricaIt was the best and most amazing thing either of us have ever experienced!! It was so different from anywhere else we have been and we got to experience a lot of the less touristy areas. We loved being on an organized tour but realize we need to be picky about the type of tour so we don't end up on a huge bus with all Americans (which we saw a few of at the airport in Vic Falls). Our small tour was perfect and even though camping meant packing extra stuff, being cold sometimes, and having to use bad showers and toilets, that would be our preference in the future as well because I think it gets you out of the major tourist areas and allows you to see some of the animals and land more naturally. We really didn't want to leave Africa and are already talking about where we want to go next in Africa. We got along with our tour guide so well that he offered to give us a private tour for just the cost of expenses if we ever made it back (that is if he doesn't come visit us in CO and meet a girl like he really wants to)! The company that finds volunteers for the lion encounter works all over Africa so we will have to look through their info too to see if we can come back for an even more local experience!
Safety - we are now in Venice and feel like we can really relax about safety - I didn't really realize how tense and on our guard we were until we were able to relax. However, it wasn't that bad and with a local tour guide to warn us of things (i.e. he told us not to walk to town in Victoria Falls because we would either be trampled by an elephant or robbed by the locals) we felt prepared for it! Malaria was another concern but our guide and the other guide we spent a few days with said they both had it 3 times and it was like the worst flu and hangover combined for a few days. Then you can't drink for 3-6 months because your liver gets messed up with Malaria and drinking can cause you to get sick again. We only got 1 or 2 mosquito bites the entire time so we'll have to see over the next few months how well our anti-malaria pills wok. Anyway, it doesn't sound bad enough to keep us away. Safari day 6 & 7We finally got to sleep in (which was especially appreciated after the booze cruise). We had to do laundry today but when we took it to the reception they said they couldn't take anymore laundry for the day. As we walked back to our tent with our bags of laundry a local woman approached us and offered to do our laundry (by hand) under the table. I had to meet her in the bathroom to negotiate and make the exchange - we ended up paying $30 but at least she was going to be able to put chicken in the soup for her children and pay for night school =).
We went to the falls in the morning and were shocked by the size! Chris has been to Niagara Falls and said he thought they were bigger but it was a long time ago and he was much smaller so they might have just looked bigger. In the afternoon we took a helicopter over the falls which was also beautiful.
During the day our guide went fishing with the other guides from his company and they were suddenly thrown from the boat as it capsized. They scrambled to get back in as quickly as possible because there are lots of crocodiles in the river. In the scramble our guide lost his glasses and was still trying to figure out how he was going to drive the next day when Chris and I left (everyone else in our group was continuing on for another 2 weeks). When the guides got the boat out of the water they found 2 huge holes in it - bite marks from a hippo!!! They have no idea why the hippo bit their boat and said that while it is somewhat common for a hippo to bump a boat and tip it over, they had never heard of one biting a boat. In the evening of day 6 one of the guys in our group realized he left his $2000 camera at the bar the night before (after the booze cruise). To make matters much worse, his passport was in the camera bag! He was filing police reports when Chris and I left!
We went to a market in the afternoon where we were given story after story about why we should buy from them - their kids needed food, etc. It was really sad but also a very uncomfortable shopping environment. We didn't buy much because we hated saying no. Chris also felt like it was a very unsafe place for us to be at night so we rushed out of there before it got dark.
Since we had to cross over into Zimbabwe for our flight (and we had to pay the visa fee), we decided to do an activity in Zimbabwe on the way. Unfortunately Chris didn't set our alarm clock correctly so we woke up 5 minutes before the trip left and we still had to pack up all our stuff. We ended up missing the transportation but lucked out because 2 other people also missed it and we took a taxi together to the Zimbabwe border where the tour company met us. Of course that was the only time things were actually on time and not on 'African time'. We didn't take showers the day before because we wanted to wait as long as possible before our long flights (and they showers were cold and full of mosquitoes in a malaria zone). We had to go to the activity and on to our flights without showers (and I am pretty picky about having a shower every day). We did a lion encounter where you walk and pet lion cubs. They breed the lions and the ones that don't encounter humans will eventually be put in the national parks. The 2 lions we spent most of the time with were 10 months old but were still really big (Chris remembers 150kg and I remember 150 lbs so somewhere between 150-300 lbs). We also spent a little time with two other lion cubs that were 15 months old and were almost twice as big. We got a ton of great pictures. As we were petting the more skittish lion she got pissed and snapped at me! I later realized that I had been leaning on her tail!! Her snap made us realize that even though they were somewhat domesticated, they were still very powerful wild animals. We met a couple people where were volunteering at the lion encounter for a few weeks to a few months which interested us so we got some brochures and will have to see if we can make a vacation out of it in the future.
From their we went to the airport where we spent 4 hours. We ran out of cash and had no way to get anymore as there was no money facilities (and just like most of Africa, they did not accept credit cards). We were pretty excited to get on the plane for some food and drinks! We still hadn't had a chance to brush our teeth after sleeping in so we went to the bathrooms at the airport to do this and used the 1/2 bottle of water that we had. The toilets were the worst we had seen by FAR!!! There was a garbage can outside the bathrooms with an old jug in it that was used to scoop water out. We are not sure how it works but it was somehow used to flush the toilets as there was no other way to flush them! We were quite thankful that we didn't have anything to drink and wouldn't need to use the toilets! Safari day 5&6We spent most of the next 2 days driving as we were headed for Victoria Falls. As soon as we exited the park we saw an entirely different Africa with the poverty that we had heard so much about. We started seeing small log and mud huts about the size of one of our bedrooms, lots of people waiting on the side of the road for public transportation or walking over 7+ miles to get to town, and we had to bring our own toilet paper into the bathrooms (or we could buy it from washroom attendants in some cases). The guides recently changed where we camped one night because on a recent tour some locals slit the tents and stole everyone's bags while the group was on the other side of the tents around a fire!
We drove for 10 hours on day 5 and finally left South Africa and entered Botswana. The borders were hectic and we were very thankful for our guide's help. Everything moves a little slower in Botswana; exchanging money took 1.5 hours because they ran out of money and had to go to the bank for more. It also took us 45 minutes to get sandwiches for take out. The last hour of driving was on a road with the biggest potholes we have ever seen! You go from 65 mph to sudden potholes and we saw many trucks and trailers with derailed axels. We saw one guy with a trailer of personal goods (like we were trailing with all of our stuff) on the side of the road and our guide told us he had to stay with the trailer so that the locals wouldn't steel everything. We later met him and his wife at the campsite and found out they were Americans traveling on their own! It reinforced our gratitude for the tour and the guide! We also saw a lot of cars that had been left and then completely stripped and our guide told us that once a semi full of bottled water flipped so his tour group checked it out and found that the driver was dead so they stocked up on bottled water before the locals got to it (and he had a similar story about soap).
The next day we drove into Zambia and that border was 'organized chaos' as our guide had warned us. You go through the Botswana departure immigration and then you have to take a ferry across the river where you go through the Zambia immigration. The ferry holds 1 semi truck and 2 cars so the truck drivers line up for miles and can wait up to 2 weeks! It has taken our guide up to 4 hours to get across the river in the past but we lucked out and hopped right on. The Zambia side of the border was a little more chaotic as we waited in line for 45+ minutes to pay for a visa (which had to be paid in US $) and then waited for our guide to deal with getting the van across for another 30 minutes or so. We saw our guide giving random people money and couldn't figure out why he was giving so many people money but he later told us it was all part of the process and the people just didn't where uniforms or anything to show they were officials. There were also a number of guards without uniforms but with large guns (AK47 or something) which our guide had warned us not to take pictures of!
We arrived at the campsite where we would spend the next 2 days around 2pm - it was the longest we stayed in 1 spot and the first time we had to relax (although our relaxing time got eaten up by slow service at a restaurant and signing up for activities). That evening we went on a booze cruise where we saw lots more hippos and monkeys, and another beautiful sunset. There were lots of other tour groups at the enormous campsite (there were 8 guides from the company we went through). Most of the other groups were large - 20-30 people and it looked like it was a constant college party atmosphere. We learned to appreciate our small, close group that all got along! There were 7 people on the tour with us: 3 Italians - 1 who just got his PHD in quantum physics, 1 who was working on a PHD in law, and one who just got her law degree and was about to start a job, 2 Brits - both had just got their bachelors in economics from a prestigious economics school in London and 1 was moving on to work with Pricewaterhouse Coopers and the other was going on to get a masters degree, and 2 Aussies - 1 was a chiropractor and 1 was a mechanic and they lived in a small town that Chris, Jackie, and Mark drove through when they did the great ocean road. August 15 Safari day 3 & 4Many of the people on our tour woke up to hear a lion roaring in the middle of the night! Our guide said it was about 1-2 Kms away.
We drove around the park a lot and saw lots of animals =) We were on the hunt for lions and leopards. For hours and hours we drove around and when we finally saw something it was so exciting. We found a crowd of cars at the side of the road and asked them what they saw. They told us they saw 2 male lions and a female down in the ravine about 10 yards from the road. We stayed there for about 30 minutes trying to get a glimpse of the lions. We saw bits of a head every once in a while and we saw enough to know it was eating a recent kill but we didn't get a good enough look to get a picture or anything. We counted it as half of one of the Big 5 =)
The next day our van broke down and we all had to take an area to watch while our guide got out of the car (which is forbidden and very dangerous) to look at the engine. We wasted a few hours with the logistics of getting a new van but luckily we had been following another van from the same company that was doing a similar but shorter trip, so all 9 of us hopped in their van. Later that day we went on a 3 hour sunset cruise and a 2 hour night cruise (with 20 minutes in between for dinner) in an open air vehicle (and it was cold at night). We didn't see anything very exciting for 4 and a half hours and were pretty negative for a while. The only somewhat exciting things we saw were hippos out of the water at night and a group of hyenas in the road. 1 of the hyenas was laying in the middle of the road and the others were standing around it. We were trying to figure out how it died when it lifted its head. Then another hyena walked further down the road and laid down. It turns out they do that because the concrete is warm! We got back from the night cruise at 9:30 or 10 and had a sunrise cruise that started at 5:30am! For the first 2 hours of the sunrise cruise we didn't see anything and so were again (or still) pretty negative. I had given up looking and was trying to sleep when the ranger suddenly stopped and told us she saw a leopard! We all jumped to our feet and were very excited. The leopard was laying in the middle of a field watching some zebras. We had a really good view of the leopard and watched it get up and move around for over an hour (and Chris got over 50 pictures of it)! We were hoping to see it attack the zebras but it just seemed to want to lay there. It made the hours and hours of not seeing anything worth it. Safari Day 1 & 2(Aug 7 &8)
We started early on day 1 and drove out of the city and into the country as the sun was coming up. Every sunrise and sunset we have seen has been beautiful!
We drove a lot on the 1st day but also went to an animal orphanage where we saw endangered animals in a zoo like setting. We camped on the river that was full of hippos and crocodiles. We had no protection from them but had no problems. As we were driving up to the camp we had to slow down for monkeys that were running across the road and we stopped for some elephants that had just crossed the road and were standing right beside it (the guide was afraid they might charge at us since they were so close so we ended up just speeding past them). When Chris got up in the morning there was an elephant drinking from the river that was about 20 feet from our tent. We went on a river cruise in the morning where we saw lots of hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, and giraffes. Chris earned two nicknames already - long lens and paparazzi - because he takes so many pictures and because the group is relying on him for some good shots.
We then went to Kruger National Park which is 2 million acres (bigger than Ireland). It reminds me of Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone but there is about 1/10 the traffic and 100 times the wildlife. We were searching for the 'Big 5' which we learned came from hunting a long time ago - the Big 5 are the only animals that would turn around and attack the hunters if they were hit but not killed. We saw 3 the first day (elephants (hundreds of them), rhino (just 1), and buffalo (about 20 of them). We had yet to see a lion or leopard. Bangkok to Jo'burg(August 5 - 6)
As we arrived in Jo'burg a few thoughts came to me about Thailand. First, I forgot to mention the massage I had on the beach in Phuket. There was a hut with a bunch of mats on the floor and a bunch of people laid there in their bathing suits to get massages. It was a bit strange but it was cheap (about $10 for an hour). As I was getting my massage I opened my eyes and saw a small elephant walking down to the beach!
The other thoughts we had about Thailand after getting to Africa was just how poluted and unsafe it was! We were expecting Jo'burg to be scary but the parts we saw were surprisingly not at all! The only difference between home and Jo'burg appeared to be that there were electric fences all over. We later found out that we were just in the good part of town but still we felt a lot safer in Jo'burg than Bangkok where people were constantly trying to rip us off! We didn't see the poverty that that we had heard so much about for a number of days so our first impressions were shock and pleasantly surprised. There were guards all over the place (armed guards by ATMs) including at the bathroom in a mall. We had to use bathrooms at campsites, parks, and gas stations for an entire week and never once saw an outhouse. The grocery store in Jo'burg even had sanitary wipes for the carts! August 04 The BeachWe went to the beach where they filmed the movie The Beach today! I was really excited but Chris hasn't even seen the movie so he didn't really understand. It was a really pretty beach but it certainly wasn't as secluded as the movie shows. Since they movie, it has become a big tourist spot so there were at least 100 other people there while we were there. There was also more trash in the water and on the beach than any beach I have ever seen!
Here is our trip so far in a nutshell...
Chris spent a couple days in Australia and tried surfing one last time. The water was only 60 degrees so he didn't last that long. He also had some lamb on the barbie, some wine from his winery, and some meat pies for one last time. We were supposed to meet in Sydney and then fly to Bangkok together but my flight was delayed and I missed my connection so we had to make the long flights alone and meet up in Bangkok.
We spent a day in Bangkok where we went to a market that was huge and had so much stuff that was so cheap!! I was in heaven =) Of course some of the stuff we bought is already falling apart! We then went to some beautiful buildings and landmarks but we didn't know what we were looking at because they didn't have any signs that we could read. We were standing on the side of the road talking about where to go next when some guy approached us and offered us a ride in a tuk tuk (3 wheeled cart/car) to see 2 more landmarks and then back to our hotel for $.30!! Things are cheap here but not that cheap. Anyway we took him up on the offer and went to 1 of the tourist sites and then he started taking us to a bunch of stores. The first store was a place where they make suits and we each got some stuff that will be tailor made and shipped back to CO for us - we are just hoping the quality is better than what we found in the market =) We spent a lot of time in traffic throughout the day because the city is too big to do on foot and traffic is just horrible!!!
Then we spent 2 days in Phuket. We went to Phuket to go scuba diving which we were going to do on the 1st day there and then we had to wait 24 hours before we could fly (so we wouldn't get the bends). Well someone screwed up and they never came to pick us up for the scuba diving trip! We spent a couple hours waiting/looking for them and then trying to find another way to go scuba diving but it just didn't work out. We were really bummed yesterday but after our trip today I think it may have been for the best! Today we went on an all day tour where we went to different beaches and swimming/snorkeling spots. The snorkeling was pretty pathetic compared to Australia and the visibility was pretty bad because it is the rainy season. We heard that the trips the day before (when we were supposed to go scuba diving) were absolutely horrible because it rained the entire day! So between the bad weather and the disappointing snorkeling, it may have been better that we didn't go scuba diving. We also got a free dinner out of the scuba diving ordeal because they felt so bad!
Some observations about Thailand: - traffic, traffic, traffic - and pollution to go along with it! Many people where masks when they drive a tuk tuk or scooter because the pollution is so bad - security is interesting. They check the trunks of every car before it gets near a hotel. They are looking for bombs. The trash cans in the airport are clear so that they can make sure there are no bombs in there. - Tsunami - there are tsunami maps and instructions all over. They tell you to go to higher ground if there is an earthquake and then show you different areas to go. - food - the food is definitely spicy, even the breakfast. It doesn't seem as Thai like as the restaurants back home but of course that doesn't make since this is Thai food in Thailand! It is just more basic/common stuff like chicken and rice but with a little kick to it. We were hoping to meet up with a coworker of mine so he could help us order some good and spicy food but it isn't going to work out so we will have to keep trying random stuff. July 29 Our August TripWell the time has finally come for our around the world trip! Chris left yesterday and I leave tomorrow. Since we were originally supposed to start the trip from Australia we have to go back through Sydney. Chris took advantage of that and went a couple days early to say goodbye to his friends and co-workers in Canberra (and he hopes to get some surfing in too). I already said goodbye to my friends and co-workers when I went back to pack up our stuff so I am meeting Chris at the Sydney airport in a couple of days. From there here is the plan:
July 30 - Aug 1 Chris in Canberra/Sydney, Australia Aug 1 - 2 Bangkok, Thailand Aug 3 - 4 Phuket, Thailand (for scuba diving) Aug 5 Bangkok, Thailand (again) Aug 6 - 14 Safari in Africa that leaves from Johannesburg, South Africa and goes through Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to Victoria falls Aug 15 - 16 Venice, Italy Aug 16 - 19 Rome, Italy Aug 19 - 22 Cinque Terre, Italy Aug 22 - 23 Munich, Germany Aug 23 - 27 Paris, France Aug 27: back home to Colorado!
We'll be blogging and posting pictures during our trip but, only when we are too tired to be tourists! We definitely won't be on the internet while we are in Africa but most of the other time we will have internet access. April 02 Scuba Diving in Cairns and Relaxing in Hamilton IslandWe just returned from holiday and my parents left today to return to the US (and Dakota). A week or so ago Chris and I went to Cairns and went on a boat for 3 days to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef 11 times! We dove at night for 2 dives, went almost 100 ft deep on a couple dives, and saw sharks, turtles, cuddle fish, giant clams, and clown fish (nemo)! The dives were great and we loved the entire experience on the boat. We would highly recommend this to anyone that comes to Australia. You can even get certified on the trip for about $100 more (which is much cheaper than doing it separately).
After a few days on the boat we met my parents in Hamilton Island which is in the Whitsunday Islands. It is at the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef and is a well known area for sailing. We did a lot of relaxing on the island but also made another trip to the reef to snorkel and we rented a sailboat for a day and went to one of the top 10 beaches in the world. Hamilton Island was definitely a tourist trap but it was also very beautiful and we enjoyed all the activities.
We bought a didgeridoo on our trip and Chris is now trying to learn how to play. We'll have to see how long I can put up with having him practice all the time, but hopefully it will pay off and he will be able to perform for folks when we return.
Unfortunately it is back to work for Chris and I now and back to the States for my parents. We will work on posting pictures really soon =)
Updated!! pics just added to photo album page January 17 Blogging from AustraliaI decided to start sharing my experience in Australia via blogs. That way, you can read it is often as you like! So here's an update....
Chris and I spent the Christmas holidays on the beach. We drove up the coast from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast which is just north of Brisbane. We visited wineries, went surfing, hiked in rain forests, and visited a friend of mine from studying abroad in college! It rained for a few days but we found cover in the rainforest on those days.
When we got back to Canberra and checked our email on New Years Eve, we found out that our cat, Sandy, had died! We were really sad and I feel really bad that we didn't think of the traffic she would have to deal with at her new home =(. I'm glad this was on NYE because it almost forced us to get out and think about other things.
I have been working more and more since we got back. I still really enjoy my role and the people I work with but it is starting to get in the way or working out, having dinner with Chris, and relaxing enough so that I don't dream about work. I have been working really hard lately on automating my team's schedule so hopefully once this is complete, I won't have to work as much.
Chris started a new job this week!! He is doing landscaping for a winery. I'm still waiting for the perks from this job but we're trying our first bottle of their wine right now! Chris says he doesn't like it as much as his job in the states because it is very repetative going up and down the rows of vines! However, I secretly think he enjoys getting out of the house and talking to people besides me.
We are getting our shipped goods tomorrow after almost 2 months. This is twice as long as they told us so we didn't pack enough stuff and are very excited to get our stuff. Now we can go camping, fishing, have chairs on our deck, and carry coffee in a travel mug to work. We also just got a car since Chris's work is 40 KMs away.
What's coming up for us... - I am taking scuba diving classes in February - We are going to Melbourne the first weekend in February - We have a long weekend in a week and are still trying to find a place to go since everything is full. We might go camping in the mountains nearby.
Some more observations about Australia... - I noticed that Australia made the headlines on cnn.com! That was pretty surprising because they sure do talk about the US a lot here. We know all about the stock market, Citi's profit losses, and the presidential election. It is very interesting to hear an international perspective on everything! - Macers. Now I don't want to seem obsessed with McDonalds but it is so different that I can't help but talk about it a lot. They really call it Macers - even on the commercials! They have a much better selection of healthy food, and Chris loves the coffee at McCafe - Animals. There are amazingly colorful birds around. They are also very load in the mornings. When we stayed at my friend's house in Coffs Harbour, we heard koala’s mating at 6am and boy are they load. Chris has been researching spiders and snakes so he knows what the look like in case he runs into them at work. The flies are better now but still have their moments.
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