Uluru

Last weekend Jess and I made our first visit to Australia's Northern Territory. Along with us on the trip was Jess' parents who were in town for a visit. Our quick 3-day trip consisted only of Uluru (or Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (or Mount Olga). The next closest site (Alice Springs) is a 5 hour drive away which makes you really appreciate the size of the country.

Anyway, because Uluru is really just a tourist attraction (for the white folks anyway), the whole operation is a bit of monopoly. Qantas is the only air carrier with flights into/out-of Uluru and there is really only one accommodation (Voyages - which ranges from campgrounds to 4-star resort & spa). Needless to say, without competition the prices at Uluru are a bit outrageous. That being said, we did have a great time and felt that for a weekend trip the price was worth it (at least once).

We arrived in the early afternoon on Friday and decided to have a drive around Uluru. Without knowing better we made it to the rock and got out of the car to have a look around. Little did we know that we were about to be attacked by Flies. Within seconds dozens of flies were swarming us, buzzing about in our ears and eyes...very annoying. This would mark the start of our war on flies during this trip.

On Friday night, we attended the 'Sounds of Silence' tour, which was amazing! The tour basically starts in the evening where you see both Uluru and Kata Tjuta at sunset (no flies at sunset apparently), which turning bright red/orange in color. From there you take a quick walk to an outdoor restaurant and have dinner under the stars. They boast this meal as 'gourmet', however I felt it was only average in reference to 'Sydney dining' - however for being in the middle of nowhere it was quite good.

Because it is in the middle of nowhere, the stars were brilliant - even on the full moon. And at the end of the meal, a 'Star' expert gave a tour (using a neat astromonmy grade laser pointer) of Southern Hemisphere stars, including The Southern Cross - which believe it or not, was the first time Jess and I have actually seen it.

Despite the late Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday morning to see the sunrise on Uluru. The Sunrise colors started about 6:30am and the sun was finally up about an hour later. One thing to mention here is how cold the desert feels without the sun; although the lows were only in the lower 50s the 'cold' was bitter.

Following a mid-morning nap after sunrise, we made the trek (about a 40 minute drive) to see Kata Tjuta up close. Before making this daytime journey we invested in fly nets to cover our heads. About halfway through the drive we stopped at a viewing area which gave a spectacular view of Kata Tjuta. Following this we continued to Kata Tjuta and were able to walk through a few canyons to see the 'watering holes'. Along the way, we noted many envious onlookers longing for our fly protection. Perhaps the highlight of the day came on the way back from Kata Tjuta, when we spotted a wild Camel!

Saturday night, Jess and I went out to a designated sunset viewing area to watch the color change at Uluru. Although the flies were still out, they were in much fewer numbers and we at least were able to keep up with the 'Shoo-ing'. Driving back from sunset the road became quite crowded (maybe 10 vehicles) with vehicles pulled off to the side. When we looked back at Uluru, we then realize that the Moon had just come across the top and made for a unbelievable view. Naturally, we stopped to get a few pictures (which thanks the tripod from my brother helped capture the moment), however we were soon 'encouraged' to leave by the local police (singular) as we were not in a designated stopping zone.

On Sunday, we had a leisurely morning and eventually made our way to the airport around mid-day. The flight was uneventful (despite a few flies hitching a ride) and soon we were back in fast-paced civilization of Sydney. Overall, this was a great trip and I would highly recommend it to friends...and if they are really good friends we would even let them borrow our fly guards.

Wildlife & Wine

At the end of February, Jess and I went to South Australia for 4 days. We visited Kangaroo Island and the Barossa Valley. Along the way we saw unbelievable wildlife including getting up close with Wombats (Jess' dream come true).



We also toured (and tasted) lots of great wine. For our complete coverage of the wines, check out our new blog (focused on food and drink), Tasty Points.

November Wrap-up

Sorry (as always) for the late post. So in addition to Movember, Jess and I have been doing a bit of travel about the country. Here is a recap.

At the beginning of November, Jess and I ventured out to Royal National Park - about an hour south of Sydney - to check out the secluded beaches and to try out my new camera. We packed a picnic lunch and spent the day in the park traveling from beach to beach. It is a tough life but someone has to do it.



The following weekend I was sent to Canberra (the country's capital) on a last minute work trip. As a result we decided to make a weekend out of it and Jess came to meet me. Similar to Washington D.C., Canberra is full of National Museums and Memorials. We visited the Australian National Museum, New Parliament House, and the War Memorial. Unlike D.C., Canberra is very quite on the weekend as most of the residents live outside the city by a fair distance. In a way this made it nice, because we really felt like we had the entire city to ourselves.







Finally, at the end of the month Jess and I traveled to Tasmania for an extended weekend getaway. We flew into Hobart and drove nearly the entire East Coast. Along the way we saw Penguins, Kangaroos, Wombats and Tasmania Devils. We also met Priscilla the beer drinking pig...of course we had to see it for ourselves. We also hiked to the lookout of Wineglass bay.

Sculptures by the Sea

Although I was am feeling a bit under the weather this weekend (thanks to stressful work and the crazy Australian weather), we went to Sculptures by the sea on Saturday. The event was chockers, but well worth it in the end. All of the sculptures were very unique and some fit very well into the ocean surroundings. I think my favorite sculpture was either the 'Tree Boat' or 'Paper Airplanes'.

Bruised but not beaten by Ike

So about 6 months ago we plan a trip back to the states in September. Sure the idea seems harmless enough, little did we know that we picked the weekend to visit Houston when a hurricane was going to hit. We arrived into Houston (from Auckland via San Francisco) 48 hours before the hurricane made landfall, what timing indeed. On the first night we checked into the airport hotel (due to our late arrival) and they actually said, "You do know there is a hurricane coming, right?". Regardless, we decided to stay, partly to because we really wanted some decent Mexican food, but mostly to see friends. It should also be noted that we did eat our first Mexican meal, from Pappasito's in the airport food court.

The following day we drove into our old 'hood, The Heights to see our old hangouts. We had a delicious lunch (not Mexican) at Dry Creek and then met up with my Brother for a delicious smoothie from Maui Wowi.

Based on the traffic in and around the city, it was clear that businesses were starting to shutdown in order for people to prepare for the hurricane (i.e. get the heck out of dodge). We made our way to our friend's (Kevin & Tracy) house (soon to be known as the 'safe house') early. After catching up, we organized a first (and last) outing with friends during our Houston adventure. That night we headed to Lupe Tortillas, for good food, strong margaritas, and great friends. Thanks to everyone who made it out...little did we know that this may be the last night of electricity for awhile.

The next day, with nothing to do but wait for the hurricane, Kevin and Tracy took us to Houston's new downtown park, Discovery Green. None of the shops were open, of course, but we were able to get the feel of the place. As we were leaving the winds started to pick up making us think that the hurricane was imminent. For the rest of the night, we waited...watching the constant news coverage...and enjoying the 'calm before the storm'.



All night we heard the wind, rain, and destruction of Hurricane Ike. For the most part the power remained on. The next morning we surveyed the damage in the neighborhood...lots of branches down, fences fallen over, and some major trees uprooted. Luckily, Kevin and Tracy's place survived with little damage.



We must say one more BIG thanks to Kevin and Tracy for putting up with us - jet-lagged and cranky - without air-conditioning for such a long time. We only hope that our offering of TimTams and games of Squatter made up for it.

Coastal Walk

It was a beautiful day today, so Jess and I took a break from watching the poor Australian coverage of the Olympics and decided to go on the Coastal Walk. We took a bus to Bronte Beach and walked to Coogee beach, about 3.5km (~2 miles) which took us about an hour and a half. The sea was angry today ("like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli..."), which provided for some great ocean 'thunder' along the walk.

Map of our walk

View Larger Map

Along the way we saw the Bronte Swimming Pool, Waverley Cemetery (amazing views), Clovelly Bowling Club, and the Giles Baths. At Coogee we decided to have a bite to eat at 'Thai Me Up', based purely on the Pun name. Probably needless to say, the food wasn't that great, but we did enjoy the rest that Coogee had to offer.

Rugby Union - Australia v France

Jess and I went to our first Australian sporting event this weekend...Australia vs. France - a Rugby Union game. There two forms of Rugby played here in Australia, 'Union' and 'League'. The differences between the games are very subtle, so we attended the game with some of my Australian (and non-Australian) co-workers in order to help coach us along. The game was played at ANZ stadium, which has previously hosted such events as the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Jess was not excited only for the game, but also to try 'stadium' food in Australia. All week she has been talking about trying an 'Australian meat pie'. After all the build up however it turns out that Jess is not a fan. Jess thought it tasted a bit like dog food, however I didn't think it was too bad...but then again I have never had dog food.

All food aside, we had fun learning about the game and trying to follow along (apparently they don't believe in announcers at these games). The game is basically like American football but you can only throw the ball behind you. Also the players don't wear any pads and they hit just as hard as the NFL...impressive (or stupid) to say the least. Anyway, by the end we felt we had a better understanding of the game thanks to our Australian seating companions.

Hunter Valley - Visit 2

During the Queen's Birthday long weekend, we decided to get out of Sydney (along with our friends Mickey and Alane). Because this was decided on a spur of the moment comment, we had limited time to plan so we decided on Hunter Valley. Although we had been there before, we figured this would be a good trip to have with our U.S. compadres (i.e. relaxing country side, lots of wine, kangaroos, etc...) and it is an easy drive .

We stayed at a bed and breakfast, Pindari House that Mickey and Alane found. Jess and I are not what you might consider 'regulars' at the B&B's - so this was a small step out of our comfort zone. Luckily, we had a wonderful host, Monika, and an even better watch dog known as Honey.

Overall it was a great weekend getting away from the city life, touring the wineries, eating good food, and playing Australia's version of monopoly known as 'squatter' - based on sheep farming of course. Winery highlights (in my opinion) included Pokolbin Estate and Tyrell's Vineyard.

Flugtag meets Air

This past weekend was perfect for me. We took it easy on Saturday morning (due to a stressful week) and then decided we need some "home" food. A trip to Bondi Junction later lead us to make Tex-Mex (namely Fajitas). We spent most of the afternoon preparing the tex-mex meal (something we are getting quite good at) and invited our neighbors (Will and Suzanna) to join us. I cooked the chicken fajitas on our new grill, which I am enjoying more and more every time I use it. The fajitas turned out very nice considering we just made up the marinade. Overall, it was great evening with good food and fun conversation. We ended the night we a viewing of Flight of the Conchords (our pick) and Fawlty Towers (neighbors pick).

On Sunday afternoon, Jess graciously put up with my ongoing want to see a RedBull Flugtag in person. As luck would have it, Sydney is the host for the first Australian Flugtag. The event took place directly across from the opera house, at Mrs. Maquaries Point (for those of you keeping score at home). I am not sure why I am drawn to this event...I guess it is because for some strange reason, I really think I (with the help of many others) can put something together that would fly (any takers?).

Anyway, the Sydney crowd of more than 60,000 exceeded RedBull's forecast by more than triple which cause a few issues getting around. We managed to squeeze our way to front gate (on happenstance no less) and were lucky enough to get into the viewing area (thanks to some folks who gave us their passes). Although we were on the back side of the launch ramp, we were at least able to hear and see most of the action (unlike most of the crowd). The world record distance is 60m and and the closest contest was a disappointed 20m. Regardless of the turnout, we had a good time watching the ridiculousness that is Flugtag...I have a feeling this won't be my last one.



Later that evening we celebrated my birthday (a little early I know) by going to see Air at the Opera House. I have been a fan of Air for awhile and this was a great opportunity to 1) See them live and 2) See a show at the iconic Opera House. We arrived a little early to get a drink in the bar and take in the views of the harbor from the decks of the venue. Surprisingly, the Opera House is quite small inside, with seating in the main concert hall for only ~2500 people. The architecture inside is almost as impressive as the outside with concrete and wood finishes throughout.

The show was excellent, although the lighting was a little "in your face". The set consisted mostly of "hits" rather than new material, which was fine with me. The pinnacle of the show was the last song....La Femme d'Argent (no doubt the most popular song of the night). I can't really describe the live performance, but I found a clip online that hopefully shows some of the song's intensity. Enjoy!