To say it was a great almost month in Australia would be quite an understatement. Not sure where to start so I figured I'd post a list of some of my favorite things that I discovered about the country and then come back and do some destination highlights when I have some more time.
The route, in a nutshell..I started in Sydney, caught up with old friends, headed to Byron Bay for a few days to relax, then flew up to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays for a week, where I got hooked on diving and made it out to the Great Barrier Reef. Then I flew down to Melbourne to visit Nathan and see the Melbourne Cup (like their Kentucky Derby), and we went over to the Barossa Valley and drank some fabulous wines, then headed back to Melbourne for more races (I noticed that aussies *really* like their gambling...) Then the whole Uluru (Ayers Rock) flight thing didn't work out, so I decided to head up to Cairns for some more diving at the reef, and then back down to Sydney for a final late night. Whew.
I loved every place I visited, and think I could live happily in most of them. So a return trip is already being planned in my head. Have to hit more of the West Coast next time as well. But I think could be a dive photographer on one of those reef boats for a more than a few years before I got bored.
THINGS I LIKED ABOUT AUSTRALIA
(aside from the gorgeous beaches and friendly happy people)
-Nobody asked for my ID ONCE on a single flight. Not when you check in. Not at the security line. Not at the gate. You can even walk your friends to the gate to say goodbye without a boarding pass. ( I did get random bomb scan tested twice in nine flights. That seemed on the high side of random to me. But they were quick and friendly, and *they* didn't care about my ID, either. )
-No security line took longer than 5 minutes. They don't make you take your shoes off. And they couldn't give 2 shits about the whole silly liquid restriction thing. Bottles of wine and olive oil?...Bring em on!
- Suitcase over the weight limit? No worries! I wasn't charged for excess baggage on a single flight.
And I am fairly confident that my checked bag didn't make the weight limit on a *single* flight.
- Melbourne Airport had free wine tasting. Enough said.
- They actually discovered this really smart and efficient process where you load the plane from both the front *and* the rear doors. And it only takes about 5 minutes to get everyone on and seated. Ingenious, right? Why can we not do this in the US???
(Probably some crappy excuse involving security and/or budget issues...)
- For some reason, I always get very excited when you get to board the plane by climbing the stairs from outside. I think maybe it makes me feel like I am in the Caribbean. Or possibly like an old classic movie star. Or perhaps an old movie star in the Caribbean.
(Guessing the US has some potential security issues with this at major airports, as I am always tempted to make a run for it and see how long it takes for someone to tackle or shoot me as I dash and roll around on the tarmac, Mission impossible theme song beating in my head...but they let you do it in Australia.)
GADGETS
- They have dual flush toilets! So you don't have to waste too much water for a little #1.
- Boat toilets / signs- it was drilled into our heads by numerous dive boat crews that boat plumbing is smaller and a bit more particular than real house plumbing. My favorite sign read "Do not put anything in the toilet unless you have eaten it first, except toilet paper."
- Electricity Outlets with individual on/off switches for each plug, so you needn't lose sleep over "phantom energy loss" any longer. And you don't have to always unplug all your crap, even if it's near the sink.
-Eucalyptus scented tissues
CULTURE and FOOD
-The whole country shuts down mid-week for the Melbourne Races
- Everyone gets dressed up to go to the races. Instead of cumbersome, hot hats they have these cute little headband things called fascinators. Definitely have to get them to SD for the races next year. Much more comfortable. And more importantly, no unsightly hat head after a day at the races.
Fascinator
Fascinator model, with winning trifecta ticket
- At the races, you can make your bets with the normal track people, or at bookie stands. They have real bookies! I didn't see any knee breaking going on, but for PR's sake, I would think they probably do that on a day other than race day. Quite probably at another location.
- Random people at the airport will give you a free lift back to your hotel, and there's nothing sketchy about it.
- They call Mc Donald's "Mackers." Even in their own tv ads. And the food actually looks decent.
- Burger King's is parading around Australia incognito as "Hungry Jack's." Must have been some strange marketing decision. Anyone know the story here?
- Voting is mandatory
-If there's no massive downpour or snowstorm expected, TV Newscasters simply report the weather as "Fine".
- Dive boat boys.
I am not sure where they breed them, but I'd definitely like to visit, and stay. I did notice a strong kiwi presence, so I will definitely be visiting NZ on my next trip back to those parts.
It really makes your first few dives a lot easier when you have a hand to hold. And even (more) easier when that hand is attached to a delicious looking young man who actually knows what he is doing.
Another fine Aussie marketing campaign...
Well since you put it that way...
-Potato chips are actually decent and not super greasy, and come in fun flavors like Moroccan Lemon Chicken, Honey Soy Chicken (tasted like teriyaki wings) Sour Cream and Chili (personal favorite) and Lime Black Pepper.
- Like in Italy, Arugula is called Rocket. (there is some mis-translation story here that I forget...)
As a huge "Rocket" fan, I was excited to see it on most menus in Australia, and got to eat it several times a week. Usually with pears, parmesan, and balsamic. I still get a kick out of ordering one for some reason, and it always makes me start singing the Elton John song. But I have sadly given up hopes of actually getting one with some sort of little rocket, plastic or food, on top of it. C'mon restaurant guys, step it up and have a sense of humor.
- None of the Cellar Doors (aka Tasting Rooms) in the Barossa Valley wineries charged a tasting fee.
- There are fields of wallabies grazing near Cairns. There are also cockatoos and crazy parrots flying around everywhere. Was nice to see them fly free. But the novelty did wear off a bit...they are very loud. And up very early. And the bats were just plain creepy.
In closing, I would like to thank
- the good folks at lastminute.com.au for consistently finding me 5 star hotel rooms at 2 star rates
- the shangri la hotel chain, who correctly realize that a) check out time should be at least noon, not this 10 or 11 am nonsense and b) room service should be, and is, available 24 hours.
- the mothers and fathers of australia and new zealand, for putting their handsome fun sons in my path. and the dive boat managers who had the foresight to hire them and put them in wetsuits and let them hold my hand if i claimed to feel a little nervous.
- the major australian airlines for their super cheap flights, and for letting my excess baggage slide without fees. And the airports and security staff that let me waltz through the screening process, wearing shoes, carrying liquids and no ID.
- united airlines, for that extra 5 inches of legroom. and the pilots along the way for all the smooth landings.
- the wineries of the barossa valley for maintaining my BAC where it should be while on holiday (HBAC)
-the people at The Alcolizer for making their fun bar toy machine to confirm appropriate holiday BAC (HBAC)
-the great barrier reef for being so damn amazing
- jacques cousteau for his vision, and for the whole SCUBA thing
and who promptly put me in a cab when i needed to get home.
- my iphone- which functioned as everything from my camera, to my navigator, to the beach dj, to my overeager office assistant who accidentally sent out 10 copies of each email for several weeks. ok maybe not for that, but at&t promised we can work some type of credit out...and thanks to those who beared with the duplicate email situation.
i tried to go low tech this trip...left my laptop, and rarely blowdried, but i don't know what i would've done without my little iphone. almost a year, haven't broken or lost him yet.
...and most importantly, for the i phone's ability to set multiple alarms.
Anyone who knows me can vouch for the fact that me & 630 AM don't often go together, unless i happen to be up from the night before.
Most of my dive boats left around 730-8am. And i have been known to sleep right through wake up calls. But, set four diferent alarms five minutes apart and i think we're on to something.
Call the guinness book people and send them over to SD...i think i was up before 730am over 15 times in the past month. However, as a side effect, I've developed this annoying habit of waking up around 8 am in a panic that I'm late for something. It really needs to stop.
- the waitress in my cairns hotel bar who told me about the redken fresh curls line (shameless product pitch of the week # 1 here) ...good stuff!
- the kind folks at at&t who notified me that if i didn't upgrade my international plan, i'd have a $650 phone bill waiting for me back home. and for retroactively upgrading it for me, avoiding the stress of one angry phone call.
- samsonite, for making such sturdy luggage, and adding that extra zipper to make them expand those essential 2 inches on the way home
- the non detail oriented people at the san fran rental car company for not noticing the flashing light on the dashboard or minor tire damage that i really honestly didn't do, the one time i actually waived the insurance on a rental car. you gotta live on the edge sometimes.
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