Great Ocean Road

MT MARTHA
I have spent more hours in a car in the last 24 hours than I have in the past 4 weeks! We went to Frankston to see another Aussie who had holiday in Tahoe last year and then went to Mt. Martha to lay out at the beach. This is our first time at the beach since we've been in Melbourne and it was great. The beach was much smaller than Padre and had a sort of grainy brown sand. Meagan described it as the texture of Malt-o-Meal... the water was very blue, but no waves because it is a bay. Andy got the worst splotchy sunburn on his feet and ankles... it was so red that it puts most of my past sunburns to shame! Meagan and I laid out like champs... no sunburn and just a slight shade darker. We're representing the white people of America wonderfully!
This is a picture of the obsurd amount of french fries "chips" that Meagan and I were served at a Fish and Chips shop in Mt. Martha!

APOLLO BAY
We headed back into town and an hour and a half later we were back at our apartment speed dressing for Apollo Bay. Andy drove us (once again) 3+ hours through a windy-twisty forest road cut into the mountain. We arrived at Apollo Bay just after 10pm (only slightly carsick). Apparently a common thing to do here is rent a half a house and attach a trailer to it... forming a two bedroom "house." The guys and Rachael had already started the party but we all went to a bar that night and after causing a ton of commotion in the park, finally went to sleep!

12 APOSTLES
We got up early to head out for the Great Ocean Road... the twistiest road you've ever driven... Meagan and I were both carsick but the scenery was unforgettable. (Dad and Mom, it reminded me of the Road to Hanah in Hawaii.) I took pics of Apostles that were left... AMAZING. If you're not familiar with the 12 Apostles, these giant rock stacks are located in Port Campbell National Park. The forces of nature (Southern Ocean and wind) gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs which became arches and when they collapsed, rock islands as high as 45 metres were left isolated from the shore. A 1 1/2 hour ride back to Trev's followed by a 3 hour drive home put both Meagan and I to sleep! Thank goodness because that's better than throwing up in the car!!
Thanks Andy for taking us to see the 12 Apostles, one of the world's most famous natural wonders!

MEXICAN FIESTA

We have been very discouraged by the fact that WE are dietitians and studied food for 5 years but our roommates cook gourmet meals from memory every night with things like parsnips and tofu. They make these meals that make our food look like shit... for instance, last night I had 2 boiled carrots and a bit of a cracker called Weet-Bix (that tastes kind of like Shredded Wheat) mixed with milk. They were teasing us that we eat terribly... grr... it was true though. We just don't know how to make up meals without following a recipe (unless your talking about omelettes in which case we're really good at them!) Then I pointed out that we are the only ones in the house who don't work out regularly.... geez... We thought we better get on the ball! So today, we went for a run and then Meagan and I enjoyed a wonderful Mexican Fiesta this evening for dinner and couldn't be any happier about it! I didn't realize how easily Mexican cooking comes to me... I think I got it all ready in about 15 minutes...
MENU:
Ground Beef Tacos with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mexican spices
Guacamole Salad with tomato, onion, garlic, and lemon juice
TORTILLAS that we found in the grocery store that were really good
Tortilla chips!

Oh geez... it was amazing. I think we'll have to cook Mexican food more often!!!

I Finally Went to Chapel Street!

I have discovered ANOTHER shopping area in Melbourne... Chapel Street. Everyone has been talking about it for weeks, and I've finally gone. The verdict is that it has the same types of shops that every other part of city has. I bought a cool pair of sunnies that make me look like Jessica Simpson (i wish) and that's about it.


OH yeah, I broke my new camera so pictures may be slower these days... grr I couldn't be any more upset about it!!!

It was a Very Merry Christmas

... AND HOPEFULLY I'LL NEVER EAT AGAIN!

We spent Christmas day with Andy and his extended family members at his parent's house. I don't think I could have asked for a better "away from home" Christmas! His mom and dad greeted us at the door and threw a Santa's Little Helper apron on Andy immediately... then showed us all of their electronic Christmas decorations like the walking, singing Santa Hat!
We opened Christmas presents and surprisingly Santa's little Helper had a couple for the Texans! That was so nice and definitely made it feel more like Christmas.
Lunch was outrageous! As I innocently put on my Santa hat, I couldn't even have imagined all the food we were about to consume ... The lunch menu included BBQ salmon (a 3ft one), pork and applesauce, ham, turkey breast/leg with cranberry, and a roast with gravy, carrots, butternut squash (aka pumpkin here), peas, green beans, and snap peas, etc. A variety of wines was offered and dessert followed with Pavlova, Summer Pudding, and Plum Pudding. Pavlova is a merengue type of cake whereas Summer Pudding is made with fresh berries and berry soaked bread. I'm not too sure about the Plum Pudding... I gave it a shot but it just tasted so much like warmed up fruitcake.
After dessert we enjoyed a cup of coffee and Mrs. Fawcett brought out some shortbread cookies (aka biscuits here). We thought we were finished... oh no... we weren't! We had about an hour or two for taking a walk or resting and then we were served these tiny cups with about an ounce of a dutch "drink" that you eat with a spoon called advocart (eggs, cream, brandy, and vanilla). After advocart, it all started again! Dinner was boiled prawns with tartar sauce, salad, mozzarella with tomatoes and basil, and of course leftover meat from lunch. More wine consumed... this time a sparkling red... followed by more dessert. Mango Triffel made the list along with a second summer pudding dish and fresh fruit. Another round of coffee and cookies was offered, but no one took them up on the offer!
Mr. Fawcett cracked me up because he was playing a CD called an Aussie Christmas and later BLARED music from the Rocky Horror Picture Show... definitely not what I would expect on Christmas day but worth a few smiles ;)
I came home and read for a few hours before I hit the haysack. It was such a great feeling to spend Christmas with a warm family as opposed to going to an "orphan lunch" at a local pub!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! I LOVE YOU ZACH!

Christmas Eve and Carols By Candlelight

Just to let you know...
Christmas Eve was a wonderful day... I'm telling you this because we're approximately 17 hours ahead of Texas and we have already enjoyed Christmas Eve whereas you guys are just about to wake up to it. It was great! Santa made it safely to the "Carols by Candlelight" that aires worldwide from Melbourne's amphitheater!
Meagan and I spent the better part of the day messing around on our computers at the place I work because they have FREE WIFI (that's wireless internet, Mom) and we finally got to use our computers!

Carols by Candlelight

The Christmas Eve event started in the evening and lasts until midnight with about 22,000 other people... anyone who knows me well, knows that I don't usually enjoy attending large, public, crowded, events... but nevertheless I was looking forward to it.
A huge grassy field was covered in people wearing Santa hats and dressing warmly since it was FREEZING! Everyone had laid out blankets and packed picnic baskets with everything from "Ho-Ho-Ho-mmus and crackers" to an entire roasted turkey! The singers and dancers were unfamiliar to us, but apparently famous Aussies... mostly from previous Australian Idol shows!! An adorable 5 year old stole the show singing "Silent Night"when she tried to outsing her mum (who was an opera-type singer). It was so cute! Santa even showed up for a few numbers but in Australia he requests that Brandy and Water Crackers are his "snack." He asked for as many as five glasses of Brandy to be left out at each house because he's a "spirit and it will go right through him!" Interesting.
Meagan and I represented Texas well as we decided to continue the carolling with "Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer" after the show ended. Aussies definitely haven't heard that one and seemed a little taken aback by our Texas accents. I know I saw a few smiles around the crowd and I'm sure Andy was slightly embarrassed by his Texas friends. ;)

DRINKING and Good News

Everyone here drinks constantly... Meagan told me that the fridge at her temp job was stocked full of liquor and beer and they were drinking at their desks in the middle of the day! What? That would NOT fly in America. People take 2 hour lunch breaks, have 2 beers, full course meals, and 2 cups of coffee... WHAT? That would not fly in America! haha
Also, the young professionals go straight from work at 4 or 5pm to a bar and drink until around 11 or 12 am ... skip dinner... and then go to bed for work the next day! This may occur on any given night of the week, M-F! Wow... we haven't adapted to that one yet either.

New subject: I FINALLY talked to Zach last night. It was so amazing to hear his voice and to be able to actually speak to him! I had so much to say, but only about 10 minutes. It's so weird that we're both on the other side of the world and yet still so far away! 8 hour time difference!

What a Romantic Date!

MOONLIGHT CINEMA
Meagan and I treated ourselves to a wonderful night out in the Botanical Gardens of Melbourne. They have a nightly event called "Moonlight Cinema" where they play new and old movies after dark on a HUGE projection screen. There are bean bag beds to rent and you can bring wine and food and enjoy the movie under the stars (and fruit bats that are soaring above!). We saw In Her Shoes, which by the way is a great chick flick! ***** Highly Recommended***** The event was definitely not cheap by the time you buy a tram ticket, bean beds, movie tickets, and maybe a drink but definitely worthwhile. Meagan and I were freezing cold because we didn't have a real blanket... just two sheets and it was about 50 degrees out. Once again, where did I move? Antarctica? ;) Ironic occurance of the night: Our hearts got happy when voice next to us said "Hook 'em" ... we looked over and it was a little boy about 6 with doing the Hook 'em sign! He was born in Austin and his family moved to Singapore but he talked like an American ... Yaay for Texas!
Apparently no one here has seen Napolean Dynomite, heard "Vote for Pedro," or even "Gimme your tots!" Therefore, when Napoleon Dynomite aires, we'll be sure to gather a crowd of Aussies/Brits to watch it with us! Hopefully they find it as funny as America did... otherwise we'll look like idiots! ;)

OUR APARTMENT
I took some pictures of the Yarra River just outside our apartment (what I see on my walk to work every day) and also of the Lobby of our apartment so you can get an idea of what it looks like. I know Mom and Zach wanted to see pics :)

Real Friends Meet Over Shoes Not Coffee!

Workin' Hard for the Money:
I started my first day at La Scala Italian Ristorante and it was just what I expected. Easier than waiting tables in America and definitely different. We don't have sections in Australia where we're each assigned to and responsible for different tables... it's a free for all. We are all expected to greet people at the door and seat them... but someone else might take their drink order and another might run the drinks... another takes the food order... etc. It's tough because you don't know where the people are in the dining process and what has already been offered or is being ordered. The bartender makes sodas, coffees, cuts desserts, and makes change for the bills. Hardly anyone tips here and we pool whatever tips might have been offered. I am looking for another job however because the wage is low compared to that of an office job. I let my boss know that it might become and issue and she seemed to be understanding. Otherwise, the staff and the ownder seem really friendly and helpful.

Real Friends Meet Over Shoes Not Coffee:
Meagan spent the day shopping and had lunch with Andy while I worked (our first separation in two weeks!) When I got off work I tooled around the area and did a little sandal shopping. We were both looking for similar types and hadn't found them yet. You have to realize there are about 7 million shoe stores in Melbourne ... one after another after another... and here I am in this one random store and EUREKA! I find the shoe I love... I catch the salesperson's attention and she seems to be half way attending to another shopper. She looks concerned because she doesn't know who to help... so I look at the other lady.... and take a second glance.... IT WAS MEAGAN! We were both holding the SAME PAIR OF SANDALS in a different shade of brown! Both asking for a size 8! hahahaha It was so funny and completely random... quite ironic. We both bought the shoes but ended up getting the color I had picked :) So be it known, I had the shoe first! Just kidding. I guess we were meant to be friends... if the shoe fits....

Where is the Sunshine and Where is My Fashion Sense?

IT'S COLD HERE!
So just to let you know... Australia is not hot! It's not nearly as hot as Texas (at least right now) and it is much less humid. Our roomie is from the U.K. and he thought it was "blazing" yesterday but we thought it was comfortable! haha Apparently Texas prepares us for the hottest of climates (what do you think Punk? Were you prepared for Iraq's conditions?)

WHERE IS MY FASHION SENSE?
Meagan and I spent a couple of days trying to shop but we were so overwhelmed by the number of stores and the variety of clothing that we almost cried! We went into a really awesome store called Myers which is much like our Nordstroms but there is an underground room called the basement which caters the trendiest of trendy dressers. We walked around for about an hour... Meg bought one shirt... and I was dumbfounded trying to put together outfits with these clothes. I'm talking the only jeans you could find are taper leg "skinny jeans" in funky colors like pink, teal, white, yellow, and black or spandex tights to wear under jean skirts and gypsy skirts. The belts are outta-control-big as are the bead necklaces! All the girls are wearing these long shorts with cuffs on the bottoms with high heels everywhere they go. Our shorts are considered "super short" according to a guy walking past on the street whom I overheard! They weren't even that short! Oh geez, maybe I'll catch on soon enough. I've already bought just a few really thin shirts to layer because apparently that's big here too.

A Few Notes I've Taken

Things I've Learned and Seen in Melbourne

REMEMBER NOT TO EAT AT CASINO BUFFETS
So last night we decided to enjoy one of the three Casino buffet's at the Crown just across the street. We had not really had anything substantial during the day and decided we should have a big dinner. We should have known the food would be interesting when it was named the Sante' Buffet but we went anyways. After a 45 minute wait in line we were faced with some of the most ... uh... interesting foods we've ever seen! I don't think there was but fifteen items that I had tasted before and that I could pronounce the name! We tried item after item... quickly taking a bite and putting the rest on the "trash" plate (like the wasteful Americans we are !) Apparently Meagan and I are not as adventurous as we like to think we are when food is concerned because the warmed gummy Thai dessert squares (picture a small lego) were not something to be desired as you can see by the pictures!


THE WALK ALONG THE YARRA NEXT TO OUR APARTMENT
As I was enjoying a "flat white" aka a latte with no foam in the outside dining area along the Yarra River with Meagan, one of eight towers suddenly exploded with fire! We were caught off guard and looked like deer in headlights while everyone else acted normally. This is what it looked like:












JUST AROUND THE CORNER
Federation Square and Flinder's Street Station are just around the corner from our place. Both very busy areas of town and act as tourist attractions. Federation Square is known for its architecture and cafe/night life. It often houses famous artwork and events.



REMEMBER THAT AUSTRALIAN CARS ARE BUILT BACKWARDS!
A funny thing happened a few days ago... we hailed a cab to take us from Andy's apartment to our new place since we had luggage to haul behind us and after the cab driver put all our luggage in the car, I walked around to the passenger side to get in and he yelled "I'll drive the car!" at first I didn't get it and then I realized that I forgot Australian cars have the steering wheel on the other side of the car! haha

I GOT A JOB... MAYBE?
Today we dressed like professionals and walked the city dropping off applications... I got an offer at a cute Italian Restaurant in one of the many shopping areas and I start with a trial on Wednesday! Yaay! Hopefully that works out cause I bought some sweet all black Converse to wear to work that look terrible on me! ;)

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARE THE SAME HERE
We took a tour of a neighborhood in East Ivanhoe to see the Christmas lights and realized that they are the same as in the U.S. ! Suprised? Neither were we. Trav, Andy, Jimmy, Bel, Meg and I had a good time acting silly and singing terrible renditions of Christmas Carols. This is a picture of Trav being lame ;) and the other is me in front of a huge Christmas ornament in the city. Sorry Mom, this one wasn't for sale!

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHOPPING AT FARMERS MARKETS
Queen Victoria Market is much like our farmer's market (I think... never been to farmer's market) but it's a great place to get fresh fruits/vegetables/meats and other items such as clothes and toys at good prices. The QV Market is open daily but is the biggest on Sundays. Meagan and I were in dietitian heaven when we saw all the fresh fruit/vegetables and took it upon ourselves to photograph them! Yeah, we're nerdy, we know! We bought our first fresh items yesterday to fill our single shelf in our tiny fridge but made a delicious italian dinner with it all! We did decide after trekking miles to get there, that it's better to just buy them at the store since it's closer and pretty much looks exactly the same. The meats scared us a little since they aren't even sealed in a refrigerated case or packed on ice. Yikes... are Americans weird or is that just a little unsafe? Just a note... you can't buy refrigerated eggs in this country. Why do we bother refrigerating them if they're okay to eat when they're not?

On Our Own... in Melbourne, AUS

Since I last wrote, we have moved out from under Andy and Travis' wings and have acquired our own apartment in a great part of town just a few miles away. We actually fell into this lease since we were supposed to head to the Northeast part of town (Brunswick) to look at a warehouse conversion apartment for lease but as it got later in the evening we thought it might be too late to head to a strange guy's house and we decided to grab some coffee and head home. Talia, a waitress in the coffee shop from LA, suggested we go to a website her friend runs that leases fully furnished temporary apartments in downtown high rises for pretty good prices. We checked it out that night and had an appointment to look at our new place the next morning. It is pretty sweet. We share a kitchen and living area/computer with 3 other people but we have our own ensuite (room + bathroom) and a walk in closet big enough for both of our needs. Our place comes with a lane pool and a gym which you know we love! Hopefully we'll be able to try those out soon. Plus, we are about 20 feet from the Crown Casino's entrance and so we spend a lot of time eating and walking around the Casino. Maybe if we don't find jobs, we can just gamble and shop all day? Just kidding Mom! These are pictures of the area where we live along the Yarra River.

Until then, we're looking for jobs. We have been discouraged since most of the places we have applied have either said they had already hired for the holiday season or that our 7 months (slight exaggeration) was too short of a time to hire. grrr... hopefully we'll be able to find something nearby so we can start to have some sort of a schedule. It is hard being American because everyone knows we are only allowed to work for 3 months TOTAL in Australia but all the other countries are allowed up to at least a year! Therefore employers don't really like to hire Americans. Maybe we'll start claiming Canada as our homeland ... just for job opportunities!
We went to a really awesome bar on Thursday night that's only about 10 blocks away called Transport. It's very crowded but it's a huge indoor/open air bar. We learned our lesson about bottle drinks here though... $16.50 for two bottle beers is not such a great thing! We started drinking what Aussies call "pots" which are small sized beers glasses. Last night I finally tried to order 2 "pots" for Meagan and I and apparently my accent threw the bartender off and he served us PINTS which are the big beers! haha I never consider us to have an accent... do you?
Anyhow, I'm going to start my day as it is now 12:30 pm here and we haven't left the place. Tonight we are headed to a birthday party near Andy's parent's home in Hoppers Crossing (about 30 minutes) and that should be fun. I am really happy we have these guys that we trust and love to hang out with around... it makes the trip more fun!

Hope everyone is doing well and that you're enjoying your winter holiday season. It's not the same here at all... the streets are decorated downtown but it just doesn't feel the same.

MELBOURNE

I am in Melbourne right now and there are so many different areas of the city and they are drastically different!! I have had a rollercoaster of emotions since I've been here... I have been sad, confused, happy, and the list goes on. The city is very different from Sydney in my opinion. It is more industrialized but at the same time more homey. We spent yesterday walking through the shopping areas and we walked through Fitzroy today which is much like Austin... as Meagan put it, "you can smell the Pachuli Oil" right away! Lunch was at an Italian restaurant on Lygon Street and it was great! Chicken Parmagiana is such a popular dish here... available at every pub and restaurant and Meagan gave it a shot. It was great! It is served over a bed of french fries though... interesting?
I am noticing that the various areas of town are definitely segreggated by race which is weird. All the chinese restaurants in one area, Italian in another... and the list continues. There is such a cultural mix in Melbourne and I think it will be interesting to learn about these other cultures. We have decided to go ahead and live here as we have a group of people that we know we can hang out with if need be and that makes things like Christmas and New Years more fun. I am looking forward to those holidays with friends. I have already been recruiting people to teach me to surf despite that the closest surf waves are over an hour away! Yikes looks like I'll just be laying by the bay for now. Hopefully we will be able to find an apartment close to the bay and/or in a nice area of town.
My thoughts are really spacey right now because it's very late... but please feel free to send me notes on my blog or via email! It makes me feel loved!! ;)

Still Reminiscing

Hey Everyone! Well it's been a while since I gave a valid update on our "holiday" to Australia so I thought I would take some time to write a note. We walked for hours every day to see as many things in Sydney as possible only to realize there was not enough time for it all. I absolutely love Sydney... I would love to come back and spend more time in the city. It is like New York with a beach! It's great. Our last day in Sydney (Friday 12/09) was fun ... we walked around the Botanical Gardens which is one of the prettiest scenic walks I ever made. There were thousands of fruit bats (not the little ones in Austin but HUGE ones) hanging from trees and people stretched out on the grass. The paths lead to the water and have cliffs that overlook the harbour and Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Opera House. I don't think we could have taken any more pictures of the Opera House while in Sydney. It seemed to amaze us every time we saw it. We finally had to force ourselves to stop taking pictures and choose the best ones to keep! haha

INTERESTING FACTS!!

We also walked through Hyde Park and saw the Hyde Park Cathedral and the Convict Barracks Museum. There was a historian in the building who gave us a detailed explaination of the museum and told us many interesting facts. For instance: Do you know where the saying "The cat's got your tongue" came from? It is because the weapon used to whip the convicts was called the Cat of 9 tails and it was a rope that had 9 little ropes hanging from it with spikes or knots on the little ropes (intended to break the skin). When they said "The cat's got your tongue" it was in reference to the fear instilled in the convicts that kept them from talking. Another saying "Draw the short straw" came because the floors of the rooms were covered in straw and they would all draw "straws" and whoever drew the shortest one would get killed and that way the others would be sent to another prison. Interesting tidbits huh?

I think Danny would have killed us if we didn't head to at least one pub while we were in Sydney :) just kidding we had been to a whopping 2 others... so we went to an awesome one called the Hero of Waterloo which was located in the Rocks district and was built in the 1800's. It was in the original stone building and had about 6 small rooms that you could chill in. Absolutely awesome! The other we went to was the oldest pub in Sydney named the Fortune of War and it was also quite a sight to see and be seen!

Meagan and I figured out the benefit to packing light on Saturday morning when we tried to haul all our stuff up a short hill to breakfast and then back down the hill and up escalators and stairs to the train station! We furthered our understanding of the importance to pack light when the airport told us that we could only put 1 bag in carge and it could only weigh 20 kg!! We each had about 70 kg of luggage!! Yikes... nothing a small fee wouldn't handle. Grrr... we'll learn next time!

Quick Summary of the Events

Tuesday 12/06

In only 48 hours Australia has proven to be amazing. We have endless things to look at and shopping calling my name. Our first day we arrived at our hostel "Wake UP!" which is pretty top of the line and we set out to the town. We were in the "outskirts of ChinaTown" but didn't know it... Needless to say I was slightly disappointed in this area and wondered if we had made a mistake moving to Australia. We ate lunch at the first clean place we saw, Patty Macguires. After standing around for 10 minutes only to realize it was seat yourself and when we commented on Danny's Fish and Chips he replied with "I don't even like seafood... I don't know why I ordered it," I knew we were in for a great trip as "dumb Americans." We toured Darling Harbor where a street comedian/knife juggler convinced us to stay for his show... we were the first ones... and were definitely the butt of many of his jokes (once he figured out we were American!). One guy watching the show was talking on the phone and the comedian took the phone from him and said the following joke:
Weird Street Guy- Hello! You're boyfriend is listening to my comedy/danger show! I'm going to tell you a joke.
Girl on Phone - okay
Weird Street Guy - What has small balls and hangs up?
Weird Street Guy - a bat!
Weird Street Guy - What has big balls and hangs up? This being said while he hangs up the phone!!! Yikes!

Wednesday 12/07

We went to the Syndey Zoo via the Ferry and saw the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge... both magnificant! The walk to the Ferry was awesome because it made all the worries about the trip disappear... the city is amazing! We saw Victorian style buildings and millions of people milling about. Suprisingly enough there was a McDonald's Cafe serving pastries, cheesecake, and cappucino yet not a single fat person! I swear! We have YET to see a severly overweight person on the streets/bus/restaurant! What is America doing wrong? I don't understand.

Another thing... we discovered the commodity that water is in Aus. I HEREBY SWEAR TO NEVER TAKE A WATER FOUNTAIN FOR GRANTED! There are NO waterfountains in Sydney! We did however find the golden ticket when we discovered a funny shaped fountain in the zoo ... it was protected from our empty water bottles by a cage around the faucet that only a mouth could fit. We have to continue to buy water so we don't get severely dehydrated in this sauna! Hmmm conspiracy?

Australians don't talk on cell phones constantly in the city ... even at bus stops and walking down the street. The plans are apparently not cheap so be grateful for Sprint (that was for the Sprint haters I know!) Also all the people out and about seem to be between 20 and 30 years old... a young working class. They can be seen walking aboutat any time of day wearing ties and dress shirts and the girls wearing high heels. Those offices must smell delicious with people sweating from the heat here.

I better hit the sack cause it's a big day at Manly Beach tomorrow.

My First Friends

Wow so I'm officially in Australia now... Sydney to be exact! I arrived on Tuesday and feel like I have done so much since then. I have seen the largest congreggation of Hasidic Jews, played 30 rounds of Tetra on a 14 hour flight, visited Darling Harbor, watched a street performer make fun of everyone who came within 10 feet of his show, toured one of the most disappointing zoos I've ever seen, slept in a room with 3 roommates that I never actually saw or met, walked over 20 miles, and... made friends in Australia....

It is 1:33 am our time which is approximately 8:33 am Texas time and I've been at the Side Bar for the past few hours with Danny drinking a few midi's of Toohney Light and just as we were discussing how we had not met any people thus far in Australia a girl introduces me to her friend. I was very excited to hear they were both from Aus and therefore interestingly answered his questions... needless to say, I was through speaking with the bloke by the time he had covered my face with spit within about 30 seconds!!! I did the casual turn to Danny to avoid the situation and it worked wonders! About 10 minutes later, I was introduced to Matt, a self-proclaimed 20 year old surfer dude from Cali. He was sweet but his braces clearly gave way to his age... nearing 19?! Slightly awkward dancing the last dance to Oasis when no one around was dancing avoiding eye contact at every opportunity....