Wilsons Promontory

The southern most portion of mainland Australia is comprised of Wilsons Promontory National Park. It is a large hook shaped peninsula extending towards Tasmania. The park can best be described as a series of granite headlands extending out into the water separated by broad sandy beaches.

There was great hiking within the park that ranges from open shrub grassland in the northern portions to temperate rain forests tucked in the valley bottoms. Due to time constraints I was only able to do a few of the day hikes, but there are other muti-day backpacking options as well.

The wildlife was very abundant in the park as well. An echidna made an appearance on the path I was on and then promptly rolled into a ball as soon as it noticed me.

All told, I would have to say that Wilsons Promontory has been one of my favorite places in Australia. If you make it down to Victoria, this should definitely be on your list of places to go.

Into Victoria

From New South Wales we headed south into Victoria, the state that makes up the southeastern most corner of Australia. Victoria is heavily based on agriculture, particularly cattle, and dairy production. For the most part it is green pastures and rolling hills. At least the part I saw anyway... We made our way south to Cann River and then turned west heading along the Princes Highway through the towns of Orbost, Lakes Entrance and Sale. We also crossed the Snowy River. Yes, the one in the famous Australian story. Our destination for the evening was Golden Beach, which is the western end of Ninety Mile Beach, aptly named for its length which stretched on beyond the limits of sight.

Oh, and as far as we could tell, there was not another soul on it. For an American this is a hard thing to imagine. 90 miles of beach that has not been disturbed? It is unheard of at home. I guess that it is a good thing to live in a relatively unpopulated country at times.

Kosciusko National Park

The next stop on the tour, part of which I got to drive... I found it to be not all that challenging to drive on the left hand side of the road. It just takes a bit more concentration. Staying in the lane and turns and things like that were no big deal. What I could not do was take care of other things wile driving like the stereo or the AC. I had to leave that to Jo.

The first stop in the park were the Yarrangabilly Caves. They are limestone and so there was the fabulous sound of dripping water. We got there late in the day so we got to enjoy one of them all by ourselves, which was great.

The next day we drove down to Charlotte's Pass and walked to the highest point in Australia, Mt. Kosciusko (2228 meters, or about 7300 feet). I say walk because we walked (9km on way)along a service road most of the way. The views from the top were amazing.

On our way down we passed a middle age couple running to the top. Just when you feel like you are not being lazy and are getting out and getting some exercise... Since we were already being slackers we decided to go all the way and we got a ride back down to the parking lot with one of the park rangers in his truck... Hey, it was getting late.

Canberra

I spent one night in Canberra with the associated preceding afternoon and following morning. Joanne's father, John, was nice enough to put us up for the night. We went out to dinner with him and he turned out to be a truly amazing man. He has worked in the federal government for decades and has been pretty much single handedy responsible for the enacting of Australia's pioneering environmental legislation. He is also personally responsible for seeing that DDT was banned in Australia as well. This was just the tip of what I am sure was a very big ice berg. The conversation with him was incredible. I wish I had a lot more time to talk to him.

I did make it to a couple of the museums in town, the Telstra Tower (the highest point in town), and took a tour of New Parliament House (an interesting mix of the British Parliament and the US Congress).

Overall, Canberra was a nice city and definitely worth a couple of days if you have the time.

Macropus giganteus

Further south down the coast of New South Wales, we detoured off into Murramarang National Park to make a pit stop at Pebbly Beach. It was there that I finally got to get a certain desire out of my system. Kangaroos.

The interesting thing is that they are a lot like deer in the United States. People in the States are fascinated by them and rather non-chalant about deer. Aussies are fascinated by deer and are totally bored by kangaroos. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side... They are also similar in that deer are rats on stilts and kangaroos are simply rats on springs.

Shortly after arriving at the beach several kangaroos came out to eat. They were extremely docile and were not disturbed at all by us. When they first came out I spent about 15 minutes sneaking up on one of them until I was about 10 feet away from it. I came at it from the downwind direction, stayed low to the ground, and only moved when it was not looking at me. As soon as I got as close as I did Jo stood up and walked right over. As she said: "What would have been the fun in telling you that you could just walk up to them to begin with?" Good point.

Anyway, on with the pictures...

By the way, for those who want to know, these were eastern gray kangaroos. Oh yeah, and a group of kangaroos is known as a mob.

Headin' South

Sunday the 26th Joanne and I headed out of Sydney in a zig-zagged path to see some of the best sights to the south. We started with Fitzroy Falls (it is the dry season down here), which is a place where the river plunges over the edge of the southern highlands into the Yarrunga Valley below.

From Fitzroy Falls we continued south to Kangaroo Valley, where I must report that there was a serious lack of the animal that gave the place its name. It was gorgeous though.

We returned to the coast and our next stop of the day was Jervis Bay National Park. The park was created to protect the unique and endangered plants and animals that live on land and in the water in the region. We completed a short 10 km hike and had lunch at the halfway point on a promontory that stuck out into the middle of the bay.

It was 4:30 in the afternoon by the time we returned to the car. We headed off south again and soon made a stop that turned out to be the highlight of the trip thus far...

More Sydney

At the end of my first full day in Sydney, Joanne Bell, a friend that I made in Vietnam in 2005, arrived home from New Zealand. Jo, who has been to visit me in California and came out to Hawaii for two weeks, has been gracious enough to take some time off from work and explore some of the southeastern corner of Australia with me.

She took me around to parts of Sydney that are not heavily frequented by tourists such as Newtown and Balmain. Both are fabulous neighborhoods and I highly recommend that you check them out if you make it down this way. She introduced me to her friends and we went out for drinks with several of them.

Here are a few more photographs of Sydney.

Sydney skyline

How many Aussies does it take to satisfy a great white?

Sydney skyline from the Harbor Bridge

Bondi Beach

Making sure that the tourists don't get squished.

Time to Vote

Before I left Hawaii my Dad told me that he really wants me to buy him a didgeridoo for Christmas. The problem is that I can't decide which one to get him, so I am putting a photo up for some help. I want everyone who reads this post to vote in the comments by saying which one I should buy for him.

Sydney

I set out from the hostel around 9:00 this morning and met Barit, a Danish woman who was headed out for a half day in the city to take a few last pictures before heading home. She and I set forth across the downtown financial district to the Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House is one of those things that you have seen pictures of for years, but where the pictures never do it justice. It truly is an amazing building and its iconic status is indisputable.

I of course took a whole bunch of pictures of the outside of the building from a variety of different angles. You can see them below.

I also took a guided tour of the inside of the building. We went through three of the main performance spaces, but I was not allowed to take any pictures. All told, you learn a lot about the building itself, but the tour is a little overpriced for what you get. I recommend skipping it. There are other, better things to spend the money on.

Arrived

I have arrived here in Sydney after a 10 hour flight and having lost pretty much an entire day due to the international date line. I have heard rumors that there is a famous opera house in this town that I have to see. I will head off tomorrow to investigate ...

; )

Too Much Stuff

Over my last several trips I have started getting very efficient about my packing. I only take what I am really going to need. This trip is putting me to the test. I have to bring attire for both nights out in big cities and camping. As a result I am bring my sleeping bag and thermarest along with a couple dress shirts and a nice pair of pants. I have drawn the line at dress shoes though. They just take up too much space. All told I have so much stuff that I am having to go with my expedition mountaineering backpack instead of my usual Eagle Creek bag.

If I am coming to visit you in Australia, a close inspection of the above photo should make you very happy.

Dustin' off the passport

Ok, so there probably isn't that much dust on the 'ole passport seeing as how I used it just this past May. But in light of my moving to a new job in January, I am going on a little adventure. To Australia!

Australia is a place that I have wanted to visit for a long time. I am looking forward to doing a few of the seriously tourisy things like taking way too many pictures of kangaroos, petting a koala, and enjoying a meat pie with a cold VB.

My last day of work is the 17th of November and I fly out of Honolulu the following Tuesday the 21st. I am going to be splitting the trip in half. I am going to spend half of my time on the east coast in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, and Victoria. The second half of the trip is going to be spent on the other side of the continent/country in Western Australia. I am going to be visiting good friends who I have met on past travels, so keep a close eye out and you may see someone who has appeared on my blog before.

Next stop: Down Under!

Chicago, Day 1

My first day in Chicago Emily and I headed downtown to check out the Chicago Marathon and to wander around downtown. I have to tell you. I have no idea why 40,000 people thought that it was a good idea to run 26.2 miles in low 40 degree weather. Some people are just insane. The really crazy part of it is that as I stood there watching it I couldn't help but feel a little inspired and I actually found myself thinking that maybe I should give it a try for the 2007 Honolulu Marathon. Dangerous thoughts... I suggested that we move on.

The highlight of the day was seeing "The Bean". The Bean is actually named Cloud Gate and it was designed by British artist Anish Kapoor to be part of Chicago's Millenium Park, which was opened in 2004 (don't ask). The bean is a giant curved mirrored object that begs to be interacted with. It is simply fun to walk around and see how your image changes on the different surfaces. Without too many more words I will simply leave you with some pictures.

Big Changes

This past Wednesday I was awarded a post masters fellowship through the Joint Pacific Accounting and Command Central Identification Laboratory. I will be joining an organization whose responsibility it is to go around the world and recover the remains of United States armed forces members who fell in combat and were not retrieved during the past conflict. This includes WWI, WWII, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, and Gulf War I and II.

I will be working as a recovery team leader and will have the possibility to travel to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Korea, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, etc... My job will be to lead a team of 8-15 military personnel in the excavation of a location where missing service men are thought to be located. I will be traveling for up to 5 months a year. When I am not on deployment I will be working at the laboratory on Hickam Air Force Base at Pearl Harbor here on Oahu and will be responsible for writing up the results of my previous mission and preparing for the next.

I am very excited to say the least. I have finally found a job that combines my two favorite things in the whole wide world: archaeology and travel. This of course means that there will be many more posts from my travel adventures.

Next stop: Chicago. I leave tomorrow night.

It did what?!

That's right. It SNOWED in Chicago earlier this week. In the MIDDLE of October! This means that the temperature must have been down around 32 degrees F!

This is simply unacceptable. I am not even sure if I own enough warm clothes for a trip like this. I can't even remember the last time that I had to cope with temperatures below about 45. I am definitely going to have to rummage around in the back of the closet.

Regardless, with less that a week to go I am getting very excited.

Chicago, chicago that toddling town

I am off again for a short trip. This time I am headed to Chicago for 10 days to visit Emily. Emily and I met in college and even though we have lived very far apart for four years now, she is still one of my best friends in whole wide world. She is currently a political science Ph. D. student at the University of Chicago with an emphasis in international relations.

During the four years that Emily has lived in Chicago and I have lived in Hawaii she has come to visit me several times while I have only been to see her once, so it is high time that I journey to the windy city. As far as I am concerned the disparity in number of visits makes perfect sense. After all, I do live in Hawaii.

I am really excited to get to spend time with her. She knows me better than almost anyone and I can truly relax and just be myself around her. It is a nice warm comfortable feeling. I am also stoked to get to spend some time in a real big city that has great art, restaurants, bars, and night clubs. If anyone knows of anything cool going on in Chicago between the 21st to the 29th, please drop me a note in the comments.

Motorbike Ride in Hanoi

I am really excited because I have finally found a way to post video on my blog! This means that there will be a few flashbacks to some of my previous trips, and I decided to start with one of the best.

This clip is from my trip to SE Asia during the summer of 2005. It was taken in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam. I was riding on the back of a motorbike and holding the camera over the driver's head. This is the normal form of transportation in Vietnamese cities.

Counter-revolutionary

This post only tangentially relates to my travel adventures, but it is SO awesome that I had to post it.

My mom's best friend Kendra has spent the last two years living in Beijing, China. She has been teaching art at an international school there. My mother knows that Kendra shares my passion for travel and so she passed along m blog URL. Kendra of course followed the link and was quite startled to discover that access to my web site is restricted by the Chinese government.

As I am sure that many of you know, China places strict restrictions on what web sites can be viewed by computers from within the country. Apparently, for some reason, the Chinese government has deemed that my blog is counter-revolutionary!

I can not figure out why this would be the case, so if any of you have any thoughts, please post them in the comments section.

South America: By the Numbers

The following is an accounting of some of the facts from my journey. They are in no particular order and may be counting activities only completed by myself, only by Rebecca, or by both of us combined.

• 9: Plane flights
• 6: Intercity bus trips
  
• 11: Boat trips
• 7: Most caipirinhas consumed in a single evening
• 8: Nights spent in a hammock
• 55: Hammocks on the boat from Manaus to Tabatinga
• 575,400: Seconds spent on the boat from Manaus to Tabatinga
• 2: Cameras stolen
• 5: Immodium pills taken
• 4: Monkey species observed in the wild
  
• 1: Cups of juice spilled on laps on plane flights
• 8: Number of times Rebecca's hair was touched to see if it was real
• 3: Number of dominoes lost over the side of the boat
• 12: Days spent mourning the loss of the dominoes
• 6: Bikinis bought
• 5: Days spent on package tours
• 4: Days of package tours actually paid for
• 1: Bridges created on the fly just for us by chopping down a tree
  
• 2: Days on package tours where activities were disrupted by the rain
• 59: Pounds of laundry submitted for washing over the course of the trip
• 33: Days with cold showers or none at all
• 1: Baths in a river
• 8: Books read
• 3: Number of times I was asked if I wanted to buy marijuana
• 345: Minutes spent waiting on the banks of the Amazon River for a boat back to Leticia
  

Iquitos

Iquitos is a city of 500,000 people and there are NO roads to any other major city. EVERYTHING is brought to the city by plane from Lima or by boat all of the way from the Atlantic Ocean. This of course makes it a rather expensive city, relatively speaking of course. This has also resulted in the presence of a very interesting mix of vehicles on the city's streets. In my last post I mentioned the taxi drivers. They do not drive "normal" taxis. The insanely pilot oversized tricycles with 110 cc put-put motors on them. They are a myriad of bright colors and actually offer a cheap, efficient, and somewhat dangerous way to get around the city.

Our initial exploration of the Iquitos led us to The Yellow Rose of Texas. It is located just off of the Paza de Armas on Putumayo street (towards the river). The place is run by an ex-oil and gas engineer named Gerald Mayeaux and the place is overflowing with character. The bar stools are saddles and there is so much stuff on the walls and hanging from the ceiling that it is hard to take it all in. There are a wide variety of dead jungle animals, native artifacts, and thousands of pictures.

While the decoration is completely over the top, it is still not the greatest contributor to the place's character. That award goes to the larger than life personalities of the regular patrons. They can best be described as overweight, middle-aged, ex-patriots from the US, UK, and Oz who have taken up residence in Iquitos because they can live like kings. They all have an opinion about absolutely everything and are more than willing to discuss/argue any point you could possibly bring up.

One guy showed up the night we were there with a giant blue parrot. The guy promptly order two beers, one for himself and the other for the bird. The bird drank right out of the mug. By the end of the night both the guy and the bird were falling out/off of the chair. The bird would slide down the curved back rest of the chair and then have to pull itself back up to the top using its beak.

We also went out to Quistococha, Iquitos' zoo. This was a major stop on the tour for us because Quistococha is a partner zoo with the Perth Zoo where Rebecca works. One of her friends has spent a lot of time in Iquitos working at the zoo and we wanted to see everything that he had done. The zoo has spider monkeys, cougars, jaguars, black jaguars, tons of monkeys, and even Bruno's older bigger cousins.

We also went out to Belen, a section of Iquitos that played host to the movie Fitzcarraldo. About 10% of Belen is built on the shore and about 20% is built on stilts over the river and can be accessed by bridges and catwalks. The remaining 70% is comprised of floating buildings that extend out into the river. Everything that a normal city on land has can be found here. Schools, churches, stores, homes, etc...