Snoozing in Tullamarine

Most of you are probably under the impression that Krispy Kreme is for donuts--more specifically, for the production and/or eating of delicious freshly baked donuts. Um, well guess again...

...Because as of approximately 12:05am this morning, Natalie and I have officially proclaimed Krispy Kreme as the prime snoozing spot in all of the entire Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. Delicious donuts? Perhaps. Suitable sleeping spots for the budget traveller? But of course.

As our flight from Hobart arrived around 11:30 pm and we had already planned to catch the 9:00am bus to Apollo Bay, we figured we might as well go all out and experience one night from the perspective of a true backpacker. Enter "Operation Sleep in Airport" (OSA). We skillfully planned ahead, making sure to carry on all our bags so that we wouldn't have to bother with baggage claim and would be able to easily stay on the gates side of security. Unfortunately, turned out that Tiger Airways is really, really budget; de-boarding the plane consisted of one of those rolling staircases, which landed us smack in the middle of a concrete platform with no access to the terminals. Fortunately, two twenty-two-year-old American girls are not so easily deterred.

We explored the airport. Searched high and low. Then we found the Krispy Kreme. The night proceeded as follows:

12:05am -- Natalie and Carlyn find Krispy Kreme. Determine it suitable. Both immediately attempt sleep.
1:15am -- Natalie takes out the pashmina for warmth. Carlyn puts on her eye shades. Thinks about ear plugs, but thinks better of it (thieves + ear plugs = bad combo).
1:15 - 3:30 am -- Generally uninterrupted slumber. More people in airport than expected. Cleaners come. See homeless looking girls on Krispy Kreme booth. Decide not to bother them, especially as one has weird black scarf covering her and the other is wearing velvet purple eye shades.
3:30 am -- Both girls wake up. Carlyn is cold and takes out sleeping sack for warmth.
4:30 am -- Both girls wake up and realize someone is making coffee at the Krispy Kreme and is staring awkwardly at them. They make their way to the SkyBus into the Melbourne CBD.

"Operation Sleep in Airport" (OSA) completed. Pictures to come.

Abel Tasman Reincarnate; Exploring the Tasman Peninsula

aka Day Three in (outside of...) Hobart

aka The Day we Found a Lost Baby Lamb and Tried to Rescue It

Abel Tasman, if you couldn't tell, is the island's namesake. Originally called Van Diemen's land, after the Lord Something Whosiwhatsit ruling at the time of discovery, the state was renamed in an effort to shed its shady past. As you probably know, Australia was founded as a convict state - inveterate drunkards, bandits, rapists, etc were shipped off to Aussie to start anew. After touching down in this hemisphere, repeat offenders were sent to Tassie; specifically, the area we were driving around yesterday.

Cool rock formations, the penal fortress Port Arthur, a convict-operated coal mine, the rolling countryside - all of these sights were quickly overshadowed by a lost lamb we found at the mine's car park, nuzzling our Suzuki Swift.

Trying to coax our new friend with bits of our lunch...

Success!!!

Oh yeah... and all the other stuff we saw yesterday...

Kookaburra Sighting

Kookaburra sits on an old gum tree-ee
Merry merry king of the bush is he-ee...

Remember the song?

Weather Karma

aka Day One in Hobart

After enduring almost three weeks of the wettest winter/spring on record in Tasmania, our patience was finally rewarded with clear skies. They could not have arrived at a more opportune time, as we had decided to hike Mt. Wellington, upon whose foothills the city of Hobart lies.

We literally walked out of Jo's house and five minutes later were on the trails. At the lower altitudes, we clambored through a rainforest remniscent (probably only to me...) of the forest from Hook. I kept waiting for Rufio. No dice.

Carlyn made the incisive observation, that if we really were in a rainforest, then it was pretty special since she could also see her breath in front of her... But it warmed up as we hustled up the mountain.

At the top, we found snow! Which tasted great. We also found fellow tourists, who took pity on my attempt to set up the self-timer on my camera...

... and took a picture for us.

As Carlyn mentioned, our quick pace turned out to be the death of our leg muscles. Mine still hurt, three days later. But well worth it for the gorgeous views!

Our amazing CS Host in Hobart!

Us with Jo! Also note the prominent puzzle - an integral part of our CS experience with Jo. I was sad to leave both of them.

Safe and Sound in Hobart!

Don't worry. I know you all are probably freaking out that neither Natalie nor I have blogged in *gasp* over TWO days. But, again, don't worry. We're safe and sound in Hobart where we've found ourself staying with the ever lovely Joanna (prefers the nickname "Jo") and her two dogs Bruno and Nina.

We hiked Mount Wellington on Monday, tooled around the actual city of Hobart yesterday (much to the chagrin of our sore limbs and butts), and today we're headed to the Tasman Peninsula to do a bit more tooling around. You know, touristy stuff. Yeah, that's right; we've rented a car from good ol' Thrifty and we're road trippin'!

Tonight we're headed to Melbourne and are planning our very first airport sleepover (see previous post on sleepinginairports.net). Pray for us. Tomorrow morning we're hopping on a bus first thing to Apollo Bay. More posts to come from the Great Ocean Road!

Part 1 of the Australian Adventure? Completed. Check. Now Moving Onwards...

Oh! Well hello there, dear blog followers. Glad to see you've made it this far in the "Carlyn and Natalie Do Australia" adventure.Give yourselves a giant pat on the pack; you deserve it.

It is indeed our last morning on the Tassie "Beach Haven" farm with the beloved--and never dull--Markellos family. We've been in OZ for almost four weeks now. My, how the time has flown by!

So am I ready to move on to the next adventure? I believe so, although three weeks here has proved a perfect amount of time to really settle in and adjust to this simple, animal-filled environment. Am I sad to leave? Strangely, yes. I will miss feeding the chickens in the morning. More yet, I'll miss the feeling of excitement that runs through my body when I find out how many eggs have been laid! Ahhh, the simple pleasures in life. I'll miss Juno the giant dog (but really Juno the tamed, domestic bear...Nat and I are convinced) and his smaller, more feminine partner in crime Leila. And I'll miss the people too, of course. Bronwyn with her eclectic collecting hobby, Steve with his fishing and never-ending rambling political monologues, Nan and Pop with their card playing, and Ellanda and Dave with their wonderful Irish accents (seriously, though, every time they speak I mimic whatever they say in my head; their "r's" especially...pure phonetic magic I tell you).

As Natalie has already so wonderfully laid out for you, we'll be on our way to Hobart in approximately 3 hours. (NOTE: by "Hobart" I mean the city, not the dish-washing machine).

So hang in there...keep on reading! More posts to come.

Planning Tool

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/

Now this deserves to be counted among the Truly Inspired ideas of budget traveling. But will be make use of it...? That remains to be seen.

Moving Right Along

Carlyn and I are on our last day on the farm in Tassie, and as you might have guessed from our lack of blog posting, we have been sort of consumed with planning for the next legs of our trip.

Tomorrow we head into Hobart, where we will be staying with a CouchSurfing host a little ways outside the city (if you aren't clear on what CouchSurfing is, I've included an explanation at the end of the post). We're crashing with her for 3 days; hopefully we'll be able to see a little bit more of Tassie than we've managed to so far.

Then, it's a flight to Melbourne. We have one night in the city before we embark for the Great Ocean Road, which my tour book proclaims is a necessary addition to the Things To Do Before You Die. I have ignored this pronouncement's gimmicky/tourist-luring/possibly-money-grubbing motivations and have instead taken the charge to heart and decided my life would be unfulfilled without seeing the spectacular scenery along this drive. (I may have been blissfully separated from consumer culture for the past 3 weeks, but that doesn't mean I'm still not a sucker.)

We've worked out a deal with a hostel along the route so that we can work for a few hours a day in exchange for a free room. Score!

We return to Melbourne just into time for Cup Day - the so-called "horse race that stops the nation." The city shuts down for a public holiday to celebrate the revelry of these horse races. After many rejected requests and much duress, we've finally sorted another CouchSurfing host for these remaining days in Melbourne.  Then, onto Blue Gables vineyard in the Yarra Valley.

So, there you have it, our next few hops throughout Australia.

About the CouchSurfing Project
Some of you may be curious as to how we have been making arrangements to stay for free with total strangers. Some of you (namely, our parents) may even slightly stress out about this aspect of our trip. But, rest assured, the CS project is a huge and reliable operation that has connected thousands of people across the world who seek a less impersonal travel experience.

Essentially, you create a profile and then search for a host by location. You send a request with your projected dates and ask if that person has room and time to host you. Often, hosts are people who originally used the service during their own travels and wish to pay it forward.  Or, you find people who are just genuinely interested in meeting people from across the world, broadening their horizons, and easing the financial stress of travelers. Essentially, you find some really great people within this community.

NEWSFLASH: Balloon Boy!

Yes, we have heard of him here Down Under. Yes, it's just as much of a tabloid scandal--all over the newspapers and headlines and such. But, no, we Aussies do not understand why anyone would hide their child in a box in the attic as a publicity stunt. Good golly, Americans are ridiculous...

Recipes from the Road

As we work on our domestic apotheosis, we figured we'd share some of the things we're picking up along the way. We made these DELICIOUS lemon cookies today. Technically the recipe listed them as "Melting Moments," which is just hilarious.

Enjoy!

8oz butter
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour

2oz butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tsp lemon juice

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the sifted flours. Put into piping bag that has a fluted tube - so that it comes out like a many-pointed star. Pipe the mixture onto a greased baking sheet, form into little circles so they make rosettes. Bake 10-12 min in 180C oven (you're gonna have to do the math on that one).

Now the icing! Beat the butter until smooth, gradually add the icing sugar until its relatively stiff. Mix in the lemon zest/juice.

Remove the biscuits (as cookies are referred to over here) from the oven and let them cool off (you don't want to melt the icing). Add a dollop of the icing to the bottom of one of the biscuits and then add another biscuit to create a sandwich.

The finished result is stellar and looks rather impressive for how simple they are to make. Enjoy!

Ah, It's a Beautiful Day in Tassie!

The sun is shining,
The birds are chirping.
The dogs are chasing their tails and leaping into the cold ocean water without a second thought.
The fake plastic flowers Brony has planted in the garden (for a bit of color, you know...) are playfully dancing in the warm breeze.
The chickens are laying eggs right and left (no but seriously, 7 eggs just this morning--that's a big deal on the farm, you know).
They're pooping left and right too.
Everyone is singin', whistlin'.
And if they aren't, they should be...it's a beautiful Tuesday!
Even Tom the apneatic cat seems a bit chipper today; his wheezing has let up a bit.
The dirt is healthy, the sky is blue.

Oye, t's a marvelous day in Tasmania this arvo*.
Goodbye rainy days, and
Hello Spring!

-an original poem by CSS


*arvo = afternoon.

Cast of Characters

Steve: Family patriarch. Of Greek descent! I clearly try to eavesdrop every time he's on the phone and speaking Greek just because its fun to try and detect the Aussie accent. We've had a few great conversations about Greek history - we bonded over a mutual love of Themistokles (for CYA kids - yes, Diamant influenced).  Steve also holds up the philosophizing tradition of Classical Greeks. It can be exhausting, but he has some very interesting opinions on the world.  He claims his ruminations come from his years of solitude during fishing season, when he'd spent months on a boat. While he used to be a fisherman by trade, he now does mechanics out of the garage next to the main house.

Bronwyn: Steve's wife and the one who delegates the chores to Carlyn and myself. She grew up in South Australia but she and Steve moved to Tassie about 15 years ago, in search of a lifestyle that would be more relaxing. Bronwyn is certainly eccentric, but there is never a dull moment in the house so it keeps the slightly solitary atmosphere out here much more upbeat. Her favorite activity is perusing the consignment shops ("up-shops") and the similar stores run at the dumps ("tip shops"). She always brings home the most ridiculous stuff!

Ellanda & Dave: The Irish couple who is working here as well. They are working here in hopes of getting an extension of their year long working holiday visa (which is what Car and I have).  If you perform a certain number of days work in specific sectors, you can get a second year on that visa.  Since they are ultimately seeking residency, they are just sort of biding their time here until they can work that out. Ellanda is great and a stellar cook!

Nik & Kate: Bronwyn and Steve's kids. Nik is 18 and just decided to move to South Australia and live with his cousins for his last year of college (college is more like high school, our college is referred to as uni). Kate just moved out of the house too, to live in a shared apartment in Hobart. She's only 16, but we've learned that its not such a big deal to leave home that young, since its not expected for people to leave home when they go to uni.

And the animals...

Juno, Layla, Sophie: The two Newfoundlands and German Shepherd that live here. I love them, except when they slobber (which is a lot, unfortunately).

Tom & Salem: The two cats (Tom is, predictably, in our room as I write this. But not wheezing! update: unfortunately I have to report that as soon as I published this, he began to wheeze.)

Colonel Parker & 30 additional chickens: Colonel Parker is the only one with a name - he's named after Elvis' manager, who was apparently a very wily, smart guy. The rooster version gained his name by being the only one smart enough to learn to be nice in order to get more freedom. He is allowed out of the coop, while the rest of the roosters and chickens stay inside.

... and then there's us... two relatively city girls who are becoming more in tune with the country lifestyle. It's definitely an experience!

Two Weeks in Australia: A Brief Reflection, If You Will

Do I feel any different? Have I developed a slight Australian tinge to my, in comparison, very plain and ordinary American accent? Do I inhale Vegemite? Drive on the other side of the road without panicking? Tack on Aussie phrases such as "I couldn't be bothered," "How're you going?" or "I need some petrol and an Angus Burger from Mackas" at every opportunity possible? Do I wear hipster skimmers or listen to Jessica Mauboy on repeat?

I mean, it's only been two weeks...

I will admit, however, a feeling of freedom and excessive happiness. Granted life in Australia--life on the farm, in particular--isn't 100% what I expected it would be, but somehow it's all worked out. I already feel that the experience of a) not getting a "real" job immediately after college, b) traveling into the unknown, and c) overall just taking oh so many risks, has proven itself to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of dealio. Natalie will tell you: the first week here I had a minor panic attack...Would I ever be able to get a job when I returned to the States? What the hell was I doing, throwing away 20 years of education and instead taking a break to work on a farm? For a few seconds there, I figured I had perhaps been insane when I decided to buy that one-way plane ticket to Sydney back in April...

But look at me now. Yeah, it's only been 2 weeks, but I've already learned so much. I can tell you that chickens lay more eggs when the weather is warmer; that Vegemite is not something to be piled on your toast, but instead spread tastefully and modestly with perhaps a bit of cheese; that Tasmanian weather does indeed change every 5 minutes; that all McDonald's Down Under have free wireless (and that McDonalds in the US should institute a similar idea); that no one except for Americans call Down Under "Down Under"; that driving on the other side of the road really isn't all that scary; that kangaroos aren't hopping around everywhere as I had maybe hoped/expected they would be; that life isn't all about what's going to happen next--it's about the now (yeah, I know...that's way deep).


In less than 2 weeks, Natalie and I will begin our next mini-adventure: The Great Ocean Road. We've found ourselves a little week-long help exchange (2 hrs of work/day for free accommodation) at this beautiful hostel in the lovely beach/coastal town of Apollo Bay. We'll keep you all posted, of course.

Until then, keep on reading about our Tasmanian farm adventures. More personal epiphanies to come.

p.s. Shout out to the "lurker" (I see you Papa S...)

Rainforest Walk

Yesterday Bronwyn offered to drop Carlyn and I at a rainforest trail before heading to the afterschool program she works at Wed/Thurs. But, as fate would have it, she was running late. As she parked she nonchalantly told us, "Oh, just go ahead and drive yourselves. It's basically the same thing anyways. No worries." (No worries is a classic Aussie statement).

Armed with directions and our International Drivers Permits, we felt we were capable of tackling this wrong-side-of-the-road nonsense. In truth, the IDPs are not legit. You can get them at AAA for $15 and 3 minutes of your time.

We soon realized it was easier to actually drive than to be in the passenger seat worrying you were about to get driven over the cliff. I drove there, Car drove back. Still in one piece!

The waterfall itself was beautiful... one of the nicest bits of scenery we've seen down here in Tas. The state is about 60% forest still, and a lot of that protected, so a lot of the trails are really famous. This is just a small one though, but I clambered around the rocks/fallen trees to get next to the falls so you could see how big they are!

Getting Walked by the Dogs

We have started an after-lunch ritual of taking the dogs on a walk. Since its about 100m to the ocean, we just head down the dirt road to the ocean drive. The Newfs absolutely love it.

Here I'm with Juno, the larger of the two, and he is walking me more than I am walking him... The Wellies made it even harder.

Layla just follows Juno along obediently, but Juno will never get too far ahead from Layla without whining until she is closer - he misses her too much!

Australian Music Spotlight

This is part of the "aussification"... Bringing you the best of the Australian music we have encountered thus far.

The Presets - Cettina's mobile ringtone alerted us to this band. They are an electronic/techno pop-ish duo that is just impossible to get out of your head. Try: "Are You the One."

Sneaky Sound System - Carlyn had heard of this group before we arrived, but I was turned on to them while watching the top 20 on TV. A fun dance group. "You're Hot" is a favorite.

Jessica Mauboy - She was on Australian Idol (a show which, similar to its American counterpart, produces ridiculously few successful acts). She is part-Aboriginal. She is also Beyonce's new opening act. "Up/Down" will probably be the first thing you hear in the States.

The Plight of the USD

According to the Wednesday night Australian news, 1 AUD is now equivalent to .91 USD. This compared to the exchange rate of only a week ago, in which 1 AUD = .86 USD.

Damn you, US dollar. Damn you.

My Search for the Tassie Tiger

 

Tonight, I lie here in my bed--my stomach filled with lamb and delicious homemade yorkshire pudding, my bed occupied by a snoring tabby cat (please refer to earlier posts to read more about apneatic cat). And I suddenly I have this brilliant idea: I'm going to find the ever-evasive Tasmanian Tiger.

People--mainly Australians--joke. When Natalie and I have told them we're going to Tasmania, they often respond with something along the lines of, "Oh really? Well keep an eye out for that Tassie Tiger,eh?" They laugh a little. Chuckle. Giggle, even.

Little do they know...

...Call me crazy (although I'd prefer the term "zealously determined"). I don't care that the last Tassie Tiger known to man was the good ol', yet poorly mistreated, "Benjamin" of the Hobart Zoo who died in 1936. I don't care that most believe this half-rodent, half-tiger look-a-like to be extinct--that it's some myth of the past. I know there's a Tassie Tiger out there somewhere, perhaps hidden among the many, many, many eucalyptus trees...and I'm going after it. Note: We are on an island, after all; there are only so many places a tiger can go.


Stay posted for updates on my latest quest. I promise not to disappoint.

Animal Farm Pt 2

Just a note on Carlyn's post below. There are actually two cats. Only one has a dysfunctional pulmonary system. The other one, Salem, is pretty, but doesn't like us. The excessively loud one, Tom, does love us. And by "us" I mean my bed, and he refuses to leave. He is currently lying next to me and making a noise that resembles a cross of a bird cooing and a stomach grumbling.

I just kicked him off my bed and he returned. He is relentless.

One Big Lovable Animal Farm

The cat snores. We think he has asthma. I've suggested to Brony and Steve that he might have feline sleep apnea. Either way, he refuses to leave our room and likes to burrow in our covers. And he just snores. Or, rather, he wheezes to the point of discomfort. I often wonder if he's just dying a very slow asthmatic death. It worries me.

The dogs drool. Everywhere. We have "slop mops" (old dirty rags) stationed strategically around the house to prevent too much spillage.They're also the size of bears. After spending the summer in Tahoe, I've grown accustomed to panic when I see bears. Consequently, the first few days here, I often felt myself on the brink of cardiac arrest every time one of these large furry creatures came bounding around the corner.

The chickens poop everywhere. It gets on my boots. It gets on the eggs they lay. They even poop on their own food and then eat it.

Then there's the rooster. He crows when the sun rises. He crows at approximately 8:30 am when he's hungry. Then he crows periodically during the day, often at times when I'm about to lie down to take a short snooze. I firmly believe this is no coincidence. His coop sits just 100 ft directly from my window; he can always keep an eye on me.

There are horses. I actually quite like them. We feed them hay every other day and they just wander around in the field, bothering not a soul.

There's a cow too. He doesn't belong to the Markellos family, but I swear he wanders to the road outside of my window every night and just sits there for hours and moos. I believe he's in cahoots with the rooster.

NOTE: I do love these animals. I say this from the bottom of my heart. 

Tassie profile

You may not know too much about Tasmania (affectionately referred to as Tassie) and I welcome any excuse to pretend I'm a geography teacher, so here goes. An intro to Tassie.

Tasmania lies off the southeastern coast of the Australian mainland. If you need a comparison for size, its closest to West Virginia, 41st in total area (oh hey Alexa). But population-wise, it barely rivals Wyoming, our least populated state. DC even beats Tasmania, at roughly 600,000 residents. That was a bit of a shock for me to realize.

I've learned that there is a pretty strong division between the north and south of the island. Steve (the dad in the house) informed me that this partisanship can manifest itself in serious loyalty to regional beer - northerners will only drink Boag's, southerners Cascade (I've tried the former - not half bad). Steve also tried to liken the north/south dichotomy to that of the States, but I'm not sure I can envision people forswearing Jack Daniels or Sam Adams merely based on regionalism... but I'd love to be proven wrong if you've encountered this!

The weather here is interesting - it really does change at a moment's notice. Since we are about 45 min south of Hobart, overlooking Bruny Island, we get winds coming down around the southern tip of Tassie that makes the weather rather mercurial. Today, it is actually rather nice. I was fine working outside with just a long-sleeved shirt and leggings (and the necessary Wellingtons, of course).  I'd guess its about 65 degrees outside - not bad in the sun though, since the ozone is practically nonexistent here.  They say that a 15C day here feels like a 21C day in Sydney. Hopefully I wont get the sunburns to prove that saying's validity...

Well, I'll get back to this as I pick up more local knowledge about the geography down here!

The rest of our Sydney adventures

My Aussie "mate" Cettina (I know her from my dig in Pompeii) continued her amazing tour guiding and rounded out the rest of our long weekend in Sydney. She took us to lunch up on the Sydney Tower, which is a rotating room that gave us an amazing 360 look at Sydney. At the buffet lunch I tried, among many other things, my first taste of kangaroo.

After, we all went to the Sydney Aquarium, where Carlyn's life was threatened by a crocodile (not really) and I joined the five year olds in their exclamations over anything that resembled characters from Finding Nemo (yes, really). Undoubtedly the best part of the tour was a tank equipped with underwater tunnels that allowed a ridiculously close view of a lot of ridiculously sharp teeth. Here's to hoping that we never get any nearer to Australia's natural dangers.

We've gone even a bit more primitive than the aquarium, as we've left Sydney for the wilderness of Tassie. We arrived late yesterday night and were greeted by a small hailstorm as we walked off the plane (we seem to be the bearers of bad weather). While this might not fit into our idealized notion of missing winter while we traveled, the atmosphere here in the lovely farmhouse we are working on is wonderful.

The family we are staying with not only has a young Irish couple working here, but they also have two HUGE Newfoundland dogs (one is 75 kilos...), another dog, and two cats. Two horses and a chicken coup round out the group. Still no sight though of the Tassie wildlife - wallabies, bandicoots, and, of course, the Tasmanian Devil.

Yesterday I Saw My First Live Australian Crocodile

Luckily, it was in a cage. At the Sydney Aquarium. Where it couldn't eat me.

I have, however, been practicing running in zig-zagged lines (supposedly crocodiles can't see very well/can't run in "Z's"), so I've been training. Not that it will do me any good, but I like to think that being prepared physically will at least prepare me mentally for my impending crocodile-induced doom.


p.s.This morning I thougth to myself: "Well wouldn't that be ironic were I actually to die by crocodile..." It might not be hilarious, but still a bit funny, no?
p.p.s. I take that back. Not funny at all.
p.p.s. the Sydney Aquarium was AWESOME. Natalie has pictures...I'm sure she'll post, so check back later :).

L'auberge Australie

One of my favorite movies my senior year of high school was a movie entitled L'auberge Espagnole --the french term for "Spanish Pudding." (In Spain, the film was known as "Una casa de locos"--A house of crazies...but we're going to ignore that fact today).

The movie was set in Barcelona and revolved around the lives of approximately 10 individuals living in this one apartment together. They all spoke different languages, came from different cultures, but they all had Barcelona/the apartment in common. They were, in other words, the ingredients for one delicious international spanish pudding.

I always dreamed that I'd be able to create a spanish pudding of my own--metaphorically speaking, not literally (I tend to avoid cooking). In fact, I've still been dreaming of it to this day. That is, until my mother informed me ever so excitedly that for the past 3 days I've been living the high [pudding] life myself!

Let me update you: I am currently updating this blog in an apartment, in which Natalie and I are staying. We found it via Couch Surfing; it's located in Redfern (turns out to be quite lovely), and we're being hosted by two Australians named Karl and Tom, a Frenchman named Pierre, and a Colombian we so lovingly call Diego (who prefers to be known as "the ladies man"). Then, of course, there's me and Natalie. We're American, in case you didn't know...

So essentially I've been living the dream! Sadly, airplane travel blessed me with a slight cold, so I've been less social than I would like, but the four guys we're staying with are still wonderful. We've been eating together, chillin' together, bottling beer together (well, they demonstrated...we watched), feeding snakes together (again, Tom demonstrated...we watched), talking, and drinking the bottled beer. And, as promised by Couch Surfing, they've let us sleep on their pull out blue futon--a bit lumpy, but satisfactory nonetheless.

Fact: Australians are very hipster

Fact: Many teenagers/college students/people of the ages 13-25 wear tight jeans, cut-off or bermuda shorts, small purses with long straps worn over the shoulder, disheveled hair, keds skimmer shoes, and oversized/colorful shirts.

Fact: Walking down in the street in my grey winter leggings, calf-length socks (worn over my leggings), and sneakers, I felt very intimidated. Me = not enough style.

Fact: I am determined to buy a pair of skimmers. I feel that if I accessorize my feet properly, I might fit in.

Unrelated Fact: McDonalds (Maccas) in Australia have free wireless. Guess where Natalie and I are at approximately 3:45 on a Sunday afternoon...

Cockatoo

We randomly came across a group of tourists in the botanical gardens yesterday who had a bag of sunflower seeds. They let us take some (after they saw me sketchily photographing them...) so we could feed the birds. A step up from the pigeons we're accustomed to.

I was shocked when one actually landed on my shoulder. But check out the woman behind me - her reaction is infinitely better.
 

A day of firsts

First taste of Vegemite, first time in downtown Sydney, first experience with CouchSurfing...

If you aren't familiar with CouchSurfing, its essentially a website where you can make a profile either offering your couch for someone to crash on, or request said couch. Its pretty phenomenal. Before you worry for anyone's safety - rest assured that there is a system of vouching and reviewing that allows people to determine the legitimacy of your profile.

But what's so awesome is that it is built on trust, and on the principle that there are other people out there who just want to see the world, but might need a friendly face to help make that happen. Carlyn and I, being new to CS, don't have any reviews or many friends on the site, so in truth, its our hosts who we trusting of us in allowing us to stay with them.

We arrived at their place yesterday afternoon, cracked open a few bottles of their home-brewed beer, and just chatted away the evening/night, before crashing on their futon.

All in all, a successful day. Three days left in Sydney, then on to Tasmania!

Today I Tried Vegemite

A continuation of the post below:

Today I tried Vegemite. And it was delicious.

Now, I know some of you are probably shocked--flabbergasted, even. In America, Vegemite doesn't necessarily have the most top-notch reputation. However, Cettina prepared us our Vegemite as such: a slice of toasted and buttered bread, topped with a thin layer of Vegemite, topped again by a slab of melted cheese. The result? A deliciously salty grilled cheese Vegemite sandwich-like piece of toast. My god, it was GOOD. (Note: I couldn't be bothered to take a picture, but please trust me on this).

p.s. Supposedly, when Americans eat Vegemite they spread it too thick, like the would, say, peanut butter or jelly. DO NOT DO THIS. Vegemite has quite a little kick to it; it is to be used/eaten/spread in delightful moderation.

Today I Will Try Vegemite

 


Cettina forced me to smell it yesterday (aka Cettina asked politely if I'd like to smell it--to which I said, well yes, I would indeed like to smell the Vegemite). I was not impressed. Although I have a bit of a cold, the bitter and salty aromas were still not very hard to distinguish. I did promise her, however, that I would try a bit with my buttered toast this morning. At the very least, I figure I'll get my day's worth of Vitamin B.

Hold your breaths. Brace yourselves. I'll post later with the results.

Dear People of Sydney

Dear Sydney-ites,

G'day, mates! I may have only just arrived, but I'm already determined to become one of you. Thank you for welcoming us into your country/continent/nation with nothing but smiles. Thank you for your extensive Duty Free shop that was just waiting for us when we first stepped off the plane.Thank you for giving us Cettina, our wonderful host who not only picked us up from the airport, but fed us and is just overall an extremely friendly personality. Thank you for the words "petrol" and "Mackas" (gas and McDonalds, respectively). Thanks also for your term "heaps"...I've already adopted it into my vocabulary. Thank you for your accents, although I must say they make me feel quite plain in comparison. Thanks also for Australian Rules Football...I don't understand it yet, but I know I soon will develop an obsession. And last but not least, thank you for your money. It is pretty. I am a fan of the flashy, bright hues. America could learn a thing or two from you (our money is a bit stuffy, if you ask me...dull green vs. pink, blue, bright green? that's not even a question.). 

I've only been here 5 hours, but I really feel like this could become something special. I hope you all can learn to love me the way I believe I will grow to love you.

Thinking Fondly of You,
Carlyn

G'Night America!

WHAT. WE'RE LEAVING. TODAY. no, but really...TODAY. well tonight, actually.

rofpimpwe (rolling on the floor, peeing in my pants with excitement).

p.s. you'll hear from us on the flipside!
p.p.s. and by" flipside," i mean OZ.

Today's the Day

We actually leave for Australia today. No more of this countdown business that's been going on for months. I think Carlyn and I are both in a state of shock that our adventure is finally upon us.

This trip is the result of one of the most fruitful procrastination sessions of my life. Last winter break, Carlyn and I sat in the Georgetown Saxby's nearly every day, working on our respective theses. We got to talking about post-grad and forged a Google Doc: "Natalie and Carlyn Do the World!!!" And now nine months later, we finally depart(!!!).

It doesn't seem as though there is free wireless in the Sydney airport, but we will try and update the blog ASAP with news of our safe arrival.