Well hello everyone, right now is when I apologise for not getting back to everyone sooner. And I will have to appoligise even more as this is all you will be getting for a while. I have some blogs I want to put up, but alas my battery is just about dead because someone used it all putting up his blogs. So to make things nice and short until I can recharge this thing, and burry the battery hogger. He spent most of his time looking up stuff for Asia. Personal e-mails, bull. Anyway have to run, will get something up if we ever find internet in Margret river, but I ain't holding my breath for that. But in case I don't I would like to wish my mother a Happy Birthday in advance.
That is all for now I am afraid, maybe I will come back to Albany tomorow to get my blogs up.
Farewell.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Rottnest Island
Rottnest is an Island just off the coast of Western Australia, about a 25 minute ferry ride from Freemantle on the coast. The most famous features of the island are snorkeling, cycling and Quakkas, which are these things. They are essentially big rats,
and when I made a comment about how they resembled footballs, I was given an official warning from our hosts regarding these ugly fur balls. It wasn't until I was being starred down from across the room that I noticed Gerards Quakka power shirt, must make a mental note regarding observation skills. Anyway we took the train from Clarkson train station to central Perth, where we transferred trains and headed off to Freemantle. One train ticket, 1.5 hours on the train, for 5.30AUS, that is a steel of a deal, we went like 70km, and didn't have to pay for parking. I like Perh's public transit. Anyway Sarah, Chris and I boarded our high speed ferry to Rottness, started lathering on about 6 tons of sunscreen in hopes of avoiding a nasty sunburn. This was especially important as Doctor Sarah was watching our every move with the professional eye. Anyway we arrived and the first impression I got was, "this feels a lot like Machinac Island", which is a real tourist money pit. Rotness wasn't quite as bad for that. Anyway we rented single speed bicycles for like 25 bucks a piece, and headed out along the coast. The island coast was really cool and then there was this gun battery 
that was manned by women in WW2..........manned by women....... isn't that an interesting word combination, anyway there was even a sing posted on the door telling the women they were not allowed to roll up their skirts while in uniform. Couldn't you just imagine news headlines back then. "Now hear this, now hear this, Hitler sends submarines to Rotness, gun battery inoperable because personnel were arrested due to dress codes infraction." Sarah was laughing over that sign. 
Anyway we proceeded over several hills, (suddenly 1 speed bikes seemed a poor decision) and came into Little Samon Bay. This is where we went snorkeling, 
and boy is that cool. Swimming through the water 
seeing all the fish, swimming down between rock channels, and getting some really cool pictures. The best by far was this orange and black fish that I spent like 10 minutes diving and trying to get a picture of as he was hiding under a rock. Luckily he finally came out and I got this one. The funnest part of snorkeling is diving and swimming through little caves and between rock formations, unless this happens to you. I was going under this rock arch, when a massive current came through and almost started pushing me backwards. So I swam a bit harder, and then the fun started. My flippers came off, and then I was going backwards. If you have ever been going backwards you would understand the words that came through my head. I decided I didn't really want to bust my legs against the rocks they were rapidly approaching, so I grabbed hold of both sides of the channel and hauled myself through. After refiling my lungs with oxygen I dived back down and got the flippers that Jane and Gerard had lent to us. Anyway really cool, if not a bit scary. Once back on shore we proceeded to bicycle around for a while 
and then called it a day due to the heat. We retreated to a Dones restaurant and ordered iced drinks of various shapes, sizes and tastes. God do they ever taste good when it is hot enough to melt your skin off your face. The ferry ride back was a gut clenching, hurtling adventure that many a kid looked green on. I was having a great ride, Chris was looking a bit green, and Doc Sarah was sleeping, unaffected by the combination of high speed boat and large waves. Anyway we had supper in Freemantle before we took the train back home. It was a wonderful day filled with sun, beaches, bicycles, cold drinks, and luckily no sun burns. Thanks Doc.
Gerard and Jane
Everything from New Years to January 10
Well this is looooooooooong overdue, and I know it. As a special treat I am working on a video blog that should review my last couple of days. Anyway, we arrived at Gerard's and Jane's place the night of the 30. They never met us before, and we only had 2 conversations before I pulled into their driveway at 9:30 at night. They gave us food and introduced us to an American who was leaving around 4:00 the next morning. We all sat and chatted for a while before we all packed it in for the night, especially those who were heading to the airport at 4 in the morning. The next day we lounged around and chatted a lot more. I like Gerard and Jane, they are wonderful people, and I owe them so much. We swam in the pool, played with the dogs,
and then Chris and I went to go get some gear for are car and when we came back, Gerard was mysteriously missing. And here is why. There was a young Canadian doctor named Sarah who was supposed to fly in around 10:00pm that night. Around 3:00 in the afternoon Gerard got the phone call from Sarah at the airport, wondering why he hadn't shown up yet. Whoops, anyway Gerard ran off to pick her up and we hit the pool. Sara is a really cool person, lots of stories about her have been building up this week, but they are incredibly embarrassing, Here is the site for her blog,
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/smgiles/1/1262573837/tpod.html
make sure you read the one about the sheep. Anyway she has been all over the country (including Iqaloit) and about another 100 places in the middle of know were for her doctor stuff, great stories. Anyway she takes off to Broom in a couple of weeks for a month, which will be about the same time as we will be up there, so hopefully we will meet again. Anyway we met lots of Jane's and Gerard's friends over the new years break, all of them wonderful people. We kind of missed the new years countdown (our bad) as we spent over an hour buzzing through Gerard's 2.2 tara bites of movies, shows, documentaries, etc. that he has on his tv. Ya, I know, we are so cool. Anyway the next day we went swimming in the ocean, swimming in the pool (where all three men were destroyed in feats of dexterity, accuracy and such by Sarah It was a low point for all humans containing male genitalia.) walking the dogs, and eating good food put on by our grateful hosts. Chris and I cooked a couple of evenings, which is harder than it sounds as it turns out Gerard is a vegetarian, which single handedly destroyed all of my cooking skills and recipes, ingenuity brought us out with a close to passing grade that night, but it was close. Anyway we returned a couple of nights later to the friends of Jane's we met new years (and the so called "Scottish Mafia were there to, great to banter with, and really smart to) These guys are like Doctors on steroids, and they had great stories to. We had indian that night, and I had a good conversation with a young guy working on getting his pilots licence, cool guy. The next day we spent lounging around, swimming, and walking on the beach, oh ya, and drinking wine. On Saturday Sarah, Chris and I decided we would head down into Perth and check out the town the next day. Unfortunately we got off to a late start when Sara didn't get up until 9:30, which is ironic, because she was up by 6:30 every other day. We checked out a bit of Perth
and then took the ferry over to Freemantle, 
which is like the old Strathcona part of Edmonton, 
it is the cooler part. We saw some really impressive homes on the ferry ride,
one just sold for 56 million dollars last week (not the one above, my camera stopped working for a while). Oh ya, we also saw dolphins. It was a nice day in Freemantle, not to hot, and not raining. Ice cream tastes so much better when it is hot outside. The next day everyone went to work, Sarah started her orientation in Perth, Gerard had to start a weeks worth of lectures at the university in Perth, Jane went to work in Perth and we bummed around working on building a resume, and swimming in the pool. Resumes are so hard to build after being on the road for 2 months, and building it for a different country, and when there is a wonderful pool sitting just out your front porch. Well the next day Chris and I went into Perth and droped some resume's off at different places. I should make a note here, I love the train network in Perth, it is relatively cheep and it goes a long way. It goes like 40km from the center of the city in all directions, well except west, the ocean is there.
http://www.railmaps.com.au/perth.htm
Edmonton, you should take notes from these guys, we saved so much money being able to park and ride to get into the city. When I got back I skyped my family, while I was in the pool, dad didn't like that so much, apparently it was cold at home. Anyway the next couple of days we did more lounging, swimming and relaxing. I slept in late these days as I moved from the mattress in the library into the bed Sarah used to occupy. That is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, it was one I only dreamed about, so what if it was purple and pick,
it was really comfortable. On Friday Sarah returned and us and I lost my comfortable bed, I cried secretly. The three amigos headed to Rottness island, nicknamed Rotto by the locals early Friday morning, but that will be a whole other blog, as I have major picks to get up for that one. We had supper in Freemantle before returning to home base via the train. 
Saturday morning I said farewell to Gerard as he was heading to Sydney to teach a class, and since Sarah had nothing to do for 3 weeks, she decided to go to. Chris and I decided to head out early Sunday or Monday back South to Albany and spend some time down there. I just found out Kia is down there, so maybe we will meet up. Anyway tomorrow we will pack and get ready to head out, I will miss this place, and I don't know how to thank Jane and Gerard enough for all that they have done. If ever you run into them at a street corner, say hello and have a conversation, as they are wonderful people who deserve all the kindness the world has to offer as
Well this is looooooooooong overdue, and I know it. As a special treat I am working on a video blog that should review my last couple of days. Anyway, we arrived at Gerard's and Jane's place the night of the 30. They never met us before, and we only had 2 conversations before I pulled into their driveway at 9:30 at night. They gave us food and introduced us to an American who was leaving around 4:00 the next morning. We all sat and chatted for a while before we all packed it in for the night, especially those who were heading to the airport at 4 in the morning. The next day we lounged around and chatted a lot more. I like Gerard and Jane, they are wonderful people, and I owe them so much. We swam in the pool, played with the dogs,
and then Chris and I went to go get some gear for are car and when we came back, Gerard was mysteriously missing. And here is why. There was a young Canadian doctor named Sarah who was supposed to fly in around 10:00pm that night. Around 3:00 in the afternoon Gerard got the phone call from Sarah at the airport, wondering why he hadn't shown up yet. Whoops, anyway Gerard ran off to pick her up and we hit the pool. Sara is a really cool person, lots of stories about her have been building up this week, but they are incredibly embarrassing, Here is the site for her blog,http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/smgiles/1/1262573837/tpod.html
make sure you read the one about the sheep. Anyway she has been all over the country (including Iqaloit) and about another 100 places in the middle of know were for her doctor stuff, great stories. Anyway she takes off to Broom in a couple of weeks for a month, which will be about the same time as we will be up there, so hopefully we will meet again. Anyway we met lots of Jane's and Gerard's friends over the new years break, all of them wonderful people. We kind of missed the new years countdown (our bad) as we spent over an hour buzzing through Gerard's 2.2 tara bites of movies, shows, documentaries, etc. that he has on his tv. Ya, I know, we are so cool. Anyway the next day we went swimming in the ocean, swimming in the pool (where all three men were destroyed in feats of dexterity, accuracy and such by Sarah It was a low point for all humans containing male genitalia.) walking the dogs, and eating good food put on by our grateful hosts. Chris and I cooked a couple of evenings, which is harder than it sounds as it turns out Gerard is a vegetarian, which single handedly destroyed all of my cooking skills and recipes, ingenuity brought us out with a close to passing grade that night, but it was close. Anyway we returned a couple of nights later to the friends of Jane's we met new years (and the so called "Scottish Mafia were there to, great to banter with, and really smart to) These guys are like Doctors on steroids, and they had great stories to. We had indian that night, and I had a good conversation with a young guy working on getting his pilots licence, cool guy. The next day we spent lounging around, swimming, and walking on the beach, oh ya, and drinking wine. On Saturday Sarah, Chris and I decided we would head down into Perth and check out the town the next day. Unfortunately we got off to a late start when Sara didn't get up until 9:30, which is ironic, because she was up by 6:30 every other day. We checked out a bit of Perth
and then took the ferry over to Freemantle, 
which is like the old Strathcona part of Edmonton, 
it is the cooler part. We saw some really impressive homes on the ferry ride,
one just sold for 56 million dollars last week (not the one above, my camera stopped working for a while). Oh ya, we also saw dolphins. It was a nice day in Freemantle, not to hot, and not raining. Ice cream tastes so much better when it is hot outside. The next day everyone went to work, Sarah started her orientation in Perth, Gerard had to start a weeks worth of lectures at the university in Perth, Jane went to work in Perth and we bummed around working on building a resume, and swimming in the pool. Resumes are so hard to build after being on the road for 2 months, and building it for a different country, and when there is a wonderful pool sitting just out your front porch. Well the next day Chris and I went into Perth and droped some resume's off at different places. I should make a note here, I love the train network in Perth, it is relatively cheep and it goes a long way. It goes like 40km from the center of the city in all directions, well except west, the ocean is there.http://www.railmaps.com.au/perth.htm
Edmonton, you should take notes from these guys, we saved so much money being able to park and ride to get into the city. When I got back I skyped my family, while I was in the pool, dad didn't like that so much, apparently it was cold at home. Anyway the next couple of days we did more lounging, swimming and relaxing. I slept in late these days as I moved from the mattress in the library into the bed Sarah used to occupy. That is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, it was one I only dreamed about, so what if it was purple and pick,
it was really comfortable. On Friday Sarah returned and us and I lost my comfortable bed, I cried secretly. The three amigos headed to Rottness island, nicknamed Rotto by the locals early Friday morning, but that will be a whole other blog, as I have major picks to get up for that one. We had supper in Freemantle before returning to home base via the train. 
Saturday morning I said farewell to Gerard as he was heading to Sydney to teach a class, and since Sarah had nothing to do for 3 weeks, she decided to go to. Chris and I decided to head out early Sunday or Monday back South to Albany and spend some time down there. I just found out Kia is down there, so maybe we will meet up. Anyway tomorrow we will pack and get ready to head out, I will miss this place, and I don't know how to thank Jane and Gerard enough for all that they have done. If ever you run into them at a street corner, say hello and have a conversation, as they are wonderful people who deserve all the kindness the world has to offer as
Thursday, January 7, 2010
News From Away
January 7
Well todays blog will be nothing about me, more about news related stuff. It has been a really strange week for news, and let me tell you why. Number 1, the beach we usually go down to to swim at was closed yeasterday, because there were a couple of 4m Tiger sharks swimming just off shore. Speeking of tigers, I think this was the first week I didn't have to hear his name on the news in a really long time. Anyway in other news, the Ady Gil, the 1.5 million dollar speed boat we saw in Tasmania,
was rammed by a Japanese whaling ship. Now it looks like this, 
not quite worth it's full value hu? Lets see, Canada lost in the Juniors (I grieved, I really did), I found out Edmonton sucks this year at hockey (Maybe it is a good thing I ain't home right now, it is less painful while you are sitting on the beach). I found out Guiness caught fire, there are bush fires 4 miles East of Gerards place, there are major droughts in the central part of Australia, while in the NE, it is flooding (there really is no inbetween with these people). Well I off 2 bed, we are heading over to Rotness island in 7 hours, so goodnight. I promise I will get something up soon, once I sit down and write it.
Well todays blog will be nothing about me, more about news related stuff. It has been a really strange week for news, and let me tell you why. Number 1, the beach we usually go down to to swim at was closed yeasterday, because there were a couple of 4m Tiger sharks swimming just off shore. Speeking of tigers, I think this was the first week I didn't have to hear his name on the news in a really long time. Anyway in other news, the Ady Gil, the 1.5 million dollar speed boat we saw in Tasmania,
was rammed by a Japanese whaling ship. Now it looks like this, not quite worth it's full value hu? Lets see, Canada lost in the Juniors (I grieved, I really did), I found out Edmonton sucks this year at hockey (Maybe it is a good thing I ain't home right now, it is less painful while you are sitting on the beach). I found out Guiness caught fire, there are bush fires 4 miles East of Gerards place, there are major droughts in the central part of Australia, while in the NE, it is flooding (there really is no inbetween with these people). Well I off 2 bed, we are heading over to Rotness island in 7 hours, so goodnight. I promise I will get something up soon, once I sit down and write it.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Convicts
Well, I probably shouldn't dance around this topic much longer, it is time I hit the convict on the head. As many of you know Australia was originally one big gigantic prison, at the age of 12 you were liable for your own actions and could be sent to jail, by the age of 17 you could be executed, and by the age of 18 you could be deported to Australia, don't worry, you aren't the only one confused by that progression of logic. Anyway, the British had this idea, their prisons in England were overcrowded, and the cities were overrun by thieves and general lawlessness. Why not send all the thieves, murderers, and anyone else they don't want there to this newly discovered continent half way around the wold and use them as cheap labour to build this new colony? Which is where our visit to Port Arthur comes in. 
Port Aurthur was a convict prison set up on the state known back then as "Van Diemens Land", now called Tasmania. 
It is a brilliant location, it is an a narrow peninsula that attaches to Tasmania at this one little point a little under 100m wide, called Eagles Hawk Neck, back then it was called The Dog Line. It was called that because that is where the soldiers set up a guard dog line to stop escaping convicts reaching mainland Tasmania. The port was only accessible by ship and was located in a sheltered bay, so it was excellent to keep the convicts in. Though there were a couple of examples where convicts did try to escape, and to some extent succeeded. There was this one individual named Edward who escaped from the prison and tried to escape up the peninsula, but found his way barred by the guard dog line at eagles hawk neck. In an act of sheer genius or stupidity he decided to try to sneak by using a Kangaroo skin that he removed from a dead one he found, apparently it stunk a bit. So he waited until dusk and the began hopping toward the guard line, and it was working very well, as it was fooling the guards. 
Unfortunately for the convict the guards hadn't eaten all day and kangaroo is very tasty, so the guard lowered his rifle and was about to shoot when the convict through off the dead skin and said "Don't shoot, it is me Edward, the escaped convict". Alas no Kangaroo for supper that night for the guard. Then there was the tale of the constable's boating crew. The constable used 6 convicts to row his little fishing boat around, so no one was surprised to see them rowing up the harbour, until someone realized that the rowing crew had left the constable back at his house and were making a break for it. They made it as far as Sydney on the mainland, which is where they were apprehended when they pulled in for supplies. As a final insult, the New South Wales government charged the constable 6 pounds in freight to send him his stolen boat back, but the prisoners were returned free of charge. Convicts though were actually what built Australia, and let me tell you why. All of the really labour intensive jobs, such as quarrying, mining, logging, and road building required a large amount of labour, and preferably cheap labour. Enter in the convicts, they were cheap labour, and they were assigned to do all the tough jobs nobody else wanted, including the dangerous ones. Some of their work can still be seen today, when you walk down a road in Australia, have a look at the old buildings, if the stone they are built with are rough cut, they were probably quarried by convicts using pick axes. 
However if they have smooth edges all the way around, they were probably cut using machines, when the convicts were no longer used as slave labour. Port Artur was not the only convict labour camp, there were actually hundreds all over Australia, but most of the big ones were in Tasmania. If you served your time, and didn't cause to much trouble you were usually released, and you could usually use the trades you learned while working in the jail to gain employment once you were released. This was new thinking, not only reform the convicts, but teach them how to make a living once you send them into the real world. How strange, Australia, the continent built by thieves, murderers, and the like, though I should say most of the convicts sent down here were not really that dangerous. But still what a weird thing to use to lay down the foundations of a country hu?
That's all for now folks.
Port Aurthur was a convict prison set up on the state known back then as "Van Diemens Land", now called Tasmania. 
It is a brilliant location, it is an a narrow peninsula that attaches to Tasmania at this one little point a little under 100m wide, called Eagles Hawk Neck, back then it was called The Dog Line. It was called that because that is where the soldiers set up a guard dog line to stop escaping convicts reaching mainland Tasmania. The port was only accessible by ship and was located in a sheltered bay, so it was excellent to keep the convicts in. Though there were a couple of examples where convicts did try to escape, and to some extent succeeded. There was this one individual named Edward who escaped from the prison and tried to escape up the peninsula, but found his way barred by the guard dog line at eagles hawk neck. In an act of sheer genius or stupidity he decided to try to sneak by using a Kangaroo skin that he removed from a dead one he found, apparently it stunk a bit. So he waited until dusk and the began hopping toward the guard line, and it was working very well, as it was fooling the guards. 
Unfortunately for the convict the guards hadn't eaten all day and kangaroo is very tasty, so the guard lowered his rifle and was about to shoot when the convict through off the dead skin and said "Don't shoot, it is me Edward, the escaped convict". Alas no Kangaroo for supper that night for the guard. Then there was the tale of the constable's boating crew. The constable used 6 convicts to row his little fishing boat around, so no one was surprised to see them rowing up the harbour, until someone realized that the rowing crew had left the constable back at his house and were making a break for it. They made it as far as Sydney on the mainland, which is where they were apprehended when they pulled in for supplies. As a final insult, the New South Wales government charged the constable 6 pounds in freight to send him his stolen boat back, but the prisoners were returned free of charge. Convicts though were actually what built Australia, and let me tell you why. All of the really labour intensive jobs, such as quarrying, mining, logging, and road building required a large amount of labour, and preferably cheap labour. Enter in the convicts, they were cheap labour, and they were assigned to do all the tough jobs nobody else wanted, including the dangerous ones. Some of their work can still be seen today, when you walk down a road in Australia, have a look at the old buildings, if the stone they are built with are rough cut, they were probably quarried by convicts using pick axes. 
However if they have smooth edges all the way around, they were probably cut using machines, when the convicts were no longer used as slave labour. Port Artur was not the only convict labour camp, there were actually hundreds all over Australia, but most of the big ones were in Tasmania. If you served your time, and didn't cause to much trouble you were usually released, and you could usually use the trades you learned while working in the jail to gain employment once you were released. This was new thinking, not only reform the convicts, but teach them how to make a living once you send them into the real world. How strange, Australia, the continent built by thieves, murderers, and the like, though I should say most of the convicts sent down here were not really that dangerous. But still what a weird thing to use to lay down the foundations of a country hu? That's all for now folks.
The Toilet Bowl
It is now time that I answer a question asked by many of my friends.
Does the water spin the other way in the toilets in Australia? Or something like that.
Well here is the answer, no, but not for the reason you are thinking. The issue is that ever since I got down here, I can't find a toilet in which the water spins or rotates at all. Now that I have got you all thoroughly confused, let me try to clear up the subject. Australia is the driest continent on Earth, and over the past couple of years they have realised that and taken measures to try and conserve water. They don 't water the lawn as much, they enforce water restrictions, and every time I drive into a town I see a water conservation number ranging from one to five, depending on how low the water reservoirs are running. One of the most effective things done was to install eco friendly toilets, which are just regular toilets, but use way less water, no excess water is wasted when we flush now, so no extra circulating water. Imagine the toilets on an airplane, they are a lot like those, but not quite that extreme. They have even installed waterless urinals, which saves up to a gallon of water when compared to old urinals, and no I am not talking about the waterless ones when you walk up to a tree and pee. In Victoria because of the ten year drought water restrictions are really tough, in Melbourne they actually have signs in the shower asking you to keep them short, down to under 4 minutes because of the lack of water. In some parts of the country, the drought has been going on for 20 years now. I didn't really understand how bad it actually was in Victoria until I saw the Murray River,
but that is a whole nother blog.
Does the water spin the other way in the toilets in Australia? Or something like that.
Well here is the answer, no, but not for the reason you are thinking. The issue is that ever since I got down here, I can't find a toilet in which the water spins or rotates at all. Now that I have got you all thoroughly confused, let me try to clear up the subject. Australia is the driest continent on Earth, and over the past couple of years they have realised that and taken measures to try and conserve water. They don 't water the lawn as much, they enforce water restrictions, and every time I drive into a town I see a water conservation number ranging from one to five, depending on how low the water reservoirs are running. One of the most effective things done was to install eco friendly toilets, which are just regular toilets, but use way less water, no excess water is wasted when we flush now, so no extra circulating water. Imagine the toilets on an airplane, they are a lot like those, but not quite that extreme. They have even installed waterless urinals, which saves up to a gallon of water when compared to old urinals, and no I am not talking about the waterless ones when you walk up to a tree and pee. In Victoria because of the ten year drought water restrictions are really tough, in Melbourne they actually have signs in the shower asking you to keep them short, down to under 4 minutes because of the lack of water. In some parts of the country, the drought has been going on for 20 years now. I didn't really understand how bad it actually was in Victoria until I saw the Murray River,
but that is a whole nother blog.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Video
January 4
Well hello everyone, I haven't blogged a whole lot these last couple of days. Even my last entry was kind of half hearted, which I really should apologize for, I have had a hard time sitting down in front of this thing. The thing is, I have had a hard time putting my thoughts down the last couple of days. I have been having a wonderful time these last couple of days with Jane, Gerard and Sara, which has actually made this easier. I haven't really written a good blog since I got the phone call on December 29 about my Great Aunt passing away. I kind of expected it was going to happen, but it wasn't easy being half way around the world, knowing you won't be able to be home and be with everyone. The fact that I have been busy and having a wonderful time has made it easier, but my computer still holds something rather painful. Just before Christmas I got creative and made a special video for my Aunt who was sick in the hospital, she went to hospital like 10 days after I left, and she was there for 2 months until she passed away on the evening of the 27, I didn't find out until several days later when I got across the Nulabor. I thought it would be a wonderful Christmas present for her, unfortunately I couldn't get it to upload when I was in Adelaide no matter how hard I tried. In the end I decided to try and get it up in Perth. Unfortunately she passed on before I reached Perth, and now that video sits on my desktop, unpublished, untouched, unyielding. I haven't played it, deleting it is out of the question, even burying it deep in the hard drive feels wrong, so it just sits there. Whenever I start up my computer in the evenings to tell everyone my thoughts for the previous 24 hours I see the video file, and my thoughts fall to pieces. Today I finally sat down and watched the video, something I needed to do, and I felt better about it, as I remember it was supposed to make her smile, and it made me smile to. I miss my Great Aunt, and everyone else back home, but I will be getting my blogging back up to date shortly, I just needed time to get my feet back underneath me, thank you all for being patient, I will promise you that there will be some good blogs coming up.
P.S. I just put up some major blogs. Including 2 from December 15&19 (Murry River stuff) May I suggest everyone take it slow and read maybe 1 or 2 a day, or else you will burn your selves out.
P.P.S Here is a video I made for everyone at Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R29nt9If9k4
and 2 from Fossil bay in Tasmania
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq7EUbEH1GQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BDfhXoIABA
And my channel for future reference
http://www.youtube.com/user/theofficeblog#p/a/u/0/4BDfhXoIABA
Well hello everyone, I haven't blogged a whole lot these last couple of days. Even my last entry was kind of half hearted, which I really should apologize for, I have had a hard time sitting down in front of this thing. The thing is, I have had a hard time putting my thoughts down the last couple of days. I have been having a wonderful time these last couple of days with Jane, Gerard and Sara, which has actually made this easier. I haven't really written a good blog since I got the phone call on December 29 about my Great Aunt passing away. I kind of expected it was going to happen, but it wasn't easy being half way around the world, knowing you won't be able to be home and be with everyone. The fact that I have been busy and having a wonderful time has made it easier, but my computer still holds something rather painful. Just before Christmas I got creative and made a special video for my Aunt who was sick in the hospital, she went to hospital like 10 days after I left, and she was there for 2 months until she passed away on the evening of the 27, I didn't find out until several days later when I got across the Nulabor. I thought it would be a wonderful Christmas present for her, unfortunately I couldn't get it to upload when I was in Adelaide no matter how hard I tried. In the end I decided to try and get it up in Perth. Unfortunately she passed on before I reached Perth, and now that video sits on my desktop, unpublished, untouched, unyielding. I haven't played it, deleting it is out of the question, even burying it deep in the hard drive feels wrong, so it just sits there. Whenever I start up my computer in the evenings to tell everyone my thoughts for the previous 24 hours I see the video file, and my thoughts fall to pieces. Today I finally sat down and watched the video, something I needed to do, and I felt better about it, as I remember it was supposed to make her smile, and it made me smile to. I miss my Great Aunt, and everyone else back home, but I will be getting my blogging back up to date shortly, I just needed time to get my feet back underneath me, thank you all for being patient, I will promise you that there will be some good blogs coming up.
P.S. I just put up some major blogs. Including 2 from December 15&19 (Murry River stuff) May I suggest everyone take it slow and read maybe 1 or 2 a day, or else you will burn your selves out.
P.P.S Here is a video I made for everyone at Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R29nt9If9k4
and 2 from Fossil bay in Tasmania
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq7EUbEH1GQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BDfhXoIABA
And my channel for future reference
http://www.youtube.com/user/theofficeblog#p/a/u/0/4BDfhXoIABA
The Nulabour
December 28, 2009 
Well we are just about completely across the Nulabore. We are only 100 km from Newport and the end of the strait, boring, flat drive across the Nulabore plain. It is over 2700km from Adelaide to Perth, over 1500 of that is flat empty plain/scrub/light bush. In fact today I drove the longest flat, strait section of highway in Australia, 150km without a corner, as we were only doing 80-90km/h in order to save on fuel (fuel price across the plain is 1.65/liter, saving on fuel costs is a big thing) it took almost 2 hours. On a side note the steering is in very good alignment. Many people say this is the most boring thing in the world, but I like it. It can be boring, but the nothingness can be rather comfortable. I loved the part where we stood on a slight rise and saw nothing for miles, no trees, rocks, animals, anything. 
just you and 2 complaining passengers. It was humbling seeing nothing but horizon, reminded me of Saskatchewan. I saw some wonderful stars that night, clear skies, no bugs, no clouds, just me and a brightly coloured sky. I won't pretend that the drive was a breeze, it was long, incredibly long. But I will admit that as we drove across the plain, I turned off the music coming from the I-pod (to much dismay from my passengers), put my arm on the window sill, and listened to pur of the engine as the hot wind blew past my hair. I drove like that for over 2 hours before my passengers 
called an end to our drive that night. Apparently they need music in their lives, how music would ruin a moment like that, they couldn't understand what there was that appealed to me about listening to the wind or the workings of the car. I do it all the time at home, that is one thing that bugs me about Chris, he always has to have his music on in the car, I would rather listen to the radio, especially since we are in a different land where the culture is different. I didn't just come here to see the land, I came to meet the people, to get a better understanding of the culture. And what better way than to listen to local radio. The music on the I-pod never changes, the people in the towns we drive through do. Anyway, nulabore plains, long, and yet...I like it. By the way the second passenger I mentioned is a guy by the name of Ki, German of course, who is catching a ride with us across the plain to Perth.
Well we are just about completely across the Nulabore. We are only 100 km from Newport and the end of the strait, boring, flat drive across the Nulabore plain. It is over 2700km from Adelaide to Perth, over 1500 of that is flat empty plain/scrub/light bush. In fact today I drove the longest flat, strait section of highway in Australia, 150km without a corner, as we were only doing 80-90km/h in order to save on fuel (fuel price across the plain is 1.65/liter, saving on fuel costs is a big thing) it took almost 2 hours. On a side note the steering is in very good alignment. Many people say this is the most boring thing in the world, but I like it. It can be boring, but the nothingness can be rather comfortable. I loved the part where we stood on a slight rise and saw nothing for miles, no trees, rocks, animals, anything. just you and 2 complaining passengers. It was humbling seeing nothing but horizon, reminded me of Saskatchewan. I saw some wonderful stars that night, clear skies, no bugs, no clouds, just me and a brightly coloured sky. I won't pretend that the drive was a breeze, it was long, incredibly long. But I will admit that as we drove across the plain, I turned off the music coming from the I-pod (to much dismay from my passengers), put my arm on the window sill, and listened to pur of the engine as the hot wind blew past my hair. I drove like that for over 2 hours before my passengers called an end to our drive that night. Apparently they need music in their lives, how music would ruin a moment like that, they couldn't understand what there was that appealed to me about listening to the wind or the workings of the car. I do it all the time at home, that is one thing that bugs me about Chris, he always has to have his music on in the car, I would rather listen to the radio, especially since we are in a different land where the culture is different. I didn't just come here to see the land, I came to meet the people, to get a better understanding of the culture. And what better way than to listen to local radio. The music on the I-pod never changes, the people in the towns we drive through do. Anyway, nulabore plains, long, and yet...I like it. By the way the second passenger I mentioned is a guy by the name of Ki, German of course, who is catching a ride with us across the plain to Perth.
Christmas in Adelaide
December 26
Last week when we had to decide to hang around southern Australia or head right off to Perth, I had a harder time choosing than Chris. I just figured that I would spend Christmas in Perth, it seamed to entice me in some unknown matter. Chris just planned to camp in some caravan park over Christmas, but I shot that idea down rather quickly. I wanted to be in a larger center, and in a hostel, because I wanted to be with people for Christmass. Well, we settled on staying in Adelaide, something I wasn't that impressed with, as I hadn't heard much good stuff about Adelaide. I must now make an announcement, Adelaide for Christmas, was perfect. 
We came in on the 23 day of December, and left on the 26th day, something I might one day regret, I am wondering if we shouldn't have stayed longer, but I wanted to be in Perth by new years, so we must leave. Anyway we walked into this little hostel that only holds about 60 people, aptly called "My Place". 
The first night we stayed there, we were over run by Germans, meaning English felt like a foreign language, I didn't hear much of it until later in the night. Anyway I spent much of the night talking to a group of backpackers which included a French Canadian named Aundre who spent the last 2 years living and skiing in Whistler, an English guy by the name of Scott who actually worked at the hostel 8 years before, 2 Dutch guys named Paul and Derick (Paul was just traveling in Australia for 3 weeks before hitting Thailand, Dereck left the next day for Brisbane so unfortunately I didn't get to know him as well) and a couple of German girls, who's names I cannot pronounce or spell. We didn't party, there wasn't loud music, it was just conversation, which was just nice. At 2am everyone else packed it in, I filmed and edited a movie that I hoped to get up the next day, as you have seen from my last blog, that did not pan out. Anyway, next day was spent in the state library using their internet. Anyway that night we came back to the hostel and joined the BBQ and drinks that was put on by the Hostel. Everyone had to where a hat as part of the Christmas spirit. I got a santa hat, Chris got a funky wig. 
We met a guy named Tom from Milwaukee who was wearing a red cape and a purple Victorian hat, by the end of the night we were calling him King Tom. We also started talking to a pair of Germans who didn't want to talk their native language. (This last comment might need some explanation. Because over half of the hostel were from Germany, they had kind of split themselves into a group that could not be joined by anyone who did not speak German, which kind of segregated them. The pair said that they came to Australia to meet new people not just ones from Germany. It should also be noted that everywhere we go in Australia we run into Germans by the ton, they jokingly said that they were preparing to launch a surprise attack on the capital shortly. There is enough of them down here they probably could.) Anyway we hit 2 bars that night meeting lots of cool people and having a very good time before we returned to the hostel around 1:00, where we found part of the group we lost earlier that night and once again picked up the conversation where we left off. At 3 only 6 people remained awake chatting on the balcony, King Tom, a Dutch girl, Scott, a very Drunk German Girl, me and Beyonka. Now Beyonka was by far the must interesting person I met this Christmas, and here is why. Beyonka is originally from Brazil, but she moved to Florida with her parents when she was a Teenager. But she never liked America, she was to Brazilian, America was it was to materialistic, so when she was 22 she moved back to Brazil, but she didn't like Brazil anymore, she was to American, it didn't feel like home anymore, so a couple of years later she moved to Prague for 2 years, but she didn't like the feel of that either. So she went and saw her family back in Florida for a month before joining an old friend to go to Australia. For the last 3 weeks she has been traveling Australia with 5 other people in a Ford Falcon station wagon. They have been traveling, sleeping, and living in that thing for the last month. Me and Chris are only 2 in a frigin SUV, and sometimes even that feel crowded. She talked a lot about that, and how it was really driving her nuts. She was at the hostel because she needed some room from them, and especially from her old friend who is kind of a control freak. He was at a mates house with everyone else from the car except Tom (It turns out King Tom also needed some time away from the crowd). She simply said, she needed some time alone, which I could totally understand. I have needed some time apart from my traveling co-part, I usually go for a short wander in the evenings, usually around the same time that he picks up his guitar. We are still individuals, and we are most definitely different in ways that only 2 months together in the same car will bring out. The next night I asked Beyonka a question, I asked her, then do you actually have a place you call home? She said no, not really. She has been traveling so long, she felt like the main character in the book the Alchemist. This guy traveled all over the world looking for something, he wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he didn't find it out in the world, he found it when he returned home. I was curious because I have always had a home, it has never changed, it has always been there, and I was curious what her thoughts on home were. Beyonka actually fascinated me, she was a riddle wrapped up in an enigma, and I think she understood that, because she felt that way about herself. Of all the people I met this Christmas, Beyonka is one that I will always remember, in her I saw a leaf on the wind, and the stone on the ocean floor. On Christmas Day Chris, Paul, and I went to the beach in Glenalg 
where we met some of the other people from the hostel. The ocean was warm and comforting, the sun wasn't, as I came back slightly resembling a lobster. In honor of Christmas a couple of us carved a replica snowman out of sand, though in the end he looked more like Buda, but it was the thought that counts. That night at the hostel there was more mingling and good conversation. Of all the hostels we could have stayed at, I think we picked the best one. It is strange I will remember Adelaide not for it's city skyline, or it's parks, but for Christmas and the people I spent it with, I still missed everyone at home, but I will say that I had a wonderful time with everyone I met, and I am so glad that all the stars aligned just right so that I could have met them all.
We came in on the 23 day of December, and left on the 26th day, something I might one day regret, I am wondering if we shouldn't have stayed longer, but I wanted to be in Perth by new years, so we must leave. Anyway we walked into this little hostel that only holds about 60 people, aptly called "My Place". The first night we stayed there, we were over run by Germans, meaning English felt like a foreign language, I didn't hear much of it until later in the night. Anyway I spent much of the night talking to a group of backpackers which included a French Canadian named Aundre who spent the last 2 years living and skiing in Whistler, an English guy by the name of Scott who actually worked at the hostel 8 years before, 2 Dutch guys named Paul and Derick (Paul was just traveling in Australia for 3 weeks before hitting Thailand, Dereck left the next day for Brisbane so unfortunately I didn't get to know him as well) and a couple of German girls, who's names I cannot pronounce or spell. We didn't party, there wasn't loud music, it was just conversation, which was just nice. At 2am everyone else packed it in, I filmed and edited a movie that I hoped to get up the next day, as you have seen from my last blog, that did not pan out. Anyway, next day was spent in the state library using their internet. Anyway that night we came back to the hostel and joined the BBQ and drinks that was put on by the Hostel. Everyone had to where a hat as part of the Christmas spirit. I got a santa hat, Chris got a funky wig. We met a guy named Tom from Milwaukee who was wearing a red cape and a purple Victorian hat, by the end of the night we were calling him King Tom. We also started talking to a pair of Germans who didn't want to talk their native language. (This last comment might need some explanation. Because over half of the hostel were from Germany, they had kind of split themselves into a group that could not be joined by anyone who did not speak German, which kind of segregated them. The pair said that they came to Australia to meet new people not just ones from Germany. It should also be noted that everywhere we go in Australia we run into Germans by the ton, they jokingly said that they were preparing to launch a surprise attack on the capital shortly. There is enough of them down here they probably could.) Anyway we hit 2 bars that night meeting lots of cool people and having a very good time before we returned to the hostel around 1:00, where we found part of the group we lost earlier that night and once again picked up the conversation where we left off. At 3 only 6 people remained awake chatting on the balcony, King Tom, a Dutch girl, Scott, a very Drunk German Girl, me and Beyonka. Now Beyonka was by far the must interesting person I met this Christmas, and here is why. Beyonka is originally from Brazil, but she moved to Florida with her parents when she was a Teenager. But she never liked America, she was to Brazilian, America was it was to materialistic, so when she was 22 she moved back to Brazil, but she didn't like Brazil anymore, she was to American, it didn't feel like home anymore, so a couple of years later she moved to Prague for 2 years, but she didn't like the feel of that either. So she went and saw her family back in Florida for a month before joining an old friend to go to Australia. For the last 3 weeks she has been traveling Australia with 5 other people in a Ford Falcon station wagon. They have been traveling, sleeping, and living in that thing for the last month. Me and Chris are only 2 in a frigin SUV, and sometimes even that feel crowded. She talked a lot about that, and how it was really driving her nuts. She was at the hostel because she needed some room from them, and especially from her old friend who is kind of a control freak. He was at a mates house with everyone else from the car except Tom (It turns out King Tom also needed some time away from the crowd). She simply said, she needed some time alone, which I could totally understand. I have needed some time apart from my traveling co-part, I usually go for a short wander in the evenings, usually around the same time that he picks up his guitar. We are still individuals, and we are most definitely different in ways that only 2 months together in the same car will bring out. The next night I asked Beyonka a question, I asked her, then do you actually have a place you call home? She said no, not really. She has been traveling so long, she felt like the main character in the book the Alchemist. This guy traveled all over the world looking for something, he wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he didn't find it out in the world, he found it when he returned home. I was curious because I have always had a home, it has never changed, it has always been there, and I was curious what her thoughts on home were. Beyonka actually fascinated me, she was a riddle wrapped up in an enigma, and I think she understood that, because she felt that way about herself. Of all the people I met this Christmas, Beyonka is one that I will always remember, in her I saw a leaf on the wind, and the stone on the ocean floor. On Christmas Day Chris, Paul, and I went to the beach in Glenalg where we met some of the other people from the hostel. The ocean was warm and comforting, the sun wasn't, as I came back slightly resembling a lobster. In honor of Christmas a couple of us carved a replica snowman out of sand, though in the end he looked more like Buda, but it was the thought that counts. That night at the hostel there was more mingling and good conversation. Of all the hostels we could have stayed at, I think we picked the best one. It is strange I will remember Adelaide not for it's city skyline, or it's parks, but for Christmas and the people I spent it with, I still missed everyone at home, but I will say that I had a wonderful time with everyone I met, and I am so glad that all the stars aligned just right so that I could have met them all.
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