February 1 Wednesday

I awoke to the bleating of a sheep - a new experience for me and a nice one. It was cool and rainy outside - good sleeping weather - but we had to get going.

Fliss had a lovely breakfast waiting for us - cereal, milk, yogurt, fruit, toast, juice and real good coffee. Before I ate she tested my blood to see what type I am. (Sandra being a retired lab tech, knew hers.) Mine is "A". The evening before Lex had given us information for diets that are best suited for folks based on their blood type. As luck would have it, I am the same type as Sandra, so we can eat the same sort of foods. I've never stayed at a B&B where the folks were so concerned about my health.

By eight o'clock we were on the road to Auckland. A light rain followed us all the way. We found the office for our car drop-off despite the fact that Sandra threw away the map they had given us and then I did not follow the instructions she got from a nice gas station attendant. Someone is watching over us. Later when Sandra could not find her cell phone, we figured that she had left it at the gas station. It was no big loss. She couldn't get it to work anyway.

The flight to Sydney was very pleasant. I sat next to an older couple (70s) who were going to Australia to visit family. She read her book while he and I discussed religion and the world situation. I was impressed with how much he knew about U. S. politics and a little embarrassed that I knew nothing about New Zealand's.

After retrieving our luggage we caught a shuttle bus to our hotel. Our driver was nice but a little weird-looking with his bleached blonde goatee. We were the last to be dropped off so we moved up front so we could ask him some questions. Not only was he not weird, he was on the management team of the shuttle company and an experienced tour guide. He told us a lot about the area we would be staying in and pointed out the red-light district, the naval base, Russell Crow's (the actor"s)"alleged" house in the harbor (Later we talked to a couple who said they were his neighbors, and he did not own a home in the harbor.) and other points of interest. He was a gem.

The Albert and Victoria Court Hotel was a cute old building very close to King's Cross, the red-light district. A funny German man checked us in and told us more about getting around. He showed us to our room. It was small but nice and away from the noises of the street.

First we went in search of food and found a sidewalk café nearby. We struck up a conversation with two German sisters who planned to travel together in Australia for two months. After that one said she might return home to her husband. The other planned to go to New Zealand for two months alone. They said they were staying at a hostel. This was the economical part of their trip. We, on the other hand, were in splurging mode (178 A$/night).

After eating we walked around the area. It was loaded with strange characters - not scary, just amusing and interesting. There were a number of internet cafes for us to frequent later. By 7:30 we were dragging, so we returned to our room.

February 2 Thursday

Today we decided to get an overview of Sydney so we bought a day pass on the Sydney Explorer for 36 A$. They ran every twenty minutes, and we could get on and off as we pleased.

The Rocks was the first place we decided to spend some time. It is the oldest part of Sydney and they have done a good job of developing it for tourists. It is also the jumping-off point for folks who want to climb to the top of the harbor bridge. We learned that the climbs are guided and cost about 100 A$. Folks who want to walk across the bridge can also start here and walk for free. Sandra and I had planned to take the latter walk, but temperatures hovered around 100 degrees F, and the humidity was 80%. We opted for an indoor tour of the Sydney Opera House.

A lot of other people had the same idea, but the Aussies have been showing off their opera house since 1975, so they have it down to a fine art and crowds are no problem.

Our guide was excellent. I was amused to learn that it was financed by the lottery, and although it went way over budget, (102 million A$ or fourteen times the original estimate.) it was paid for in three years.

The opera house is really three buildings. The concert hall is larger than the opera venue by about 1,000 seats. (2500 seats in the concert hall compared with 1500 in the opera hall.) They are designed for acoustic performances and sound systems are seldom used. Our guide explained that the halls are in their shells much like pearls are in oysters.

The person most responsible for getting the opera house built was Sir Eugene Goossens, the conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. However, he never saw it completed. Once, when he was returning from a trip overseas, he was found to have "contraband" (some say pornography) in his luggage, and he was deported then died before the building was finished.

The architect was a 37-year-old Danish man, Jorn Utzon. He was very involved in the design and construction of the outside of the building. However, in 1966 he was dismissed after a change in government, and he never returned. Completion of the interior was turned over to an Australian architect. Ironically Utzon and his son have been hired to work on renovating the opera hall. The son has visited the building but never his father.

Flat Stanley was with us, and we took his picture many times. He was looking for Nemo (reference the cartoon/movie, "Finding Nemo"). He was happy to see in the guide book that he is alive and happy at the aquarium.

When we finished it was three o'clock, so we didn't have time to do much of anything else. We took a bus back to our area and went to see the Elizabeth Bay House. It was built in 1839 and was once dubbed "the finest house in the colony". It was indeed elegant with a nice view of Elizabeth Bay.

We walked back to our hotel and rested then went out to do e-mail. For dinner we decided on a Czech restaurant that Chris, our "landlord", had recommended. It was all he said it was. I love Czech beer on tap because it doesn't loose its head before it gets to the table. Sandra and I ordered an entre (appetizer) and two sides. That filled us up just fine.

In Australia and New Zealand there is no tipping, and most goods and services are not taxed. It makes life so much easier.

February 3 Friday

The day started out cloudy and misty. We debated whether or not to take the ferry to the zoo. Chris suggested we go. He said it's the best zoo in the world, and the weather wasn't all that bad. It turned out he was right...again.

We got a day pass on the city bus/tram/ferry boat system for $15 and were on our way. The public transportation system is easy to use and very efficient, not to mention clean and safe.

When we arrived at the zoo we climbed stairs to board the gondola, paid our $20 admission and had a great ride over the park to the main entrance. It was indeed the best zoo I have ever seen. The first big treat was having our photos taken with the koala bears. For $3 each we were allowed into their cage to get close to two bears that were lounging on their perches. We took our own pictures and then zoo staff took some for us with our cameras. We were not allowed to touch the bears. Flat Stanley was beside himself he was so excited.

The next thrill was the bird show. It was held in an outdoor amphitheater with Sydney Harbor in the background. The birds all flew in from unseen handlers in the back and on the sides to the girl on stage who was the show hostess and main handler. One bird demonstrated how it instinctively uses a heavy sharp rock to break open a tough Emu egg. An owl and a Peregrine Falcon flew back and forth low over the heads of the audience demonstrating how they find food and eat on the fly. A young boy was chosen from the audience to have a bird fly from his gloved arm and return again. A man from the audience was chosen to hold up a coin that a parrot-type bird fetched and gave to the hostess then later returned to the man.

In another area where we were walking around, and an Emu came up to us then walked on by. At the lions' den a female was lying right by the glass where people could have touched her if the glass had not been there. Three or four children were "petting" her, and she was cuddling up to the glass in response. Later on we got up very close to the giraffes and got more photos.

By three we had pretty much seen the whole zoo, so we headed back to Sydney on the ferry. We sat next to a teacher who was delighted to meet Flat Stanley. She said that her school has a Flat Stanley that was in Korea at the time.

At the dock we hopped another ferry and took the half hour ride to Manley Island. It is a charming area known for its beaches, shops and restaurants. A shop with Aboriginal art caught our fancy. I bought a boomerang for my granddaughters, and Sandra bought some cute bags and a basket. At this point she had more things than her suitcase could hold. What to do? Answer: Deal with it when the time comes.

Next Sandra went to a photo shop and had her pictures put on two discs. She wanted to make more room in her camera and get them ready to send to Becky to put on our web site.

As the shops closed the restaurants filled with people - including us. We chose a nice expensive one where there was good food, good drinks and lots of action. Sandra and I sat at a table in between and outdoor veranda and the open kitchen. We were fascinated watching the wait staff and cook staff work together with friendly efficiency and good humor. Our waitress, Shannon, was a cute girl from Woodstock, NY USA. The waiters were all very handsome.

As the sun set we boarded the ferry back to Sydney then the train to Kings' Cross. The nightlife in our neighborhood was beginning. The adult shops and girlie shows were all lit up and strange people were beginning to appear. It was fun to watch, for awhile, but we were tired and ready for bed.

February 4 Saturday

This morning the weather was about the same as yesterday - cloudy, damp and cool (about 75F). When I went for my walk I came across a nice park that overlooked the Navy harbor where three big war ships were at the ready.

At breakfast Sandra and I sat next to an American lady from Boston who was traveling alone. Her name was Marguerite, and I would guess her age to be late 60s or early 70s. She told us that she had seven children - all grown and married. She still works part-time in the real estate business. She and her husband (who was deceased) and friends traveled extensively over the years. She is excited to be traveling alone - although her children are not wild about the idea. Australia was her first stop. She was debating whether or not to go to New Zealand. We gave her our unequivocal advice to go, and I gave her our New Zealand road map book as added encouragement. She said she would make her airline reservations right away.

Sandra and I took off to see the Catholic Cathedral and the Art Museum of New South Whales - especially the Aboriginal exhibit. The cathedral was an immense gothic structure situated in the center of Sydney. It was built in three stages between 1866 and 1928. As we walked around the church we noticed that folks were getting ready for a wedding. There were two volunteer ushers (a man and a woman) provided by the church who were assigned crowd control. They were both dressed so nicely I thought they were the parents of the bride or groom. Busloads of Japanese tourists were being dropped off and were anxious to get to the front of the church to take pictures. The ushers gently but firmly kept them in the back letting only the wedding guests in. As they worked they struck up a conversation with us and even gave us one of the "programs". It was unbelievably lovely and fancy. Then the wedding began. The five bridesmaids wore formal long pants with trains, and all hairdos were the same. Two little boys and two little girls were ring-bearers and flower girls. Then came the bride - a lovely Italian girl, on the arm of her dad, who looked pretty nervous but proud. Her dress was very ornate. The organ music was magnificent, and the all-woman choir was beautiful.

We left after the "Ave Maria" and a few remarks from the priest about the history of the couple's relationship. Outside five BMW silver convertibles and one black Mini-Cooper were waiting to whisk away the wedding party.

Our next stop was the museum. The Aborigine exhibit was interesting and powerful. At the area designed especially for children Flat Stanley played an Aboriginal game of Rainbow Snake. It was a little like Chutes and Ladders in the States.

We learned that the Aborigines have lived in Australia for at least 60,000 years but maybe as long as 120,000. When the British arrived starting with Captain Cook in the mid 1700s, they claimed all the land and pushed the Aborigines around much as they (and other Europeans) did the American Indians. From 1800 to 1969 The Aboriginal Protection Board took aboriginal children from their homes and sent them to government boarding schools to be educated in the ways of the English. The lighter skinned aborigines might be adopted by white families or at least fostered by them. In any case, as one artist put it, they became white people in black bodies. They are called "the lost generations" because deep and profound social and health damage was done to them. Poverty, alcoholism, and suicide are only three of the horrible consequences of this practice. For at least 60,000 years these people thrived in even the harshest areas of Australia, but they could not adjust to the invasion of the white man. The book/movie, "The Rabbit-Proof Fence", speaks to this ignominious era.

Finally they are reclaiming some of their land and beginning a renaissance of their languages, arts, and customs. They are once again "dreaming". As it says in the museum: "The Dreaming has different meanings for different Aboriginal people. It is a complex network of knowledge, faith and practices that derive from stories of creation, and which dominate all spiritual and physical aspects of Aboriginal life. Dreaming sets out the structure of society, the rules for social behavior, and the ceremonies performed in order to maintain the life of the land."

From the museum we walked to Chinatown to get some good Chinese food. To our surprise and dismay Chinatown was very small, cramped and uninviting. So we grabbed a bite to eat at a Thai restaurant in a mall and headed for the Chinese Garden. This was a very lovely place - an oasis of beauty and tranquility in the midst of a busy city.

Not far from the gardens we enjoyed a glass of wine at a sidewalk café while we watched folks bustle around Darling Harbor. There was a Japanese Travel Expo going on nearby, so we saw a lot of lovely young women in their sarongs and obis.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at an internet café for an hour. We were still full from lunch and exhausted from the day, so we picked up some fresh fruit and returned to our room. Sandra's peach was the best, and the mango was good too - much better than we expected from a street vendor in Kings' Cross.

February 6 Sunday

Dawn was breaking bright and beautiful as we took the train to Wollongong to meet Ian Chapman, a friend of Sandra's whom she had not seen in fifteen years - since they were both part of a group traveling around South America by overland bus. Ian was waiting for us at the station, and he and Sandra had a warm reunion - then we were off.

Ian is 50 going on 26 and of Scotch-Irish descent. His roots in Wollongong go back two or three generations. He has visited over seventy of the 200 or more countries in the world and plans to visit the rest of them eventually. When he is in Wollongong he stays with his parents in the house where his dad was born, and he drives busses for tours, pub crawls, schools etc. We couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. Most importantly he was charming and funny.

He drove us from the station to the town then up to a nearby mountain to a hilltop café for breakfast with a view.

Wollongong's industries include coal mining, steel production, dairy farming, and tourism. The beaches are pristine and surfing is at its best. The constant thermals make hang-gliding and parasailing safe and popular sports. We spent a good deal of time watching folks jump off the hill, soar around (Some go all the way to Sydney and back.) And come back for a perfect landing. This area was the home of Lawrence Hargrave who was a noted pioneer in the development of "flying machines" about the time of the Wright Brothers.

Wollongong has the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere and a good-sized Hindu temple as well. Next we went to some of the public housing areas. He told us that they are mostly occupied by Aborigines on welfare, and the crime rate is very high. On one of his bus driving jobs he takes Aborigine children to and from school. He has no discipline problems with them. They all pay their fares for the week on Thursday because Wednesday is break-in day when they burglarize houses to get money - part of the social ills created by the government policies toward this group of people.

We drove through an old miners' village where the houses have been rehabbed to maintain their original look. Ian told us that immigrant miners were given the use of a house on about one half acre of land - enough to have a garden and pasture a cow. At one time miners were exploited, but gradually they gained ground and now have a situation far better than U.S. miners.

All in all we spent a glorious seven hours with Ian. As we chatted idly about our plans Sandra mentioned that we were taking Paradise Airlines to Bali. Ian said he read they had gone belly-up a few months ago. Like Scarlet O'Hara we decided to deal with that another day - soon.

Back in Sydney we went straight to an internet café where Sandra figured out how to send our photos to Becky, but only about four at a time.

As we walked down "Weird Street" in Kings' Cross to get our dinner we saw a few hookers peddling their wares openly. One was particularly alarming and a little pathetic. She had on lots of makeup complete with long fake eyelashes, and high-cut pants with a garter belt. She wore some kind of black leg covering from her knees to her ankles, and her flabby boobs were hiked up and out so passers-by could see her nipples. Sandra and I closed our gaping mouths and continued on to the restaurant where we split a good salad then headed for our room.

When we got back to the hotel Hans, the owner, who was covering for Chris and his wife while they took four days off, was in the office. We told him our plight with Paradise Airlines, and he was most helpful. He determined that we were nineteen hours ahead of San Francisco where Air Trex is located, so it was Saturday there. Hans looked up air fares from Sydney to Bali. The cost was about 800 A$ ($640 USD) one-way if we reserved two weeks in advance. We were due to travel on February 12. The Air Trex office would not be open until Tuesday February seventh our time. Sandra and I decided to retire to our room to think it over. Hans said he would help us again in the morning.

February 6 Monday

Hans was at the ready to help us - as promised. Mainly he let Sandra e-mail Air Trex in San Francisco so they would have our information when they got to work Monday morning - their time - about 15:00 our time on Tuesday.

Our flight to Ayers Rock (known to the Aborigines as Uluru) was unremarkable until we flew over the monolith - the largest in the world. It just rises up out of the desert. As we got off the plane it was like walking into an inferno. The temperature was 40 degrees C or about 104 degrees F, and it wasn't even noon. At the hotel we checked in and were told that our room would not be ready until about three. So we decided to explore the area and buy a tour for the next day.

The resort consisted of at least four hotels, some apartments, and a campground. It is all owned by the same company. Because it is such a remote area, all staff live on the premises, and so there is a day care, and an elementary school as well as police and fire departments and medical services. In the city center there is a supermarket, post office, photo shop, boutique, restaurant etc. - a complete city in the middle of the desert.

We went to the travel office where we booked a day of touring for 200 A$ each. At first we thought it was outrageous, but upon reflexion we realized that is only $151 USD , and it included five hours in the morning with an Aboriginal guide and his interpreter plus a good breakfast. The afternoon included a four-and-a-half-hour guided tour on a big bus and wine and snacks while we watched the sun set on the monolith.

For the rest of the day we took it easy. Just before dinner we enjoyed a magnificent desert rainbow - a nice surprise in this land of little rain. In the evening we went to a barbeque where folks bought and cooked their own meat on grilles that were provided. For me it was too hot to cook and eat hot food, so I opted for the salad bar. The entertainer was good. He played a guitar and two digerydoos and sang. He reminded me of the performers at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.

February 7 Tuesday

We were up and out by 5:30 to see the sun rise on Uluru. The bus driver was Aborigine, and his aide was mixed native and European from Tasmania. (He looked very European/Australian). They drove us into the National Park (admission was 25 A$) where we watched the sun rise on Uluru. We learned that it is 343 meters high, 3.6 kms. long, 2.4 kms. wide and 8 kms. in circumference. It is not a single stone but one of three surviving peaks of an ancient mountain range (600 million years old). The name means "Meeting Place".

From there we went to the Native Cultural Center where we had a fine breakfast. After that we met Cassidy, our native-speaking Aboriginal guide and James, his assistant, who looked only part Aborigine but who knew the language. They took us on a walk through the desert where they showed us how the natives used to make baskets, spears, glue and fire. We had the opportunity to throw a spear using a spear-thrower which proved to be much more difficult than it looked when James did it.

At the end of our trek we returned to our room to rest up for the afternoon session and to get out of the mid-day heat. We used some of our free time to check our e-mail to see what Air Trex had to say. To our surprise they told us that it was not their problem and added that Paradise Airlines made a deal with Qantas Airlines to serve their customers who had purchased tickets. We decided to talk to a Qantas person the next day at the airport.

At 3:30 we were off on part II of our tour. It started with a visit to Kata Tjuta (aka The Olgas). Its name means "many heads". They are made up of thirty-one individual domes or boulders. They cover an area of thirty square kilometers and are fashioned in a semi-circle surrounding a central valley and some water holes. The tallest dome is 546 meters above the surrounding desert. Part of our group hiked in and out of one of the smaller canyons. I was among them. It was miserably hot, and the ground was rocky. Pesky flies tried to get at the water in my eyes and on my face. Still it was a humbling experience to be in the midst of those huge monoliths.

It felt good to get back on the bus. Off we went to Uluru for wine and peanuts and to watch the sunset on the monolith. It wasn't particularly spectacular. We learned, in fact, that it seldom is. Some photographers have waited for week to get their "postcard shot". However, we did end up talking to a nice young couple who had just been to Cairns. They told us they checked out all of the snorkeling/scuba-diving tour boats and settled on Quick Silver that gave them an all-day trip for 200 A$. They were completely satisfied. After meeting Flat Stanley, they said there might even be a diving option for him - a submersible bell.

February 8 Wednesday

This morning we were too tired to even think of getting up at six to see the sun rise. Instead, we got up at seven, did our laundry and mailed a package of purchases to my sister, Barb in Houston. After that it was a lot easier to zip up our suitcases. However, it cost us about 50 A$ - probably a little much.

We totally forgot that check-out time was 10 a.m. and overstayed our welcome by three hours. Happily they did not charge us extra.

At the airport Sandra went to a pay phone and got in touch with Qantas. They told her that they did work with Paradise Air to get their passengers where they needed to go in November and December. The Qantas representative was very nice and offered to hold a reservation for us for twenty-four hours that cost 800 A$ ($640 USD) to give us a chance to look for a cheaper fare. We were surprised and relieved at that good fare, because it was less than a week before our trip.

As we roamed around the airport, we ran into Collin and Chris (the young couple whom we had met at the sunset wine party). We got their addresses so we could send them a shot of flat Stanley deep sea diving. It was funny how we were talking about him as if he were a real person.

Sandra and I prefer to sit in aisle seats across from each other. We have easy access to the bathrooms, and it gives us the opportunity to talk to other travelers. One of the flight attendants sat with Sandra and gave her some good tips on things to do in Cairns (pronounced "Cans").

We checked in at our hostel. The room was very small but clean. In the complex there was a lovely pool surrounded by palm trees and deck chairs. The facility was very well maintained, and the staff was efficient, helpful and cheery. Since we would be sight-seeing from morning until night both days, all we needed were two good beds and air conditioning. That we had.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the area, having a good meal and setting up our tours.

February 9 Thursday

The plan for the day was a trip to Kuranda, a little town north of Cairns. On the trip up we took a refurbished old train. It followed a winding track up a mountain, through fifteen tunnels, past lovely waterfalls, and through a jungle-like forest. Our journey was made all the more pleasant by the nice couple we sat with. She was from Germany, and he was a Negro-looking man from Jordan. They met when she went scuba-diving in Akaba. He was her dive-master. Now they are married and living in Germany.

Karunda was a nice little tourist town. Our first focus was to get our tickets for Bali confirmed. (We had not had the time or the opportunity to try for a lower fare.) Then have a nice lunch. After that we just strolled around town and stopped for a beer at a nice Irish pub.

Our ride back was on a sky rail gondola/cableway 7.5 kilometers long (4.7 miles) - the longest in the world. It took us up and over the rainforest. Off in the distance we had marvelous views of mountains, gorges, waterfalls and the seaside. It was an absolutely spectacular ride. The whole day cost 98 A$.

In the evening we went to a food court that had a number of all-you-can-pile-on-your-plate food stands. The bigger the plate, the higher the price.

February 10 Friday

This day would go down as "most memorable" - a day at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Port Douglas, Australia. A huge, luxurious Quick Silver coach picked us up at 6:45 a.m. at our hostel and drove us with commentary up the coast to Port Douglas. Besides lovely views, we got a glimpse of kangaroos living in the wild.

When riding on busses Sandra and I like to sit up front near the driver (just to his left in Australia) so we can ask questions. The view is better there as well.

Thanks to advice that Sandy got from the flight attendant, we had booked ourselves on their small newest and fastest boat (capacity 80) which was launched August 15, 2005 (My granddaughter, Maddie's fourth birthday). Because it was slow season there were only 40 on board. We had lots of room to spread out and got plenty of attention from the crew.

For starters they served us a delicious buffet breakfast that we ate quickly so we could get to our snorkeling class. Nina, our teacher, gave us our equipment - fins, goggles and a wet suit to prevent/minimize jelly fish stings. Unfortunately they did not have any equipment that would fit Flat Stanley, and this ship did not have a bell. To make up for it, the captain let him spend some time with him on the bridge and showed him how to drive the boat. Later Flat Stanley made friends with a little boy the same age as the children who made him, and they played video games.

After a one and a half hour ride out to the first dive site we entered the water with our floaty/noodle. The minute I put my face in the water I was in a sea world all my own, and it was beautiful - just like on TV only better because I was actually there. The coral colors ranged from gray to white-as-snow, rich blues, shades of pink and red. There were huge mountains of them in all shapes and sizes. Then there were deep valleys and holes where some very big fish hid out. I saw patches of bright green "hairy" growths waving in the currents. The fish seemed totally unaware of my presence or at least undisturbed by it. Some even swam up to me like they were posing for pictures. I clicked away as fast as I could hoping I got what I was aiming for. When I got out of the water I could hardly speak I was so moved by the experience.

As we traveled to the next dive site the crew served a nice cold buffet lunch. When we arrived and got into the water, we encountered a lot of little, almost invisible jellyfish, and I was very glad I had on the wet suit. I took some photos of the scuba divers who were swimming nearby me.

At the third site I decided not to take my camera and just float freely enjoying the sights and capturing them in my memory (such as it is). Just as I slipped into the water a group of divers swam under me sending their beautiful bubbles my way. After that I just floated and looked and enjoyed the serenity.

When the diving was over we sat up on the deck and visited with other passengers. There were two darling girls from Northern Ireland, Susan, who was celebrating her fortieth birthday, and her friend, Claire. Susan told us that she had a "bouncy castle" (like a moonwalk in the States) at her party, and it was a big hit. Those over 65 were the first in. Claire is a barkeep. She took over a business from her parents. Another interesting passenger was a pretty blonde flight attendant from Vienna who had arrived in Australia for holiday with no plan and no reservations. She was traveling alone. She said she felt perfectly safe and had not been harassed at all. The lone man in our group was Andy, a veterinarian from Virginia Beach, Virginia in the States. He was spending the day snorkeling while his wife shopped in town. We could tell he was a good vet because he loved listening to all the pet stories that flooded the conversation the minute he told us what he did.

Back in port we switched to a huge catamaran for the ride back to Cairns. We ran into the Irish girls again, and they treated the four of us to a bottle of wine, and the chat continued. They don't drink Guinness beer outside of Ireland because "It doesn't travel well abroad." We also talked to Flat Stanley's little friend and his dad but never got their names.

We exchanged information with the Irish girls in the hopes of seeing each other again. We have done this many times on this trip and in our other travels but realize that some of these seeds of relationships blossom and some don't.

February 11 Saturday

At the Waitoma caves in New Zealand we had seen that bright pink van with the word "wicked" on the front and "Barby" on each side. In both New Zealand and Australia we saw other "wicked" vans with different themes. This morning on our Jetstar flight to Sydney I read an article about them. As of this writing I cannot find it, so I have to depend on my memory. Many travelers of the backpack genre like to buy or rent used vehicles cheap for their journeys. One company makes the "wicked" vans for this purpose. In Sydney there were a lot of backpackers near our hotel. We saw at least a half dozen vehicles for sale. One was a jeep-type for sale with all its contents. The average asking price was two to three thousand dollars.

This was going to be a day of rest - fly to Sydney, eat, e-mail, take it easy in our hotel,- so we had booked a more upscale place twenty minutes from the airport. On the airplane I read a back packer magazine I had picked up at the hostel and came across an article by a gal who had climbed the Brisbane Bridge with the same company that does the bridge in Sydney Harbor. I couldn't resist. Sandra resisted but came with me anyway.

I was scheduled for a 7:05 climb and paid 185 A$ (about $150 USD). I know it's a lot, but during the busy season people pay as much as $250 - depending on the time of day. Sunrise and sunset are the most desirable.

The whole experience was to last three and one half hours. At seven sharp eleven of us watched a wordless video about the preparation for the climb. At 7:05 we were in a room signing a declaration that we were healthy and could make the climb that was described as "moderate" in difficulty. Then we took a breath test to prove we were not drunk. Next we had to put all of our effects in a locker including cameras and flat dolls. Then we put on a jump suit that zipped up the back.

After all this we met our guide, Mary Ann, a spunky, fun Aussie gal who has been leading climbs for two years - sometimes as many as two or three per day. She told us that this time of year a climb starts every ten minutes rain or shine, ten or twelve hours per day. During the peak season, they go twenty four hours - around the clock.. There are ten to twelve people in each group. The company that owns the rights to this activity makes a bundle in just one day. However, it took them about ten years to develop it and to get the permits.

We introduced ourselves, told where we were from and why we were making the climb. One man said he was climbing for his deceased wife. She had always wanted to do it with him, but he would never go citing fear of heights. Now she was gone, so he was doing it with a friend. Two couples were doing it because it was a gift from one to the other. One girl was making her fourth climb. I said I was climbing to impress my granddaughters.

Mary Ann picked me to use in her demo of putting on the body harness, the cable clip and other equipment (a handkerchief, cap, jacket, head lamp, ear phones). That was nice. I didn't have to do it myself. Then - thrill of thrills - she made me line leader. Hannah, my kindergarten granddaughter, would be so proud - and so would the rest of the class, and Flat Stanley. There was a model ladder and pathway that we used to practice safe climbing as well as attaching and detaching from the cable. Finally we were ready to go out onto the bridge.

As we started to climb, it was about eight o'clock, and the sun had just set at 7:35, so there was still a little light but not much. Mary Ann kept up a steady chatter of information and jokes. She checked frequently to be sure everyone was doing alright. The night was clear, and the weather was perfect - low 70s, 64% humidity and winds at 30 km/hour. We could see the almost-full moon, the Southern Cross and Orion. Down below was the Sydney Harbor, the opera house, and the Sydney skyline - in all their nighttime magnificence. To add to the glory, a casino shot off some fire works.

Liz, the lady right behind me, who I guessed was about my age, told me of some of her previous adventures - skiing the largest glacier in New Zealand at age 50 and taking a five-day trek in Nepal. And I thought I was gutsy to be climbing this bridge.

We climbed around on the bridge for about two hours stopping frequently to enjoy the views. Mary Ann took photos of us as a group and alone from various points where there were cameras in place for just this purpose.

The decent was much easier. We had all become seasoned bridge-climbers.

Back at the base we got out of our gear, did an evaluation and went to look at our pictures that were already printed and waiting for us. The group photo came with the price of admission. The others were $15.95 each. I took just the one of the group.

Sandra was patiently waiting when I finished. We took the bus back to our hotel then grabbed a sandwich and a beer at a nice restaurant nearby and returned to our room.

Impressions: Kiwis (New Zealanders) and Aussies (Australians) are friendly and fun and funny. I love their accents and inflections. The men call each other "Mate". A father might even call his son "Mate". A couple of times I even heard the term used with women.

This was our last night in a western-style country. Next we were off to experience the very different life styles in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.