How the Rangers Live

(steve)
As the Sydney stay winds down Karen and I have been trying to make sure we savor any last tidbits from the city. Last weekend was highlighted with three main events. First up on Thursday was a trip down to the Sydney Opera House to take in a concert performed by the Sydney Symphony. The concert was called Gelmetti's Shock of the New III Rhythm and Ritual, showcasing a troupe of Taiko drummers, a choir (called Cantillation), and an awesome didgeridoo player. The concert was fun and it was neat to get a look inside the Opera House for an event.

Friday evening was our fifth wedding anniversary. To celebrate we walked to a great restaurant called Oscillate Wildly in Newtown. Once seated, we indulged in a delicious three course feast with a great bottle of wine. The best part was the dessert where Karen tucked into a brioche and I had a carmelized apple. Umm, dessert good. We left the restaurant warm and happy after our three hour visit.

Flash Slideshow

Saturday saw us pay a weekend visit to our ranger buddies Chris and Kathleen and their doggies Digger and Shadow. They live in the Sydney suburb of Westleigh, directly on the edge of the Berowra Valley Regional Park managed by Kathleen. Let's just say their house was amazing. The views from the back of the house over the park were stupendous. It was easy to understand the stories of interesting animal encounters we had heard before arriving. Not to outdone by Chris, Kathleen took us on a tour of her park, including a fun 4WD romp through some of the back-country service roads. Things got serious as we heard the sound of dirt bikes, a no-no inside the park. Unfortunately, we never found the trespassers to give chase. I was imagining a wild escape attempt followed by Chris leaping from the truck to apprehend the bandits. Oh well. We ended up staying the night where we were treated to the traditional Aussie BBQ of lamb and sausages. We spent the night telling stories, looking at photos, and playing with the dogs. The doggie time was a treat for us since it's been five months since we've seen our mutts.

The following morning Karen and I awoke, with dogs curled on the bed with us, to look out through the picture windows over the park again. The view never got old. Since it was Sunday, we were slow to get moving and ended up getting a taste of classic Aussie movies. We started with the first 20 minutes of "Muriel's Wedding," and watched "The Dish" straight through. For all you Aerospace weenies out there, "The Dish" is a great compliment to "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff" as it details the story of Australia's part in communicating with the Apollo 11 crew for the first moon landing. Pretty funny, and a true story. We wrapped up the weekend with a short walk through the park, always interesting in the company of rangers. Chris and Kathleen were incredibly nice to allow two tourists (especially Americans) to invade their house. We really appreciate them spending so much time with us to make sure we had a true Aussie experience, it was truly above and beyond what we expected. We can't wait to return the favor when they visit us in the future. Isn't it nice to have friends from around the world?

The Parcel Cometh

(karen)
Before we left home we put together a box of goodies for our stint in Sydney. This included things like clean clothes to wear while working at the University, sneakers for pick-up ultimate games, guide books for Sydney and the East Coast, and a laptop computer for Steve to do research. We had Steve's parents send the box a month before we were due to arrive to ensure that there was plenty of time for our junk to take the big overseas voyage.

When we arrived in Sydney on April 12 we were mildly concerned that the box had not shown up yet. Don't worry, we told ourselves, it'll be here any day. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Steve managed to borrow a computer from one of the professors so he was able to stay busy, however all his research materials were on a CD in the box. So instead of doing new research he spent his time re-programming. We got a pool membership instead of playing ultimate. We bought new guide books.

And then just as we had given up all hope and were preparing to leave Sydney, the box magically appeared! Resurrected from customs purgatory nine and a half weeks after it was bid adieu at the Sacramento post office. It's a bittersweet reunion as we are more than happy to get our belongings back that we had given up for dead, but at the same time we have to figure out what to do with 25lb of stuff that will be little more than a burden for the next leg of our trip. Our original plan was to ship everything back when we were done using it in Sydney, but at this point I'm not giving the post office another cent.

But in the meantime we've joyfully welcomed the newcomers. Hello favourite pair of jeans! How're you going leather belt? We went to dinner last night decked out in our new found finery and felt like a million bucks. I can't explain how satisfying it is after five months to have a new outfit to wear. Simple pleasures, yes, but it brought a smile to our faces.

Family, Aussie-style

(steve)

This past weekend I played the part of long-lost cousin from across the sea. Karen and I traveled north to the Sydney suburb of Pymble, where a host of relatives awaited. Ok, so it was only one family, but given the distance and expense, I had only met my Uncle Bruce and Aunt Loida one time when I was around 4 years old, and never met her children Logan, Drew, and Anitra. We entered the house (armed with triple chocolate chip cookies) to receive a warm welcome as the long-lost (second) cousins.



As a special treat, we were whisked off to a local park for the quintessential Aussie BBQ. Here we relaxed for the afternoon telling stories, comparing accents, watching cockatoos, chasing after Anitra's kids (Dion and Tyler were non-stop entertainment), and having a general good time. Along the way, we were introduced to BBQ, Aussie-style. Together with salads and lamb, Karen and I had a taste of kangaroo sausage (kanga-bangas). The grand finale was the brewing of Aussie billie tea, complete with Drew demonstrating the proper way to stir it.



A quick bout of rain chased us back to the house, where Drew casually asked if anyone wanted a ride on his bike. Karen enthusiastically raised her hand. After borrowing some gear (from Aunt Loida's biker get-up!), she was all leathered up and ready to go. I was nervous (motorcycle + rain + crazy Sydney drivers = accident) but everything turned out all right.



Meeting relatives and making new friends was one goal for this trip. I'm happy to say we met a great family that we look forward to seeing again soon. I just hope I can be as good a host.

This Little Piggy Went to Market

(karen)
We're finding it hard to believe that we've been in Sydney for over five weeks already. Staying that long in one place is actually kind of a strange experience because you start existing in a state that is somewhere between being on vacation and living a normal life. We've tried hard to keep ourselves busy but at some point you run out of "things to do", in a tourist sense. Having exhausted the Art Gallery, the Opera House, the Aquarium, lately we've found joy in exploring some of the local markets.

Our first stop was for lunch at the famous Sydney Fish Market. This is a city landmark and the largest such market in the Southern Hemisphere. (Take that with a grain of salt. Nearly everything is advertised as being "the largest XXXX in the Southern Hemisphere" which, due to the small total land mass down south, just reinforces that there's not a lot of competition.) We missed the fish auction that happens early in the morning, but we still were able to walk around the massive complex and check out the exotic catch on display.




Every kind of crustacean imaginable! Countless oysters! Iridescent silvery beauties! Octopus! Fish as big as your sister! Fish scales were a'flying as we wandered the delectable labrinyth. The picture above was just one small section of the entire market. For lunch we bought some sashimi grade salmon and smoked eel which they cut into bite sized portions for us. It was a great deal, far cheaper than going to a sushi restaurant.


We were still a bit hungry so we ordered a small basket of whitebait to cap off our lunch. These look like chips, but don't be fooled...they have eyes. I was dying to try them since we never got the chance in New Zealand. On the whole not extraordinary, but worth a nibble at least once in your life!



Over the weekend we hit Paddy's Market in Haymarket, near Chinatown. This is an Australia icon that has been serving as a marketplace for over 150 years. Never have I seen such a plethora of cheap crap in my life. There are aisles upon aisles of vendors selling everything from underwear to wigs, caged birds to electronics. People flock here by the hundreds to find bargins on clothes and jewelry while the rest of us look for cheesy souveniers to get the folks back home (ye be warned!)




Later we stopped by the open air night market in Chinatown where we found more jewlery and clothes for sale (sorry, no photos). Even more intriguing were the many stalls selling dumplings, rolls, buns, and other dim sum style foods. I would love to have sampled these but I was too full from dinner earlier.

In all, visiting these markets has been a great opportunity to see the personality of this city and I'm glad to have had the opportunity.

Riding with Ranger Chris

While on the Overland Track in Tasmania we had the great fortune of meeting a wonderful couple, Chris and Kathleen. Over the course of three evenings chatting with them we learned that they live in Sydney and both are senior rangers with the National Park Service. Chris graciously invited us on a tour of his parks when we were in town, and last weekend we took him up on his offer.

Chris is a senior ranger in charge of overseeing two parks just outside of Sydney, Garigal and Ku-ring-gai Chase. We hopped in his 4WD and went along as he did a patrol of the territory. First stop was to check on the water tank level (95% full) and to make sure that the local transient wasn't camping out illicitly in the bushes (he wasn't). Chris then took us on a short walk to an overlook where we saw his favorite tree growing from the side of a cliff face. It is truly a spectacular gum tree, spilling its roots around the cracks in the rocks


Another fascinating area was a wide expanse of tesselated rock where aboriginal carvings have been found in the shapes of animals, people, and possibly spiritual figures. Just beyond the carvings Chris took us to a hidden cave in the sandstone that was likely used by ancient people as a gathering place.

We stopped for tea at the ranger cabin in a lovely beach picnic area where we got to meet several members of his team. There were wallabies everywhere, as common as we'd see squirrels back home. We were even fortunate enough to see several kookaburras and a white faced heron.


The highlight of the trip was when we drove over to one of the most exclusive addresses in greater Sydney: Barrenjoey. At the tip of a delicate sandspit lies a small corner of the Ku-ring-gai Chase Park, containing the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. Since we were American VIPs, or at least we were jokingly introduced as such, we were allowed to accompany Chris inside the lighthouse and see the breathtaking view from the top. It was amazing to see surfers riding the waves of the Pacific on one side of the spit, and sailboats in calm sheltered water a couple hundred meters away.


Steve and I had a great day touring the parks and appreciated the opportunity to see these beautiful places so close to a major metropolitan area. Sydneysiders don't know how lucky they are to have gems such as these and the Blue Mountains in their backyard. We are looking forward to reuniting with Chris and Kathleen one more time before leaving Sydney to continue our travels in a couple of weeks.

Super 14 Smackdown

(karen)


We finally fulfilled our dreams of going to see a rugby game, and we're not talking lame Aussie Rules. This is the Super 14. It was the last home game of the season for the Sydney Waratahs. Kind of funny isn't it, that a sport of such bloodlust would chose a dainty flower for their mascot? Anyway, the Waratahs were playing their arch rival Hurricanes from Wellington, New Zealand. All across the city people were drawn by the thousands to the bright lights of Sydney Stadium. You could feel the electricity in the air. We had our faces painted just outside before finding our seats down by the field. Go Tahs go!


Although our seats were not the greatest, most of the action stayed down at our end so we had nice views when they scored their trys (a try is like a touchdown for you Yanks).


I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but that's about par when it comes to me and spectator sports. I cheered every time the players hurled their muscle bound bodies over the goal line, regardless of the team. My philosophy is that if you root for both sides you'll never go home upset. I'm not sure my fellow spectators would agree with me, however. I have a feeling most of them were pretty upset that their beloved Waratahs couldn't bring their game together at the end and wound up loosing to the visiting Hurricanes by 5 points.


At the end of the game there was an explosion of yellow and black as hundreds of ex-pat Kiwis in the crowd stood to cheer for the victorious Hurricanes. And I cheered too, with my Waratah face paint, because I love to go home happy. It was a great night.

Batman!

(karen)
I've told you about the mighty bats of Sydney but I'm afraid many of you have failed to grasp the sheer size of these flying rodents. They are about the size of seagulls. There are hundreds of them that patrol the night skies, keeping our Aussie Gotham free from the seedy underbelly of the insect world. And I think they are just about the coolest kids on the block. After several failed attempts, I managed to get this shot of a bat friend as he was drinking from the pond at Darling Harbour.


(Too bad their eyes don't really glow like demons, that would be awesome)

Can Mountains Be Blue?

(steve)

After three weeks in the city, we decided it was time for a long-weekend getaway. (We haven't gone to the Uni for five full days in a row yet, so why break the streak.) After soliciting ideas, we rented a car, dug out the camping gear, and headed east to the Blue Mountains. Now, keep in mind "mountain" is a relative term. With a soaring height of 3500 ft, we weren't in any danger of altitude sickness on this trip. The local mountains were recently described to us as "growing down." We didn't really know what that meant until we got there. Nevertheless, we played conservative and packed in the cold weather gear, even though the forecast was for sunny days. The plan was to camp both nights, with some day hikes thrown in for good measure.



The highway to Blue Mountain National Park spiraled up through rolling hills outside of Sydney. The landscape was dominated by eucalyptus (gum trees). Our first stop was 90 miles east in a town called Katoomba at Echo Point. This is the site of the Three Sisters rock formation. We gazed out over the Jamison Valley and found a beautiful vista reminiscent of the high country in Arizona. Looking around, there was definitely a blue tint to the surrounding hills and cliffs. The blue tint is caused by the release of a fine blue mist from the gum trees that ends up filling the valleys. As for "growing down," the area is best described as a series of valleys and canyons in the hills. There aren't any easily distinguished peaks to point at, but lots of shear 1000 ft cliffs to fall off of. You don't really notice you've gained elevation until you step up to the edge.



The next stops were at a series of overlooks (Evans Lookout, Govett's Leap, and Perry's Lookdown) for the Grose Valley, further up the road. We ended up spending the first night camping at Perry's Lookdown, right at the cliffs edge. The spot gave us a really nice sunset. That night, the temperature dropped significantly and we were glad of the warm gear foresight. The next day we hiked down about 2000 ft to the bottom of the Grose Valley to look at the Blue Gum Forest. Let's just say the boots felt a little small (and heavy) after sitting in the corner for the past month. The forest was lovely, filled with 100+ ft trees and lots of birds flitting between the branches. We ended up seeing a pair of lyre birds, more cockatoos, and loads of crimson rosellas (bright red parakeets) as well as other assorted small birds.



After camping the second night in the Megalong Valley (where it got even colder than the first night), we drove back to walk in the Grand Canyon arm of the Grose Valley. This canyon provided a different landscape to before, with a more tropical feel to the plants.



With our time almost at an end, we stopped in the villiage of Leura and treated ourselves to a nice lunch. While in town, we noticed another sign that fall is in full swing in the southern hemisphere, as the trees were showing lots of color.

While Sydney has been great, it was good to get outside and get dirty again.

Weekend Warriors

(karen)
When we first showed up in Sydney we were shown a room in a house called Courtyard that seemed pleasant enough. It wasn't going to be available for a few weeks, so we instead moved into our current room in Campus House. Last thursday the Courtyard room became available and we agreed when they asked us if we'd still like to try it. So we packed up our meager belongings and made the switch to our new house up the street. Our Campus roommates were devasted to loose us, to be replaced with an unknown german couple. How can they be guaranteed that the new folks will bake banana bread for them? How?? At first glance our new quarters are working out okay. Pros: better kitchen, more cheerful atmosphere, tv in our room. Cons: One joint bathroom/shower for 8 people, there is a cafe on the other side of our wall that opens at the crack of dawn, and the light switch for the room is outside the door. Seriously, who designed this place? But we're settled in and getting to meet our new neighbors. Wouldn't you know, one is a french chef! This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.





In other news, we indulged our impulsive side and met a friend from my work down at a pub for some live music. We got to meet his friends (one of them hilariously Tolfo-esque) and had a great time. It culminated with a drunken trip to McDonalds at 2:00 in the morning, where literally every person there was staggeringly intoxicated and overly friendly. I loved it. Our surrogate Tolfo then invited us to a house warming party in Glebe the following night, which we were informed was themed "Fictional Gay Characters, Pre 1990". We didn't have the time or resources to make costumes but other people had some great ideas, everything from Inspector Gadget to Mary Poppins to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He introduced us as the "randoms I met at a pub last night", and we were immediately welcomed. This is exactly what I wanted to get out of our stay in Sydney, to make new friends and live a quasi-normal life in a new place.

On Saturday we took the ferry across the harbor to visit the Taronga Zoo. Quite a few exhibits were closed, probably because they are renovating during the off season, but we still got to see a variety of critters. We were most interested in the native animals like koalas (aka drop bears), kangaroos, wombats, dingos, and platypus. Two we really wanted to see, the echidna and Tasmanian devil, were shy and chose not to grace us with their presence. A zoo highlight were several walk through areas for birds and passive animals like wallabies. It's not every day that you have to step aside to let an emu pass!





Our last excitement for the weekend was the Kings Cross Wine and Food Festival. I've been warned that Kings Cross after dark is a lurid maze of sex shops and prostitutes, but by day it is merely kinky bohemian, in a Castro District kind of way. We ended up paying a bit more than we were expecting but the food was delicious and the massive crowd was in good spirits (literally and figuratively). We sat in the sunshine, reading books, sipping wine, and nibbling on delectables ranging from Spanish chorizo to Thai spring rolls. It's making me very excited for the three day Wine and Food festival in Melbourne later next month. (Oh Christine, I wish you were here with me!)