Scribble World Travel Blog

Returning to the USA From Australia

Just some facts-It’s 11:44 P.M. Australia time. I’m tired, it’s almost impossible to get comphy and sleep-but right when it seemed my fatigue would win out, on came the cabin lights.

Our altitude is 10,668 m

Time since departure: 9 hours 45 minutes

Time to destination (L.A): 3 hours 4 minutes

Air Temperature: -45 celcius

Ground Speed: 582 mph or 937 km/m

Local Time is 6:46 A.M.-Estimated arrival time: 9:49 A.M.

We’re somewhere between Honolulu and Mexico CIty.  Big help, I know…And we have traveled 5,865 miles since our departure-that’s 9,441 km.. current altitude is 35,000 feet.

The cabin is beginning to smell like coffee. Outside it is still almost completely dark, but there are no signs of stars and the darkness is faintly subsiding. We are all awake, but not in the least bit chatty. 

The Quantas Entertainment System has been a huge disappointment on this flight. The interactive menu is down-so we only have bizarre and limited “TV” to choose from-and so I’ve caught the ending to like 4 different movies.  It seems they were already in progress before departure, a bit annoying-but I tried to be philosophical about it-studying the endings-the formulas being used-noting the suspense and anticipation that lead to a satisfying conclusion-and also the huge role music plays-particularly in building suspense.

We’ve now landed in LAX and have made it safely through customs.  Getting on our Southwest flight was not quite so easy, as Chris’s bag was 16 pounds over the 50 pound checked baggage weight limit.  He put on his heavy hiking shoes, tossed out some shampoo and mouthwash, we squished a few things into my bag, which was underweight, but just about bursting at the seams, and squeezed other stuff into our carry ons.  We managed though.

The next short flight was smooth and hassle free. We landed a little after 3 in the afternoon, took a city bus as far as it could take us in the direction of home, then walked a mile or two, hauling all our big heavy luggage, then waited at another bus stop for 20 minutes or so to take us the last few miles. True, we could have taken a cab, but after our spendy vacation we were eager to find ways to save money-and the bus was only a dollar and I’m sure a little sunshine and exercise wasn’t too terrible for us either after sitting on planes for 14 hours. 

We walked through the door a little after 6 P.M. and were instantly greeted by 2 great big fuzzy purrballs, both meowing and meowing trying to tell us all about their adventures while we were away and full of questions as they sniffed at our luggage and shoes wondering where in the world we’d been. 

And now I can collapse.

Jenolan Caves and a Platypus

Chris and I sleepily forced ourselves awake this morning for our agreed upon 7:30 A.M. nature walk to scout out any platypus in the area. We spotted 2 in a little stream.  Mom took an amazing video of one leisurely scratching himself.  The platypus was unaware of her presence–they are very shy and spook easily, disappearing into their hideouts.  She’s been emphasizing what a rare and special experience this was for us to get such a good look at two platypus in their natural environment-we lucked out. Another time, she and Bruce got up at 4 A.M. hoping to see a platypus and only Mom saw it, but the water wasn’t crystal clear as it was here at the Jenolan Caves, so it was nothing to write home about that time.

We went for a self guided tour of the Nettle Cave which was fairly self explanatory with numbered posts and an audio narration of the cave’s history and properties.  Then we lined up inside the cave tunnel, the same one we drove through yesterday, to await our guided tour of the Lucas Cave. While climbing up the many stairs, it was disheartening to see kids, from a distance throwing rocks where we had seen the platypus, despite the sign two feet away from them stating not to.  It’s sad that a couple people’s thoughtless and mean spirited actions can taint an otherwise fabulous experience.

The Lucas Cave was named after a guy that used to break off the crystals in the cave and decorate his home with them.  He later redeemed himself after a house fire destroyed his entire home including all his crystals-he realized the need to protect the cave’s natural resources or there wouldn’t be any left. John Lucas was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Hartley who pressed the Minister of Lands to turn the Jenolan Caves into a reserve.  Come October, the Jenolan Caves and surrounding areas will have been a protected reserve for the last 143 years. 

The Lucas Cave is one of only several caves we could have toured, but we were intrigued by it as it has the highest chambers-the “Cathedral” Chamber measures 54 metres high.  We listened to an impressive automated musical acoustics demonstration within the Cathedral Chamber of the Lucas Cave.  Real concerts are periodically performed in this great hall.  The length of the Lucas is 860 metres and there are a whopping 910 steps. It is also famous for it’s “Broken Column,” Jenolan’s most frequently photographed formation.  Our guide pointed out another broken column, historic graffiti, and an old wishing well that is now green from the copper coins that used to be thrown in it, among other things. 

A guided tour is a good way to get the cave experience.  There were a few moments of mild panic as all the lights went out while our group was climbing the stairs up and down a narrow corridor and we found ourselves in total darkness.  It must have been a trip to explore the caves with only torches back in the day.  There were strategically placed lightbulbs all along our tour, but it was our guide who held the power of the remote to turn them on and off at will and occasionally by accident. It was fun.

It’s a cloudy rainy day and we’re now back on the road on our way back to Sydney.  We’re taking a different way back-a scenic southern route past fields full of sheep and also fields full of wild kangaroos-20 or more/field, but I lost count.  I guess they’re pretty common here-like deer in the US.  Deer are not indigenous to Australia and we have not seen any.  We did, however, see a couple rabbits and one fox, which also are not indigenous.

Mom and Bruce, who live in Alaska, have been listening to an Australian news radio show. There is quite a bit of interest in Alaska, since Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, was announced the Republican nominee for Vice President. Mom has not met Sarah Palin personally, though she did see her in an airport restroom once. Anyway, they were both amused to hear what the listeners who called in had to say about Alaska.  One caller made it sound like Alaskans all ate grizzly bears..or that there are hardly any grocery stores…or the woman all dress up in costumes at the saloons.  She said it sounds like the callers had only been to the tourist traps.

Then, on the radio, they began discussing lawyers and whether or not we should feel a little bit sorry for them since they make $$$ but don’t have time to enjoy it.  Another caller said a former employer had once said to a group of aspiring bankers, “you have to think of life as a stovetop with only 4 burners-one for family, one for friends, another for work, and one for health.  You can’t have it all.  If you want to be good at something, you’ll have to turn off one-And if you want to be great at something, you’ll have to turn off two…”

Katoomba Falls, Blue Mountains Australia

We went on a walkabout today at Katoomba Falls in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney, Australia.  The walk was scenic, we had a good view of the “Three Sisters” peaks and Katoomba Falls.  We all bought the $28 triple pass to Scenic World and road the scenic skyway with a glass floor you can also walk on.  It took us right past Katoomba Falls for a unique view.  Then we held on tight to our cameras and took a ride on the railway-which was like a straight drop down!  Intense but short lived. 

We walked along following the boardwalk, noticing the old mining relics, and yes, it really is real coal, not props-as Chris discovered accidentally when he touched one.  Walking along the scenic walkway was refreshing, surrounded by tall shady trees and interesting birds. We road the scenic cableway back up the mountain, then hiked down to the base of Katoomba Falls to see it from another angle.

I sat on a bench for a little daydream, overlooking Katoomba Falls, as the others ventured on down the trail.  I just wanted to savor the experience.  Sometimes there is too much rush-too much “we came, we saw, next!” mentality, and I really like to spend time in a place to make it feel real.  So sitting on a bench overlooking the falls, I had a very vivid future vision of there being an outdoor cafe there someday at the bottom of the falls-called “Forest Falls Cafe”-serving only food that was native to the area-including roots, seeds, nuts and things like that. And if you asked for a water refill, your waiter or waitress would prance over to the edge of the waterfall, entertaining you by hopping over stones to hold your cup under the waterfall in just the right place,-unless they didn’t like you and then they’d just scoop some sludge off the bottom…

It was good water. On our scenic walk, a sign even indicated we were at a good place to refill our water bottles. Like nature’s own drinking fountain-cool and refreshing. 

We’re at a gas station now-the price is $1.45 for a liter of the cheapest kind. 

We continue our road trip driving west.  It’s been quite the woodsy, hilly, curvy road drive with lots of wild kangaroos along the side of the road to look out for.

We have made it to Jenolan caves and are spending the night at the Jenolan Caves House. We passed through an interesting cave to get here.  We’ll tour it tomorrow while it’s light. We’re also planning to get up early to see if we can spot a platypus out in nature. 

I can’t grasp time.  It boggles me somehow. My mind keeps its own timeline-quite different than the calendar year. Earlier, I was realizing Chris and I have not worked in a whole year!  But a year of not working does not feel the way I imagined it would prior.  It sounded like a lot of time, but doesn’t feel that way now.  Thank goodness for travel journals! That and our pictures which serve as physical reminders of where the past year has led us. I love feeling as though I have all the time in the world to do all the things I’d like to-and I’m really going to miss that feeling.  Tomorrow will be our last full day in Australia. 

On the bright side, at least part of me is ready to go home-hoping Ox and Paws (our cats) and our living quarters will all be okay.  It’ll be nice to have a kitchen again and be able to make exactly what I want.  It has been great fun eating out all the time and trying new things, don’t get me wrong-but at the same time, I’m not used to every single meal being an eating out big to do complete with high end prices.  Laugh if you must, but tonight all I really wanted was a great big bowl of steamed vegetables. Instead, I got the $26  steak with all of one roasted garlic mushroom and some potato gratin.  The mushroom was good-but only one??  And the potato gratin was really sweet-like candy-call me picky, but sometimes you just want your vegetables to taste like vegetables! I did enjoy my lemongrass tea, however, which was the saving grace for the whole meal, adding balance and perspective.  I hope to find more when I get back to the states.

Mom read her 20 page bio for us tonight after treating us all to dinner.  I feel like I have a little better understanding of who she is as a person and what matters to her.  I can also see the paradigms that can make seeing eye to eye challenging at times.  Paradigm- a set of assumptions, values, and concepts that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community or generation that share them. 

For her, having a career has been such a huge part of her identity.  I’m just the opposite-working to live and to learn, I don’t define myself through my job, though I can’t help it if other people do.  To me, a job is more of a means to an end-freedom.  So if I can work until I’ve saved up enough money to take a year off-why not?  Sure, I could put it in the bank and save that money for retirement or an emergency-but most likely I’d just wind up spending it on stuff and the rising cost of existence-never getting around to doing what truely makes life matter to me. But this has certainly caused the occasional rift between us.  As a Mother-of course she wants security for her children and everyone she cares about….but, how exactly do you appeal to the senses of your grown up child who values freedom over security?  Scare tactics and guilt trips do not seem to be working, for I’m as stubborn (I prefer “determined”) as I ever was-sorry, Mom. I know your heart is in the right place.

It was interesting to hear her talk about her childhood days, so she does remember fondly those days of swimming on rafts, building forts, playing and exploring-a time when her responsibilities were fewer and her self perception was based on different criteria.

The Carrington Hotel

Wow! We’re spending the night at another fancy and unusual hotel called the Carrington.  It’s on Katoomba Street in katoomba NSW Australia 2780.  To me, it feels like staying in an elegant old castle.  The Carrington opened in 1882, then known as The Great Western-and was a popular destination for those who wanted to visit the Blue Mountains in style (those with money).  After more than a century in operation, The Carrington was closed in 1985 and remained closed until 1991 when it was sold and renovated for the next 8 years-finally reopening to the public in 1998. 

The door knob on the entrance of each room is so high up-as though designed for giants and giant egos of times gone by.  The ceilings are very high and the room itself feels spacious.  Some of the rooms have shared baths at the end of the hall.  Chris and I were exploring-there’s a hundred year old billiard table, old leather & wood chairs, interesting art depicting lots of nudity, fancy dining hall and banquet rooms, and an elevator more than a century old, built back in 1904 in the days of elevator attendants.  Still operational, the 2 doors to the elevator must muscle open yourself before hopping aboard and exiting-there’s a bit of trick to that when you’ve got an armful of luggage. 

We had dinner at the place next door, just a hop and skip away.  I tried a linguine dish with tuna and veggies-it’s amazing how much better tasting fresh tuna is than the stuff that comes in the can.

Chris and I are in our room for the night-watching the news.   New Orleans has been evacuated in preparation for “the storm of the  century,” that may be worse than Katrina.  In other international news, there was an earthquake in China, flooding in India-”the government is a complete failure,” one Indian man just said to a reporter on a rescue raft being swarmed by desperate people-almost sinking the raft. 

In Quantas Airline news (we were just on a Quanta’s flight) an oxygen explosion is “unlikely to reoccur” according to one guy, while another guy says, “when you start outsourcing your work you are compromising on quality.”  And a fire has destroyed the Gilbert hotel in Perth.  Enough news.

We turned on the TV briefly this morning in Sydney curious to see what kind of programming they have in Australia.  Mom was surprised to see South Park was on one of the 4 channels with good reception and wondered if very many Australians would even understand the jokes, which are geared toward a certain age demographic.  The Ellen show was on-a 6 year old girl piano prodigy was showing off her stuff and looked to be having a lot of fun, with her big toothy grin, making it look delightfully easy. 

That got me off on a philosophical tangent of my own as I began wondering about the girl-how at a young age there isn’t pressure-she was clearly having fun-but what about as she gets older?  Will she continue having fun with her gifts or will she feel like she must constantly strive to do ever more amazing feats?  A talented 6 year old pianist is a show stealer, everyone roots for her-but a talented 36 year old pianist may not be quite so impressive in the eyes of the public.  So the pressure goes up while the enjoyment factor possibly goes down. 

I suppose it would depend on a number of factors-such as how important public appreciation is versus how much one is able to just enjoy what they are doing.  Is there freedom to change paths if so inclined or do your options feel limited, practically set in stone? The answer to those questions could determine how she, and many others, come to view their lives.  Having hope is an important part of a happy life.  So to “arrive” too young can be a crushing experience if it takes away your hope instead of giving it to you. 

Another thought-we walked through an expensive mall near the Circular Quay earlier where my Mom pointed out these teenage Japanese boys all dressed in the same navy suits walking around the mall in groups.  She said they were the children of the rich-only rich kids would be hanging out at that mall. And it was true, we didn’t see any other kids there.   We passed by a few-they seemed quiet, well behaved, and…perhaps…entitled.  They did not make eye contact or seem interested in any of the other people at the mall-only each other. 

I looked at some ugly designer handbags and thought about the people who would buy them-curious about their mental state of mind-not in a judgemental way, but a curious one-imagining what it’s like to be one-to have a credit card at a young age, but feeling also this sense of deprivation-and that to spend money on some of these ridiculous items must represent a general loathing of the stuff called money-revered by others, but to them something that doesn’t have a real value attached to it-and so they can spend it on a purse that looks like cheap vinyl and feel no pain-no sense of loss-no “either/or,” tough choices to be made.  I think it’s about trying to fill a sense of deprivation with their sense of entitlement.  If it makes them feel special-they want it.  Wow, I guess I am ever so slightly judgemental on this one-it just seems like one would truely have to have a love/hate regard for money to prefer such a virtue-less bag over a pile of cash (or plastic).  I rest my case.

This room is so neat-an unusual experience with great big stained glass windows, window seat, queen bed and a twin bed, vanity shelf with historic looking jewelry box drawers on top, mirror, small decorative lamp with long beads hanging from the lampshade, tea warmer, hot chocolate, soft towels, a rack that heats up your bath towel. A nice complimentary breakfast is included with our stay as well.

Fort Denison Sydney Australia

We’re on our way out of the parking ramp-near the Rocks Quay (Circular Quay area) getting ready to leave Sydney and continue our road trip West. We’ve checked out of the Lord Nelson Hotel & Brewery. We tried to get it for a third night, realizing how much there’s still to do in Sydney, but they were booked, so we’re going to follow the original plan to leave town today, after squeezing in a few more Sydney “must do’s.”

We took pictures of the Sydney bridge and Opera House, then watched some Aboriginal street performers play didgeridoo music-it was a combination of Aboriginal vocals, nature sounds, and other trance-like rhythms. You can listen to a free sample of their interesting style of music online here.

Next, we booked a ferry with Captain Cook Cruises at Circular Quay, wharf 6, and road the ferry over to Fort Denison for a delicious lunch. Aside from a handful of employees we had the small island all to ourselves. We strolled around the grounds while waiting for our lunch to arrive. I thought the fish & chips were wonderfully flavorful with a melt in your mouth texture. The water was the pricey part which came to $8/bottle, and provided 4 people with about half a glass each-not quite enough to really quench your thirst. The waitress returned after a while and asked if we’d like another bottle of water and Bruce, who’d been off exploring and didn’t know the price, immediately said, “yes.” So our water tab came to $16. It is interesting how the price of things are so subjective. Back home, we can refill a gallon of water for 25 cents…but when I first moved to Arizona, the idea of paying for drinking water at all seemed hilarious-having grown up on good well water from the Midwest. But here, on Former penal colony, Fort Denison, paying $8 for a liter of water imported from Italy-well, you just kind of shrug your shoulders and say, “alright.” But it all tastes the same, it’s only our perception of the value that changes….the presentation and packaging. My 2 cents are up, moving on-

The museum explored the fort’s interesting history. I watched a short video about the prisoners who were kept there and fed only bread and butter-they were always hungry thus lending the island the nickname “Pinchgut.” Ships that couldn’t be accounted for were seized and the crew sent to the penal colony until proof was received of their allegiance. The fort was completed in 1857, spurred by fear of a Russian Naval attack during the Crimean War-locals didn’t want their first warning of an attack to be that of cannons being fired through their windows.

The Denison Fort has the only Mortello Tower in Australia, and, not only that, it was the last Mortello tower built in the British Empire. A Mortello tower is a round fort up to 40 feet tall with thick sturdy walls resistant to cannon fire. At Fort Denison, the Mortello tower’s walls are between 3.3 and 6.7 meters thick at the base and 2.7 meters thick at the top. Some minor damage can still be seen on the tower today from some 5 inch shells that accidentally hit the fort when the USS Chicago fired upon 3 Japanese midget submarines that were attacking Sydney Harbor in May of 1942.

I just learned an interesting connection, compliments of Wikipedia, between Fort Denison and the Titanic. Charles Lightoller, the future second officer of the Titanic once played a practical joke on the fort. In 1900, Lightoller, then the 4th officer of the White Star Lines ship, and 4 midshipmen rowed to Fort Denison during the night, climbed the tower and raised a makeshift Boer flag and fired a cannon shot to fool locals into thinking they were under attack. This was during a time when the Boer war was raging in Africa and the citizens of Sydney were not amused. Lightoller accepted full responsibility for the prank and the White Star Line had to pay damages to the city. Twelve years later, in 1912, Charles Lightoller was to be the most senior officer to have survived the sinking of the Titanic. He became a key witness answering American and British inquiries about the disaster.

On the ferry ride back, it was kind of interesting to hear about the expensive houses in the area. I remember her, the ferry guide, pointing one out that had been rented for $33,000/week to a guy (the director, maybe?) of the movie “Australia.”

We’re leaving Sydney now, heading West.