Day 2, Australia

WILDLIFE
On TV the wildlife shows are not really about fish that live in the local river, they are about kangaroos that are in the ‘bush house’ and other weird animals you don’t see in most of the world. Well, OK, I am exaggerating, yes, they do have shows on the fish in the local rivers but the fish are the size of your trunk. I am probably exaggerating again but you get my point... While taking a walk today, beside seagulls and crows, there were a lot of kookaburras with their long beaks jumping on tables and begging for food, I suppose they are the local pigeons. I can’t wait to see the first kangaroos and koalas. I read that there is a koala garden somewhere not too far from here, we’ll have to figure out how to get there.

SHOPPING
Today we went exploring the city. There is so much to do and see here. There are huge malls with everything you can imagine, including Louis Voutons (however you spell that) and Gucci and Timberlands and everything in between. I have to admit one alarming fact though, I still have not seen a ZARA or EXPRESS shop or anything of the sorts. Any sensible woman would get a little weary at this point but I am hoping in the sensible Australians having something similar, I just have not discovered it yet.

THE CITY&PEOPLE
There are all kinds of interesting and beautiful walks and parks. The one we explored today was the city Botanical Gardens. Do I need to say how neat it was? The city is very clean and modern. Australians seem to be very hip people. Especially young people (I feel like an old woman just saying “young people”) anyway, young people here are all hip surfer dudes and dudettes like “yo, cool man” with tattoos and clothes that seem hip only when you are in your early 20s. There are more coffee shops here of all sorts (mostly independent) than a street dog has lice – streets are buzzing with them. Food is a little on the expensive side, I think. Neil who is used to the London prices would probably argue. A dinner at a restaurant will cost about 14-17AUS$, which is about the same value as a Canadian dollar. Even though we found a breakfast place that have eggs with toast, bacon, sausage and a tomato for 4AUS$, most of them were from 10-14AUS$, which I think is pretty steep. A cup of latte or mocha or regular coffee will be somewhere between 3.50-4AUS$.

By far the coolest thing today was the man made beach in the middle of the city at a park that we found with the city skyline in the background. Crystal clear water, fine sand and life guards in water that to me seemed knee deep – I love Australia! In other news, I am getting my butt to the gym ASAP – all the surfer chicks are super skinny here, I feel like a little tubby rolling around the streets. Or maybe I will have to take up surfing myself…

Did I say that between here and the East coast US there are 14 hr difference?

US
Last night the people in the apartments around us were stomping around in something that sounded like big cowboy boots. Neil and I went to bed around 9 since we were really tired but around midnight, after our friendly neighbors came home from they walkabout, we were up and Neil didn’t sleep until the morning. I’d say that the real jet lag has set in for both of us. Even though I slept better, Mrs. Middleton stepped out of the bed with the wrong foot and bit Mr. Middleton’s head of a couple times without a particular reason. After Canada, Latvia, Norway, Latvia, England and now Australia time zone changes, I think our bodies are in rebellion. We were dragging our feet today.