Are Kangaroos Red Meat or White Meat??

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G'day mates!

Greetings from Down Under!! Blissfully, the addition of Australia, makes for six continents I have now traversed (although the traversing has only just begun)...what can I say, I am one lucky lass!

And I am here in the land of kangaroos and wallabies and koalas and platypuses...well, that's enough marsupials for you isn't it? Particularly since we have not yet seen any "real" ones just yet...merely ones of the stuffed variety. All in due time though...particularly since we plan to visit the zoo tomorrow. Yeah, I hope all those pouched animals are ready for me!

So where to begin? Well, I am traveling with my trusty side-kick, aka "my best friend", Val. And while she was being transported to Chicago (I made a trade...Val for my cats...novel huh?), she and my parents had a discussion about whether kangaroos were red meat or white meat. And, "Would Wendy eat kangaroo?" Val wisely touted that kangaroos fit neither in the swimmers nor fliers categories, thus Wendy would not eat them. True & factual. Good to travel with someone who knows me so well! Kangaroos fall into the mammal category, thus no mammals/marsupials for moi!

We arrived in Sydney on Sunday, July 1st, despite having left on Friday, June 29th. Seems that Saturday, June 30th is a day that has tragically been lost...never to be experienced...so sad. Although we were sluggish to say the least, we managed to do a bit of exploring, particularly in the Surry Hills & Darlinghurst neighborhoods. Crown Street seemed to be the major thoroughfare...and there were quite a few shops we checked out. En route, a kind lad made sure that we did not get squashed by buses as they apparently have a tendency to jump up on the curb...and later in the day, a kind fellow helped us out with our map. Seems that the Aussies are friendly and jovial bunch. Well, at least in our limited experiences this time around. I have had the pleasure of traveling with other Aussies on numerous previous occasions.

One thing I forget, for my travels on and along Crown Street, was my skateboard. I must remember to bring that along next time I happen to be down under.

Yesterday, that being Monday, Val and I ate at Bills restaurant (also along Crown Street), thanks for the recommendation Holly! In the afternoon, we zig-zagged all throughout the various neighborhoods of Sydney, where we learned a plethora o' new facts. I like fun-new-facts, yes I do! Here's one...maybe you can use it the next time you are on Jeopardy. QANTAS (the Aussie airline we flew on from LAX/Los Angeles) stands for Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Service. But wait, there's more! Bondi Beach is a famous beach in Sydney...and the word "bondi" in the Aboriginal language means wave (while bondi bondi means waves). Thus concludes the educational segment of this blogg entry.

Last evening we stumbled upon the notorious Sydney Opera house illuminated against the night sky, and earlier today we took a cruise of the Sydney Harbour. We took in the aerial views from the Sydney Tower, and then saw an excellent exhibit on Contemporary Latin American Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Now, despite the fact that we have "No worries" (well, Val has some, but I don't)...I think we will soon head back to our hotel in Darling Harbour. It's darling, just darling...well, not really, but it is lovely nevertheless.

G'night mates!
With love from Australia!

*****

P.S. So, since I am rather pathetic about posting photos to my blogg...I figured I'd minimally add some from my trip in April (a bit of a whirlwind) to NYC where I was able to be reunited with my dear friends from Germany, Steffi & Thorsten, along with some of my other favorite people (Nicki & Anton and Kristi).

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Comments

[Barbara]

What about crocs?
Hey Wendy, better decide now whether crocs fall into your 'I will eat' category. You just MIGHT be offered some crocodile meat in the near future! Sounds like you're having fun in Sydney. Might I HIGHLY recommend climbing the Sydney Harbour bridge if you get a chance, it's one of the BEST things I did there!

[Kim]

greetings from Madison
fortunately for you, traveling on a large island you should not be lacking in all the fish and seafood you care to eat (flashback to Hawaii)...so where do reptiles fall in your classifications of to eat or not to eat...that is the question! ;) Sounds like Down Under is treating you just fine. HI Val!

[kari]

sydney!!
I just woke up and so my memory is still sleepy but i can tell you of some great places to hit since i have been there twice and stayed approx a total of 3 months there. oh heck, in an email. Wendy I was thinking of you just yesterday and thought i have to call and catch up. have fun. there's a walking path along the coast by bondi and the views are magnificent! try max brenner chocolate for chocolate to die for they have some in NY now but you will love it...here are some locals ifyou are on the main street one is in the basement of the department store david jones and that is where they have the most lovely deli's and fantastic foods too. here is a link to max brenner locations... http://www.maxbrenner.com/branches.html oh, at the zoo you may get a chance to touch a kangaroo, i did, cuz one was sleeping. have fun!

[Bill & Mary]

Wish we could go back!
You're a lucky lady! One of the best weeks of my (Bill's) life was spent in and around Sydney in February of '68. I was there with my best buddy on Army R&R from DaNang. We only had a couple hundred dollars, but we had a ball. Most of the time, we walked around the city. They had several very nice parks. We did take a double-decker bus (12¢), the zoo ferry, and the hydrofoil harbor tour. We also took a special tour up the coast in a bus arranged by the military. The Opera House was under construction at the time. We asked some locals about it because it wasn't like anything we'd ever seen. They were livid about their taxes being wasted on a building only a few would use. We found an old apartment in the King's Cross area that was on the "approved" list for about $11/day. It actually was very nice, but quaint. The kitchen stove reminded me of an old laundry stove (ask your dad!) with an oven with no thermostat. "I Love Lucy" was on TV when we walked in the first time. We went to buy groceries at the "small goods" and discovered they expected you to BYOB (bring your own bag). Everyone was very kind to us except for the folks at the hoity-toity restaurant at the top of the tallest building who wouldn't let us take pictures unless we planned to spend more money than we had. It was a wonderful week and we hope yours will be at least as much fun. Your dad's former neighbor, Bill

[Mom and Dad]

Glad you are having a great time. I really think even though you consider kangaroos red meat - it would be interesting to taste even one bite or maybe you will find other interesting morsels to dine on. Sapphire jumped up on dad's lap yesterday-he is enjoying the cats and chatting with them. Looking forward to hearing about more of your adventures from the land down under. Have fun at the zoo with the kangaroos. love from mom :)

[caroline]

jealous!!!
You are always going somewhere great, but Australia has a special place in my heart as you know! Say hi to all my mates there, and be sure to check out the great ocean road in melbourne-- (which if you wann fit in is pronounced melbin). SUPER JEALOUS!!!C