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June 20th 2011
Published: June 20th 2011
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Once a vacation is booked it takes forever for the departure date to arrive. However, the vacation itself goes by in the blink of an eye. I spent 8 months waiting to leave for Australia and now my 17 days in Kangaroo Land are already over. We seemed so busy the entire time I was here that we did not get too many chances to relax. Lucky for me, our busy activities weren't that exhausting. Outside of a few hikes in the beautiful Dandenongs walks through the cities, and driving down the coast, our busy times consisted of meeting people for coffee and going out for dinner. In 17 days we must have gone out for coffee at least 17 times. The past 8 days have allowed us to go out to dinner 7 times and the only dinner at home was a wonderful Chinese tradtional Steamboat meal where you have a boiling pot of water in the middle of the table and various meats and veggies surrounding it that everyone throws in to make a soup. Whatever it was that we were doing in and around the city, we always had food and coffee appointments to go to.

In
Avian Bird Flu?Avian Bird Flu?Avian Bird Flu?

No animals were harmed in the taking of this photo
the past week I did get the pleasure of doing some activities that only Australia offers. We went to an AFL game and watched 2 of the oldest teams compete, Melbourne and Collingwood. It actually was not much of a competition. Melbourne got blown out. It was still a fantastic time with 75,000 fans going crazy. We were also lucky to get our hands on some special member seats at what would be equivalent to the 50 yard line in football and just 25 rows back from the field. The game itself is fast paced on a gigantic field. They dont tend to hit each other as hard has american football players, but these guys don't wear any pads either. With 18 players on each side and only 4 substitutes, these guys are in fantastic shape considering they run most of the game.

I also had the chance to play golf with Natalie's dad, brother, and family friend. It was a pretty course, but a not so pretty game of golf on anyone's part. Natalie's dad is an avid golfer, so his game is quite consistent. Not so much can be said about the rest of us. We did
Bells BeachBells BeachBells Beach

When the rain cleared we were blessed with a rainbow
have a fantastic game and nobody took it very seriously.

During the middle of the week we spent 2 days meeting up with an old friend. In Peru, Natalie and I volunteered at a backpacker lodge where we met a New Zealander named Pete. He was the lodge's manager at the time and it has been 3.5 years since I last saw him. We spent our time taking leisurely walks through the Australian bush. On the first day we went into the area that severely burned 2 years ago. The new growth is amazing. Old eucalyptus trees were scorched, but still alive and covered in small leaves and branches. The trees almost looked furry. It was a beautiful sight. On day 2 we took Pete into the Dandenongs for a 7km hike. Again, we went through dense forest covered in Eucalyptus and ferns. It felt like something out of Jurassic Park and I kept waiting for T-Rex to come running through the trees. Just my luck though...no T-Rex showed itself to us. We did get to see some wild animals though. Some beautiful birds live here and they enjoy eating seed from your hands, and some even ate bird
2 Apostles2 Apostles2 Apostles

windy windy spot
seed from Natalies head. She was lucky to not get bird shit in her hair.

The last main excitement for famous Australian site seeing was a tour of the Great Ocean Road. Mrs. Ooi let us borrow her car for the day so Natalie and I could make the long drive. We left at 8:30 am and did not get back to Melbourne until almost 7 pm. The road, which can be compared to PCH, took us past some small expensive beach towns, beautiful views, beaches and the famous 12 Apostles.

We hit two beaches along the way, the more noteable one, Bells Beach. My mind was filling up with quotes from Special Agent Utah and came to the realization that Point Break's movie budget did not include flying to the real Bells Beach, Australia, unless I am totally mistaken. After a traditional lunch of Fish and Chips, we eventually made it to the 12 Apostles, which is actually 8 or 9 Apostles now after further erosion. The high cliffs bordering the ocean have been eroding for many thousands of years leaving towering slaps of rock and earth out in the water. It was beautiful. Even luckier for
Footy FansFooty FansFooty Fans

Lots of People
us was that I am here in Winter and not the busy Summer season. Instead of thousands of onlookers, we only encountered a hundred or so people and little traffic.

Under tight time constraints, we captured our pictures and jumped back into the car and raced back to Wheeler's Hill for a wonderul Steamboat dinner.

We finished out the weekend drinking coffee, going out to dinner, and tying up all loose ends before I head out tonight.

I have attached a lot of pictures of various meals. Many pictures of various dishes were not attached and all but the Korean BBQ were taken by Mrs. Ooi on our many nights out.

Vietnam here I come!


Additional photos below
Photos: 23, Displayed: 23


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Settle DownSettle Down
Settle Down

Check out those shorts
Kicking Down Dead TreesKicking Down Dead Trees
Kicking Down Dead Trees

Round 1: Natalie 0, Tree 1
Australian JungleAustralian Jungle
Australian Jungle

Did I mention it was thick forest?
Korean BBQKorean BBQ
Korean BBQ

All you can eat! (Natalie, Lisa Tan, and Michael)
Crab DinnerCrab Dinner
Crab Dinner

Crab dinner with Alister Ooi's soon to be in laws
Tofu HeavenTofu Heaven
Tofu Heaven

Malaysian dish
who knowswho knows
who knows

We ate so much stuff....i have no idea what this is
Indian FoodIndian Food
Indian Food

Curries and other assortments
Malaysian HomecookedMalaysian Homecooked
Malaysian Homecooked

First meal with Mr. and Mrs. Ooi
Infamous DurianInfamous Durian
Infamous Durian

I will admit....I enjoy eating smelly durian
Char Kuey TeowChar Kuey Teow
Char Kuey Teow

One of my favorites - Fried Noodle dish
Peking DuckPeking Duck
Peking Duck

Famous Dish by a famous chef - fatty and yummy (Me, Natalie, Alister, and Melissa)
Yum ChaYum Cha
Yum Cha

Yum Cha, MMM Cha, Delish Cha....however you name it, it was amazing


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