timandmeg

So we made it to Queenstown even after our flight was cancelled due to fog. We took a 7 hour bus ride to get here, but it was worth it! This town is very similar to the ski towns in Colorado, all New Zealand schools are off, and top that with the Australia versus New Zealand rugby game tonight! Much going on here. We are about to meet our friends we met on the bus to view the game. Let's just say they are rooting for AU. But earlier today we took it upon ourselves to do some "adrenaline" type activities. The canyon jump is not what we thought. We thought a nice little trip wire was set up in the forest somewhere all nice and close to the ground. It ends up being 109m off ... read more

Melbourne is a great place to explore with lots of alleyways that wind through the city's grid. Also, it's cold here and actually feels like winter! We have taken a couple of day trips: one to see the Penguin Parade on Phillips Island, a nightly ritual where a thousand penguins return from the ocean and waddle into burroughs, and a second tour to go wine tasting in Yarra Valley, mmmmmm. We were not allowed to take pictures of the penguins because the flashes are apparently harmful and daze the little guys (they are only a foot tall and weigh 2.2 pounds!!), but it was quite a sight. We have one more day left in Australia and then it's off to NZ!... read more

So Sydney has proven to be a HUGE city. We giggled when they said that it is the biggest city in Australia, boasting over 4 million people. But seriously, there is so much to see here. We went to the Opera House yesterday. The tour was pricey, but well worth it. We had an Angelica Houston lookalike tour guide who knew everything about the place (including the fact that Pres Bush had an entourage of 700 people for a meeting a few years ago - seriously?). We're going to a music show tomorrow night at the Opera House. Today we went on a bus tour to amongst other places, Bondi Beach and the Australian Museum. Tim finally tried Kangaroo that he's been threatening to try. I had some and it tasted like tough steak. A good ... read more

Greetings from across the globe! We landed safe and sound at dawn this morning after a 14 hour flight to brisbane. I think it is Wed July 1st, which means we leap-frogged Tuesday. We spent the day driving up inland of the coast toward the Great Barrier Reef. Very beautiful countyside with brilliant sunshine and hills and forest. It's hot here! Winter my foot. We have stopped for the night in a town called Gladstone, which leaves us about a five or six hour drive tomorrow morning. It's a little scary driving on the left side, but we've managed so far. Also the metric system causes unnecessary math, which Megan actually enjoys which is even more unnecessary. Oh and Burger King is called Hungry Jack. The best part of the driving is when we try to ... read more

Now that Megan is off school, she has more time to worry about whether or not we are ready for this trip. We are currently formalizing plans, but not too many! We want some of it to be random. That's part of the fun of traveling. What to take? Three weeks is hard to plan for. Do we take three weeks of clothes, or maybe do laundry on the trip. Then again, doing laundry isn't exactly a vacation, is it? We may complain about dragging several suitcases around. Only 16 days left! ... read more