Hey everybody, it's Fineberg buying tabouli in Cronulla!
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Monday, January 03, 2005
Happy New Year from Sydney!
This place is awesome. To be honest, a lot of backpackers I have met on the road didn't really like Sydney and didn't have a problem telling me to only spend a couple days here. Well, I planned on four nights, and it's the fifth night already, and I'm still here. Yes, it's that cool. I'm staying in the central area, which is next to Chinatown and the skyscrapers of the business district. I'm about a twenty minute walk from the Opera House. This town is pretty; the city is clean (I don't know where they hide the homeless people for the holidays); and the city parks are safe.
I spent New Year's Eve in the Botanical Gardens, at Macquarie's Point, picnicking with the Swedish girls from Fraser Island. You had to get there early to save a spot to watch the fireworks and bridge display at midnight. We were there for 13 hours. It was really fun, actually. The weather was perfect: not too hot or sunny. There were tons of boats in the harbor, anchored for the day to watch the fireworks. As the day progressed, it got more and more crowded. It was sort of like a hippy concert. Some folks were playing guitar and singing. Some folks started doing "the wave". Some Irish guys behind us were drunk and sang their sad Irish ballads. I was going to go to Cronulla to party hardy with Fineberg, but never made it. It was worth it, though, to see the fireworks and stuff over the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The next day I met up with Fineberg at Luna Park, which is a Coney Island nightmare amusement park on the north side of the harbor, next to the bridge. There was a 12-hour dance party (rave?) going on there and he was getting down with his old mates from his nine-month fellowship here a couple years ago. Tickets were kind of steep, but it was worth it. Once you entered, you weren't allowed to exit and re-enter so there were a lot of people (passed out?) on the floors against the walls when I got there. I watched the first sunset of the new year turn the city skyline into a bright orange. It was as if the city was on fire and the regalers danced on oblivious to the awesome sight. There were lots of glowsticks being sold, and the main dance floor was a huge dark room with laser lights. It reminded me of that Frankie Goes to Hollywood video for "Relax". Anyone remember that one? I almost expected blood to come out of the sprinkler system (like in Blade). Anyways, it was good fun, and Fineberg is doing well.
Actually, the past few days, since he's arrived, he has been trying to get us tickets to go to Phuket, Thailand, to help with the disaster there. But, alas, it is not meant to be. The soonest we can go is the 6th, and he has to return to Hawaii the 10th. Plus, he was told by some of the folks that they really weren't interested in acute care providers; mostly they wanted infectious disease and public health specialists, and, oh yeah, I'm sure lots of money. It's tough finding places that want volunteer doctors. It astounds me.
The past couple of days I have met up with the Fraser Island friends at Manly and Bondi beaches. Both are pretty famous places here in Sydney (that I had not heard of prior to coming). The water, unlike the protected waters inside the Great Barrier Reef, is cold like San Diego (68 F today). Well, I guess that's considered average to warm in San Diego. Anyways, the waves were nice, and the views of sun-bathers even, um, nicer?
I'm headed to Melbourne on a 12-hour night bus in a couple days.
Did I mention there are humongous bats that fly through the skies at night?
It's totally wild.
I spent New Year's Eve in the Botanical Gardens, at Macquarie's Point, picnicking with the Swedish girls from Fraser Island. You had to get there early to save a spot to watch the fireworks and bridge display at midnight. We were there for 13 hours. It was really fun, actually. The weather was perfect: not too hot or sunny. There were tons of boats in the harbor, anchored for the day to watch the fireworks. As the day progressed, it got more and more crowded. It was sort of like a hippy concert. Some folks were playing guitar and singing. Some folks started doing "the wave". Some Irish guys behind us were drunk and sang their sad Irish ballads. I was going to go to Cronulla to party hardy with Fineberg, but never made it. It was worth it, though, to see the fireworks and stuff over the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The next day I met up with Fineberg at Luna Park, which is a Coney Island nightmare amusement park on the north side of the harbor, next to the bridge. There was a 12-hour dance party (rave?) going on there and he was getting down with his old mates from his nine-month fellowship here a couple years ago. Tickets were kind of steep, but it was worth it. Once you entered, you weren't allowed to exit and re-enter so there were a lot of people (passed out?) on the floors against the walls when I got there. I watched the first sunset of the new year turn the city skyline into a bright orange. It was as if the city was on fire and the regalers danced on oblivious to the awesome sight. There were lots of glowsticks being sold, and the main dance floor was a huge dark room with laser lights. It reminded me of that Frankie Goes to Hollywood video for "Relax". Anyone remember that one? I almost expected blood to come out of the sprinkler system (like in Blade). Anyways, it was good fun, and Fineberg is doing well.
Actually, the past few days, since he's arrived, he has been trying to get us tickets to go to Phuket, Thailand, to help with the disaster there. But, alas, it is not meant to be. The soonest we can go is the 6th, and he has to return to Hawaii the 10th. Plus, he was told by some of the folks that they really weren't interested in acute care providers; mostly they wanted infectious disease and public health specialists, and, oh yeah, I'm sure lots of money. It's tough finding places that want volunteer doctors. It astounds me.
The past couple of days I have met up with the Fraser Island friends at Manly and Bondi beaches. Both are pretty famous places here in Sydney (that I had not heard of prior to coming). The water, unlike the protected waters inside the Great Barrier Reef, is cold like San Diego (68 F today). Well, I guess that's considered average to warm in San Diego. Anyways, the waves were nice, and the views of sun-bathers even, um, nicer?
I'm headed to Melbourne on a 12-hour night bus in a couple days.
Did I mention there are humongous bats that fly through the skies at night?
It's totally wild.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Why doesn't Sydney look like it does in The Matrix?
That was my first thought of this city as we drove across the Sydney Harbor Bridge to the south side. Yesterday, I spent the day wandering around a Brisbane that was finally open for business after the Christmas holiday. It's a very nice clean city with tons of trees and parklands (as is Sydney, for that matter). I also visited the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, as Brisbane is the state capital. I finally saw the dreaded "Box Jellyfish" that is in the beachwaters this time of year. It's huge (about the size of your head, except with tentacles), and it's shaped like a box. Go figure. The most interesting thing I saw and read about was a "camel spider". Yes, this is the internet mail that has been going around for the past two years. The museum actually had a printed copy of the internet email and the photo with the American servicemen in the background. Verdict? Totally debunked. The photo is a play on perspective. The camel spider (which also lives in the States) only grows to the size of a child's palm and is in no way dangerous. Go tell your friends all about it. I also walked through the Art Gallery, which mostly had modern art pieces. It was sort of comical. They had video art pieces. One was called "60 second sculptures". It was an hour long video showing a person (head out of frame) doing stupid stuff and holding that pose for about a minute. I saw him go behind a chalkboard and grip eitherside of the chalkboard so that only his fingers were showing, and then he lifted his legs off the ground. He managed to hold that pose for about five seconds. Another one was where he took a chair and set it so that the legs were against the wall, and he pretended to sit in it, facing the floor, but he tried to support himself with his hands on the floor, of course, out of frame. That lasted about half a second. Art, I am not worthy!
Basically yesterday was an attempt to kill time before my 7pm bus to Sydney. The ride was 18.5 hours long. Can you say it with me? "Awwwwwwwwesome." It was freezing at night wherever it was we stopped. I was warned that the weather would get cooler as I went south; they weren't kidding. I was freezing on the bus all night long. I met a nice German girl (whose name I couldn't understand); we chatted about our travels along the way. I swear, I have met more people here just off the street than anywhere else. I only had a last minute reservation for a room tonight, and I was going to wing it for the rest of my time here in Sydney. My attempts at finding additional nightstay in Sydney were at places that were either too expensive or required an hour trainride. I didn't really worry about it, because you know, ya just gotta wing it. Plus, I knew my friend Fineberg would come through for me in the end.
Well, as it turns out, the place I'm staying at DOES hold rooms off the record, for people who want to stay longer, so I've got four nights in Sydney. So, no sleeping on park benches like I had planned. Who lives a charmed life?
As I left Queensland, I noticed that most Australians wear SHOES in New South Wales. All my observations of Australians prior will have to be directed towards Queenslanders. My apologies to any who were offended.
Happy New Year's everyone! We'll be celebrating it 16-19 hours ahead most of you in the States, two hours ahead of my relatives in Taiwan, and 10 hours ahead of you in the UK.
Basically yesterday was an attempt to kill time before my 7pm bus to Sydney. The ride was 18.5 hours long. Can you say it with me? "Awwwwwwwwesome." It was freezing at night wherever it was we stopped. I was warned that the weather would get cooler as I went south; they weren't kidding. I was freezing on the bus all night long. I met a nice German girl (whose name I couldn't understand); we chatted about our travels along the way. I swear, I have met more people here just off the street than anywhere else. I only had a last minute reservation for a room tonight, and I was going to wing it for the rest of my time here in Sydney. My attempts at finding additional nightstay in Sydney were at places that were either too expensive or required an hour trainride. I didn't really worry about it, because you know, ya just gotta wing it. Plus, I knew my friend Fineberg would come through for me in the end.
Well, as it turns out, the place I'm staying at DOES hold rooms off the record, for people who want to stay longer, so I've got four nights in Sydney. So, no sleeping on park benches like I had planned. Who lives a charmed life?
As I left Queensland, I noticed that most Australians wear SHOES in New South Wales. All my observations of Australians prior will have to be directed towards Queenslanders. My apologies to any who were offended.
Happy New Year's everyone! We'll be celebrating it 16-19 hours ahead most of you in the States, two hours ahead of my relatives in Taiwan, and 10 hours ahead of you in the UK.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
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