Tennis and GALA DARLING!!!

What an interesting past couple of days it has been! We've been staying at the Leo Pacific in Melbourne, which is just a couple of blocks from a tram stop which takes us directly to Melbourne Park, the location of the Australian Open.. So, every day we have been going straight to the Park and watching PROFESSIONAL TENNIS! ALL DAY LONG! Normally, I would watch it all day long on TV, but now I am finally seeing it in person!

Now, I know many of you are not even remotely interested in tennis, but you should at least know who Venus and Serena Williams are (if you don't, you can just click that little red 'x' in the corner, because that's what a lot of this post will be about).

On our second day, Dad didn't really feel up for tennis so I went by myself. I looked up the match schedules for the day with the FREE INTERNET at our hotel, and saw that Venus and Serena were playing doubles later in the day. Now, I knew this was going to be a tough match to get seats for because they were playing some local Australian girls in the first round (Aussie players are, obviously, very popular here). So I showed up at 11AM when the doors opened and grabbed my seat on Show Court 3 in the front row. They have this ridiculous policy that only allows you to keep a seat for three change-of-ends, but there was no human or natural force that was going to move me from that spot. Nothing.

I was going to see the Williams Sisters up close, no matter what the cost.

So I sat through a couple of boring matches, which included Nadia Petrova and Janko Tipsarevic. I had forgotten to bring sunscreen, so I started to get sunburned. Really sunburned, in fact. But I didn't care. I was not going to give up my seat to other hungry fans. Seeing the Williams Sisters in person was worth a little skin cancer, I reasoned. (And now I have a healthy-looking tan!)

So the time came, and they walked out together, and one of the most glorious moments of my life ensued. Two Williamses, on one court. 15 feet away. Does life get any better?

Sister Success

Yes, it does!

On a different day, tournament directors put Serena (who is the defending champion) on Vodafone Arena, the smaller of the two large arenas at Melbourne Park. This was unusual, as they usually put the defending champion on Rod Laver Arena (the big one). GUESS WHAT! We had tickets to this very match, and we got to see Serena play singles. Right up close. She kicked some serious booty. Serena is in amazing shape... professional tennis is so much better in person. You appreciate the players' skills a lot more.

Mmm. So good.

"Take this, bitch."

So yeah, mostly Dad and I have been watching nonstop tennis for the last few days... except for today, when a truly interesting story unfolded.

Before we went to Melbourne, my friend Louise told me about an Australian internet pop star, Gala Darling (Here is her website). After a few emails, Louise set us up to meet her... I honestly had no idea what to expect. Gala and I corresponded a bit online and decided to meet outside The Body Shop at the Bourke Street Mall. This was very close to the Leo Pacific, so it worked out nicely.

Gala has bright blue hair, so she was easy to spot. We introduced ourselves and set out for a chocolate restaurant. I have never been to a chocolate restaurant, so it was a very new experience. It took a little time to get inside because it's sort of like a secret club... you go upstairs to a seating area that is very swank. We ordered some decadent chocolate treats and chatted with Gala a bit, who is very funny, cheerful, and nice. I think she may have been weirded out by our Alaska-ness and complete lack of fashion (she is a fashion diva).

Me and Gala

After chocolate, Gala had to make a stop at a cake decorating store (yes, there is an entire store dedicated to the decoration of cakes). I think she bought some peacock-colored dye, but I'm not sure because I was having such a good time looking at all the cake decorating tools and books (man, are there some odd ones).

Dad helps Gala pick out a good cupcake dye.

Then we went to a photobooth store, where I had perhaps the most bizzarre experience of my life. We hopped in Gala's favorite booth, put in some coins, and began! Bouncy music started playing, and photos started clicking away! Here I was, with my 54-year-old dad and a blue-haired 24-year-old Australian internet fashion pop star in an Asian photobooth! Different backdrops started coming down, the camera was flashing, and it was all very surprising, strange, and weirdly fun. After the camera stopped, we went to a little control panel and decorated our photos with glitter, hearts, DIVA symbols, and Japanese phrases which I do not understand.

Now I have some awesome photobooth stickers. I'm going to put one on my laptop.

After getting Gala's autograph for Louise, we thanked Gala and parted ways. Man, what a cool day.

"Okay, you can stop now."

Until Next Time,
River

P.S. Here are two pictures for Maddy.

Goodbye, Uluru

"Uluru is a very sacred place to us Aboriginals. Climbing it would be a great disgrace to our culture. Actually, it will be okay if you purchase one of our $800 tour packages."

Finally, I’m back in the Alice Springs airport where there is FREE INTERNET! I haven’t had it the past couple of days, so this is quite a nice opportunity to write a post!

As you know, we went to Ayres Rock, also known as Uluru. The place was… a complete and utter tourist trap. Don’t get me wrong, Uluru was spectacular and so was its accompanying rock formation, The Olgas (a.k.a. Kata Tjuta). But I would like you to imagine, for a moment, millions upon millions of medium-sized black flies. Have you imagined them? Good. Now multiply that by 6000. And that is how many flies there were around Uluru. These are not fly-me-to-the-moon flies; these are the piranha sort that love to land on your face and munch away at the delicious sweat and human flesh. Mix that with 105 degree desert temperatures and tour buses filled with obnoxious tourists, and you get a pretty miserable cocktail. So as you look at these pictures of me wearing a goofy fly-net hat and sunglasses, please keep in mind those six billion flies or so that I mentioned.

Consequently, I did not take too many pictures, as stopping at any time would result in hundreds of flies landing on you and buzzing in your ears. It was really hard to take in the breathtaking scenery of Uluru with millions of tiny distractions.

Nevertheless, I had a wonderful time. We stayed at the Outback Pioneer, a sort of lodge that has the basic amenities (TV, bathroom) but no internet. Oh wait, there was internet, but it cost $1 for FIVE MINUTES! This is the most ridiculous charge ever, and I pathetically relented and paid the fee just to check my email briefly (which I didn’t even get through). So I was quite disappointed with this.

Can you find Dad? He is very small. (Warning - big picture)

Can you find me? I am very small. (Warning - big picture)

So yeah, for three days Dad and I just drove around the park and took in the sights like good little tourists (once taking a shuttle bus, a really big mistake, as we had to walk around Uluru on a six-mile track in just two hours to catch the last shuttle back).

This is how hot it is at Ayers Rock. There is no hot faucet.

Now we’re on our way back to Melbourne for the AUSTRALIAN OPEN! It started two days ago, but that doesn’t matter because there is still lots of tennis to be enjoyed. Venus and Serena won both of their first round matches, and Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova play in the second round tonight (which hopefully I will be able to see).

Picutres have been added : )

Until Next Time,
River

Well, we finally left Tasmania for Ayre’s Rock and Alice Springs. I’m currently sitting in the Alice Springs airport, which has FREE INTERNET! This is such a rarity in Australia. I haven’t been able to update because I have had no internet access at the last couple of places we have stayed, especially so at Tynwald, an historic house from the 1830s (more on this later). This is my best chance…

On our second-to-last day in Launceston, we went to Cradle Mountain. This is one of the main attractions of Tasmania, so Dad and I were very excited. Tasmania is actually quite mountainous, so we drove on some very winding roads to get there, but as Alaskans this did not feel so unusual to us.

It was late in the afternoon by the time we got out to the desired trail, so we had to pick one of the shorter hikes up a lesser mountain that had a good view of the main Cradle Mountain. The view from the top was spectacular, but I was not prepared for the cold wind that would be there.

The mountain is actually quite large.

Dad is master of the Tasmanian landscape.

The next day we just hung out at the Country Club, and played a little bit of golf and tennis. It was my first experience on a carpet tennis court, which I was not too fond of. Sadly, I never got an opportunity to go to the casino… but there are some in Melbourne, so I have a chance yet. (wow, that was a very snobby paragraph.)

The next morning we departed for St. Helens, a seaside town in East Tasmania. There were lots of beaches along the way, as well as a national park. It’s a little unfortunate that we only spent our last two days in Tasmania near the beach, because Dad loves to body surf and investigate all of the unusual sea creatures in the rocks.

Me at a rocky beach.

Dad in the same area.

At the bay in St. Helens, I had dad take my picture on a wave barrier (really bad idea). It looked quite dry, how was I supposed to know there was a giant wave coming? I got very, very wet and almost fell into the bay. Some random guys in the nearby parking lot gave Dad and me beers for the effort.

After a night in St. Helens, we went down past Hobart to New Norfolk, where we spent a night in a spooky historic residence called Tynwald, which I was not very fond of. It was very nice, but… I prefer modern amenities, not historic ones. Internet is truly important to me.

Tynwald did have its pluses, though. There was a very sweet (but a little naughty) black-and-white cat there, who loved getting pets and sneaking outside. We also ate at the restaurant which was tasty and expensive. The owner lent us a “torch” (flashlight) to go platypus watching in a swampy area. We didn’t manage to find one, however, because we were a little too noisy and platypuses (platypi?) are very skittish.

So yeah, those were our final days in Tasmania. Goodbye Tasmania... hello Ayres Rock!

Until Next Time,
River

Silly tourist, that's a wallaby!

This is a really long post! We have done so much!

The last two days in Tasmania have been amazing. We've been waking up around 11AM and then just taking off in the car wherever we feel like going. Unlike Alaska, everything is very interconnected here, so you can drive every which way and never feel like you have to return by the same route.

There are 19 national parks in Tasmania, which means there are plenty of places to go (Dad freaks out every time he looks at all of the unexplored land on our tourist map). While extremely small compared to mainland Australia, Tasmania is actually quite large - the amount of time we are spending here would never be enough to truly explore it (a year wouldn't be!). So in a way we are falling into all the touristy areas labeled on the map, which I don't mind so much.

Anyways, our first stop was the Honey Farm! They had a big sign that said "honey ice cream," so naturally Dad and I had to stop and investigate. We went inside and discovered the honey tasting podium, where we tried a large variety of honey flavors ranging from chocolate to ginger. They were delicious! Then we ate some honey ice cream, which was even better. In another room they had a honey museum which had live bees (in a case, of course).

The Honey Farm takes honey tasting very seriously.

Me and the Honey Farm.

After leaving the Honey Farm with some tasty souvenirs, we drove to the wildlife park which wasn't very interesting. The cranky old lady there told us that there wasn't another tour until 4:00 so we just left (we would have had to wait a long time).

Somehow we ended up at the Tulampunga Gorge, which was very exciting. We walked up a little trail (which, according to a sign, fancied itself a 40 minute hike. Hah.) and came to a big viewing platform on the edge of a cliff. It was definitely a change in scenery, as I never thought that the rolling farm hills could contain such a vertical drop!

The Tulampunga Gorge

We left the Tulampunga Gorge for the highlight of the day's trip: the Marakoopa Caves! Now, this really excited me as a Mario fan. I couldn't wait to see a bunch of green and red turtles whose shells I could jump on and throw around to my heart's content! The "Mara" part was irrelevant. I just wanted the "koopa."

The choice was quite obvious.

The next cave tour wasn't for about an hour, so we had a little time to kill. So, we went to the Fern Glade! If you know my dad, you know that he loves all things fern. But the ferns in the Fern Glade are not your average ferns - they are very large and happy. Most of them dwarfed Dad and me; it almost felt like going back in time to the dinosaur age.

Dad loves ferns.

By the time we left the Fern Glade, the tour was about to start so we went to the cave entrance. Our guide led the tour group inside the Marakoopa caves! Sadly, there were no koopas to be found... but there were some pretty cool stalagmites and stalactites. It was also a very chilly 9 degrees Celsius, which was a bitter reminder of the Alaskan cold which I want to escape. The guide showed us through the passageways (which had convenient stairs and lights) and spouted random cave facts. We reached the end of the touring area sooner than I expected, and I was somewhat disappointed that Bowser was not waiting for me at the end of the caves to do battle. (There were some deeper caves that the guide did not take us down, however...)

On the way out, the guide turned off all the lights and showed us the glowworms, which attach themselves to the ceiling of the cave and glow tantalizingly to attract stupid insects to their sticky webs of future meals. Despite the ominous purpose behind these glowing worms, it was a beautiful spectacle and reminded me of the night sky. Pictures were not allowed, unfortunately. Most of the pictures inside the caves didn't come out too well.

"Bowser, where aaaaarre you?"

After the caves, we drove up to Devonport to eat and check out the beach, then drove back to the hotel.

The next day consisted mostly of driving, as we wanted to get to one of the national parks, but we got sidetracked by the Liffey Falls. I'm really upset about this part of the trip, because I had my camera on the wrong mode and all of the pictures I took were overexposed. It was a really neat area, too! After the falls, we made a vain attempt to make it to the National Park, but decided that it was too late and we needed to head back.

Me at the Liffey Falls

It was getting dark, so when we got back all of what I thought were kangaroos started coming out. When I asked someone if the kangaroos were dangerous, they gave me an odd look and informed me that they were not kangaroos, but in fact wallabies. There is a big difference. My question was like going to Alaska, pointing to a moose and saying, "Wow! Look at that brown bear!"

Until next time,
River

Tasmania!

We left Melbourne at around 1 PM for Launceston, which is in northern Tasmania. We flew on JetStar, which is the "hip" airline in Australia. To give you an idea, they have a very modern logo and orange fixtures on their planes. I was not pleased, however, when the beverage cart ladies requested money for the refreshments. JetStar is actually not so hip. The flight was only 45 minutes long, and after a short nap, we were in Launceston.

I think part of the reason I have really enjoyed Australia up to this point is because we have done nothing but take planes and buses. But in Launceston, we decided to rent a car.

For those of you who do not know, Australians drive on the left side of the road. Not the right. I would feel fairly comfortable with this if I was in control of the vehicle. Sadly, my Dad is behind the wheel for this leg of the trip.

It's very difficult to take in the pleasant, pastoral scenery of Tasmania when every oncoming car in the distance looks like a death sentence. Every fiber of my being wants me to scream, "No! No! Get in the right lane, NOW! Before we collide!" But as the oncoming car passes quietly by in the right lane without an explosion of vehicular shrapnel, I relax. Until the next car comes around the corner.

Fortunately, Tasmania is not very crowded and the connecting highways are long and expansive. But I have to give some credit to Dad, because he's done a remarkable job readjusting to the switch. I just wish he would not sing while he drives, not because it sounds bad, but because it makes me think he's not concentrating on staying in the left lane.

We managed to find our way to the "Wilderness Deluxe Country Club" resort which is very foo-foo. Dad and I were expecting something a little less... countryclubish? I feel a little guilty for staying somewhere so nice when we should be in a cheap bed-and-breakfast on an exotic Tasmanian mountainside. But at the same time, it has free internet and a casino (where I can legally gamble, by the way), so it's not that bad.

These ducks are huge, and they wanted food. Not a good combo.

After checking in and finding our room (the place is quite large), we drove into the town center where the traffic is much more cramped and terrifying. We went to a supermarket to pick up some food. While this may not sound exciting, the foods here are somewhat different than those in the States!

You know you want some Australian COON cheese.

We also found a busy Thai restaurant called "The Star of Siam" that had the basic curry dishes and other tasty delights. We ate there, but they were so crowded that we had to sit at a corner table next to the kitchen (it felt very segregated). But we ate and it was good and that's what matters. Did I mention I can legally drink in Australia? They didn't even ask for I.D. when I ordered a beer.

And then we went back to the resort. Dad invited me to go gambling with him at the Casino, but I declined (I will save that for another day).

Sorry for the crappy pictures this time. More interesting ones will come in the future!

Sleepily,
River

P.S. My sister, Maddy, was kind enough to link to me on her Japan Blog. So go there! She thinks mine is better, but she doesn't realize what a hilarious writer she is and what good pictures she takes! So be sure to visit it at http://maddyjapan.blogspot.com.

Melbourne Day 2

So! I managed to find a wireless hotspot in downtown Melbourne that does not require a password or a credit card. Unfortunately, it is extremely slow which makes it sort of hard to upload pictures. Well, internet is internet... I should not be complaining. It's in a food court area with restaurants and stores. It's very hard to resist the delicious smelling fast-food... the french fry smell is truly universal.

Today we woke up and went down to the continental breakfast which cost A$12.00! (the 'A' denotes Australian dollars.)What kind of hotel charges for the continental breakfast? Batman Hotel has lost points.

After that, we walked down Collins Street and into a random tourist-booking place. After talking to the very nice travel agent lady, we decided that we wanted to go to Tasmania. Why Tasmania, do you ask? Well, it has extremely nice beaches and day hikes, and it's relatively cool compared to mainland Australia. I think we spend about a week in Tasmania and then fly to Ayre's Rock, where, much to Dad's dismay, you MUST have a guide to show you around (apparently, it's a very environmentally and culturally fragile area). Somehow, I do not think this will stop Dad.

An odd statue by the Yarra River

Ah! My battery is at 73%! And there are no electrical outlets in sight!

The tourist office lady told us that it might take a while for her to make all the reservations, so Dad and I spent a couple more hours walking around to random places. Again, we found a cricket ground that Dad REALLY wanted to get into. It was empty and dark inside and this time I really thought he was determined enough to find a way to get in. We circumnavigated the entire arena. Fortunately, he did not and we were not arrested by local authorities.

Dad really wanted to get inside the cricket grounds.

I think the Australian accent is quite sexy. It is taking every ounce of my willpower to resist talking in one. I've almost done it inadvertently at times, but the fear of making an idiot of myself usually snaps me back into my AMERRRICAN speech (said with a thick American accent).

This bridge plays funny music as you walk on it.

Sorry Louise, I have not gotten in contact with Gala Darling yet. It's going to have to wait a while, though, as we will be nowhere near Melbourne until the 16th. Gala Darling does not seem so unusual after seeing all the other strange Melbournians.

I have no idea if I will have access to internet in Tasmania. Knowing Dad, we will probably be staying in a group hostel without internet... so, if I do not, I will post on the 16th!

Until Next Time,
River

Welcome to Australia

Dad and I spent New Years Eve in Los Angeles with his friends, the Sissons. It was nice to spend a day in LA to break up the long voyage to Australia, but at the same time I kind of just wanted to get there as soon as possible. We had a good time, and on New Year’s Day, we hopped on a Qantas plane and began our journey!

I honestly don’t remember most of it, because I was sleeping most of the time (which I guess is the ideal plane ride situation). The first stop was Auckland, New Zealand where we had a four hour layover (the plane was having technical difficulties). The airport was very snazzy and we got food vouchers for the inconvenience. I used mine at Burger King (yuk) where I got some chicken tenders, which accidentally came with free french fries. I didn’t eat them. I tried sleeping some more in the airport, but there were too many shrieking children to do so.

At 11:05 AM Auckland time, we got back on our plane to Melbourne. This leg of the voyage, though the shortest, was the most difficult because the plane was completely full.

Oh, something that really annoys me about airplanes: whenever I want to go to sleep, the person in the row in front of me invariably puts their seat back, blocking usage of the tray table as a headrest. It’s the only mildly comfortable way to sleep. Who designed these seats? Reclining should be forbidden. Punishable by death, actually.

And then, at about 2:00 PM, we arrived in Melbourne, city of the Australian Open! We checked into our hotel, which is called Batman’s Hill. What a great place to stay! Too bad it isn’t Spiderman’s Hill, though. I think that might have been cooler.

After much needed showers, we scouted out downtown Melbourne and all the various tennis arenas (none of which were open, unfortunately. Dad really wanted to find a way inside the Cricket Grounds, but I think the security cameras may have deterred him a bit.) It’s so cool to be in the place that I have only seen on ESPN! The Australian Open starts on the 14^th, though, so we have quite a bit of time to kill.

In Australia, they drive on the left side of the road. Interestingly, the sidewalk traffic also functions in the same way. It took Dad and me a little while to adjust. I think people were a little confused when we broke the flow of things with our silly American sidewalk ways.

There are SO MANY stores in downtown Melbourne, mostly cheesy tourist shops and overpriced convenience stores. There were a lot of Australian Fire Opal galleries, but none of them were open (sorry, Mom, it will have to wait for another day).

After a lot of walking, we returned to the hotel which is where I am typing from now. They charge a ludicrous amount for internet here, so I think I’m just going to type everything up in Word and then post multiple entries to save money.

Goodbye,
A somewhat dehydrated River