electrical storm

Hm. I just plugged in the computer charger, with the Australia plug and surge protector on the end, and the wall socket sparked and smoked. I took it out immediately, and thank goodness it wasn't connected to my computer. There are smoke marks on the output of the surge protector. Maybe it wasn't ready for 240V? It says the max voltage surge is 330V. I'm scared to plug in my computer, ever.

july 3 : sid-nee

Of wandering around only half conscious...

Three hours to kill until noon check in, when I can take a much needed nap. I sit in the lounge intending to do internet or read, but instead fall asleep all over my computer. I got myself a real chai latte from a cafe and had a walk around the neighborhood. Scoping out the food places (numerable), the people (white and asian, no black), and the neighborhood (meh). Happily returned to my hostel and took a much needed, horizontal nap.

At two-ish I forced myself awake to go do more touring. First I had a veggie burger at Hungry Jacks, which is really just Burger King in disguise. I mean, logo and everything. I was happy to be inside because Sydney is really windy and Wimbledon was playing.

Then I unintentionally took a religious tour of central Sydney. First was St. Andrews Cathedral, a gorgeous Victorian/Gothic stone building with stain-glass windows and copper (green) spires. There was nothing really notable about it other than it was large and pretty and had a nice courtyard with huge flowering eucalyptus trees. I'm just going to go ahead and assume all of the trees here are some kind of eucalyptus. On the other side of the courtyard is City Hall, but that was under construction. Across the street was the Queen Victoria Shopping Center, or something to that effect, with a great statue of HRH looking totally like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and a fountain statue of her pet dog. When you walked by the dog, he greeted you and requested you make a coin donation to his wishing fountain. The dog statue spoke English. I am not making this up.

Next to Victoria's shopping arcade were two little theaters with brilliant gold art-deco interiors. I took some pictures, then walked on to the Great Synagogue. It reminded me of Bnei Jeshrun in NY-- all stone, round petaled stain-glass, squished up against the buildings on either side of it. The Great Synagogue also had a pretty wrought iron fence around it, which seemed little superfluous.

I walked through Hyde Park, which is a truly charming park in the center of the city. It's about the size of two square blocks and has manicured lawns and a few garden areas. What makes this park really lovely are the stately fig trees lining the perimeter and foot paths. These fig trees are the kinds whose smooth trunks and branches twist and braid around each other. The branches grow really tall and long and provide a lush leafy canopy. In the center of the park there is a stunning fountain with bronze statues of Apollo and that other character slaying the Minotaur (I am the worst teacher) and let's pretend it was Athena sitting with a deer.

Off to St. Mary's Cathedral! A gorgeous Victorian/Gothic stone building with stained-glass windows and copper spires! Apparently they have the oldest continuing choir in Australia, but they weren't there today, boo. Next door was an old prison barracks converted into a museum, but it was closing and I nearly got locked inside.

A block away sits St. James' Church, which was my favorite worshiping spot. From the outside, it appeared to be another Victorian/Gothic stone building with stained-glass windows and copper spires, but inside it was small and personal. The ceiling was low, the walls were flat, there were no gargantuan pillars holding the roof up. The architect of St. James' apparently was a convict. The altar wall was made of hammered gold and it was awesome to look at. I guess I lingered too long in the pews because I was invited to take part in their prayer service.

As I was walking back to YHA, I passed the Great Synagogue again, but this time it was open for Kabbalat Shabbat. I took a peek inside and was a little disappointed at its Easter egg interior. Pretty, but not . . . religious?

At 5:30 I decided to call it a day. I'm going to try to make some phone calls, eat dinner, and then sleep like a log.

july 1 : arrival

I would be remiss if I didn't let you know about my plane outfit. Although it is July 1 in Los Angeles, it is the heart of winter on my 747 airbus. Thus, I am wearing a full sweatsuit combo (which I got form New LA lost and found, SCORE!) and a down jacket. I nearly died of heat stroke getting dressed in my apt.

I see a strange man with curly homeless hair, wearing black loafers with white socks. I wonder if he weren't famous, would Michael Jackson be stopped at security as a “person of interest?” Would he get through El Al security? Can you picture him removing his shoes (and bedazzled military jacket) in the x-ray line?

Right now I am the Central Sydney YHA, tired out of my MIND and I have about 4 hours to kill until my room is ready and I can take a nap. It's the combination of Dramamine, Benadryl, jet lag, and red-eye flight. It is a real chore to keep my eyes open. I'm also reclining on a very comfortable couch, which doesn't help my cause. I attempted to purchase a chai latte from the coffee vending machine, but it ate my coins. Perhaps I'll leave this building and find some real Australian caffeine.

australia: maps

political:

physical:

schedule

					fri 3 arrive!	sat 4 sydney
sun 5 sydney	mon 6 sydney	tues 7 byron bay	wed 8 byron bay	thurs 9 brisbane	fri 10 brisbane	sat 11 brisbane
sun 12 fraser island	mon 13 fraser island	tues 14 townsville	wed 15 townsville	thurs 16 townsville	fri 17 cairns	sat 18 cairns
sun 19 cairns fly to darwin	mon 20 darwin	tues 21 kakadu	wed 22 Ghan leaves Weds or Sat	thurs 23 Ghan Alice Springs	fri 24 uluru	sat 25 uluru
sun 26 uluru Ghan leaves in afternoon	mon 27 Ghan	tues 28 adelaide	wed 29 adelaide	thurs 30 adelaide	fri 31 melbourne	sat 1 melbourne
sun 2 sydney	mon 3 sydney	tues 4 sydney	wed 5 leave

not sure what's up with the big space up there.
Thinking about booking my airplane ticket from cairns to darwin...

itinerary, version two

• Fly into Sydney. Hang out in Sydney. Wait for Naomi to arrive. Walk around to see fancy buildings, historic houses, botanical gardens, Jewish Museum, parliament, Manly Scenic Walkaway, Bondi to Coogee Clifftop trail, football or rugby game, home hospitality, Royal National Park. (4 days)

• Train/bus (Country Link) up to Byron Bay. Enjoy the beach and possibly the Splendour in the Grass music festival (British spelling). Nevermind, that is happening July 25. (2 days.)
  

• Bus/train (Country Link) to Brisbane. See City Hall, Museum of Brisbane, more fancy buildings, Commissariat Stores Building which offers "thorough insight into Brisbane's gruesome penal history," botanical gardens, more museums, biking in the South Bank Parklands, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (the world's first and largest), bicycling, lawn bowling, rugby or AFL game, Moreton Bay. (3 days)
  

• Gold Coast. Lamington National Park. (2 days)
  

• Slowly meander up the Sunshine Coast, Capricorn Coast, Whitsunday Coast, and the rest of the coastline up to Townsville. Australia Zoo, surf lessons, Great Sandy National Park (Cooloola), Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island camping (UNESCO), Dunk Island. Great Barrier Reef. Islands, beaching, snorkling, drinking, reading, koala spotting. Undara Volcanic National Park. Gondwana Rain Forest? (UNESCO) Stoney Creek Farmstay? Pick bananas? (7 days)

• Cairns. Botanical gardens, Crystal Cascade waterfalls, Scenic Railway and Skyrail to Kuranda, Wooroonooran Safari day trek, Cape Tribulation Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. (3 days)

• Fly to Darwin. Or fly to Jabiru because Darwin isn't that exciting. Kakadu National Park backpacking. (3 days)

• Take the Ghan train to Alice Springs. (Get Great Southern Railways Pass which allows for unlimited travel on this line?) Kings Canyon and Uluru. (3 days)

• Ghan train to Adelaide. (1+2 days)
  

• Train to Melbourne on Southern Railway train. World Exhibition Building (UNESCO). Not sure what else there is to do here yet. (2 days)
  

• Back to Sydney. (14 hour train ride) Take the train through the Blue Mountains (UNESCO), Katoomba. See Red Hands Cave, Echo Point, Three Sisters Rock Formation, lots of waterfalls, Jenolan Caves. (Beware/yay Yulefest celebrations in Blue Mountains.) Shop for souvenirs. (3 days.) Fly out of Sydney.
  

itinerary, version one

• Fly into Sydney. Hang out in Sydney. 5 days

• Melbourne. (11 hours by train! stop in Canberra?) World Exhibition Building (UNESCO). 2 days.

• Melbourne - Adelaide Southern Railway train. Adelaide. Not sure what there is to do here yet. 2 days.

• Adelaide - Darwin Ghan railways journey (2 days journey). Get Great Southern Railways Pass which allows for unlimited travel on this line. Break at Alice Springs to go to Uluru (UNESCO). 5 days

• Darwin. 1 day. Kakadu National Park. Trekking. 3 days.

• Get to Cairns. Anything on the way? Fly? Northwestern coast. Great Barrier Reef, beach, tropical rain forests. 5 days.

• Cairns - Brisbane. Fly? Go slowly and enjoy the weird tropicalness of it all. Brisbane. Fraser Island (UNESCO). Gondwana Rainforests (UNESCO) which is a rain forest and has volcanic cones and such. 4 days.

• Back to Sydney. (14 hour train ride) 3 days. Fly out of Sydney.
  

So... I still need to do a lot of research. This itinerary, which is based on basically nothing save for the map at the beginning of the Lonely Plant, gives me five extra days to play with. I want to mix it up as much as possible between walking in cities, beaching it up, and doing wildlife. A few families-of-friends dinners wouldn't hurt either.