D88 -- Saigon for a day

Dominique stopped by at 9:00am to drop off a map that her cousin Viet bought for us and a big bottle of water to keep us hydrated. They're so sweet! We were VERY glad to have that water when we left the hotel. April and May are the hottest months in Vietnam, and it was SWELTERING.

We visited a couple of museums today. We saw stone carvings from the Cham people, elaborate wood carvings from the Nguyen dynasty, and many other artifacts. One exhibit of interest was a collection of work from international photojournalists who were killed or disappeared while on assignment in Vietnam during the war. Those of you old enough will be familiar with some, as they were featured in Life, Time, and other publications. The photos were incredibly powerful. One depicted the body of a deceased soldier being lifted into a helicopter; another a woman and her children crossing a river to flee the fighting, their faces full of fear; and of course one of the most famous photos from the war – the little girl burned by napalm, running naked and screaming. Ironically,the younger brother of Dana Stone, one of the featured photographers, was killed in Afghanistan this month, possibly by "friendly fire". Tom Stone had joined the army back in 1971 a year after his brother's disappearance and was serving in the Vermont National Guard at the time of his death.

We shook off the horrors of war as best we could and then met Dominique for lunch. We were thankful to be back in air conditioning (museums here are not air-conditioned) and the food was excellent. Later in the day we met Viet's wife Chi and their daughter at the Ben Than market. Chi had volunteered to accompany us to assist in bargaining. She was something to behold. We made several purchases and got items for half the initial asking price thanks to her. Our excitement for the day was crossing the roundabout in front of Ben Than. There is no real crosswalk, you just start moving slowly across and have to trust that the bicycles, cars, and scores of motorbikes will maneuver around you. And they do. Thomas took a video of the traffic coming at him as he crossed. Watching it you can't imagine how we didn't get hit!

For dinner Dominique took us to a restaurant where they make a special Vietnamese dish that translates to “beef seven ways”. The first course consisted of thin slices of raw beef that we cooked in boiling broth at the table. The 2^nd was tripe, also to be boiled. And the beef just kept on coming! Beef paste, beef rolled in leaves and spices, beef soup, etc. etc. With all of the beef came rice paper and fixings like lettuce, basil, and jicama to make spring rolls. We enjoyed most of the dishes, and it was great to get to try some authentic cuisine. We'd never have been brave enough to try it on our own. The huge beefy feast only about $10 for all three of us.

Our final adventure for the day... motorbiking! Viet, his wife, and their friend Son took the three of us out on their motorbikes to tour Saigon. It was scary at first because of the crazy Saigon traffic, but turned out to be great fun. I rode with Viet so I got to talk with him a bit about life in a communist country (insert Lee Greenwood song here. Really.). After an hour our butts were hurting and we all stopped for a break and some dessert at Saigon's premier ice creamery. I tried some of Dominique's durian ice cream. Durian is a fruit that is actually banned in some public places due to it's strong, and I mean STRONG odor. Some find it delicious, but to my little western palate it was FOUL!

-Elva

D87 -- Taipei to Saigon

We packed in our usual last-minute frenzy, and said goodbye to our family at the apartment. They were busy packing for their own adventure – to Cambodia – and so couldn't accompany us to the airport. It would have been nice to stay longer, as it was great to have some down time with family after being away from home for two months. Margaret and Damon did a wonderful job of showing us around and making sure we hit most of the highlights despite the fact that Thomas and I slept in each day. And even better still, they gave us a much needed dose of Mexican food!

Even though we were only there a short while, we feel like we got a fair glimpse into life in Taipei and Taiwanese culture. A few comments about the streets of Taipei: (1) There are LOTS of motorbikes with lots of people on them. My family says they've heard of up to 5 or 6 kids and adults riding one motorbike, but I usually only saw 1-3. (2) Many people riding motorbikes and walking around wear masks over their mouths and noses. I'm not sure if it is to protect from infections like SARS or pollution or both. We saw this in Seoul, too. The kids' versions have cute cartoon characters on them. (3) The little image of the person on the crosswalk sign walks when you are supposed to be crossing, and starts running if you are almost out of time to cross.

My friend Dominique met us at the airport in Ho Chi Minh city, which many people still call Saigon. She and I met in San Miguel last summer when we were both doing internships at CASA. She's been volunteering as an English teacher at a convent since last December. We hadn't seen one another in six months, so it was great to get to catch up and very comforting to know we'd have a Vietnamese-speaking friend looking out for us.

We hopped in a cab and headed to the hotel she'd arranged for us - $20 a night for AC, TV, and breakfast! As we drove through Saigon I though to myself, “Now here's something different!” All the places we've visited have been new and interesting, but there's just something different about Vietnam. For one, I've never seen so many motor bikes in my life (and I thought there were lots in Taipei!). The way they weave in and out of traffic is just insane.

On the way to dinner we stopped by to visit Dominique's cousin Viet, who had helped arrange travel, lodging, and dining recommendations for us. He served in the South Vietnamese military during the war and was sent to a “reeducation camp” when the Communists took over. Pretty crazy. Although he didn't speak much English you could just tell that he was a super nice guy. When we made it to the restaurant, we were a bit taken aback to see that everything had either pork or shrimp or both in it. It's Taipei all over again! If you really want to experience another culture, however, at some point you gotta just suck it up. We tried some traditional dishes, including grilled pork wrapped with steamed rice cakes, tiny rice pancakes with grinded shrimp (crunchy! see picture), and a rice dish wrapped in egg. We also ordering Bo Luc Lac (stir fried beef) as well just so we'd have something familiar to eat. That's the dish Thomas always gets at Green Papaya in Dallas. Everything was pretty good! For dessert we all enjoyed some of the Texas Sheet Cake that Margaret had packed for us. Thanks, Margaret!

- Elva

D86 -- Back to school

Margaret made us migas this morning. Mmmm... migas! I was pretty tired - I'd stayed up all night baking a Texas Sheet Cake for Thomas' birthday. It's not until April 23rd but I thought it would be fun to celebrate early with family. Thomas seemed tired too so we decided to ditch the sightseeing in favor of attending Emma's 5th grade talent show at Taipei American School.

On the way there we stopped at a wet market, which is a market that has both fresh foods as well as non-perishables. It was much more sanitary than ones we'd seen in Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. There was only one small section (dried fish I think ) that smelled strongly, which is the usual problem I have with local markets. There were some very interesting items for sale, though. Sea cucumbers (shaped like cucumbers but gelatinous-looking), whole dead chickens (some of them black), cow organs (including a few hearts), pig feet, clams or mussels sticking out of their shells, and some interesting fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

We got to Taipei American School and bumped into Lili and her teacher on the way to the lunch room. She seemed very nice and said that if she'd known we were coming she would have had us talk to the kids about our travels. Emma's talent show was interesting. There were some good acts, including a young pianist, a clarinet player, and two students who spun Chinese yo-yos. Then there were the three skits. One consisted of an old man and his grandson. The whole skit all the kids did was find ways to beat up, suffocate, and/or kick the grandfather in a Three Stooges sort of way, except without any discernible plot. I wondered how the Taiwanese parents there felt about the skit since respect for elders is so important there. All the kids laughed, so I guess that's what's considered good humor in the 5th grade. I can't wait to have kids! The second skit had a promising start but was completely incomprehensible. Emma's skit was definitely the best – a witty and funny take on American Idol. She was Simon, and of course found all three contestants to have no talent. We ate lunch with her and her friends afterward in the school cafeteria.

After the girls got home from school they helped me make frosting for Thomas' cake, and then we left to meet Damon and some of their friends for dinner at Din Tai Fung. It's an international chain based in Taipei that specializes in buns and dumplings. It was a neat place - especially the toilets. They have warmed seats and can squirt your bum in 2 places!

We surprised Thomas with the cake and ice cream, and everone opened presents – souveniers for Margaret, Damon, Emma, and Lili, and a birthday present for Thomas.

-Elva

D85 -- Succulent pork

We got off to a slow start this morning, partly because we were feeling lazy and partly because we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to call the states on the Mendoza/Broder Vonage line. Free calls home – woo hoo!

When we finally got going, Margaret took us to a museum. On the way there we walked through a park and saw this sign. That's the great thing about Taiwan. Signs are either in Mandarin and English or there are lovely pictures to communicate the point.

The National Palace Museum houses some of the most important treasures from Chinese history. Many of the artifacts were taken from the mainland to Taiwan to keep them from the communists. Our favorite section was an area of very intricate carvings made of ivory, jade, and even an olive pit. The olive pit had a boat carved into it, and the boat contained eight passengers and doors that actually opened and closed. You had to use a magnifying glass to see all the detail. It was amazing! How did they do that!?! Another carving looked exactly like a piece of “succulent pork.” Interesting!

We went home to meet the girls and have an after-school-snack, then it was off to Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world (for now) with the fastest elevator in the world (for now). Many modern skyscrapers look a bit boring to me on the outside, but I thought Taipei 101 was very pretty. The elevator was fun, even if we didn't get the best views due to the haze.

We went back to the apartment for a delicious home-cooked dinner of salad, black beans, and rice with my family and their Taiwanese friend Amy. I haven't pigged out like that in a while! We had a good time learning about Taiwanese culture and the relationship between China and Taiwan. It was particularly interesting in light of conversations we had with the Huchuns about relations between North and South Korea.

-Elva

D84 -- Look like an Egyptian

The girls were in school and Margaret had Mandarin class, but Damon was able to take the day off to show us Longshan Temple. It was very beautiful, with an ornately carved main entrance leading to a series of courtyards. The first courtyard contained a garden area with three little waterfalls ending in a carp-filled pond. As you continued on inside there were ornate and colorful carvings everywhere. The music playing and incense burning was very relaxing – it kind of made you want to just zone out. We watched people lighting incense and oil lanterns, prostrating themselves, and making flower offerings. It's so interesting to see how other people worship.

We met Margaret and the girls at school and picked them up so we could drive through Yangmingshan Park to Yeliou, where there are interesting rock formations. They say the drive is beautiful, but today it was hidden by misty fog. We did get to see a couple of fumaroles – places where steam and gases escape from the earth. As we drove on it started drizzling pretty heavily, and by the time we got near Yeliou it was full-on raining. Part of the drive was along the coast, and I could tell that it was probably a very pretty area when the sun is out. We finally made it to the parking lot of the rock formations, but by now the wind was compounding the problems of the steady rain. We wandered around looking for the entrance, and finally found the way to the “mushroom rocks” that have been formed by erosion. One of them looks like the head of an Egyptian queen, and another like the tale of a whale. It's the kind of place where I'd normally take lots of pictures. We'd brought our camera with us and Thomas was trying to hold an umbrella over me while I shot, but the umbrella kept getting turned inside out because of the wind. It was just crazy...what is the deal with us and storms?!? We weren't the only ones crazy enough to be out in that weather, though. There was a BIG group of Japanese tourists there, too.

After all the weather drama we were happy to stay in and have Chinese take-out. I struggled much less than yesterday with getting food into my mouth as Emma was kind enough to offer me some chopstick guidance. I'm sure her tips will come in handy in Vietnam!

-Elva

D83 -- Hello Mendoza/Broders!

Mr. Huchun and Joe picked us up at 7 am to take us to the airport. We tried to take a cab but they wouldn't hear of it. They showed us such generous hospitality the whole time we were in Seoul!

Our flight to Taipei was uneventful, and we were excited to see my aunt Margaret and her daughter Lili waiting outside immigration for us. Her husband Damon works for Dell Computers and he took a two-year position in Taiwan. He, Margaret, Liliana, and their other daughter Emma have been living in Taipei for about nine months now. We've been looking forward to visiting them for months.

The drive into the city was interesting. There were a lot of rice paddies on the outskirts of town, but once we got further into Taipei the scenery changed from a mix of buildings and paddies to buildings one on top of the other. Taipei is densely populated; it has more people per square meter than New York City! We got back to their apartment just in time for lunch – take-away dumplings and pot stickers from a place around the corner. The best thing about the meal was the dipping sauces. There was soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and some spicy chilies on the table that we could each mix in whatever amounts we wanted in our own little bowls. Delicious! The downside to the meal was that everything had pork in it – even the veggie pot stickers. Ever since I learned about Trichinosis in 7th grade I've tried to steer away from pork, other than the occasional ham sandwich or piece of bacon. It just gives me the heebeejeebies. I gotta say, though, they were tasty!

After lunch we went to pick up Emma from a sleepover, and then headed to a nearby trail where there are often wild monkeys. It was fairly cool and misty, but luckily not raining. We walked up a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of stairs to get to a walking trail up on a hill. We saw a sign about the monkeys, which warned us to be careful if we saw any that stared at us with “jumping” eyebrows or with a tail that's straight up. If you encounter one you are supposed to avoid eye contact and walk around them. We walked for about 20 minutes, but didn't see any monkeys and when the trail joined with a road we decided to turn back. I was walking with Margaret and the girls, while the guys were up ahead. About halfway back along the trail Thomas and Damon stopped suddenly. Turns out there were two very big monkeys right on the trail in front of them. We looked around and there were lots of them in the trees. It was so cool to see them. However, unlike the laid-back koalas in Australia, I couldn't just stare in fascination at the monkeys that were near us for fear they would feel threatened and start with the jumping eyebrows bit. And who knows where that would lead! We did get to observe some that were farther away. It's amazing how they just run and jump through the trees. Sometimes it seems they just fall and then grab onto any random branch. I can really see where the phrase “monkeying around” comes from. Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon and the light was low, so these were the only two monkeys I got pictures of...

-Elva

D82 -- Touring Korea's past

Today was a low-key day. We started the morning with a trip to Namdaemun, home to the biggest shopping market in Seoul. Namdaemun means “great south gate” in Korean, and the area is named for the old south gate to the city that dates back to 1398. We were lucky enough to arrive just when they were changing the ceremonial guards at the gate, something I wasn't expecting because I don't remember there being any guards when I lived in Korea. The ceremonial garb was very cool, and it was neat to see the contrast between the traditionally dressed guards and the modern city surrounding them.

After Namdaemun we hopped into a cab to go to Songbukdong, which is where my family lived when my dad retired and began working for Texas Instruments. When the cab pulled up to my old house, I was shocked to see that it had been torn down and a larger home was being built in its place. Oh well. I guess everything can't stay the same forever.

Our next stop after Songbukdong was Gyeongbokgung Palace, which is one of the largest palace complexes in South Korea. The palace was first built in 1395, but it was twice torn down by the Japanese and had to be rebuilt. It was a bit of dreary day, so none of our pictures came out all that great.

In the evening Mr. Huchun treated us to a great dinner at Sables, which is located in the same hotel where Sean worked as a bell hop.

-Tom

D81 -- You can go back again

Today we met Charlie Woodruff, the current librarian at Seoul American High School, and he signed us onto post so we could visit SAHS. I had learned from my old art teacher, Mr. O'Brien, that many of my former teachers were still there. We visited my 11th grade Algebra teacher, Mrs. Park, who was one of my favorite teachers in high school and who also taught my brother. She got emotional telling us about how often she thinks of Sean, and then she got emotional again when I told her how great of a teacher she is.

After visiting with Mrs. Park we walked to the JROTC building, where we had a chance to visit with Command Sergeant Major Braswell, the very same CSM Braswell who taught Sean when he was in the JROTC program. We saw a plaque that CSM Braswell created to honor those SAHS graduates who had served overseas in combat areas, and Sean's name was at the top of the list along with a gold star.


Our next stop was to visit with Miss Lozano, who taught Spanish to all 4 of the Sims kids and was especially good friends with my oldest sister, Lisa. Miss Lozano loves to travel, and when she found out we were headed to Spain, she gave us lots of good tips on what to do when we are there. I also had a chance to visit with some other teachers, including my shop teacher from 7th grade, Mr. Fried.

I was disappointed to learn that the SAHS boys soccer team has fallen on hard times. When Sean and I were in school, one of the two SAHS teams was always the league and tournament champion, but apparently those days are long gone.

All in all, it was great to be back at SAHS and revisit some of the places where I have such fond memories of my brother . . .















We finished the day with room service in our hotel (although we could only afford a Caesar salad).

-Tom

D80 -- Memory lane

Mr. Huchun met us at the entrance of Gate 17 outside Yongsan (the US military base in Seoul) and escorted Elva and I on to base. Like all military bases, Americans in general are not allowed on to Yongsan unless you work for the military or for the US government. Once on base Mr. Huchun drove us around so I could see all of my old hang-outs and also see the two homes where my family used to live (more on this later).

We stopped for lunch at the Townhouse, which is similar to a food court in a US mall that sells a lot of fast food. When I was in high school the Townhouse was the only place on base that was open 24 hours. My friends and I used to spend a LOT of time there on weekends since there was nothing else you could do at 2 in the morning. Being dorky high school kids, we used to call it the Funhouse. Imagine my surprise when I walked by the cashier at the Townhouse and realized she was the same cashier that worked there when I lived in Korea. Even crazier was the fact that she recognized me. Now most of you are probably thinking that this means I must have eaten a lot of fast food when I was in school, since how else would she remember me? But I choose to believe that I have such a sweet and generous personality that I leave a lifelong impression even on those with whom I have only a casual interaction. Elva of course went with the former theory.

After lunch Mr. Huchun went back to work and left us to walk around Yongsan so I could see some of my old hang-outs. I was trying to describe to Elva what this would be like for her if our roles were reversed. It would be like her taking me to San Antonio after not being there for 10 years, then having only an afternoon to show me her childhood home before leaving and probably never seeing it again. It was a strange feeling.

We walked back to the housing area where my family had lived (called Embassy Housing) and visited our two homes (one was from my dad's first tour and the other was from his second tour). I was relieved to see that Embassy Housing had changed very little from when we lived there. Both our houses looked the same, albeit with some new paint and a few minor updates. Here is a nice little then and now comparison:


After walking around base we decided to visit the National Museum, where we saw lots of great artifacts, including a 12th century incense burner made of celadon. We have a replica of this piece at home, and we never knew that it was an incense burner.

The Huchuns took us out to dinner that night, and we were treated to a traditional Korean feast of Kalbi (barbecued beef short ribs) and LOTS of veggies. The Korean diet is quite healthy because it consists mostly of raw or steamed veggies and small amounts of grilled meat. We are kicking ourselves for not taking a picture of our dinner feast, but the batteries had run out of power.

-Tom

D79 -- Land of the morning calm

I first lived in South Korea in 1979 when my father was stationed there for 3 years. My family returned in 1986 and I would spend 6 years there until I graduated from Seoul American High School (SAHS) in 1992. But I would continue to visit Seoul twice a year until my family left in 1997. My brother and both sisters graduated from SAHS as well. As strange as it may sound, Seoul--or more particularly the US military base in Seoul--is as close to a childhood home as I have. (El Paso is a close second, but since we never actually lived there, it is hard to think of it as my childhood home.) The US military plans to close down Yongsan (the military base in Seoul) in 2009 and move it to a new location, so I wanted to make this trip before it was too late. Here is the Sims family in 1981 just outside our house in Yongsan.


We arrived into Seoul around 2 p.m. and were met by Kim Huchun and his son Joe. Mr. Huchun worked for many years with my father when he was in Korea, including when they both served in the US Army. When Mr. Huchun heard that Elva and I were coming to Korea, he insisted on meeting us at the airport and taking care of us during our visit. During the car ride to our hotel, Mr. Huchun and Joe told us how Korea has been doing since I left. The country seems to be doing quite well, although the current president is making many in the older generation nervous as he builds more diplomatic ties with North Korea. Many older South Koreans, although open to reunification, are distrustful of the North and suspicious of its motives.

We were dropped off at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which is close to Yongsan. My family stayed here for two months when we returned to Seoul in 1986 because there wasn't any housing available on base. My brother and I used to play football in the hotel's parking lot. But the hotel has gone much more upscale (it wasn't a "Grand" Hyatt back then). In fact, the day after we arrived the hotel received the president of a country (they wouldn't tell us which country). The hotel is also REALLY expensive. They charge US$15 just to have your jeans laundered, and daily internet access costs US$25. A 6 ounce can of coke will set you back $7. Luckily, we got a really good rate on the internet by booking months in advance.

-Tom

D78 -- The land down under

Before we left for the airport I decided to finally try Vegemite. Australians love the stuff, and from what they tell me, they are the only ones on the planet who do. It is “concentrated yeast extract,” whatever that means, and is used on crackers and bread. I tried just a bit, and it reminded me of when I was a child and used to lick beef bouillon cubes because I liked the flavor. Other unique stuff about Australians – they really do say g'day, no worries, and mate. And when they say "no worries" they mean it - they're so friendly. They like potato chips that are flavored like meat (e.g. lamb and mint). And Olivia Newton John is still kickin' it.


On the more serious side, we were surprised to learn that the minimum wage in Australia is a whopping US$11 an hour, and the unemployment rate is only 5% -- makes you question all of those in the US who say we can't raise our minimum wage (which is currently US$5.15) because it will cause unemployment to skyrocket. Finally, they have launched a huge social marketing campaign to decrease deaths due to automobile crashes. One sign we saw said, "A fififteen minute power nap could save your life." See, Manda, naps are good!


During our 8-hour flight to Hong Kong we read the accounts of Larry in the newspapers, watched several movies, and enjoyed the great food and service on Cathay Pacific during the flight. Man, I love that airline! We arrived into Hong Kong at 8:45 pm and debated whether we should stay at the airport's paid lounge (the one we stayed at before) or if we should take the train into town and stay at a hotel in Kowloon. I'd spent a lot on souvenirs earlier in the day, so I voted to stay at the airport lounge to save money and Thomas agreed. We sacked out in our adjoining cubicles around midnight.

-Elva

D77 -– Larry wreaks havoc

I woke up at 8:30am to look outside and see how bad the weather was. I'd had a dream that a big wave of water hit our window and broke through. I was relieved to see that it was not too bad – just some moderate wind and rain. When we checked the weather, though, we saw that those north of us were not so fortunate. Cyclone Larry hit Innisfail around 7am as a category 5. We hung out in the room watching the news until hunger sent us in search of food. Most businesses were closed due to the weather. Although Townsville wasn't hit that bad, many workers drive in from towns to the north. There were some fast food options but we went instead to a local Thai place. We talked a lot with the owner about the storm, and we enjoyed the delicious food, even though it made us sick to our stomachs an hour later.

The rain really started pouring right before we left the restaurant, so we just ran a couple of quick errands and then headed back to the motel. The reports were rolling in then. Hurricane Larry was the worst storm to hit the state of Queensland in decades. Remember those banana fields I told you we drove through yesterday? Well, they represent 90% of Australia's banana crop, and they were totally wiped out. It was so bizarre to see them flattened on the news when we'd just driven through there. We worried about the woman who'd cut Thomas' hair because 55% of the homes there had been damaged. Thankfully there were no fatalities. It was too soon to hear anything about the Great Barrier Reef – Larry went right over it. Our flight schedule seemed pretty unimportant in light of all that destruction.

-Elva

D76 -- Heading for cover

Thomas has been growing his hair out, partly because he doesn't have a job and so doesn't have to look so clean cut and partly because I've been bugging him to try something new. But he just couldn't take the shaggy hair anymore and so we started our day out at the mall where he got his hair cut by a very nice woman from a town south of Cairns called Innisfail (remember that name). She talked about the approaching cyclone and told him it was a Category 4 storm with wind gusts up to 160 mph. It was supposed to hit sometime that night or early the next morning.

We checked the weather and saw that Townsville, where we were set to drive today, would be affected but that the brunt of the storm would be borne by towns closer to Cairns. As we drove south to Townsville through banana and sugar farms we started to realized that this storm was going to be MAJOR. They were updating the weather on the radio a lot, and telling people to tape windows, put lawn furniture away, secure construction sights, and wrap themselves in mattresses. Scary! After four hours of driving through some showers and mild wind we made it to the Quality Inn, right across the street from a construction site with lots of building materials laying around. Uh-oh. Upon check-in we learned that all flights out of Townsville were canceled for the following day. UH-OH!

Thomas called Qantas right away and booked us on a flight leaving a day later. We holed up the rest of the night, ordering room service, watching movies, and checking the weather bulletins until 3 in the morning.

-Elva

D75 -- Great Barrier Reef

Today we'd scheduled a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef on a powered catamaran called “Passions of Paradise.” Nice boat, goofy name. It took us two hours to reach the reef, and to pass the time I was reading the Rough Guide to Spain. A British couple saw it and told us that they travel there all the time. They ended up talking to us for 30 minutes or so and giving us some great advice about where to go. Then a little later a young woman came up to me and asked me if I was going to Spain. It turned out she and her partner were from Barcelona and they ended up giving us great advice, too. As an added bonus I got to practice my Spanish a bit. Travel books sure are great conversation starters!

We finally arrived at the outer part of the reef and were able to get in the water. Our first stop, Paradise Reef, didn't have any of the turquoise water we were expecting. The coral was 6-10 feet below the surface, so the water was a deep blue, but it turned out to be beautiful. We have snorkeled in the Seychelles, Maldives, and British Virgin Islands, but the reefs there were not really colorful because of coral bleaching that has occurred as a result of rising ocean temperatures. (Hmmm... perhaps there is a link with global warming? Notice, I said PERHAPS. Bush would be proud.) At the Great Barrier Reef you could actually see at least some colorful, LIVE coral. Ironically, I think the other countries had more colorful and plentiful fish. Our favorite sight at this spot was the clownfish (Nemo!) hanging out in their anemones. We snorkeled together for a while, and then Thomas left to go scuba diving. I thought about giving it another shot (I've tried twice) but was foiled again by my freakishly severe gag reflex. I started gagging just watching the first group of scuba divers getting ready to go!

After a buffet lunch we moved on to Michaelmas Cay, a tiny island in the reef that is home to several bird colonies. We finally saw those beautiful turquoise waters we were expecting, and snorkeled there together for about 45 minutes. Favorites here included two manta rays and an ENORMOUS and colorful giant clam.

The boat ride back to Cairns was long but enjoyable as we soaked up the sun while laying out on the front of the boat. Unfortunately, it got a little choppy, and several times we hit large swells that splashed water up on deck. No matter where on deck I moved I seemed to be the only one getting soaked. I could be right next to Thomas and he would remain totally dry while I would look like someone threw a bucket of water on me. Man that guy is lucky! I finally huddled up against the cabin with a towel over me and that seemed to do the trick. Before we disembarked we bought photos of us from the underwater photographer...

We decided to leave Cairns fairly early in the day tomorrow, as we heard a storm was coming . . .

-Elva

D74 -- Rushing to Cairns

We woke up early to catch our flight to Cairns (pronounced “cans” - it's an Aussie accent thing). We were really tired, having stayed up very late last night. I was in a big rush, though we were staying right across the street from the airport. We had a problem parking because I got lost trying to find the Avis spots, and so we rushed to check-in, with Elva getting a bit annoyed. I admit that I have a big problem about time, especially when it comes to airports, and I get really anxious about being late. I think I am genetically wired so that it is virtually impossible for me to relax in airport situations, even when I know we have plenty of time.

In Cairns we stayed at another backpacker hostel called Bohemia Resort. Peter, our host in Sydney, recommended it because he is friends with the owners. We were a little concerned when we checked in, largely because we remembered our night at the Chapel Hill backpackers. But the rate was great (US$50) and it looked nice enough. There were a lot of young people, similar to Xbase in Auckland, but for some reason we didn't feel as out of place. The room was actually quite nice, although it had a strong bleach odor (we tried not to think what would have caused them to use so much bleach). The room had a TV, a/c and a balcony. The a/c was great, as Cairns is in the tropics and it was HUMID and HOT. We were craving Mexican so we had dinner at a place that the hotel clerk recommended to us. It was pretty bad. We shared beef and chicken fajitas. They were ok (very bland), but the rice and beans were awful. We miss Texas!

-Thomas

P.S. We didn't take any pictures today, so I've included this one from the Twelve Apostles parking lot.

D73 -- Wallaby yoga

Well, the Chapel Hill Hostel was cheap if not quiet. We both slept horribly and had really weird dreams.

We've enjoyed seeing wildlife so much that we decided to go to Healesville sanctuary today. We saw lots of the animals we'd seen in the wild already, including kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. One wallaby appeared to be practicing yoga. These sanctuary animals are so hip!



We also got to see:

dingoes...wild dogs that howl instead of bark

Tasmanian devils...don't look like the cartoon

echidnas...egg-laying mammals;look like porcupines

wombats...furry pig-shaped marsupials; we got to pet one! Cute!

The sanctuary was nice, but I definitely prefer seeing animals in the wild.

On our way out Thomas asked the lady at the ticket counter for directions. She had a bunch of little blocks of cheese on the counter that a friend had brought her and when we asked about them she gave us one. People here are so nice. Can't wait to try the cheese!


-Elva

D72 -- American accents cool

We went back to the 12 Apostles this morning to see the view during the day, and continued along the final bit of the Great Ocean Road, stopping at several pretty look-outs. We had to get back to Melbourne tonight to get ready for our flight up north, and Thomas asked me to help with the driving. I'd gotten fairly used to driving on the right side of the car, but this was the first time I'd driven standard here. It was a little freaky to shift gears with my left, but luckily it went fine. We stopped for dinner at McDonald’s. Yes, that's right, McDonald’s! They have a “McCafe” menus of healthier sandwiches and salads at all their locations here. It's great for when you're on the road but don't want an artery-clogging burger or the ubiquitous Australian meat pie. I was all excited because the girl behind the counter told us that she loved our accents. I've never had anyone compliment my American accent before!

We had trouble finding a place to stay because today was the start of the Commonwealth Games. They're held every four years, like the Olympics, and all nations and territories that are still affiliated with the United Kingdom participate – 71 in total. We saw some of the fireworks from the opening ceremonies while we were unloading our car, and watched some of them on TV with the staff of our hostel. There was a lot of aboriginal imagery in the ceremonies, and one of the commentators said something about Australia originally belonging to the aborigines. One of the staff members said to the others, “They came here, too!” It seems she was comparing the aboriginal migration here 40,000 years ago to European settlement two hundred years ago! Hmmm... Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia... every country we've visited so far has been a nation of immigrants whose ancestors practically wiped out their native populations. Maybe the US isn't so unique after all.

-Elva

D71 -- Wildlife and wild houses

We dragged ourselves out of bed at 5 AM (!!!) to go paddle around on a little lake in search of the platypus, a bizarre egg-laying mammal. We drove to the Otway National Forest with our guide Bruce and two others and hiked half an hour through the dark to the lake. We got in two canoes tied together and set out to mosey about looking for the platypuses. As it turns out, they're very shy creatures, and you don't really get more than a glimpse of them. Hmmm.... that's a fact we'd like to have known before we scheduled a trip at the crack of dawn!

We finally did get to see a few. They're very small - only about 12 inches big – and you only get to see part of their back and head between dives. It reminded us of whale-watching on a tiny, tiny scale. When they dive below the surface you can see where they're going because they leave a little trail of bubbles. Very cute. It was interesting to see, but sitting on a hard canoe seat in the cold at 6 am was not really our cup of tea. More exciting was the wallaby we saw while driving back from the lake. It looked like a small, dark kangaroo and it hopped right in front of our car. To continue the marsupial fest we saw some koalas along the road later in the day. They're adorable!!!

We continued along the Great Ocean Road to Princetown, where Thomas had reserved a little cabin for us. He pulled off the road at two cabins next to a shed-type

building and a rickety looking house. We didn't see an office so we knocked at one of the cabins. We could hear a TV but no one answered so we walked to the other one and tried there. That's when we started to notice the empty beer bottles everywhere. I asked Thomas if he was sure this was the place and he said yes. We decided to walk over to the main house to knock there. We passed by the barn (more bottles) and saw something in the grass that looked perhaps like a big clump of pasta that had been left in a pot on the stove and then burned. We approached the house to find – you guessed it – more beer bottles. We could see inside because the door was glass, and there was clothing and trash strewn all about. We hurried back to the car and once we got there Thomas found the slip of paper where he'd written the name of the cabin. We WERE in the wrong place! We wanted to go back to the house to take a picture for the blog but were way too scared. It looked like a house that Charles Manson would own.

We were VERY relived to find the right cabins, which nice and safe-looking and were managed by a sweet lady. We checked in and then drove to one of the major attractions along the GOR – the 12 Apostles. They are huge limestone towers that have been carved from the land by years of erosion. Stunning! After dark, we waited for about 20 minutes to see the fairy penguins that live just below the lookout to come back to their dens. They're the smallest penguins in the world, but even from a distance in the dark they were adorable. They would wait for a big group to form at the surf and then all waddle up the beach cautiously together. When it became too dark to see we headed back to the cabin to cook dinner on the hotplate in the cabin. Mmmm... hot-plate spaghetti!

- Elva