around the world in 180 days

    I keep thinking that for all the crap the rest of the (western) world likes to give the US for being the biggest polluters and consumers and going on our silly military adventures, they sure do spend a lot of time trying to be just like US. We don’t come across it much, and when we do, it’s pretty subtle (a snide remark here, a backhanded insult there), but for whatever reason, since we’ve been in AUS, I keep thinking that if you people think you’re so much better than the US, that if you think Iraq was such a terrible idea (and it was) and you think the US’s political and economic weapons are wielded unfairly (and they are), then why the hell don’t you do something about it besides pissing and moaning? Oh, the US sucks, the US thinks they’re the center of the world, the US this, the US that. I just want to tell these people to face facts. If Europe and AUS had a real problem, excuse me, if the European and Aussie governments (cause that’s who it is, both in AUS, Europe and the US, not the people, whoever they are) had a real problem with US policies, they’d do something about it. The fact is, the western world (‘s governments) is (are) too busy making money off the US to really care about any of the evil stuff we (they) do. So take the holier than thou attitude and shove it, ok? I don’t like any of that crap either.

            The other thing that irritates me about, well, AUS and NZ anyway (since we haven’t really been anywhere else), is that despite the fact that we’re what, 15,000 miles away, the radio still has the exact same crappy classic rock we have in the states. I mean, seriously. Do we really need to hear the same stupid Fleetwood Mac song for the one hundred billionth time? No. We don’t.

            Guatemala didn’t have any of that crap. Instead, they had Shakira singing something in Spanish, or traditional Guatemalan music or (my personal favourite) US pop songs remade in Spanish by someone noone’s ever heard of. I think there’s two people, a man and a woman, and they sing about 10 new songs a day and they go on the radio the day after. The music industry is powerful, but they don’t own Guatemala. Yet.

            Still, I owe the music industry and that ubiquitous classic rock a special thanks for a supremely surreal moment, a moment I think Adam will particularly appreciate: yesterday, while we were eating our dinner, I Come From the Land Down Under started playing on the radio. I stood up, took my hat off, and stared uncomfortably at the Australian flag for almost a full verse before I realized that it wasn’t the Australian national anthem. Who knew? Luckily, the kitchen was busy, so no one noticed me being strange and I sat back down,  thanking the creator I wasn’t locked in a steel box somewhere, losing my mind.

            But enough, eh? Enough of that. Australia, or rather, Sydney, is a beautiful place and we’re both having a wonderful time here. It’s nice to just relax, sit on the beach, wander through aquariums and zoos and museums, ride the bus/train/ferry, and read without worrying about missing some fantastic and amazingly beautiful sight somewhere in Australia, like we did in NZ. Of course we’re missing something fantastic, we’re missing everything. It really takes the pressure off.

            If you do happen to find yourself in Sydney, and you’re looking for a used book store, I’d recommend Desire Books (it’s not like it sounds) in Manly (again, not like it sounds). The owner is an ardent book lover and, unlike most secondhand bookstores we’ve wandered through thus far, she kept her shop organized, even alphabetized. It actually made it possible to find what you were looking for, which is something that is almost unheard of in the used book industry (at least in my experience). If you’re ever in Sydney, I’d say it’s worth the ferry ride.

            Actually, the ferry ride is worth it on its own. At something like $5 one way, it’s by far the cheapest harbor cruise. The ferry goes past the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge (only they spell it Harbour, weirdos) and gives you some of the best views of downtown you could ask for. It’s as good as the $30 harbor cruises they offer and much cheaper. It’s also included on our bus/ferry/rail passes we bought our first day here, which makes those (the green passes) an incredible value, much better than the Sydney Pass, which is $100 more expensive for, as far as I can tell, nothing.

            Well, on and on and you’ve got to stop sometime. That sometime is now.

    For a city, Sydney is a pretty cool place. I’m not all that much of a city person, and Lord knows Anna isn’t, but we’re having a good time here. I think we’ll be ready to leave by the end of the week, but hey, that’s when we leave! Boy, that works out great.

            Part of the reason we’re enjoying Sydney is because we’re staying in an area called the Northern Beaches, which is about 40 mins from city center (or centre, as they write it here). It reminds me a little bit of LA, in the area where Nate lived, or maybe moreso Manhattan Beach, without all the rich people. Collaroy Beach is quiet and calm, but it’s just up the shore from Manly, which, along with Bondi (bond-eye), is the main tourist beach in Sydney. Up here we get the best of both worlds: it’s quiet and not too touristy, but all of the touristy stuff and the best beaches are a 10 min bus ride away.

            That’s another thing that we’re loving about Sydney: we can ride the train, bus or ferry at no extra cost with the weekly transit pass we bought when we got here. Both today and yesterday we’ve ridden on all three. The ferries go all over the place and take you right through Sydney harbour; the bridge and the opera house are right there, and you get the best views you could ask for. One day this week, we’re going to take the train to Parramatta, which is in the far east of Sydney, and take the “River Cat” ferry all the way out to the city center. It’ll be a great view of Sydney’s waterfront and it won’t cost us a penny.

            Today, we spent the morning sitting on the beach at Manly. Just as it started to cloud up, we left for city center and went to the Sydney Aquarium, which was awesome. They had crocodiles and sharks and turtles and rays and seals and all sorts of cool stuff. I guess it isn’t saying much as I’ve been to two aquariums in my life (in Seward, AK an in Maine), but it was the best aquarium I’ve been to. We spent about three hours there and probably could have spent longer.

            We’re staying at the Sydney Beachouse YHA, which gives us our 2^nd taste of a big hostel (the place in Auckland being our first), and this one is much better. Of course, we’ve got a double here, so we’re not in a dorm with 6 other people, but it’s better anyway. There are a few things that we’re not used to, though. At most of the places we’ve been staying, the kitchens are fully stocked, as in, they have cutlery and dishes and everything you need to make a meal except the food. Here, if you want plates and cups and whatnot, you’ve got to slap down a $20 deposit, which we’ve not done because we have our own dishes. Also, because this is a YHA hostel, there are group activities, which the holiday parks we’d mostly stayed at in NZ definitely didn’t have. Last night we tried to get in on a BBQ (but we were too late) and tonight we were asked if we wanted to play ping pong (which we didn’t). They have activities like that every night of the week, although we’ve got enough other things to do that I don’t anticipate participating in any.

            Well folks, I believe I said my piece for this evenin’. G’dnight!

            Travel days are always exhausting. You get to the airport hours before your flight leaves and the airport people ask you all sorts of semi-accusatory questions like “do you have any flammable materials in your luggage?” Me, ... [Continue reading this entry]