From Kangaroo Island to the Crocodile Hunter's Zoo

It was very difficult to plan my trip through Australia.  I had only eighteen days to see the country and that was not enough time. I knew that I would be leaving out large parts of the country but I took some solace in knowing that I would return some day. I put off the Great Barrier Reef, the outback, the entire western coast and Tasmania. It was tough.  I was going to focus on the cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Caloundra. Eighteen days was enough time to do those cities and not feel rushed. 

In addition to the cities, I wanted to see the animals that make Australia a special space.  Kangaroos, koalas, dingos and the Tasmanian Devil were all on my list.  A fellow traveler suggest that I take a tour to Kangaroo Island to see the wildlife. She was very passionate about her experience that I made it a point to head to Adelaide to make it happen. After exploring Adelaide, I took a tour through Kangaroo Island.  The tour was a little bit of a disappointment.  We were rushed at each site and we didn't have time to explore or hike on our own.

Though I saw kangaroos and koalas, the thing I enjoyed the most on the tour was the visit to a eucalyptus distillery.  The distillery, Emu Ridge, is the only commercial eucalyptus distillery in South Australia. The owner, Bev Turner, gave us a tour and related the story that her and her husband were sheep farmers until the wool market tanked in the early 90's.  In order to survive, they successfully brought back the concept of distilling the oil from eucalyptus which was prevalent on the island decades earlier.  The business is self-sufficient, operating on solar, steam and wind-power with all by products being recycled.  A great success story about going back to the basics and making a great living by it.

A week after my visit to Kangaroo Island, I went to Australian Zoo which was made famous by the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. I have been to a number of zoos over the years but I can safely say that this was the best one I have been to in all of my travels.

The zoo has been around since the seventies, when Steve Irwin's parents established a reptile park in Queensland.  The park grew overtime and with Steve's great success with his tv show, they started an aggressive capital campaign to expand the zoo and its exhibits.  The entire zoo is branded with the Irwin Family.  There are photos and videos at all the exhibits that star either Steve, Terri or one of their two children, Bindi and Bob. I watched the show and was saddened when I heard of his tragic death.  It was strange walking around and seeing his face or hearing his voice. They have a number of touching tributes to Steve Irwin throughout the facility. Though it is the countries largest zoo, it is still a family run business and the love for Steve is shown throughout the park.

"That is So Stupid, It Might Just Work!" or How I Celebratred My Year Anniversary!

  I was in the beach town of Caloundra, Australia during the Christmas holiday and my year Anniversary of Singh Around the World.  I had caught up with my friends, Beth and Keith King.  I had originally met them on my trip Antarctica and we realized that we would be in Australia during the same time so we coordinated to meet up for a few days. 

I was looking forward to doing something fun for my year anniversary.  I knew I would go out for dinner and drinks but what would be special especially after an amazing year of travel. When I checked into the hotel, the first thing Beth wanted to talk about was the potential of doing a tandem parachuting jump from 14,000 ft.  My first thought was "that is so stupid, it might just work!"  It was 14,000 ft only because the Australian government won't allow jumps to be higher without the use of oxygen. 

I will admit it was a budget buster but why not treat myself to a great experience on my year anniversary. In typical Sam Singh fashion, the celebration started a few days early once I got into town and caught up with Beth and Keith and culminated with the jump. It was nerve racking the night before but on the day I was pretty calm. It was an amazing feeling to have 65 seconds of free fall before the parachute opened up. Check out the video of the amazing jump.

I want to thank Beth for editing the video. Also, thanks to Raj Dhamecha, Jeff Williams and Kim Field who joined in my anniversary days in spirit through generous gifts. 

MSU Basketball In Australia!

As As I was doing my research on where I should go in Australia, I looked into checking out some sporting events.  I really wanted to check out an Australian Rules Football match. Unfortunately, the season for Aussie Rules Football was already over.  The only sports that were in season while I was there was cricket and basketball.  Basketball?  Basketball?  Then it clicked.  I was pretty sure there were a few former MSU players playing ball professionally out in Australia. 

After a little bit of time on the internet, I was able to find out that both MikeChappel and Adam Ballinger were playing ball in Australia.  Mike was playing for the Cairns Taipans and Adam was at the Adelaide 36ers.  I was heading to Adelaide already because I wanted to explore the nature and wildlife of Kangaroo Island, which is a short ferry ride from the Adelaide port.

I looked at the schedule and they had a home game so I arranged my flight so I would get there to catch the game and make a tour out to Kangaroo Island.  I shot an e-mail to the team's operation manager to let Adam know that a Spartan was going to be in the house.  Adam shot back an e-mail and we arranged to connect after the game for a quick chat.

I made it out to the stadium on the far end of town.  It was a small stadium that housed up to 7,800 fans though it is hardly sold out during the season.  As I was walking up to the ticket counter to buy a ticket, I overheard a guy mention that he had an extra ticket so I asked if I could buy it off him.  He asked if I was an Adelaide 36ers fan.  I told him that I couldn't say I was a fan but that I did go to the same University as Adam Ballinger.  He thought it was cool that was the reason I was attending the game so he gave me the ticket for free.  My string of free tickets continues!

I had a seat under one of the baskets.  There wasn't anyone sitting next to me so I stretched out the Spartan flag on the empty seats.  During the second half warm ups, Adam saw the flag and gave me a thumbs up.   After the game, he told me seeing the Spartan "S" pumped him up for the second half.  I guess it did because his first two possession of the second half were back to back three pointers.  Overall, he scored 18 points and the Adelaide 36ers won in the last minute of the game.  I chatted with him briefly after the game and met his wife and young daughter.  It was good to see that he was still following his passion and that he found himself at home living in Australia.

Next Stop---Melbourne!

There is a few things that you have to know about Melbourne and its people.  First, when you say Melbourne there is no "r."  I don't know where the '"r" went but it is nowhere near the name when you speak it.  It is is Melbon.  Also, don't mention Sydney, they have an unhealthy obsession with their sister city.  It is one big chip on their shoulder.  Just tell them that you like "Melbon" better and everything will be easier for everyone.

The Arts are Alive in Melbourne
Melbourne has a great cultural scene.  Their museums are fantastic and I spent two days going through the National Gallery , the Immigration Museum and Melbourne Museum .  I saw a great exhibit on aboriginal art and it got me thinking.  The British really screwed things up for a lot of people in the world.  Their settlements in Australia, New Zealand and the United States devastated and displaced the indigenous people.  The country lines they have drawn over the years in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent still lead to conflict and warfare years later.  In the immortal words of Ricky Ricardo "I think they have some splaining to do!"  I am not sure the intent for the exhibit was a political one but it sure left me contemplating global issues after I went through it.

An Everest Base Camp Reunion
Pictured: Sam Singh, John Cornell, Kate McCarthy, Paul Le Page.

While I was in Melbourne, I caught up with a few friends that I had hiked Everest Base Camp with a few months earlier.  I wasn't sure that they would be able to meet me out on the weekend before Christmas but they came out and showed me a good time.  And since you are thinking it, yes they were embarrassed by the fact that I was sporting the Christmas tree on the noggin.

Getting into the Holiday Spirit
I was in Melbourne the week before Christmas and everyone was getting in the spirit.  The stores were finalizing their pre-Christmas sales.  Christmas music was being played in every store and restaurant that I walked by.  It was a little strange for me to see all the Christmas decorations and still be wearing shorts during the day.  I was waiting to hear the lyrics, " I am Dreaming of A White Christmas" but understandably the song is not very popular here.  I had to take a picture of the two teenagers raising money for the Salvation Army in front of the popular Australian department store, Myer.  The Myer department store is famous for its elaborate Christmas displays.  Though the displays were cool, I kept thinking that the Salvation Army greeters at another store in the US with same sounding name but with a different spelling were wearing slightly different clothes when they were raising money!

The Sydney Wrap Up!

Guess What Movie I Saw in Australia????????

Did you guess that I saw the movie by the same name as the country I was in?  I mean, here I am in Australia, why not learn about the formative years of Australia with the all star cast including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman?  Bewitched meets Wolverine.  Satine vs. Van Helsing.  How could it go wrong?  Then I thought about it.  There were a thousand ways it could go wrong. So I skipped it and went to see a movie that was getting a lot of buzz on the internet, Slumdog Millionaire.  It was raining and it seemed right to see a movie about India while I was in Australia.  A good move on my part, if I might say so myself. 

I had first heard about the movie after it won the "People's Choice Award" at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Since then It has bagged many awards and was recently nominated for four Golden Globes including Best Picture and Best Director.  I have been a fan of the director, Danny Boyle, ever since Shallow Grave came out in the early 90's.

Though I have only seen a few movies this past year, I can't imagine there is a better movie than Slumdog Millionaire.  The color and vibrancy of the movie will enthrall you. Boyle has unique nature of capturing India for an outsider. I am sure the detractors will object to the unrealistic portrayal of street children in Mumbai but they can get over themselves it is a modern day fairy tale.  I highly recommend that you see it (if you haven't already.)  Here is to them taking the Golden Globes by storm this weekend!

Hitting Bondi Beach
Pictured: Bondi Beach from the walking trails.

Just like every tourist that comes to Sydney, a trip to the beach was on the itinerary.  Luckily, the rain stopped over the weekend and I made my way to Bondi Beach.  A friend of mine that I met in Antarctica introduced me to her friend that lives in Bondi, Holly Enriquez.  Holly was my tour guide for the afternoon.  The beaches are connected by walking paths and so we took a hike to the beaches next to Bondi.  It was beautiful.  Bondi Beach is a great surf town with great little cafes and restaurants.  Holly introduced me to the concept of gourmet fish and chips and her favorite place a few block from the beach.  By far the best fish and chips of the trip!  As I was leaving Australia, a conservative member of the city council was trying to ban topless sunbathing at Bondi Beach.  Ahhh, those pesky city councilmemebers always trying to ruin everyone's fun.  Where have I heard that before?

The Sydney Opera House
Pictured: The Sydney Opera House right before the fireworks.  The firework photos are on the website.

The Sydney Opera House has been on my worldlist and was one of the first things I went to see when I arrived to Sydney.  It is a remarkable architectural marvel that not only symbolizes the city but also the country itself.  You can't think of Australia without the Opera House coming up at some point.

The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. The citation stated:

"There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent."

The Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Contrary to the implication of the name, it houses a multi-venue performing arts centre, rather than a single Opera theatre. As well as hosting many touring productions in a variety of performance genres, the Sydney Opera House is a major presenting venue for Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony. It is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts. (From Wikipedia)

It is ironic that the city is known for this structure throughout the world but back in 1965, he was fired by the government and the Opera Trust over creative and financial issues.  Mr. Utzon vowed never to return to Sydney to see the finished structure.  Supposedly, over the past few years, the Sydney Opera House Trust made an asserted attempt to mend the relationship with Mr. Utzon but because of health reasons, he didn't make it back before he passed away in November 2008.

An Amazing City--- Sydney, Australia

Sydney- A Well Planned City

I don't know if the small band of convicts and British military knew what they were doing when they started the first British Colony in Sydney but the city today boasts a population of over 4 million people. I fell in love with Sydney and it is now in my top ten city's list.  It is an incredible city that utilizes its assets really well.  They have used their greatest asset, the harbor, really well. They have cultivated the harbor to be a major tourist attraction locating the Sydney Opera House, museums, shopping districts, urban living, and great restaurants there. 

I found their public transportation to be great for a tourist though I read about a recent study that found their transportation to be lacking when compared to other cities its size across the world.  One of the locals I talked to said the system wasn't great for the residents because it took so much more time than driving themselves.  But for a guy like me with no need to get any one place quickly it met my needs.

I also enjoyed their use of green space throughout the city.  The have three Botanic gardens in the city and dozens of pocket parks.  I found myself either walking or jogging through the Royal Botanic Garden and Domain on a daily basis.  It is their Central Park and very heavily utilized throughout the day.

Pictured: The Royal Botanic Garden
 
Sydney Bridge Climb
Pictured:  "Come on guys what did I do?"

The number one thing that blog readers recommended that I do while I was in Sydney was the Harbour Bridge Climb. They told me to ignore the expensive price tag and enjoy the views and that I wouldn't be sorry if I did.  The readers of Singh Around the World are pretty savvy people so I took them up on their suggestion.  They were right.  I wasn't disappointed.   The three hour bridge walk had us hit the peak at 440 ft.  I was a beautiful day so we could see for miles in all directions.  We were not able ot take our cameras up with us due to "safety reasons."  Conveniently, the guide took pictures of the group as we went and for a pretty hefty fee we could buy them at the end.  Our guide acknowledged that close to 50% of their profits came from photo sales.  Capitalism you gotta love it!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world's largest and widest steel arch bridge in the world.  Next to the Sydney Opera House it is the most iconic sight in Sydney.  The 39,000 ton bridge was finished in 1932 and currently boasts 8 lanes of traffic, a footpath, a cycleway and 2 train lines.  It was pretty visionary at that time to build a bridge of that size which could handle the growth of the city over the following century.
According to our guide, the bridge is called the "coat-hanger" by the locals but all the locals I talked to called it the "Harbour Bridge."

Australians Can Take A Good Ribbing

Pictured:  "Happy Christmas" is Australian for "Merry Christmas."  Huge cultural differences in Oz!

It was interesting to note that when I posted that I was heading to Australia on my facebook account that I had an incredible reaction from my friends and readers.  They fell into two categories, those with friends that I should look up and those that mocked in good fun the stereotypes of the country.  The latter ones were quite amusing. 

• "Say Hi to Crocodile Dundee for me!"
• "Make sure you put another shrimp on the barbie!"
  
• "Watch out a dingo might get your baby!"
• Something not worth repeating about Bindi Irwin.
  

I was glad that my Kiwi friends hadn't seen it, otherwise my account would have been flooded with tales of gum boots and sheep.  And when I say sheep, it is not like the cute little lamb Mary had but rather like the saying  "where the women run and the sheep are afraid."  Unlike any other country with the exception of France, everyone likes to take the piss out of Australia.   I am sorry I was writing in Australian there.  Taking the piss out of someone means making fun of them in our language.  I amused myself by often interrupting someone in mid-sentence and saying "I am sorry could you repeat that?  I don't speak Australian."   Ahhh, the simple things do amuse me.

I Am Back from Vacation!

Dear Gentle Readers,

I hope that you and your families had a safe New Years and great holiday season.  I am back in the saddle again.  I took some time off from the blog to enjoy the holidays.  In due time, you will find out more on how I celebrated Christmas and the New Years but we need to go back to where the story last left off.

I know you are the type of person to read the last chapter first but this blog is not that type of book.  If you really need your updates, then you need to join me on Facebook or otherwise patiently wait for me to write the blog posts.  Trust me there will be some good stuff for you over the next few days.

Be patient grasshopper- you can't leave the temple until you grab the pebbles from my hand.   Since you are nowhere near Ubud, you don't stand a chance of getting the pebbles or grabbing that pesky fly that is buzzing around my head with a pair of chopsticks either.  So let's join up with our hero in the next post exactly where we left him-- at the beginning of his journey to Australia or as it is commonly called by the locals, the magical kingdom of Oz. 

How I Celebrated My One Year Anniversary of Singh Around the World

They say a picture is worth a thousands words.  Here is a taste of the story to come....