My Melbourne friends, Aydin and Ben, helped outfit me for an overnight camping trip to Wilsons Promontory National Park, a wilderness area located at the southernmost point in mainland Australia. To get there, I rented a car in Melbourne’s Central Business District. Driving on the left side of the road took some getting used to and even with GPS, I made several wrong turns and … Continue reading Day 14: Braving the Wilds at Wilsons Promontory
With the remaining half day I had in Sydney, I stopped by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I really have had no exposure to Australian artists, but the museum provided quite an education. The subject of most of the earlier paintings was the wild landscapes of Australia, but you can also find work from throughout Australian history. The works range from Aboriginal … Continue reading Day 13: From Sydney to Melbourne
In my final full day in Sydney, I took part in one of the city’s most popular attractions — the BridgeClimb. Tickets for the BridgeClimb are rather expensive, anywhere between $200 and $300 AUD, depending on what time of day you go (sunset and weekends are more expensive), but the experience is truly unique and, in my opinion, well worth the price of admission. I arrived … Continue reading Day 12: Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge
On a Monday morning, I decided to go for a run through a scenic part of Sydney, even if the weather was a little bit cloudy. I ran through Kings Cross up to Rushcutters Bay, admiring the park, the boats on the water and the expensive real estate ringing the bay. I continued my run up through Yarranabbe Park, which was equally scenic and through … Continue reading Day 11: Running in Rushcutters Bay and Bondi to Coogee Cliffwalk
Tim and I decided to take the ferry boat from Sydney Harbour out to Manly early Sunday afternoon, but before we did that, we did some grocery shopping. Going to grocery stores in foreign countries is always an interesting experience: what they have, what they don’t have, what they do completely differently, and the varying cost of things. Everything in Australia has appeared to be … Continue reading Day 10: Sunday Funday Sydney Style
Even though I was still adjusting to the new time zone, I managed to fill a day of sightseeing around Sydney. On the recommendation of my friend Cindy, I had breakfast at Bills in Darlinghurst. I sat at the communal table and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee and some decadent banana ricotta pancakes. After breakfast, I wandered through the jacaranda lined streets of Paddington, admiring … Continue reading Day 9: Sydney – Paddington Market, The Rocks, Kings Cross
My flight arrived in Sydney early on a Friday morning. Once I cleared customs, collected my luggage, bought my Australian SIM card and withdrew some Aussie dollars, I got in a taxi and headed to Darlinghurst to meet Tim, my Sydney host, at the Horizon Tower in Darlinghurst. The Horizon Tower is a somewhat controversial structure in Sydney as it is the sole skyscraper … Continue reading Day 8: Sydney, Australia – First Impressions
Because my flight from LAX to Sydney took me across the International Date Line, Day 7 of my trip was essentially a “lost day,” all of which was spent at cruising altitude over the Pacific Ocean. Essentially, I never got to have an October 24th. However, I’ll get one really long day on the way back over the Pacific sometime in February. Americans dream of … Continue reading Day 7: The Lost Day
My last day in Los Angeles was mostly spent getting ready to travel to Australia. I had some errands to run, but took some time for a relaxing massage to help me unwind before the long flight to Sydney. If you ever happen to be in the Los Angeles area, I would highly recommend him. He came recommended to me by a friend as well. … Continue reading Day 6: Hollywood Boulevard
Downtown LA is sometimes spoken of derisively, a place that empties out at 5 o’clock and is known more for the appalling conditions of Skid Row rather than having anything charming to offer the curious visitor. My relatives who live in Los Angeles warned me that it can be dangerous, but also noted that it has some interesting places worth exploring. Indeed, Downtown Los Angeles … Continue reading Day 5: Lost and Found Los Angeles
Journeying Jeff 