We're a bit better organized this time. We are planning a litte BootsnAll get-together this Thursday, January 15th in the city. No need to RSVP, just show up if you can make it.
We're going to kick things off at the Palace Backpackers pub, the Down Under bar, at 6-6:30pm. If you're in town after work and want to meet up earlier, just let me know. Our schedule is flexible.
Palace Backpackers
cnr Edward and Ann Streets
City
Hope to see you there.
Cheers,
Chris & Sean
Chris and I had a few errands to run this morning so we came down to the Queen Street Mall for Breakkie. Free Wireless Internet Access is available on the Mall.
We are drinking a Flat White and Skinny Cafe Latte (me) at Milano's as I type this post up. Damn, I forgot my digital camera, so no pictures.
We came up with the idea of coming down here for 1/2 a day to just blog away. Take pictures, interview a few people. Let us know if you think this is a good idea in the comments below and we will do it.
Smoked Salmon scramble is coming soon...gotta go!
We personally look at every single BootsnAll membership application. Here is one of the replies I received today.
Membership Approval: Your system reflects the world, my friend.
And aren't you nice to add that personalized touch in your response! To reward such humanity, I'll tell you a story:
I was doing courier flights for a while, and one took me to Hong Kong. Everything went without a hitch (I was going on to Nepal) until the trip back. I made it into HK airport the evening before and was exhausted, so I actually spent an ungodly sum to put myself up in the airport hotel. The next morning, I started to assemble my belongings, but ... wait ... where's my passport?!?
I frantically burrowed through e v e r y t h i n g with no luck. I raced downstairs and found my courier contact to explain the situation. He immediately ushered me over to security, trading clipped phrases in Cantonese with the guard. We had about 45 minutes to make the flight. The guard emerged from his post to say that someone had indeed found my passport, but I'd have to claim it at security which was a few miles from the airport.
Never say die. Although the cool professionalism of my courier liaison had disappeared long ago, we hopped in a cab and raced to security, collected the passport, and raced back to the airport. 30 minutes to go. We ran to the ticket counter ... more quick negotiations, and off I went.
All he said as he handed me my packet of documents was "are all Americans like you?" I felt like a hapless heroine, smirking as a massive archway falls
neatly behind her as she runs through it.
(from Amy B - thanks)
Humans are creatures of habit. I am a human, therefore I am a creature of habit.
Chris and I quickly develop our routines in my time here. Everyday, at 1 pm we head on down to Fitness First for an air conditioned workout.
After lifting a few weights I settle onto the cardio equipment in front of 8 TVs. This is my little version of workout heaven. Boring equipment but with my headphones and 8 channels to browse through...it carries the boredom away. Since it is summer, cricket is on almost all the time. Frickin' brillant I say.
Yesterday when Chris and I were eliptical biking, we were watchin Oz struggle past 200 in a one day international versus Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe are not even near the top team in the world and it looked like Oz could be in trouble.
We were wrong, bigtime. Australia won by 99 runs. What were we worried about?
Sunday Chris and I go to India versus Australia in One Day Cricket at the 'Gabba. Can't wait.
It's Sunday morning in Brisbane, Australia. Chris and I just returned from a game of tennis with the newly returned Ging (she spent 2 weeks in Viet Nam and Cambodia).
I am super tired since we met at the Brisbane State High School tennis courts at 7 a.m. before heading to breakfast in Paddington (an inner suburb of Brissie).
This has been a productive past week for Chris and I. Being here in Oz gives Chris and I a chance to work in the same space for a few weeks. Since he left the Portland office in June 2003, we haven't been in the same space. As great as the Internet, e-mail, chat, and Voice Over IP is, nothing beats working/meeting with someone face to face. Ideas can be bounced back and forth with greater speed, hand movements and voice intonations make sense.
I am not sure how much longer I will be here...we'll see how we go. For sure this week and part of next.
Today it is stinking hot as always...I want to take a nap but it is rather difficult being so hot. Perfect day to go to an air conditioned movie or the beach.
Random Note:
We heard a song on the Triple J radio station called, "Aussie Hip Hop". The rapping tandem rapped with Aussie accents. Good rhymes, but an average beat. The line of the song that cracked us up was:
"blah, blah blah....(random words, then)... cuz it's FUCKING AUSSIE HIP HOP"
They seemed super stoked and proud to be part of the Aussie hip-hop movement. Triple J did not bleep out the swear words either, like they would in the USA.
Cheers from Sunny Australia.
Having never been to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), I didn't really know what to expect. It's located walking distance from the center of Sydney and right next to the Sydney Football Stadium (called Aussie Stadium these days).
It was a full house on January 4th for the third day of Steve Waugh's final test match. India were still amassing their huge first innings total and we weren't sure if we'd get to see the great man bat that day. The only seats available for purchase over the internet before we left Brisbane were in the alcohol-free section, which went somewhat against the grain of a day at the cricket. We also saw at the entrance that there would be no pass-outs, meaning once you were in, you were in for good. When Sean went to a test match at the Gabba in '94 he said that the crowd left the ground at lunch to go across the street for a beer and steak sandwich at the pub. No such luck here.
The SCG is an old stadium, but has undergone some refurbishments and now it's an all-seater. Capacity is listed at 43,562. After visiting some newer stadiums like Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, you can see how the SCG is limited somewhat. There are plenty of food and drink vendors, but the walkways are quite narrow so at lunch and tea, the aisles get jammed with hot and sweaty folk trying to get to one place or another. It certainly makes for some interesting aromas. I would hate to imagine what would happen in an emergency.
Sean and I arrived right before the start of play. We located our seats and grabbed a beer. Because we couldn't take the beer to our seats, we drank it in the walkway behind the seats. We could not see the ground but we heard the cheer as the players came onto the field. Dumping what was left of the beer (not much, but we were tired and it was 10am), we got to our seats to join the applause for that man Waugh as he led the Australian team onto the field.
Not long after sitting down we realised we were in hell. The sun was beating down on us and there was no shade. We slip-slop-slapped, and I added a t-shirt over my legs and pulled my arms inside my (stupidly) short-sleeve shirt. We sat there, roasting, for about 10 overs before conceding defeat. You can walk around almost the entire ground and we did that in a search for some shade.
Along the way I was SMS'ing with Sophie Dixon-Box, author of the There And Back Again...Maybe travelogue. She was at the ground with a couple of her Indian-English friends. By pure chance they had gotten tickets at the last minute seated in the middle of the Indian fans. Her description of her location was "We're in the middle of that big crowd of Indians with drums". She was pretty easy to locate.
They also had no protection from the sun, but the atmosphere was great. The Indians had plenty to cheer about (thanks for the pic, Sophie) as they hammered the Aussie bowling for 705 before declaring. We chatted with Sophie for a little while, took some photos, and arranged to meet up after the game for a beer.
Continuing our stroll we found a good vantage point under the Doug Walters Stand. Plenty of shade and a nice breeze on occasion. We watched the beginning of the Aussie innings from there and saw Justin Langer tee off on the Indian attack, while Matty Hayden scored a run every half hour.
We'd overheard a crowd steward near our seats mention that we'd get shade over our seats after 1pm. We ventured back and sure enough it was blissfully cool. In fact, it was even a little chilly as the wind picked up in the afternoon. No complaining though, it was way better than the frying pan we were in earlier. We even managed to see some celebrities, like Richie Benaud and Allan Border.
The Aussies had gotten off to a good start and were looking good to make a game of it. Langer brought up his ton with a nice reverse sweep shot and Hayden notched an aggressive half century. We didn't think we'd get to see Waugh bat, but then the wickets started to tumble. Ricky Ponting got out cheaply and Damien Martyn never looked confident before being dismissed for 7. And all of a sudden Steve Waugh was striding to the crease, wearing his baggy green cap. The crowd was on it's feet immediately, clapping and chanting his name. The red hankies that were given out with a local paper were being waved about all over the ground. The Indians showed their respect for the 168 test match veteran by lining up and applauding him.
The pressure was on with Australia still far behind on runs. They needed a big innings from their captain. It was getting towards the end of the day and with a new batsman at the crease, the game slowed down. Sean and I were thinking about leaving. We were exhausted from the day before and being in the sun. But then Waugh started to get the runs ticking over. We thought we'd stick around to see his half century. Unfortunately, it never came. On 40 he got a pearler of a delivery from the youngster Pathan. A groan went around the ground, but then everyone was back up on their feet, applauding, potentially for the last time.
After that, there wasn't much to keep us at the ground. We'd seen what we'd come to see. The atmosphere was fantastic and I was stoked to have been part of it. We walked back to our hotel and got ourselves cleaned up for the night ahead.
It's always tough to blog about stuff that happened a few days ago, especially if there is more stuff to blog about right afterwards. So here is a roughly chronological account of the road trip to Sydney...
All packed up and on the road by noon, Sean, Nick and I bomb down the Pacific Highway to the Coomera Dreamworld exit where we dump Nick off. He'll spend the day with his rellies before flying home to Bali the next day. We say farewell with a hug and handshake - Sean will see him again in a couple of weeks, I won't see him for at least 6 months, perhaps more.
Back on the road we're making good time, listening to the cricket on ABC radio and crossing the border into New South Wales where we lose an hour due to daylight saving (Queensland continues to be backward in that regard). It's damn hot out, we're sweating like fish, and there's a traffic jam on the way into Byron Bay. Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to force two lanes of highway into a single lane going through a roundabout. So we decide to stop off in Byron Bay for a quick swim and a visit to the Internet Outpost there. It's much like the one in Bali, but they have a music store in front and computers down the back. Byron is a cool place with lots of travelers and surfers milling about. I think I saw more women in bikinis in that 45 minutes than I've seen in my last 5 years (living in Oregon will do that).
Lunch was a meat pie and I tried to get us lost looking for a scenic spot to eat it. Eventually we found our way to the Byron lighthouse and we ate the pies in the car over looking the bay. Very nice.
On the road again and the Indian's are killing Australia with the bat. Brett Lee is getting carted around the ground and wickets are as rare as hen's teeth. We're impressed with the quality of commentary on ABC radio as well as the way they take the piss out of each other (Kerry O'Keefe's doughnuts).
We're keen to get as close to Sydney as we can on the first day so we only have a short drive in the morning. We barrel through Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie and even though we brought about 75 CD's we spend most of the time talking about anything and everything. Road trips are great for discussing the finer points of cricket strategy, all those people you knew back in high school, and the things you did as a child that still make you cringe. And then, there are the roadside attractions.
It's getting late and very dark and we decide that Taree, which is about 300km north of Sydney, is a good place to bed down for the night. We haven't booked ahead and even though we visit every single motel, there are no vacancies. We continue on to the next, smaller, town and the result is the same. The thought that we might not find a place starts to creep in.
By now it's after 11pm and each town we stop in has no vacancies. A gas stop includes coffee for both of us as we resolve to make it to Newcastle where there should be a bed. It's only about 150km. In the end, it's just too far. It's 1:30am and we figure some sleep is better than pushing on and being more tired in the morning. We find a rest stop and take the advice of the 10 million signs we've seen on the way - Stop Revive Survive.
After about 5 hours of half-sleep we step out of the car to use the facilities and are immediately attacked by hundreds of flies. They're everywhere and some of them end up accompanying us to Sydney. Even though we're exhausted, we feel alert and ready to tackle the last 200km to Sydney. The cricket match starts at 11am and we figure we can be there by 9am, check into the hotel (which we already booked), get cleaned up and make our way to the Sydney Cricket Ground in plenty of time to see Steve Waugh take the field.
Everything goes well - we make good time, make no wrong turns in Sydney and find ourselves crossing the Harbour Bridge bang on time. Our hotel is right downtown and Sean nips inside to see if we can check in early (and get directions for the parking garage - we circled the block three times trying to find it). The hotel is full so we can't, but the desk woman promises to call us when we can. Our options are limited - we're tired, scummy, a little sunburned, and about to spend all day in the sun at the cricket.
We're able to dump our bags at the hotel and just take what we need to freshen up. The Sydney location of our gym is closed this early on a Sunday, so our hopes of a shower are dashed. Instead we sit down at an outdoor cafe and chow down on a big breakfast to recharge the batteries. We still feel crappy, wearing yesterday's clothes and day old sweat. We utilize the tried and true traveler's technique of ducking into the lobby bathroom of a nice hotel and washing up in the sink. We emerge like new men with fresh clothes, clean teeth and deodorized aroma.
As we arrive at the SCG we get our second wind. The crowd outside the ground is huge and the atmosphere promises to be awesome.
I had some old pictures on my camera that we never shared from Christmas and Boxing Day or thereabouts.
Carl (Toby's Brother and Queensland Cop) tried to entice the Cows with leftover Hops I think it was.
Heidrich Family Cricket at Mt. Coot-tha a few days after Christmas.
A few beers and a lot of food at this picnic.
Max handles the bar-be-que. The sausages had a bit of fat in 'em. Hence the flames.
Chris Heidrich made a plate when he was little. I ate my steak and snag on it.
Chris and I got back from Sydney early today. Lots of pictures and hopefully stories will follow this week. Sophie, if you read this, can you e-mail me the pictures from the Cricket and Coogie Beach Hotel. Peace to you all.
We are all getting ready for some new adventures in the new year.
Nick is off for Bali tommorrow and we will drop him off at the Coast today to visit some relatives before he flys back to Bali.
Chris and I are off to Sydney for the 3rd day of the Test match: India v Australia.
Some pictures and commentary:
Nick enjoys a Guiness last night. We went out for a few drinks last night. It was the last night that us 3 will get to hang out together for who knows how long. We e-mailed some BootsnAll members in Brissie to join us at the last minute, but none could make it. Chris and I will meet up with them when we get back.
Chris enjoys a Guiness as well from an odd camera angle.
View of a puddle just outside our back door. It just finished raining here.
I'll look to take some pictures at the cricket...bye Nick...see you in a few weeks!
This after I took a stroll up the hill from Taringa towards Toowong.
The sun was blazing and I was just going out to stretch my legs. Getting to Toowong I passed a pub and gazing at the window I noticed it said 'RE'. Oh my God, its the Royal Exchange Hotel, the place I last visited in 1993 and where my friend Jay met his wife Debbie.
I couldn't resist and stopped in for a pint of Guinness cold. The RE used to be a college bar where crowds gather to listen to live music and socialize. I remember the smell of vomit still being there on sunday mornings ( not mine, the other charachters who used to hang out there ). Looking around I noticed some changes. There is now a 'gaming lounge'...one of those wretched places where banks of slot machines entertain the mindless. There is a wooden deck close to the street which raises drinkers another foot in the air. The bar area seems to have been revamped and still occupies its old location. The good thing is the musician's stage which is a square concrete block complete with roof, power outlets, lights and speakers. This tells me they are serious about live music and that's a good thing. The music scene in pubs over here is being extinguished by greedy landlords filling their places with 'pokey machines' ( slots) and forgoing the music in favour of brain dead consumerism. The Woodford Folk Festival showed me the Australian music scene is alive and kicking and I'd like to see it get more of a helping hand from the drinking scene.
I like the fact that the RE has this large open air area ( who wants to smell like a ash tray?) and that its handy for our part of town. Thev last time I came here I powered a $5 bottle of champagne in the parking lot next door so I wouldn't have to spend to much on beer. Fortunatley I can now afford a couple of beers so those days are over.
The RE has live music 6 nights a week except Monday. Come down and support a musician.
From the folks who love to throw out statistics to prove a point, comes a story that makes it sound like Australia is a death trap:
Britons who see Australia and die
(Thanks to Joe E. on this one)
Yes its 2004 and we're all conscious.
Our night started in Bob and Magaret's basement. with pint glasses of white russians. A full bottle of Jack Daniels lingered dangerously in the background. Our plan was to head over to a gathering of some of Chris's friends followed by a 'beach party' a pub.
The first get together included a couple of Jack's & Coke a wonderful bbq. I must admit I can't remember a single person's name, but I can remember the delicious steak, boiled pototoes and tomatos with goat cheese. Very nice of those folks to invite us and another huge difference between New Years in Australia and the northern hemisphere as here you get to hang out on on the deck for a bbq.
The pub was a rather typical drinking event with not much else going on. I find the bar scene over here uninspiring but what the heck at least people are out trying to have a good time.
After a couple of hours we headed furthur downtown with the rest of the cattle and checked out a few places. The downtown area was full of partiers and around 3.30am we started looking for a taxi home.
Very glad to say that last night didn't leave me with many ill effects and I'm looking forward to the year year and all it offers.
Sean and Chris are watching movie upstairs and are eagelry awaiting their trip to Sydney for Steve Waugh's last game (Australia's cricket captain).
I wish all travellers a safe journey and hope 2004 is a year those boots stay on.