I’ve been to two Mardi Gras festivals outside the U.S., one was accidental and another was a spontaneous excursion, albeit a failure.

2007

We drove into downtown Ensenada, Mexico to buy our friend Dutch a Mexican surfboard. I don’t remember the exact details, but without warning the entire city closed down and swarms of locals began parading down the street. I have absolutely no idea where they were going. We somehow found our way out of the city after spending hours waiting it out in a Papas n Beer.

2010

Hayley and I boarded a public bus that was shuttling at least thirty drunk high school kids over the Harbour Bridge to the Mardi Gras parade. People crowded around the street, standing on crates, propping themselves on windowsills or climbing trees and lamp posts to get a view. We didn’t have crates and there were no trees or lamp posts left. After a half hour we tried to escape the crowds, but we got stuck for twenty minutes in a human traffic jam. It was very claustrophobic.

People trying to get a view of the jumbotron that is setup in central Darlinghurst. The street is in the center of the photo, and you can see all the people standing on crates to watch the parade.

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We’ve had a busy week with Hayley’s parents in town. In preparation for Andy and Jackie’s arrival, Hayley drew up a full itinerary for the week.

Beginning Friday at five sharp, I met Andy on Park Avenue in downtown Sydney. We quickly began our journey via public transport to meet Hayley and Jackie at Balmoral Beach on the north shore. Around the half way point we were nearly flattened by oncoming traffic while running to catch a bus. Luckily we made out alright and within 45 minutes, we were eating fish and chips and relaxing on middle-head peninsula.

The weekend was just as crammed. On Saturday we strolled through the Royal Botanic Gardens with Andy, Jackie, and their friends, and had tea and scones in the Rocks.

Then on Sunday morning Freddy and I surfed Bungan. Yes, I am a horrible person for ditching family, but who can resist a perfect left? Apologies to Andy and Jackie!

While Hayley and her parents explored the city and its surroundings, I worked a short three-day work week. On Thursday, we drove up to the Blue Mountains, an expansive region of cloud-clipping mountains and dense eucalyptus forest within the Great Dividing Range, or the continental divide, of Australia. As a UNESCO World Heritage site I was expecting to be impressed, and boy did it deliver. Our first stop was Echo Point, home to the Three Sisters rock formation.

The Three Sisters in all their glory, each over 900 meters in height.

For perspective, note the people in the bottom left corner. They are less than 25% of the way down the first Sister.

We walked around the park and feasted our eyes on the enormous eucalyptus forest that distantly bends with the curvature of the horizon. Down on the first Sister, we noticed a crowd of people collecting on a small walking bridge. Later in the day, we came back and walked down “The Great Stairway” to the first Sister. A journey in itself, the stairway hugs the cliff in scary fashion. I held the railings tight on our way back up, watching the cliff slowly erode from underneath the steel steps.

Hayley and I under the first entrance to The Great Stairway.

We walked back to Echo Point to have another look at the region. The Blue Mountains are surreal, easily one of the most amazing places that I have been. The forest and cliffs are massive, and to say I that was feeling insignificant would be an understatement.

Jackie and Hayley enjoying the view.

In the middle of the day, we checked into our room at the Chalet Blue Mountains. After resting for a bit, we got up again and drove a few kilometers to Govett’s Leap, which offered another sweeping expanse of plateaus, dramatic cliffs and valleys of eucalyptus forest. While Echo Point has the Three Sisters, Govett’s offers a waterfall that rivals the best in Hawaii.

The waterfall (to the right) sways with the wind, drenching the rocks and forest below.

Before sunset, we walked out to the Chalet’s garden and enjoyed a fine Shiraz (and what a steal it was) while watching the unique Australian bird life fly overhead.

The main hallway in the Chalet Blue Mountains.

For dinner, we drove into town and ate at Common Ground Café, a restaurant that could be easily mistaken for a commune. A folk band played music while we ate delicious, organic food. We later heard that the restaurant was owned and operated by The Exclusive Brethren. I seriously felt like we had stepped into a scene from a fantasy novel and I loved every minute of it.

The next day we ate a hearty breakfast at the B&B before checking out and driving out to Anvil Rock and Wind Eroded Cave, passing a hopping wallaby on our way. A short walk from the trailhead, Anvil Rock hangs over an enormous drop off:

Don’t jump! Those enormous trees aren’t as forgiving as they look.

About ten minutes in the opposite direction is Wind Eroded Cave, an enormous concave rock covered with small pockets and exposed rock layers. We climbed inside the so-called cave and took a few photos.

Hayley and I inside the rock.

Andy resting inside a smaller cave, which is inside the bigger cave.

On our way back to Sydney we stopped off at the Mt. Tomah Botanic Gardens. We walked around for an hour and saw many cool trees and plants, including the rare and ancient Wollemi Pine, which you can now buy for your garden. We also spotted some great birdlife, including this Eastern Spinebill:

Notice that the plant’s petals are perfectly shaped for the bird’s bill.

After the gardens, we drove back to Sydney and spent the next morning with Andy and Jackie before saying our goodbyes. We had a great time and it was sad to see them go, but we reminded ourselves that we will be seeing them again soon.

And so here we are, one week of work to go before we depart on our road trip to Melbourne. I will definitely write again when we return.

For more photos, feel free to peruse my flickr galleries, specifically the Blue Mountains Overnight Trip album.

No Comments  | Tags: Australia, blue mountains, echo point, govett's leap, Sydney, three sisters

Poor design can be a source of incredible frustration or- depending on how you look at it- good for a laugh. Our shower, for example, was remodeled to prevent water from seeping into the complex hallway. Unfortunately, the repair guys left a large gap at the bottom of the shower door so water now seeps into our bathroom instead. Another example is this gutter, which pours water on a bench at the bus stop whenever it rains.

ABC has many cool props for TV shows. This one greets me in the mornings on my way to the kitchen.

Restaurant competition is fierce in Sydney. To rise above the competition, many restaurants display their menus outside with welcoming messages such as this:

Finally, some things in Oz are just way behind the times.

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It has been raining for over a week, but it began after a sunny and warm Australia Day. Andrew and Elsja invited us to their friend Alex’s house for an authentic Aussie barbie on the harbor. We swam in the pool, jumped in the harbor, fished, ate shrimp on the barbie, tattooed ourselves with Aussie flags and shouted Aussie catch phrases like “Crikey” and “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!” To be honest, I only personally did half of these things but it was an epic day regardless.

Grilling some shrimp on the barbie. Click here to see the rest of the Aussie Day pics.

Last weekend, Hayley and I took a ferry to the Darling Harbour Maritime Museum. The museum has a large collection of nautical treasures on display, including a sailboat made of beer cans and a few large models of mythical sea creatures such as the Kraken and a half-monkey mermaid. More interesting though was the collection of century old whale bone crafts- including whale bone bones (dominoes) and a chair made from a whale vertebra. My favorite item by far was an old captain’s journal from the late 1700s. Old journals rule.

Afterward we walked about a hundred kilometers (or at least it felt like it) to the Rocks and collapsed at a table in an Irish tea shop. I had the raisin scones with my tea, and they were damn fine scones.

Mmmmm… delicious. Click here to see the rest of the pics from the day.

And now back to the rain.

From our pátio on Saturday.

Looks like it’s finally clearing though.

No Comments  | Tags: Australia, maritime museum, rain, Sydney, tea, the rocks

‘09 was a pretty sweet year.

January

Nice waves in Del Mar, California.

February

Rugby Sevens in San Diego, California.

Rare powder at Mt. High, Wrightwood, California.

March

Noodle Scrabble in San Diego, California.

April

Crazy weather on Mt. Baldy, California.

White out at Mt. Baldy, California.

May

Hayley graduates with a Masters Degree in Journalism. San Diego, California.

June

Bellagio at night, Las Vegas, Nevada.

July

Visiting friends in San Francisco, California.

Epic surfing at Pipes in Cardiff by the Sea, California.

August

Tower Bridge in London, England.

Don’t stop! Somewhere north of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Elephant crossing in Kruger Park, South Africa.

A hyena and vultures feeding on a dead giraffe in Kruger Park, South Africa.

Just before one of our many elephant scares in Kruger Park, South Africa.

Impala horns in Kruger Park, South Africa.

African sunset over the bush in Kruger Park, South Africa.

Wine tasting in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

“Jackass” penguins- after you know what- in Boulder’s Beach, South Africa.

Hiking up Table Mountain on beautiful winter day in Cape Town, South Africa.

Monster surf at Sea Point in Cape Town, South Africa.

Protea at Kirstenbosch near Cape Town, South Africa.

Kudu Crossing in northern South African farmland.

Cheetah sighting at Pilanesberg, South Africa.

Trampoline at Sun City, South Africa.

Township homes outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

Playing with lion cubs in the Lion Park, just outside Johannesburg, South Africa.

September

First cockatoo sighting in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Sydney, Australia.

Flying foxes in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Sydney, Australia.

Dust storm in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia.

October

Destroying my only surfboard. Sydney, Australia.

Walking to Cremorne Point, Sydney, Australia.

November

Ford Ranger Cup. North Sydney, Australia.

Balmoral Beach, Mosman, Sydney, Australia.

December

Opera House, Sydney, Australia.

Work holiday party at the Watson’s Bay Hotel. Sydney, Australia.

Attacked by cockatoos in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia.

NYE Sydney, Australia.

1 Comment  | Tags: california, kruger park, photography, photos, san diego, satara, south africa, surf, surfing, Sydney