Travels with The Rayman

Found us a little fixer-upper!! We could move here!!

So, we’re jetting toward the Great Barrier Reef. It’s about a three hour flight from Sydney to Cairns and we’re on a fairly full flight on an AirStar 380 jet. I have the window seat and Ray is in the middle. He doesn’t like the fuselage as he is claustrophobic..I know, I don’t get it either but the middle seat doesn’t bother him because he says, “I can flail my arms”.

But I digress. He is seated next to an Aussie who is returning home today and may I say, he has very nice legs. An older jock, played professional cricket and I think it shows!! Wish I could take a picture but that would probably be considered rude. So…I’d better change the subject.

Below should have been up above. It’s an article I wanted you to see re: real estate. Don’t know how to move it….so here it is.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/executive-lifestyle/gallery-fn6njxlr-1226135729572?page=39

 

Actually, if you click the back and forth buttons, you can view other real estate for fun!! And for some more viewing. Then below this is a link I came across on my day off.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/grandparents-lesson-on-webcam-launches-internets-latest-stars/story-e6frg6so-1226138984989 we find two seniors trying to work their new webcam. In OR. What a stitch. truly a small world. I’ve been there done that and am just happy it wasn’t being recorded.

So now…what have we been doing? Well, on my day off, Saturday, I almost didn’t get dressed. Color me tired. Didn’t want to do anything so basically, I didn’t. Other than dinner, I just lolligagged around all day. Then on Sunday, we went into to Sydney with no particular place to go…other than the Wildlife exhibit on Darling Bay because we had paid for it in advance and felt we should do it. Let me preface my remarks by saying that it is not a good idea to go willy-nilly. Really. I left it to the mates to figure out stuff…so we were very busy all day going nowhere. Well, that’s not exactly accurate. We found out that the rail link between Wolli Station and the airport was closed for the weekend for track maintenance…so we thought we should, gasp, go to the airport for a dry run for today’s trip to see how it would work just in case the maintenance went into Monday. Well, how can I describe it? The authorities arranged for bus service from Wolli station in. On the rail, this would take about 5 minutes. On the bus…not so good. It took us…oh, wait, before I tell you let me digress…by giving the dear reader a blow by blow.

We got off the train and followed the signs to the bus stop but it was confusing. Ray followed one couple who had bags figuring they were going to airport. Just one problem. They didn’t know where they were going either. And then we gathered all together on the wrong street corner…but that didn’t matter too much because the bus must have only run once an hour and between the time we arrived at the wrong street corner and we chased lost people, we still had time to recover. So…we rode the bus to the domestic terminal and then exited the airport. We had to take the bus back. As we were approaching the bus, the door closed. I asked if we couldn’t get on board to a balding man with a clip board. He was also wearing a yellow jacket so he was the official in charge. “No, you can catch the next one”. Well…we were at the head of the line and so we waited the most and by the time the next bus came, he had an insurgency on his hands. That’s because buses were arriving every 5 minutes but they were only for intra-airport traffic. And the line kept getting longer. What a jerk. The bus he denied us was 1/3 full. By the time the bus we caught arrived, it could only accommodate 1/2 the waiting crowd. Oh, well. So what? Well, that sort of took the wind out of our sails. Our dry run took about 2 hours and our time to do other things was greatly reduced. But we soldiered on.

We jumped back on the CityRail at the place the bus dumped us and we were off to downtown. Here’s the thing. Ray thought he knew what he was doing and so we got lost. Plus the guys had this idea that we were going to walk across the bridge at Sydney harbor. Did I mention that the wind kicked up yesterday to the tune of about 25 mph? Well, I announced that I didn’t want to walk the bridge. And I was hungry. So, we had disembarked at Town Hall and then we walked back to Circular Quay (the station we had passed through on our way to Town Hall). We found a cafe on the wharf and ordered soup and a ham and cheese croissant to share which were surprisingly good. surprisinglyWho knew? Then we took off again. The plan was to take the ferry to Darling Harbor which is just around the bend from the Quay. Well, it would take 20 minutes and they guys thought it would better to take the CityRail…which we did. Only when we got there we discovered we went to the wrong station so had to backtrack again and then do some walking to arrive at the Wildlife place at 5:00 p.m. Luckily it was still open so we got to see some pretty interesting things…pictures to follow.

 

 
It took an hour to take in the exhibit…the good news was that we were so late on a Sunday afternoon that no one was there. We had the place to ourselves. Groovy.

By now, it was 6:00 p.m. We caught the ferry and I snapped this picture.

 
We migrated home via the grocery store, went to the base camp and fixed dinner. Sat down to eat at 8 p.m. And I fell asleep on the couch watching Groundhog Day.

So…our day could be summarized as “busy going somewhere we wanted and didn’t want to go”. And did I mention the steps. We must have climbed 10,000 steps with all that in and out business. Oh, well. Legs are strong. Although, they don’t look as good as the guy sitting next to Ray. Now, he has some sticks!!

We had a great time today. Partly I ascribe my enthusiam to the fact that we didn’t go to the airport. First day. Finally. Bernie’s here and there is no reason…although the lattes there are superb.

 
Here’s Bernie and me in downtown Sydney. We took the CityRail in to do a dry run. What, another dry run you ask? Well, we booked a bus tour to the Blue Mountains that leaves tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. from downtown…so we decided to time our trip in and find the spot that are to be at 8. So…according to our recent track record, this might be a challenge. And yes it was. Arriving downtown, I headed up the stairs. It almost killed us. We were about 3 stories down and we were the only people on the stairs. Everyone else was on the escalator. Opps. Emerging into the daylight, we were huffing and puffing. Anyway, Ray had talked with the guy that ran the tour and he got an address from him. Does round and round you go have any meaning to you? That was what we did!!

The police didn’t know Rawlins St. So we just kept walking around…until we stumbled on to it. Why didn’t we have a map? Because we’re HOPELESS? Probably. Anyway, it ended up that the place we were to be picked up was the place where you could go broke saving money. By this I mean, we could buy entrance to the aquarium, the Tower, and the Wildlife exhibit for a big discount. So we did. Then we left for the aquarium. Wow. It was great. Here’s some pictures.

 
While I was looking for the exotic fish, a hand came down into the tank!! Never seen that before in an aquarium. Here’s some others.

 

 
A blue starfish and an orange one too. How beautiful is this? And then there was this.

 
It’s me and the sharks. OMG.
Bernie and the shark.
Up close and personal. Jaws. Also a mantra ray.
Another view.

 
The octopus on the move.

 

And then we went to the top of the Sydney tower.

 

 

 

Oh, but the highlight was when we got lost. In a city of millions, Ray found this “shortcut” which gave us a bird’s eye view of the back of the convention center. Probably no one else in the universe has a picture like this.

And for the artsy tartsy…I snapped the picture below just because I found the scene interesting.

 

 
After walking from 12p.m. until 5:30, we jumped the train and came back to base camp to fix a salmon dinner with salad, potatoes and did I mention the gin martini and the wine. We were so tired and achey, we just had to have a stiff drink. And now that we’ve eaten, I’m blogging. Let me rephase, I’m closing the blog and hitting the hay…after all, we must be back downtown at 8 a.m in the morning and I hope we remember how to get to the spot!

Got up early and looked at my email. Found this article in the Australian, the newspaper. http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2130195670 Enjoy.

Now…on to the blogging. Yesterday morning we had to get to the train station and catch the 7:01 into the city center. We were off to the Blue Mountains in a GUIDED TOUR. I know, you probably wonder what got into us. Who knows. Oh, I know. Ray had gone on a guided tour before and thought it was swell so he recommended we do it. So. We booked it. As we were backing out of the garage, I exclaimed, “Wait, I forgot my sunglasses.” I dashed back into the house and grabbed the glasses. As soon as I was back in the car Ray said, “if we miss the train, it’s because of your glasses.” Gasp. Of course, I did not let that stand but I’ll spare you, dear reader, the details. So off we rushed to the train platform only to see the door close from a distance of a staircase. Oh, well, the next train was to arrive at 7:08 and I figured we were still okay to make it by 8 since it really only took us about 30 minutes to get into city center yesterday if you, of course, subtracted all the time we spent lost.

Ray was, shall I say, extremely concerned. I kept assuring him I had the phone and we could call or the guide could call us. Still. It was all about my glasses. The thing is…even if I hadn’t forgotten my glasses…we still would have missed the train…

But I digress. Ray was a nervous as a whore in church and Bernie and I were not. But then…an announcement came over the speaker…the 7:08 train was cancelled and something about a train hitting a truck. OMG. A few minutes later it was announced that the next train would arrive around 7:15 more or less since there was a delay due to the earlier trouble. That’s the train we caught. So…we got downtown with 10 minutes to spare. Only we jigged when we should have jagged and exited the wrong way. A man in a stand cooking bacon and eggs in the underground corridor gave us directions…he had heard of Rawlins, for heaven’s sake. So off we ran. Arriving huffing and puffing, there was no van/bus. “It’s because you forgot your glasses”, he said. We called. The tour guide was late. When he did show up, he ran to the back of the van and swept the floor. Then he popped out and we jumped on the van and it was a good thing because he had our reservation as two and we were three so there was one too many passengers. So, one lone passenger got driven to an undisclosed location to meet up with another van. As he exited the van, the door closed and the guide said, “just told him the van was up the street…I didn’t say it was arriving tomorrow. Just kidding.” The guide was a jokester and that made the entire adventure a kick.

There were 21 of us. We were from France, U.S., Canada, Vietnam, Australia. A diverse crowd which added to the enjoyment. And I must say, we were enjoying not being in charge as we headed to the Blue Mountain but then came to a screeching halt and wallowed in a traffic jam for the best part of an hour. Sydney, despite the trains, has traffic problems just like we do in our big cities. The observation I am required to point out at this juncture is that they don’t drive big SUVs as trucks like we do. Many more compact cars and mid-size even. Nice change of pace if you ask me.

But, I digress. Our guide, let’s call him Darrell, took us to Flat Mountain/lookout and then onto some other lookouts. See us below.

 

 

 

 

Tried to capture the size of the place…it’s hard to do. In the picture below, you see the three sisters rock formation.

 
This is a swell time to visit Australia. The place is not overrun with tourist…you know, people like us!!

There were several different activities to engage in at the Blue Mountains and most involved walking or climbing. The only flat rock was the one we stopped at first. Every other rock involved a sheer drop. So, Bernie, latched onto two young women and they elected to take the scariest stairs down. Ray and I took another way down that involved very steep stairs, walkway etc. When we got down part way there was a train that took us back up for $11/head. I figure it would have taken us the rest of the day to walk back up…at which point, Darrell, would have had to throw us on the floor of the van so that we could complete the act of dying lying down. I’m just saying.

Below is a pic of me mid-journey.
See the waterfall?
Rayman at the “train”.
Sign at the train.

 
Ray on the train before “take off”…almost horizontal.
So, did I mention that Darrell lost the French people? They couldn’t communicate with each other. Where did they go? They were to be back at the van in 15 minutes. OMG. In the end they were found but it was a hoot. The other group dynamic that was observed is that Darrell stressed how important it was to be on time returning from lunch in a small village called Koumbba or something like that…and then he showed up late. Well…for the rest of the trip…it was like herding cats…no one was ever on time again. He was a good sport about it though…and many laughs were heard emanating from our van.

On the way back, he did a detour and we saw some kangaroos hanging out in shade of trees. Then he drove us through the Olympic Village…OMG…it was enormous. At that point we bid them fond adieu, avoir, etc. and jumped off the van and headed into the train at Olympic Village to start our migration back to Oatley, our home away from home. We knew we would be stuck in traffic and so we opted for the rail. Theoretically, it would be, say, moving!!

Some other interesting things happened too. Getting back involved numerous changes of trains. There are trains everywhere. And so there are platforms on various levels everywhere. A change always involves finding the next platform. So, you can go from platform 3, let’s say, to platform 12. This involves stairs, lifts, or elevators. We mostly chose stairs…so why haven’t I lost weight?

But I digress. After a change of trains and platforms, Ray wanted to sit near the door. So we did. Then a fellow got on who greeted us and then launched into a lively hymn with made-up lyrics and completely out of tune. And he kept this up, it seemed, without taking a breath. So, we moved to the seats on top…but we continued to be serenaded for about 15 minutes…you could hear him everywhere in the car…Here’s the Mormon Tab Choir’s rendition:

 

 

Did I mention that the reason we met up with the next- act -you- will-never- see on American Idol is because I left my sunglasses?

But I digress. By the time we arrived in Mortdale station (near Oatley), we decided to go to the pub across the street for a much needed drink. There were people sitting outside having appetizers and drink. Looked good enough. Besides, we met a local the night before that recommended the place. She was a 50-something woman originally from Scotland. So, we went inside. The place was smoke-filled, full of men…smoking, gambling and tipping a cocktail waitress who was teetering on high heels and who was “wearing” bra and panties…nothing more. Ray kept say, “look at the waitress”, while cocking his head to one side (afraid to point?) OMG. The bra did not fit. She needs a private fitting at Nordstroms. And the panties were just shy of a thong. OMG. Well does the term, “get the hell out of here” having any meaning to you?

Back out on the street we decided to drive to Oatley and get some pizza. So, we stopped in front of a place that was busy, parked illegally and stepped inside. The nice man at the door told us they were booked until after 8 p.m. It was 7:00 p.m. We were way too desperate for that. “Could we get a pizza to go (they say “take away”)? “Sure you can but the pizza oven broke down, it’s been repaired and is heating up again. The reheating part will take 20 minutes and then it will take a 20 minutes to cook the pizza.” Exit stage right. We thanked him but told him we’d come another time…armed with reservations. So we drove down the street to the Mugla Cafe and the place was near deserted. We entered and I asked if we could eat there. Well, actually, all the tables were waiting for their occupants…but there was one table right by the front door…we could have that one. So, we jumped on it. Then Ray left to go buy a bottle of wine. They weren’t licensed for selling wine and so the Aussie’s have a great practice. It’s called BYO. And then they charge you $1.50/glass…think of it as a glass usage fee!! Very clever and cheaper than a corkage. I’m not sure how many places operate with this rule…but we really liked it. So, Ray came back with brown bag which had inside it a bottle of AU wine and we settled down for dinner. Finally. At last.

The rest of the evening involved getting home…this involved going thru a few roundabouts. And it is confusing. Also a few right turns which are confusing. At one point…he waited and waited and I said something like, “Ray you can go now”…he said something like, “I’m not going to go until I’m darn good and ready. I don’t want to make a move until all the traffic is gone, okay? Do you get it?”… and with that he stepped on the gas as he was looking left and while Bernie and I were looking at the car on the right speeding toward us…the car which Ray somehow did not see. I personally think the hot air was blocking his vision. He said, “Where the hell did that car come from as he went from 2 mph to 40 mph in a nano second to avoid what certainly could have been a collision. Bernie and I howled. After the peels of laughter subsided I injected, “I think it is because I forgot my sunglasses!”

We had a great time today. Partly I ascribe my enthusiam to the fact that we didn’t go to the airport. First day. Finally. Bernie’s here and there is no reason…although the lattes there are superb.

 
Here’s Bernie and me in downtown Sydney. We took the CityRail in to do a dry run. What, another dry run you ask? Well, we booked a bus tour to the Blue Mountains that leaves tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. from downtown…so we decided to time our trip in and find the spot that are to be at 8. So…according to our recent track record, this might be a challenge. And yes it was. Arriving downtown, I headed up the stairs. It almost killed us. We were about 3 stories down and we were the only people on the stairs. Everyone else was on the escalator. Opps. Emerging into the daylight, we were huffing and puffing. Anyway, Ray had talked with the guy that ran the tour and he got an address from him. Does round and round you go have any meaning to you? That was what we did!!

The police didn’t know Rawlins St. So we just kept walking around…until we stumbled on to it. Why didn’t we have a map? Because we’re HOPELESS? Probably. Anyway, it ended up that the place we were to be picked up was the place where you could go broke saving money. By this I mean, we could buy entrance to the aquarium, the Tower, and the Wildlife exhibit for a big discount. So we did. Then we left for the aquarium. Wow. It was great. Here’s some pictures.

 
While I was looking for the exotic fish, a hand came down into the tank!! Never seen that before in an aquarium. Here’s some others.

 

 
A blue starfish and an orange one too. How beautiful is this? And then there was this.

 
It’s me and the sharks. OMG.
Bernie and the shark.
Up close and personal. Jaws. Also a mantra ray.
Another view.

 
The octopus on the move.

 

And then we went to the top of the Sydney tower.

 

 

 

Oh, but the highlight was when we got lost. In a city of millions, Ray found this “shortcut” which gave us a bird’s eye view of the back of the convention center. Probably no one else in the universe has a picture like this.

And for the artsy tartsy…I snapped the picture below just because I found the scene interesting.

 

 
After walking from 12p.m. until 5:30, we jumped the train and came back to base camp to fix a salmon dinner with salad, potatoes and did I mention the gin martini and the wine. We were so tired and achey, we just had to have a stiff drink. And now that we’ve eaten, I’m blogging. Let me rephase, I’m closing the blog and hitting the hay…after all, we must be back downtown at 8 a.m in the morning and I hope we remember how to get to the spot!

Hi again,

To the airport again and this time, success. Bernie is here!!

He buys a CityRail pass and we return to the house to drop off his stuff. Then we head back to downtown Sydney. What a spectacular day. Warmer.

Today we head to Manly beach. This involves long walks, climbing stiars, dipping our toes in the Tasman Sea (cold but not quite as cold as home). To get to Manly beach, we elected to catch the ferry. Wow. It was a beautiful ride. Right by the Opera House. Fabulous. And Manly beach was great too. Had a great time.

 

Returned home at the height of rush hour. Fixed dinner. Oh, I forgot. On our walk along Manly Bay, we met an Aussie that asked what we were planning to do while in AU. We mentioned the Great Barrier Reef. He mentioned that we should do the Night Zoo. So, as soon as dinner was over and we were relaxing, I booked us two tickets to the Night Zoo. Bernie was sleeping so we did not assume he would want to do this. We’ll check tomorrow.

Here’s the info.http://www.cairnsnightzoo.com/home.htm

Doesn’t that sound fabulous? Can’t wait!!

This is an old Yogi Berra quote but it fits the bill. Today we go into the airport…again. This time we’re armed with knowledge and hopefully we’ll end up at the airport. I’ll be back at you later. Oh, one last thing. They may, just may, offer a bachelor’s degree in public transit. The system is so big they publish books on it, schedule books. http://CityRail.com It is extremely user friendly though. It’s like BART but more personal. Agents are extremely approachable and they know their stuff. The trains run on time. There are basically two directions. In and Out. In goes to downtown and out goes to the burbs. You can see their english roots…mind your step, mind the gap signs are everywhere. It is clean as a whistle. You do, however, see lots of tagging on the walls that line the train tracks as you pass by certain areas. Taggers seem to be universal. All and all it is a superior way to get around.

So, what happened today? Well, we got up early and went directly to the airport with our new-found knowledge. We arrived about 8:15 a.m. Bernie’s plane arrived at 7:20 but he had to go thru customs so we figured we didn’t have to get there too early. While we were waiting we got to talking to this AU man who was waiting for his granddaughter and daughter to arrive. I asked him about a visit to the outback. He said, “Well, I’m an Australian that doesn’t want to see Australia. Too many bugs, too dusty, too hot. No, I rather stay here than go there.” He went on to say that the parking rates were criminal, Perth was more expensive than London and he really preferred cruising because, “I only have to unpack once.” He was a kick. We had a great time visiting until his relatives arrived. And we kept on waiting. And waiting. Where in the world was Bernie?

Ray decided to ask the man at the Help Desk for, well, help. How long does it take to get thru customs this time of the day? Stuff like that. That went no where. So, Ray went to the airline. The airline wouldn’t tell him anything. In the meantime, I was sitting near the exit from Customs watching for Bernie. A friendly young woman with a 4-year old struck up a conversation with me. In the meantime, I could not help but notice that all the people that had been standing around waiting while we were standing around waiting…were GONE.

I should have preferenced my remarks by saying that Bernie was traveling stand-by as he works for an airline in Virginia. So…there was the possibility that he didn’t get on a flight. Our phone doesn’t work here so he couldn’t call. However, I had checked our email before we left the house and there was no email indicating trouble…so WHERE WAS HE?

Then it struck me like a lightening bolt…perhaps he was coming in tomorrow. You know, you do lose a day getting here and that complicates everything. When Ray arrived back from a Customs Help Desk, he announced that Customs wasn’t “holding him”. As soon as I mentioned the next day theory…Ray immediately relaxed and we exited the airport, went out to breakfast (we were starving, it was 10:00 a.m.) and returned to the house where I read an email from Bernie. “Hi, I’m in Los Angeles now and leaving at 10:30 p.m. See you tomorrow.” EEEEKKKK.

 

Ray at the CityRail.

 

Breakfast of field mushrooms, spinach, feta, pine nuts, toast and vinegar. Yummy.

After kicking ourselves in the derriere (a french term) sufficiently and adroitly avoiding casting neither criticism nor blame, we surfed the web to figure out our next move. Ray suggested a trip to Cornulla on the train. Perfect. We rode out, walked the town which was almost surrounded by water (the Tasman Sea), viewed Shark Island from afar and returned to Oatley, bought fresh salmon and Greek salad from the fishmonger whose brother-in-law lives in the U.S., a sweet potato from the vegetable stand and came home and drank heavily. And here I am blogging about it.

 
Moi and the Tasman Sea. Water was fairly warm. Not so cold today.

Tomorrow we get to go to the airport again. Actually, the CityRail does not go to the airport. There is another rail service that does and for that you have the opportunity to pay through the nose. So…we jumped at it. $36 for the two of us to ride into the airport from the CityRail. Did I mention that Sydney is extremely expensive. But not as bad as Perth according to our “source”. Ever so grateful that we have a place to stay and a car to drive which is essentially free. Otherwise, we’d have to mortgage the house.
Ray on the veranda at sunset.