Tag: Australia

You Must See Comedian Hannah Gadsby’s Show: Nanette

I generally do not enjoy standup comedy. You see, I typically find the jokes a bit (or very) offensive1 or just not really funny. Often, the jokes are just low level humor. But, occasionally, I’ll hear a joke that’s actually hysterical. Netflix has been hosting a series of comedy specials. I’ve watched a few with mixed results. But the last… Continue reading

@Delta: My “Love” But Mostly “Hate” Relationship with a Crappy Airline

According to Delta‘s CEO at the beginning of the safety video you’re forced to watch when you’re lucky enough to get a somewhat newer plane, Delta has valued honesty/integrity and good customer service since its founding. This simply has not been my experience with Delta. Just over a year ago I flew over 10,000 miles in Australia. I chose to… Continue reading

I See A Whale!

Several years ago we were on a boating excursion out of Seward, exploring the fjords of Resurrection Bay in Alaska. It was cold, and generally hazy/foggy. One woman on the boat was drinking like there would be no tomorrow. She was very friendly and outgoing, and, as it turned out, was the first one to spot a whale. After one… Continue reading

360º Pano of Carlton Point in Tasmania, Australia

One of the advantages of having a GPS is that I never really feel lost. Instead, I feel better equipped to explore. Especially when following coastal areas, where I can see the edge of the land mass on the GPS, I feel compelled to ask, “I wonder where this road leads?” And when that unsealed road dead ended in a… Continue reading

Australia: Days 13 and 14 — Travel from Sydney to LA

Well, I must confess that I am writing and publishing this post the night before I leave Australia. So, no, mother, I’m not home yet. I haven’t even left Australia. Of all the vacations I’ve ever taken, this one has been the most exhausting and the most rewarding. I am near death! I’m very strange in many ways. One way:… Continue reading

Australia: Day 12 — Blue Sydney & The Birds and Beasts

In a previous post, I mentioned the cool, historic, renovated hotel, built in 1897, at which I’m staying:  Blue Sydney.  The building looks the same on the outside as it always did, a condition of the permit to renovate. The entrance still feels very much like a warehouse, but the rooms are warm and welcoming.  The room in which I’m… Continue reading

Australia: Day 11 — Sydney Opera House

The first set of pictures, of the Opera House, below, were shot yesterday at the end of the day.  The remaining pictures of the Opera House were shot today from the ferry as I rode across the harbor to the zoo, and then some photos of the Opera House from the other side of the harbor. Sydney hosts an artistic… Continue reading

Australia: Day 10 — Sydney 1

We are spending time with friends who are from Sydney.  They have actually volunteered to be our official Sydney Tour Guides.  So today we walked all over the main area of the old city and ended the day down at the Opera House. Regrettably, the oddest thing has happened:  It’s raining, a lot!  I’m repeatedly told it never rains in… Continue reading

Australia: Day 8 — The Great Barrier Reef

The day was dedicated to the Great Barrier Reef. Even though the weather was less than ideal, we were off to the reef. The boat ride out from Port Douglas was perhaps about an hour. The ship attached to a large pontoon anchored to the sea floor next to the reef. Fortunately, it didn’t rain while we were all actually… Continue reading

Australia: Day 7 — Port Douglas

Well, today was basically a “recover from the horrendous travel of yesterday” day. I’m getting too old for this! I didn’t arrive at the hotel room until 2:00AM Australia time, and the second half of the trip was horrid: the second three-hour flight. Not only was it running terribly late, but it was also the most turbulent flight on which… Continue reading