The Great Ocean Road - 23 - 25 November 2008

Our next activity (and yes, I'm starting to think of them as activities, as though I'm on the world's longest field trip) was to drive the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. We didn't manage to make it there during our first trip to Australia in 2003, so it's turned into a "must-do."

As you might expect after the last post Jennifer handled the driving duties. There really wasn't a discussion, it was just understood.

The drive is notable for the scenic views of rock formations, such as the 12 apostles. There's also quite a bit of wildlife running around. The weather wasn't very cooperative, but we still managed to get some good pictures.

While visiting the 12 apostles we managed to spot an echidna in the wild:

This little critter caused quite a stir, with hordes of tourists crowding around the railing to capture him on film.

Here's the requisite shot of (some of) the 12 apostles:

And of course a (sun-blinded) man-ox at the 12 apostles:

We also visited the Cape Otway lighthouse, and learned that the first Americans killed in WWII died on a ship off of the point, victims of a German mine.  We toured the lighthouse and the radar station, and got quite a chuckle out of the warning sides for the cliffs:

I'll be sure to use jazz hands if I go flying over the edge...

All along the road there are warning sings for  koalas, echidnas, and cows (yep, cows.  Never seen one of those before).  Here's one of the koala signs:

As it turns out, we actually saw a koala in the wild - and the little buggers can move a lot faster than I expected.  This always makes me giggle:

I've replaced the Himalayan gallery with pics from the drive - Enjoy!

Mapness = goodness?

You'll notice that I've posted a link to our journey on mapness on the right-hand side of the page.

This is one of the ubiquitous web 2.0 "mash-ups" that leverages google maps to let you plot out a journey.  I'm not sure that I'm going to stick with it, since it doesn't integrate with blogger, but it is interesting to see where we've been (if a bit maddening to see how many times we've been to Cairns Australia).

It also helps me with my geography, although I'm sure I'm still deficient in that area.

If I can manage enough time I'll try to figure out how to use the google maps API to do a Casablanca-style animation of where we've been and when we were there.  

Given the Dining Philosophers Problem (and yes, I was taught this as the Chinese Philosophers Problem)  that applies to our laptop, it may have to wait for our return to the states...

I'm an excellent driver - 22 November 2008

If you're a married man there are certain givens about your behavior.

You are most likely responsible for taking out the trash, you probably horde the TV remote, and you probably flip channels at a rate your wife finds annoying (and that's being charitable).

The above are probably true, but I can guarantee that you think you're a better driver than your wife. Even the poor schlub married to Danica Patrick believes he's a better driver than she is, and she drives competitively for crying out loud!

The real test is whether you can continue to hold this belief in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Consider:

Most countries in the world drive on the left-hand side of the road. To accommodate this difference cars are configured backwards compared to the U.S. The steering wheel is on the right-hand side of the car, the blinker is on the right side of the steering column, and the windshield wiper controls are on the left-hand side of the steering column. You can tell if someone's from the U.S. by the frantic motion of their windshield wipers as they make a turn.

I tend to drive to the extreme left of the lane, and move over to the right when there's oncoming traffic. It's probably something I picked up from my father. Here, though, that's a problem because it puts me close to the side of the street, and things like parked cars, road signs, pedestrians, etc. I've noticed Jennifer tensing up several times over the last few days (and even the occasional startled intake of breath) but mostly I've just chalked it up to being too cautious.

Today, though, I got my comeuppance. We were headed back to the airport when I managed to clip the mirror of a vehicle in the left-hand turn lane with my mirror (I was in the right-hand turn lane). Thankfully it didn't mess up the other guy's car (he looked at it and just waved me on), and in another lucky break my mirror folded in and pinched the glass (which had popped lose) against the door of the car.

Avis was able to pop the mirror back into place, so I didn't even have to pay for the mishap. More accurately, I didn't have to pay money. Jen's got a pretty compelling argument about who's the better driver in the family.

Just because it's fun to do doesn't mean it's fun to read about - 16 -21 November 2008

After our feast in Hong Kong we moved on to Australia, and specifically the wine country.

We spent some time in both the McLaren Vale and the Barossa region.

These were mostly lazy days.  We stayed in B&B's (The 3 divas in the McLaren Vale and the Langmeil Cottages in the Barossa).  Langmeil is actually where we stayed the first time we came to Australia, back in 2003.

We slept late, cooked dinner in our room, and enjoyed the food (and candy) that you can't get in Southeast Asia.  They have some funny ideas about marketing dog food in Australia:

We visited these wineries:

Barossa Valley Estates - Probably the nicest cellar door I've ever seen

d'Arenberg - home of the Dead Arm, first introduced to me by Steve Dugan, and probably our favorite wine

Henschke - some very good wines, but I was mostly fascinated by the vino lok on their high-end wines

Penfolds - very well known in the states - we did a tour and tasting here

How much is shipping?

Rockford - probably our favorite winery - the shiraz port is outstanding

Rolf Binder (formerly Veritas) - No I didn't make any jokes about NetBackup or Foundation Suite

Rosemount - very well known in the states

St. Hallet - a winery near Rockford, both their Faith and Old Block Shiraz are very nice

Tintara  - we enjoyed the Blewitt Springs Shiraz

We're going to Dizz Knee Land - 14 November 2008

Continuing our Western Culture Immersion Therapy, we decided to visit Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) today.  The Sunday Night Dinner Crowd won't be surprised, given the number of Christmas gifts from HKDL.

A couple of interesting points about the Disneyland experience here - First, they've got a dedicated subway train, complete with special windows and Disney-themed memorabilia in the cars:

Plus, it's evidently necessary for Goofy to sucker-punch unsuspecting tourists.  Here he is, seconds before poppin' me one in the gut:

While it was tempting to retaliate a la Tom Arnold and Hugh Grant in Nine Months (NSFW BTW), there's really no upside to beating up a beloved theme park character.  Someday, though, Goofy - those kids won't be around!!!

HKDL is much smaller than you'd expect - according to the wikipedia entry it's only using 100 acres of the 300 set aside for it.  It's also not very crowded.  We managed to ride Space Mountain pretty much at will.  The only rides that were crowded were those for really little kids.

I did coerce Jennifer into seeing the Lion King show - which she described as "45 minutes of my life that I'll never get back."  It wasn't that bad, and it was interesting to see how they managed to include English, Cantonese, and Mandarin into the presentation.  And the liberal use of fire helped as well:

Finally, here's one for the folks:

It really is a small world after all...

That's a spicy meatball - 13 November 2008

After Cambodia we went back to Hong Kong.  After all the time in Southeast Asia we decided it was time for a good old-fashioned western-style overeating feast.

So, we went to the Morton's in Hong Kong and ate ourselves sick.  Really - we ate and ate and ate until we couldn't eat any more, and then we had dessert.

It will be a long time before I have fried rice again.

Speechless - 10 - 12 November 2008

Cambodia is a study in contrasts.  You have the splendor of Angkor Wat and the temple complexes to weigh against the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. After Siem Reap, we went to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

We visited both the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng

We've never visited Auschwitz or Dachau, so I can not make a comparison - but Jen and I didn't say a lot during our time in Phnom Penh.

What I can say is that it is impossible to visit these places and not be affected. You hear about a lost generation in Japan, but there is literally a lost generation in Cambodia.

It's even more depressing when you consider what happened in Rwanda in the '90s and what is happening in the Congo today. We just don't seem to learn - or care.

Perhaps the most depressing part is learning that the U.S. backed the Khmer Rouge as the legitimate government of Cambodia to the U.N.

I wish I had something meaningful to say - but I'm just speechless.

Merry Christmas

Greetings from the future!

For those of you who don't know (or haven't spent time on Guam) we're across the international date line.  So it's already Christmas here (and has been for, oh, 19 hours).  I'm posting this blog in real-time (as opposed to blog time, which is about 1.5 months behind) because in blog time we're at a point that's just too depressing to post on Christmas.

So, today for Christmas we went on a brief hike to Huka Falls which was a nice way to kill a little time before cooking Christmas dinner.  Here, for your enjoyment, are my favorite pictures from the day:

I'm sensing a theme here - 10 November 2008

If you're a long-time reader, you may remember that we were in Beijing during a week-long national holiday (so we didn't get to see Mao).

After Siem Reap we decided to head to Phnom Penh, but we didn't arrange a hotel ahead of time.  When we got there we went to the hotel desk at the airport and asked for a room - but there weren't many to be had.  We ended up at the Hotel Castle (yes, I can confirm that it offers "Confort and Hospitality").

That night, there were fireworks, and when we went to visit the LP-recommended dinner spot we found it closed.  Plus, there were a lot of people about.  Turns out we were visiting during Bon Om Thook, a celebration of the reversal of the Tonle Sap river.  Plus, we're close to Cambodian independence day, so we managed to inadvertently score a two-fer.  Yep, according to LP up to 2 million people visit the capital to celebrate the festival.

The next day all of the roads around the hotel were blocked off for the festival, and the Tuk-Tuk drivers had to cajole the cops into letting us through.  Good Times!

Ooh, that tickles - 9 November 2008

In addition to Angkor Wat and bugs, Siem Reap also has a thriving downtown area catering to tourists. Part of this is the "Night Market" which is open until the wee hours. In spite of what you might think the businesses are all straightforward.

One, though, is quite interesting. You'll see signs talking about fish giving pedicures. Which is odd enough, but when you go to check it out you'll see people with their feet in a little pool, where fish are circling around their feet.

These are doctor fish, and they feed on dead skin.  Supposedly it only takes six one-hour sessions to have your feet feeling like brand new.  I, however, only managed about 13 minutes.

Yep, I'm the only one in the pool, and the fish are quite taken with my dogs.  Jen, as usual, sat this one out.

Oh, and it does stop tickling - after about 10 minutes.

1000 years of history, and I'm photographing bugs - 8 & 9 November 2008

I'll thank those of you who are armchair psychologists (and the one of you who's a real psychologist) to take this at face value and keep any analyses out of the comments.

The ruins, as I mentioned previously, are in the jungle.  You know what else is in the jungle?  BUGS:

And if that's not creepy enough, here's video of some ants with a juicy tidbit:

This one's for Ron and Bruce - 9 November 2008

For different reasons.  They'll know why:

Taken in the bathroom at Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat and environs - 8 & 9 November 2008

I don't know when I first heard about Angkor Wat.  It was probably from one of the travel magazines that Jen reads.  All I really knew about it, though, was that it was an incredible temple complex in Cambodia.  What I didn't realize is the height the Khmer civilization reached, 'cause you know it's not really taught in U.S. schools.  More on stuff that's not taught in U.S. schools later.

Since we didn't (and really don't) know much about Siem Reap or the temples surrounding it, we hired a guide and a taxi driver through the hotel.  It was the guide's first day, and while she tried, she was overwhelmed by the experience of the taxi driver.  Jen and I didn't mind, though, since we usually like to do tours on our own anyway.

The taxi driver was outstanding, and if you go to Cambodia I recommend looking him up - he gave me his business card.  His name is Chhom Samithy, and his email is chhomsamithy@yahoo.com.  He knew about the temples we went to, and even bought us treats at different points during the tour.  Mmm, treats...

Built during the 12th century, Angkor Wat began as a Hindu temple and was later converted to a Buddhist temple.  It holds religious significance even today - while we visited a wedding party came to have their pictures taken there.

It's a gigantic structure, basically in the middle of nowhere.  It is filled with bas-relief sculptures depicting Hindu myths and mythical creatures.  One of the most common figures is an Apsara, shown below:

We had an amusing moment when our guide offered to take us to the only sculpture of the Apsara that shows her teeth.  Because of the guide's accent, and because she used "teeths" we were expecting something else entirely.  When she asked if we wanted to see the sculputure where the Apsara shows her teeths I looked nervously at Jennifer and said, "Umm, ok?"

There's more here than Angkor Wat, though.  You could spend months trekking around Siem Reap looking at temples.  One of them was featured in the movie "Tomb Raider," a fact you'll hear several hundred times during your visit.  You'll also hear about Angelina Jolie and how she adopted a Cambodian child.  The temple is named Ta Prohm, and here's a shot of the iconic tree featured in the movie:

We also visited Banteay Srei, the "Temple of Women."  What's striking about this temple is the intricacy of the carvings - plus the fact that they've survived this long:

It's bizarre - when I look at the ruins here my mind says "Incan."  I guess that's because I'm used to associating jungle ruins with the Incas.  We're both glad we came here - it is spectacular.

Oh, and of course here's the picture of Man-Ox and the two of us in front of Angkor Wat:

Higher Ground - 6 & 7 November 2008

Since we're already in Southeast Asia, and since several people recommended it we decided to go to Cambodia and see Angkor Wat.

We had a little excitement when Jen discovered that she'd left her passport photos in her checked luggage but thankfully there was a photo booth in the Bangkok airport that gave us 6 pictures for < $6 U.S.

We got in pretty late and I was beat.  So beat that when the rain woke me up in the middle of the night I got up and moved my bags into a chair so they didn't get wet.  This _might_ have made sense if we were camping, or if we were open to the elements in some way, but we're in a relatively nice hotel.

The next morning I insisted to Jen that the noise was someone doing laundry on the patio outside and not rain.  I was so insistent that she gave up arguing and just shook her head.  Married guys know the one...

I gave my own version of the head shake watching her spend 1 and a half hours fighting with the hotel's computer and printer trying to print out the Lonely Planet (LP) Camboida chapters she bought online.  Later, when we saw a copy of the print book in a bookstore for $8 U.S., it was a no-brainer to buy it.

We spent the day wondering around Siem Reap.  According to the LP guide, Siem Reap means Thailand defeated, which I'm sure is good for international relations.  LP also claims that the Funky Munky restaurant has a "Cardiac Arrest Burger"  but it's not on the menu, much to my chagrin.

And if you're lucky then the god's a she - 5 November 2008

We've been living an insulated existence in Thailand so far, but today we decided to go see "Quantum of Solace."  This involved a trip into Patong, and we got a little taste of the wild nightlife.

Movie-going in Thailand is an experience.  All seats are reserved, and Jen and I were able to get a sofa seat for ~ $15 U.S. along with 2 popcorns and 2 cokes for < $5 U.S.

The theater was clean and well-maintained, and there were the trailers you would expect along with some native Thai movies that left Jennifer and I perplexed.  We don't speak Thai, but it looks like possibly the most un-PC thing ever committed to film.  If you're interested, even after that description, the trailer is here.  I'm going to go ahead and say it's not safe for work (NSFW).

The mall where we saw the movie could have been any mall in America.  There were two Starbucks, a Hog's Breath Cafe (which is the Australian equivalent to an Outback Steakhouse), and even a Dairy Queen.  Two Oreo Blizzards, coming up!

After the move we went out to dinner in the downtown area, and it was crazy.  Bars everywhere you looked, and people trying to get you to come in for the free show.  Scantily clad Thai girls walking around in packs or waling singly with their "boyfriends."  We didn't get that far off the beaten track, but I was definitely ready to get back to our sheltered existence.

I do get my kicks above the waistline - 1 - 4 November 2008

At this point we were officially ready for a break from the crowds, so I redeemed some Starpoints and we went off to the Sheraton in Phuket.

I'm still not sure how to pronounce Phuket, but I am sure that trying to pronounce it is fraught with peril.  As best as I can tell it's "poo-get", but that makes me almost as uncomfortable as the "hukt on foniks" pronunciation.

No interesting pictures, just a couple of amusing anecdotes:

I decided to go for a run on the treadmill at the gym and see if all the weight loss made me faster in spite of the lack of training.  The signs on the treadmill said the distance was in miles, but I'm either ready for Boston or it was kilometers.  I'll never get the hang of the metric system, but I do like its effect on my times :)

We decided to go diving for a couple of days.  On the second day the captain for the boat didn't show up, so we spent 3 hours waiting for a replacement.  Then, after the dives, the new captain managed to run aground because of the low tide.  We eventually broke free, but it was touch and go there for a little while.

Maybe there should be more pop culture posts

Usurping this curmudgeonly post, the pop culture poll managed to generate 6 comments - a new record!  I was especially tickled to both see a comment from Frank, and to hear Terry's voice saying "FrankSapp" in my head.

On the flip side, it seems pretty clear that the blog readership is weak in the vital 19-34 year old demographic.  Barring a shocking rush of votes in the waning hours the winner will be "Who is Timbaland?"

Timbaland, put simply, is what the kids are listening to these days.  He is successful both as a solo artist and a producer.  (Where success=$).  I would rant and rave about how we all need to be more aware of the world around us but looking over his wikipedia page I don't recognize most of it.  My continuing celebration of Hall and Oates' catalog forces me to cede the high ground here.

As for the question posed, it looks like the vote is 7-to-5 saying that Phil Collins is not the Timbaland of the '80s.  Since that's my position, and since I'm going to use marital counting techniques (and since it is, after all, my blog) - I call it a landslide victory for me.

As for the joker who answered "Who is Phil Collins?" - really?  If you listened to music in the '70s he was the lead singer of Genesis after Peter Gabriel left.  If you listened to music in the '80s he was a successful solo artist (I still don't know what "In the Air Tonight" is about, but boy is it moody).  More solo work followed in the '90s along with the soundtrack for "Tarzan" , and for the kids out there he actually shows up in one of the "Grand Theft Auto" games.

If you belong to my parents' generation, then you're excused.

Extra credit:  There was a VH1 Classic commercial featuring "In the Air Tonight" where a kid is listening to it through his headphones and then drums along to the classic break, but I can't find it.  If you can I'd love to have a link to it.  This gorilla doesn't count.

100 Posts - and counting...

Sorry about the recent lull.  We spent last week on a dive boat off of Palau and didn't have internet access of any sort.  On the plus side we did get to explore scenic Guam.  I have now briefly experienced the thrill of Guam - "Where America's day begins!"

For this post, I thought I'd do something a little different.  I never expected to make it to 100 posts, and it's close to the Holidays so it seems like a good time for something special.

This is me with my parents during a side trip while Jen was interviewing.

Dad served in Vietnam in the Navy and at several points during the trip I've found myself in places he visited, assuming visited is the correct word.  It's odd to think of him as a young man tooling around Guam or Hong Kong, and yet he's described Hong Kong as one of his favorite places.  It's even more disconcerting to realize that when he was my age I was already 8 years old.

Mom poured her heart and soul into raising me - from walks at Lake Atlanta when I was a little boy, to playing Railroad spell during the car rides across Arkansas and Texas, she always encouraged me to improve.  One of the more effective inducements was my choice of Star Wars figurine when I wrote out all of the numbers from 1 to 100 when I was 5 years old.  Let's just say I have an extensive collection, to this day.

Nature and nurture, these are the people who made me who I am.

Happy Holidays.

More on the kindle

This one courtesy of Ray:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/03/kindle.electronic.reader/index.html

Pop culture obsession

Jen and I have spent more time together over the last few months than in the previous 14 years.  A recurring joke is to look over at the other and ask "How was your day, dear?  Did you do anything exciting?"

During one of our recent marathon car sessions (more on that later, once I'm back on track with the blogging) we heard the song "Easy Lover" by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey.  Good grief, even this song has a wikipedia entry.

During the song, Jen looked at me and asked "Was Phil Collins the Timbaland of the '80s?"  We debated it for awhile but failed to come to a conclusion.  Jen suggested that I blog it and see what the assembled brain trust thinks.

So without further ado, we have the 2nd SavedBySherpa Poll.  (To your right, there, Sparky)