The Green & Lean Country

Outlets

Toilet flushers

I have been quite busy here as of late but I realized while telling people about it that I never touched on how much this country is "going green". I mean, not only are they extremely healthy but they are also concerned with the environment! For example, all of the outlets have little switches on them so that you can turn off the outlet when you're not using the thing plugged into it! This makes it a little frustrating when you try to put toast in the toaster about 3 times before realizing that the outlet isn't on...But overall, a great concept! In addition to saving electricity, Aussies like to conserve water! This can be seen by the toilets. Many people have asked me which way the toilet flushes here since we're "upside down" but in all reality, the toilets don't have swirling water like America has. They have little water in the bowl and after going you can decide to flush using minimal water or more water. Simplified less for #1 and more for #2. Pretty clever little water saver there! Finally, in my time being here I have yet to see one dryer. We meticulously hang up wet washing on racks or clothesline to air dry. This is a bit more time consuming, both in the actual hanging, and in the time waiting for it to dry (can take days!) but overall, clothes don't stretch as much and it uses less energy, which is a win in my book! 

Although next week officially kicks off winter here, it has been absolutely gorgeous weather as of late. This makes the weather perfect for walking. It cools off a bit at night (from mid 70s in the day to 50s at night!) which is refreshing and lovely. Apparently it does get colder (I'm wondering what colder even means here!) so I have been taking advantage of the nice weather by doing lots of walking (and some running) around Coogee and occasionally the city. Since I have been out utilizing the walkways along the coast more often I have been noticing what a fit culture this is. Numerous walkers, runners, joggers, and bikers can be seen out at any time of day. There are fitness classes held in parks, yoga at beach-side baths, and special bike lanes with their own stop and go lights and turn signals! There is just an aura of "fit" and "healthy" around here and I can't help getting sucked in a bit, especially during the week with plenty of exercise and healthy meals. The weekends are a bit of a different story, but we all have our vices ;)

The only African Elephant in Oz, all the rest are Asian!

An Echidna, another Oz native

Black Rhinos coming for hay

Other than that, life here has been great. Time is flying by, can't believe I've been here almost 3 months already and my year is a quarter of the way finished! Last weekend we traveled 6 hours to Dubbo, a smaller Western city, where we went to the zoo and met up with Andrew's youngest brother Dave at night for a few beverages. The zoo was amazing and holds 20% of the world's population of Black Rhinos! We took a behind-the-scenes tour and saw the 2/3 of the zoo not open to the public and got to get up close to rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs, and the like. Was a great weekend there for sure! It couldn't hurt that the weather was near 80s and the zoo was an open-range zoo so we walked around the 8 miles of walking trails to see everything while enjoying the beautiful sunshine. 

Still looking for jobs here, although I did have one "interview" which was basically being thrown in a 3 hour busy lunch shift with no training. It was definitely different than interviews in the States! Still waiting to hear back from that one, but in the meantime applying for more! Some changes may be coming soon but it's too early to say anything yet! Keep reading! xx

Just call me Dundee, Kangaroo Dundee...

The last couple weekend have been jam packed with my favorite things....ANIMALS! A couple of cool animal encounters were had...The Sydney fish market, Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and Oakvale Farm near Newcastle and Andrew's parent's house. 

Seafood Lunch

Monster...I mean, lobster

We went to the fish market the day after Anzac day with Andrew's boss, Gene, whom had invited us over for a seafood lunch and also to the markets. The markets were bustling with people, as it was Saturday morning, and there were even tour buses there! The market opens daily at 7 am after the fishermen bring in their catches around 4 am and auction them at the dock. Then the fish, crustaceans, and shelled creatures are put in huge displays cases, filleted, shucked, washed, etc. The market had a faint smell of fish but it wasn't over powering, as most of the fish is kept on ice. The crabs and lobsters were kept alive and some were gigantic (we saw as a worker put one on the floor and it was bigger than her foot!) and there were also regular sized ones in bins. Gene bought us quite a seafood feast and his wife (from Vanuatu) showed us how to correctly cut sashimi (aka raw delicious fish). We feasted on sashimi chunks, thin sashimi with cilantro, mussels baked in a white wine & tomato sauce, fresh oysters, squid and prawns (shrimp) on the BBQ, and fresh salad and bread. Overall the day was fantastic and being able to see the colors of the ocean and taste the "fruit of the sea" made for a delightful day. 

The following Saturday I finally got my wish to go to the Sydney zoo, Taronga. A couple of hiccups getting there, rain in the morning and a flat tire on the vespa, but we arrived near the bridge and opera house just after noon before taking a ferry ride to the zoo. The zoo itself is situated on a large hill and once arriving at the bottom, we took a cable car to the top, catching little glimpses of animals on our ascent. At the top we chose to walk one way which led us to an "Australian Walkabout" section of animals, spiders, farmyard animals, a seal show, penguins, elephants, a varied collection of birds, and a few other animals on the way down. By the time we got to the bottom we decided to call it a day and come back another day to examine the other side of the zoo. 

Birdcage alley

Once arriving back in the city we decided to take some time strolling around. Even though I had done this by myself a few days already, it was nice to have Andrew along as well. He first took me to a cool little alley way that is called the birdcage alley. Basically, there are numerous birdcages hanging from wires above this alley, which is off the beaten path a little and was therefore empty at one point in our stop. Andrew has a fancy camera so we stopped here for some pictures for a while. There were also cafes in the alley, but being the weekend, they were all closed so we got some cool shots there. 

St Andrew's Cathedral

From there I took him to one of my favorite places in the city, St Andrew's Cathedral, right in the heart of the city. The cathedral is 129 feet tall, and has a chilling gothic design. There are no pictures allowed inside but it is open for tours at all times, minus service times. You can also pay a little extra and tour the crypts but they weren't open when we were there. The walls are adorned with beautiful stained glass and there are multiple alters and prayer sections. I would be curious to see a service there since there are so many seats there are television randomly spaced so you can see what's going in the center. 

Zebra costume/puppet

Extreme Gelato! 

The next day also involved some animals, as we saw the Lion King. We started off by getting really dressed up and going out for a delicious dinner of dumplings in the city and walking to the show. It was good, but not quite what we expected. We went with Andrew's sister Jenny and her husband Muzz, who thought it was going to be like a dance recital (I think he was pleasantly surprised!) but the show consisted of a mix of puppet-like costumes, extreme make-up and a really cool stage. The talent was outstanding, but as an avid Lion King VHS fan from the 90s, the script was the exact same, plus a few songs. Overall it was an enjoyable evening and we ended it with "extreme gelato" which was made right in front of you with liquid nitrogen and served with crazy flavors. Andrew got a rose creme brule and I got a nutella gelato topped with rice krispies, dipped in chocolate, served with a waffle cone sheet and a chocolate ganache syringe. Gelato was average but the experience was cool (literally and figuratively). 

My "Goat Friend"

Finally, last weekend we went to Raymond Terrace to visit Andrew's parents and on Saturday we went to a little place called Oakvale Farm. For anyone from "Up North" who has been to Jim Peck's in Minocqua, this was similar...There was a farmyard with goats, chickens, etc running around, as well as some Australian wildlife and big barnyard animals in cages. You could buy food with your admission price and be bombarded by cute little animals all day! 

Cassowary and babies...Dino looking eh?

One of the interesting Aussie animals that I haven't previously mentioned in the Cassowary. These are big flightless birds, third largest after the ostrich and emu, and have a rich blue color near their heads and big dinosaur-like feet. They typically eat fruits and roots, but for defense they have a talon that can disembowel a human! They are becoming extinct here due to loss of habitat, getting hit by cars, and attacked by dogs. It's estimated that only 20-25% of the entire population is left as of 2006. They look pretty scary though, have to admit. 

Related to rabbits maybe?

7th Heaven

Finally, the best part of Oakvale was the hands-on experiences to be had. You could take the bought food and feed long-horn cattle, mini horses, alpaca, camels, llamas, donkeys, etc. and FINALLY once reaching the very back of the park there was a large sunny grassy spot packed with kangaroos that would gingerly approach you and take food out of your hand! They had absolutely no fear and would even bounce around following you for more food! 

Sleepy little fellas!

Coming in for a sneak attack!

As if feeding, petting, and hanging out with kangas wasn't cool enough, the place also let you bottle feed goats and calves, milk a cow, and pet koalas! The koalas really lived up to their sleepy nature and were sleeping mostly while petting but it was a great experience for an animal lover like me!  Truly a fabulous day!

This brought us up to Mother's day and we went out for a nice family breakfast and then over to Andrew's brother Steve's house to see his puppy. After all of this animal loving, I am a very happy girl!

Little Benson...Steve's puppy

"Lest We Forget"

Last Friday, April 25th, the whole nation celebrated Anzac Day. Anzac Day is a very special day for Australia and celebrates all veterans from the wars they fought in. In fact, Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps! A Its held on the 25th of April because on April 25th, 1915, the Australians (and New Zealanders aka Kiwis) landed on the shores of Gallipoli, Turkey (I have also been to Gallipoli and saw the battle grounds). This was important because it was Australia's first military action in WWI after becoming a republic, only 13 years prior to the battle. The main goal of the battle was for the Aussies to gain Constantinople for the allies. In the end, Australia left 8 months later, having failed in capturing Constantinople and suffering casualties over 8,000. Even though the battle was lost, we all know what happened in the war. All soldiers are commemorated on Anzac Day but Anzac traditions reign true...

We woke up SO early to catch the 4:30 am dawn service. Its held slightly before dawn so that towards the end of the service, the sun begins to rise. The reason for the early service is to mimic the dawn when the Anzac soldiers landed in Gallipoli. The service was well-attended despite the early hours. It included a choir that sang hymns, speeches, a brass band, and a laying of wreaths on a memorial. Throughout the ceremony, the phrase "Lest We Forget" was said, as it is the Anzac Day tradition paying homage to the veterans. The clouds did block the sunrise a bit but at dawn we walked to a local club for a cheap breakfast and beer/screwdriver. While waiting in line for our drinks I suddenly got an overwhelming whiff of liquor, almost enough to make your stomach churn at 6 am. I looked around and saw a table with glasses with one shot of rum in each one and a couple pints of milk next to it. I was a bit confused when I saw people pouring the milk into the glasses and sipping it. This is also an Anzac tradition and part of a typical "Digger's Breakfast" which was the men in the trenches (diggers) pre-battle meal, usually a hearty breakfast and coffee, or more commonly, milk with rum. After our hearty breakfast (not quite a "diggers" since we skipped the milk rum) we headed home and found everyone was still sleeping so took a quick nap before heading out for another Anzac tradition...Two Up.

"HEEEAAADDD 'em up spinaaahhhh" were the first shouts I heard coming from the bustling two up room. Explaining two up is simple...There is a person that stands in the ring (spinner), who has a paddle (a kip) with three coins on it, you place your bets on heads or tails, the spinner flips, and you win or lose. Two up was a common game played in Anzac trenches during WWI and even though gambling in pubs/bars/clubs is typically illegal, two up is allowed for 4 (ish) hours every Anzac Day. Despite the simple rules, it was not quite what I expected...There was no "house" you basically had a minute before each throw to tap your money on either you head or tail and yell "[amount of money] ON TAILS/HEADS" and wait for someone else in the audience to hear you and accept your bet. Then, the person who called Heads holds the money during the flip and either hands it over or pockets it. It's a game played on trust of the other person simply not running away with your money and we had no problems. I only gambled $20 total, since you can only use paper money (denominations $5 and up) I would win one and lose two. Took it slow and had fun near the ring, but was very reasonable. Oh, the spinner was also randomly selected from the crowd and allowed to flip until they came up tails. There were some other rules with them, ie. the coins had to go above their head during the flip, the coins couldn't go out of the ring, etc. If these rules were broken, the entire crowd would uproar with "boos!" Before the flip, you can also yell out "head em up spinner!" or "tail em up spinner!" to try to get them to toss them your way, which accounts for a very, very noisy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLkWeKAipA8  Follow this link to get a peak at Two Up!

After the games, we came back home with some friends and shared pizzas and beers. An early morning did account for an early night though. And thus ends Anzac Day.