Finale, Flat, Fudgicle

We had quite a finale to Australia. First we spent 4 days in luxury. Our friend Chuck allowed us to use his place in Cairns (where the rain forest meets the reef) and it was amazing. A lifestyle we'd like to become accustomed to.

From that point we had 2000miles to drive to return the rental car and catch our plane out of Melbourne. No worries, right? One day into our marathon road trip we got a flat tire. A flat tire with 1500 miles of Australian roads still to cover. On a Saturday evening. With nothing open until Monday morning. Luckily it wasn't raining as we changed the tire. However it had been raining and there was very little shoulder to the road, so each time a truck came we had to stop the procedure and get off into the weeds and try to avoid the spray. All day Sunday we were hoping our lucky stars were aligned to keep us from being stranded with another flat tire. The travel gods smiled on us. We purchased a new tire Monday morning and made Melbourne without further incident.

From Melbourne we flew via Garuda Airlines to Bali. That Garuda is a fabulous airline! Lots of room, good food, and the best snack ever on a flight -- a fudgicle! We were very happy campers for our 6 hour flight! Now we are plunked into a city rabid with heat, traffic, and hawkers. And yet we are enjoying ourselves! I will be receiving our complimentary welcome massage by the pool this afternoon, and I am forcing Steve to try the stone massage. I believe every geologist should give it a whirl!

PHOTO RAMA

Went on platypus safari in Tasmania and saw 8! One waddled right by us. WEIRD!



We watched mom do her nest at Mon Repos Beach on the central coast of Australia. It was amazing! Then we moved her nest after all that work!



We stayed in the Whitsundays on this island. No fresh water even in the sink but it was beautiful!



Spent a day in this lovely water world on the Great Barrier Reef!

Thailand to Greece Pirate Detour

Making lemonade of lemons en-route:

14 – 19 March: Phuket, Thailand

ABOARD STAR CLIPPER SHIP 20 March - 2 April
Stops include: Similan Islands, Sri Lanka, India

2 - 4 April: India

5 - 15 April: Nepal

ABOURD STAR CLIPPER SHIP 18-27 April
Stops include: Egypt, passage through the Suez Canal, Alexandria, Rhodes, and Mykonos

3 Months In / 4 Months To Go

We have been on the move 3 months. 4 countries, 2 languages, 7 boats, 4 cars, 11 buses, 5 planes. 2 poor hotels, many good ones. Steve got his hair cut in New Zealand by a guy from Chile. Excellent cut. Daina got her hair cut at the Melbourne Beauty School. 2 hours later and, well, it will grow. (What can you expect for $11.50?) Health is good. Spirits are good. We were on a boat trip yesterday and neither of us tried to push the other overboard. Not bad for 3 months of 24/7!

Taz to Auz

We really enjoyed Tasmania. We didn't know what to expect, but it was WILD! So many wild creatures. We went on platypus safari and saw MANY. One waddled right past us going from one pond to the next. Freakish creatures, totally fascinating!

The island looks a little like California and the weather was fine. Oddly enough that is the actual word used in the weather reports on the news in the morning, "Fine today with a chance of showers tomorrow."

The wine was wonderful. We only drink Pinot Noir of Taz now...

As our Taz time was coming to an end, we were lamenting that we hadn't met anyone during our stay. But then we hooked up with two other couples who were great fun. One was a Taz local, one a Kiwi, and 2 Aussies. They actually took us to dinner. It was very cool.