New pics, new number

We arrived in Bangkok on the 21st.  This place is absolutely crazy in a wonderful way.  You can go to a market and buy an alligator, bunny, snake, squirrel, chicken, every type of clothing, shoes, food, antiques, jewelry, custom made furniture, linens, basically anything you can think of, all in the same sprawling place.  The malls are 7 levels and have amazing food.  Bangkok kind of makes New York city feel quaint.  Plus, our nice hotel room costs half what we were paying for 2 dorm beds in Brisbane.  Yet again, we have another phone number.  From the US, dial 011 668 2335 9390.

Also, all of the Australia pics are up now!

Are You For SCUBA?

We finally made it far enough north where we are able to camp without freezing overnight! Probably the highlight of Australia, thus far, has been our stay on Magnetic Island, or Maggie Island as the locals like to call it. It’s in the tropics and palm trees are abundant, but the rocky island is still reminiscent of the Maine coast. We took a 4 day open water SCUBA course based at one of the hostels on the island. Besides having to listen to the DJ at the hostel play the exact same songs every single night, it was pretty much good times. We had a great instructor, a very small class (only 3 peeps) and 6 open water dives were included in our course. We moved on to camp at a Koala sanctuary on the island where we were able to hold a crocodile, a cockatoo, an echidna, some lizards, a huge python, snuggle a Koala, and feed about 200 ravenous lorikeets. A bird pooped on Kelly’s face (3rd time that’s happened) and John had his 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th being shat on experiences all right in a row. We then headed even farther north and took the river ferry to the more remote areas of Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation where we tasted some exotic fruits on a local organic farm.

New pics are now posted!

How to Speak Australian

Australian>>>Amurican translation

Holiday = Vacation

Jumper = Sweater

Trekking = Hiking

Chemist = Pharmacy

Rubbish = Trash

Overtake = Pass

Give Way = Yield

Tomato Sauce = Ketchup (learned the hard way)

Coffee = Espresso Drinks (also learned the hard way)

Blank Stare = Reaction to Asking For Regular Coffee

Brekky = Breakfast

Bacon = Cross Between Canadian and American Bacon

Burger = ANYTHING on a bun, aka, a sandwich

Chips = Fries

Crisps = Chips

Tasty = Sharp (as in Cheddar)

Coon = Cheese Brand

Goon = Cheap Boxed Wine

Biscuit = Cookie

Jug = Pitcher

Stubbie = Short Bottle of Beer

Pot and Schooner = Small and Medium Draft Beers

Bottle Shop = Liquor Store

Victoria Bitter, Tooheys, and XXXX = Budweiser, Miller, and Coors

Corona = Exotic Import

Backpacker = Drunk 18 Year Old German Tourist

Footy = Soccer

Snogging = Making Out (FYI, there’s no snogging allowed in the pool)

Kangaroo = Deer ( = Roadkill)

Not Accepted = American Express

Left = Right