HONG KONG DAY 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Technically we arrived in HK on Friday night but it was late and we shuffled our way through the airport to the hotel and promptly fell asleep so Saturday was Dia Numero Uno(?). We attempted to see Big Buddha on Lantau Island (there are 263 HK islands) and our plan was foiled by transportation issues.  The cable car/gondola to BB was closed for maintenance and lines for buses and taxis were crazy. After spending a couple of hours debating how best to solve the problem we said, “forget it. we out.”  Considering our very few hassles in 3 months of travel one small hiccup was no biggie. Instead we took the afternoon to explore Hong Kong Island.  We did a quick bus tour around the city and decided to get off at the Mid Levels. We walked through the Graham Street wet markets filled with exotic fruit, drying fish, hanging meats and up the hills to the cute, hip ‘hood of Sheung Wan.  We popped into the fun antique stores on Hollywood Road, grabbed a waffle, picked up a few funny souvenirs in Upper Lascar Row, and checked out Man Ho Temple to light some incense and say some prayers.

The evening kicked off with a ferry ride to Kowloon to meet friends for dinner at Peking Garden.  8 kids and 4 adults made for a fun, raucous evening and it was nice to have other people do the ordering for us. On our way back we unintentionally timed the ferry perfectly to watch the nightly laser light show from the Kowloon perspective (our hotel room gives us a great view from the Central side).  We capped off the evening with an ice cream in the hotel lounge.

Man Ho Temple: Built in 1847, pays tribute to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo). We had no idea what the process was here so we watched for a few minutes and hopefully did not offend anyone.

Dinner on Kowloon

HONG KONG DAY 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We met up with the Chans in the morning for dim sum at the top of Victoria Peak.  Our last funicular tram ride was in Wellington so this rounded out our trip quite nicely.  I like it when things come full circle.  We spent a good chunk of the day up here – eating then hiking and then repeat.  When we got back down to the bottom we walked over to the Central–Mid-Levels escalator system, the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. I’m not sure what the competition is like but it’s a thing and the kids thought it was fantastic.  After our fun-filled day we were all ready for a break at the hotel. Harry was meeting a couple of work people for dinner so the kids and I got room service and watched a movie, which felt amazing.

HONG KONG DAY 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG We’re going to Disneyland!!!!!! HK Disneyland was a surprise for the kiddos – well we actually told them in Bali so they could get a little pre-pumped for it. Luke has never had the Disney experience, and Paula probably forgets much of hers. It was a nice entree into our soon-to-happen America re-entry.  It’s incredibly easy to get there. We took the train from our hotel (our hotel is attached to the IFC mall which contains the Central stop) and shot over to the park to meet Virgil and Carrie-Anne Chan.  I don’t think I need to go into great detail about this – the photos speak for themselves. For dinner Virgil invited us to the Jockey Club, which is kind of a HK institution thus fun to see.

=

HONG KONG DAY 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our last full day of the trip – how the hell did this happen?!  New Zealand feels about a million years ago but I also think we’ve been away for 10 minutes.  Time is such a strange concept.  Then again, as you may recall, we’ve evolved past time so I don’t need to waste my precious brain power with such pedestrian thoughts.

Big Buddha, we are coming for you today, but first we need to wake him up.

Normally when most of us (or maybe just me) think of Hong Kong we think skyscrapers and crowds but there’s a lot of countryside in the region as well.  Lantau Island, the location of BB, is about an hours drive from Hong Kong Central (where our hotel is) and feels very bucolic especially with the wild cows roaming around.  Having learned from Saturday’s snafu, we opted for a ride directly to the big man.

Big Buddha whose real name is Tian Tan Buddha is 34 metres tall and sits atop a very long set of stairs next to the Po Lin Monastery.  The statue is a new addition at about 25 years old.

The last time we High 5’ed Buddha was in the hinterlands of Byron.

From BB we drove to nearby Tai O fishing village.

We finished the day with a pre-dinner dip despite the chilly weather. This pool must have the best views of Victoria Harbor

HONG KONG DAY 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t make me leave.  I suppose it has to end at some point…not sure why but that’s what people keep saying.  Piper is waiting and we do want to reunite with friends.  I guess we’re doing this.

Do I need to end with something inspirational, poetic, prophetic… cuz I got nuthin’.

We arranged to have a blessing ceremony in a nearby Hindu temple. The spiritual cleansing purified our souls and welcomed positive vibes. First we put on our sarongs and sash and then prepared the offerings. As I mentioned in the Ubud post, these offerings are everywhere so it was nice to have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of it. The process was trickier than it looks or maybe I’m hopeless at grass stitching.  The women traditionally prepare them and they can do it in seconds. For me it would take three hours but part of the offering prep is the sacrifice of time so I would be getting major points for that.  We then carried the offerings to the purification baths and cleansed our heads in each of the five water spouts sourced from the underground spring. The ceremony ended with prayers led by a holy man in the Pura Dalem Sekah Temple.

Hindu Blessing Ceremony

Preparing the Offering

Purification

Prayers

Butterfly Garden

Just some fun stuff  

Balinese Piper

It’s quiet, cool, and wet up here in Munduk. Our hotel is located on a coffee plantation overlooking lakes in the valley.  When it is clear we can even see Java. When it is not clear it is like we are living in a cloud.

The kids learned how to play Gansing, a game that involves using a rope to throw a wooden spinning top.  It’s a bit tricky, is usually played by adults and often includes gambling.

They also used soldering irons to burn designs into bamboo. It’s a bit tricky, is usually done by adults and often includes bandaids ; ).

One morning we drove out to Banyumala Waterfall. On our way we walked past fields of hydrangeas, which are a big source of income for this area. We were the only people at the waterfall except for the man sweeping the dirt paths.

In the morning we explored the town of Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali. It’s a busy village with a fun vibe and induced some major 90s nostalgia; incense, mala beads, men in sarongs…it’s 1995 and I’m at my first Phish show… there’s also a million motorbikes, shops, people, money exchanges, & “RL Polo” stores (that was odd) but it still feels small and charming.  Once we got a feel for the place and I discovered what is now my favorite street we found a creperie for lunch.  The kiddos were psyched because we sat on hassocks and ate at low tables, a very random culture mixing theme.

THEN we ventured into the forbidden monkey forest (actually Sacred Monkey Forest). This is a must do or a must don’t depending on your views on monkeys, especially clever thieving ones.  It’s actually very beautiful in Monkey Forest with 3 temples and 115 species of trees but one is so consumed with watching the monkeys that one really cannot concentrate on anything else.  We had all our possessions zipped into our bag – no food, no sunglasses or hats or any other monkey temptation. Nevertheless one bold monkey decided he wanted to see the bag’s contents for himself so after he jumped on the bag Harry then carefully placed it on the ground (instructions are given to surrender one’s items to the monkey so as not to anger the more aggressive ones). This crafty fellow proceeded to investigate and decided that Luke’s camera was very promising for a potential snack. He grabbed it and immediately ran up a tree. At this point we drew a crowd of about 30 people. It was hilarious, so hilarious that we watched the whole thing unfold without really doing anything productive to stop it. Then it dawned us we should get help so a guard came over with a little slingshot. Thankfully by then the disappointed monkey dropped the case and miraculously the camera survived, and Luke is delighted to have a good story for circle time when he returns.

When we returned to Amori the neighborhood was buzzing with excitement because of a wedding. The staff told us we should  check it out and so I wandered over with a couple of the kids.  The family invited us in and offered us food.  It reminded me of a wedding in Agra Harry and I went to years ago; super colorful, marigolds everywhere and family members casually chatting during the ceremony.  Everyone was incredibly welcoming. The kids had some juice boxes, we gave our best wishes and headed back home but I thought wow – what would i have done if some random people crashed our wedding. i hope i would have been gracious and offered them juice boxes.

The following day we had a tour around the Ubud region.  We visited rice terraces, a coffee plantation and the Tirta Empul.  Rice terraces in Bali are an incredible site.  Subak, the system of irrigation, is recognized as World Heritage (we’ve been collecting these on our trip).  It’s a 1000 year old practice that distributes water equitably through a network of channels.  It’s beyond just an irrigation system and has a strong spiritual component, a connection to community, and an ancestral legacy.

Bali’s population is 90% Hindu. The people are very spiritual and many even have temples in their homes.  Twice a day they leave offerings, called canang saris, outside of their homes, temples, shops, etc… We visited one of the more well-known temples, Pura Tirta Empul, meaning Holy Water Temple.  It was built in 960 CE and dedicated to Vishnu. It’s a large complex built around a spring that feeds sacred purification baths. Out of respect sarongs are worn inside the temple. As a bonus I think everyone looks adorbs.  We capped off the tour day with a traditional Balinese meal at a rice paddy.

A couple of days later (with pooling and shopping in between) we did a bike tour outside of Ubud –  past rice paddies and fields growing chilli, patchouli, tea, bananas, amongst many other cool tropical things.  After a 2 hour ride and another tea/coffee tasting we enjoyed lunch at our guide’s house. I had been curious to see the interior of these walled compounds so this was exciting for me. Inside each wall is a complex of smaller buildings surrounding a courtyard with a temple. Often many generations and family members dwell together. Lunch was absolutely delicious.

The rest of our time here was spent exploring Ubud village some more, staying cool in the pool, relaxing, reading, listening to rain and chatty monkeys. And lots of Yoga. 

Back on my lappy here… sarvo is our last day at the beach. I know she’ll be apples but it’s devo we are leaving straya. I’ll spit the dummy and probably go walkabout.  It’s fair dinkum i love this place.  home feels like the woop woop. i may have a few loose kangaroos in the top paddock but it’s nothing a choccy biccy can’t solve.

we are now fully immersed.*

As we close the door on our Australian chapter we are definitely leaving a window open. Topping off our journey with the Great Barrier Reef was just the cherry that our Oz sundae needed.  We spent 4 days in Port Douglas near the top east corner of the country.  The town was very quiet so if you are looking to book a reef excursion I recommend early March. No one is there.

This area of Queensland is amazing. It’s home to both the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world at 180 million years old, and to the GBR.  At Cape Tribulation the rainforest actually grows right up to the shoreline; the only place in the world where two World Heritage sites touch.  If that’s not something to be impressed by I don’t know what is.

The weather was a bit rainy all week but thankfully we missed the cyclones. It’s that kind of tropical rain with a  few heavy showers and then it’s all good.

Here’s a quick rundown of what we did:

1. Dreamtime Walk in Mossman Gorge
2. Snorkelling in GBR
3. Koala Kuddling (yes with a K)
4. Canopy Tour through Daintree

Mossman Gorge

We drove to Mossman Gorge for a Dreamtime Walk with our Kuku Yalanju guide, Mooks. His expertise, having been raised by shamans/healers, is the local botany.  We started off the trek through the rainforest with a traditional smoking ceremony to burn off bad vibes and spirits.  I think this is a great way to start off the day – a spiritual cleansing to rid oneself of negative thoughts.  We then learned about the extremely deadly surroundings.  I’m sure this is a fun way to mess with naive tourists but nonetheless it seemed like we were surrounded by things trying to kill us. It was hilarious and as well as a bit disconcerting as he explained that touching this leaf will cover your skin in boils, this one will leave you blind and this one will plain old kill you, but this one will cure cancer.  A bit unfortunate for the ones who discovered this.  I almost wished I dressed us all in head to toe chain mail. Between the cassowaries, wild pigs and deadly plants, I can’t believe we made it out of there alive.  But we did because as you can see I’m writing this in the past tense. Then our tour concluded with some daintree tea and delicious damper (scones) to celebrate surviving.

We returned home for lunch and a swim. It’s mighty hot up here so the plunge pool is getting a workout.  Our back gate is adjacent to a path that leads to 4 mile beach.  This time of year is stinger (jellyfish) season so only one part of the beach is “swimmable”. A giant mesh pool in the ocean keeps most of the jellyfish out.  As we left the beach a man approached me and asked, “any crocs today?” Like I said this area of Queensland is amazing not only for the beauty but also because it’s chock-a-block with deadly things.

Great Barrier Reef

The big show! We took a large boat to the GBR for the day. It docks up to a pontoon where we ate lunch and snorkeled at our leisure. When the kids needed a break they could walk through the underwater observatory or take a submarine ride.  The cloud cover prevented the full color spectacular but we got the idea. And we’ll be back. Next time to SCUBA.

Koala Kuddling

We squeezed in one more koala cuddle. Little Tia works 30 min every 4 days which sounds like my kind of job. I tried to put her in my bag but the staff saw me. bummer.

Daintree Rainforest

Our last full day in Australia we drove up to Cape Tribulation. A little history: In 1770 James Cook and the Endeavour landed here and not very gracefully I might add. The ship was wrecked and it took 7 weeks to repair it. James was clearly feeling a little down in the dumps as he was tossing out names for spots in the area: Cape Tribulation, Mount Sorrow, Mount Misery & Weary Bay.

We decided to explore the rainforest Diego-style with a jungle surfing canopy tour. This is far more thrilling and the views are spectacular. As a side note – we did learn that the cassowary has only killed one person in recent history and it was a 16 year old boy that was taunting it.  Despite their bad rap, they are critical to the Daintree’s ecosystem. Cassowaries help spread the trees’ seeds by eating and digesting the fruit. There are only 2000 cassowary left so that’s pretty critical to the longevity of the rainforest.

On our way home we stopped at the Daintree ice cream shop, a beautiful tropical orchard that makes ice cream from whatever is ripe at the moment; for us, soursop, wattleseed, banana and plum. It was delicious.

Cairns & Bye Bye Australia

Our departure day on Sunday – we spent the morning prepping, swimming and playing with some friendly dog neighbors who escaped into our yard. They were adorable and the owners were fun to chat with – Australians are wonderful.

We considered doing a 1/2 day reef tour but the rain and the attempt to fit that in before our flight dissuaded us so instead we drove to Cairns and spent the afternoon swimming in the lagoon (public pool) before heading to the airport.

Now we’re heading out of Australia and I’m feeling about as glum as James Cook. Because in my mind as I was prepping for this adventure the Bali portion always felt so close to the end. Now we’re at that point. Of course everyone is excited to see Piper and friends but our little party of 5 is so precious that if I could bottle this time and hold onto it for a little longer I would.  At least when Harry and I are sitting on our rocking chairs on the front porch smacking our dentures we will have some awesome reminiscing.

First of all and most importantly when one is in Byron one must wear a lot of linen or maybe just swimming togs but definitely no shoes. Shoes are offensive to the culture.  As you’re reading this you may think well what kind of culture are you learning here in Byron. Plenty I say. Plenty.  Like – How to catch a good wave. The best way to crack a macadamia nut. Where to purchase quality linen clothes. This is important stuff.

Fair dinkum there’s a lot of beauty to appreciate in this area, and that is the best kind of culture to learn.

Belongil Beach

Here’s what I love about Australians. They seem genuinely delighted to interact. Whether you are in a store or walking down the street everyone seems happy to have a chat:  “What are you getting after today?…Oh that’s sweet. What a perfect day for it. I once went out there.  It’s a beaut…” and so on… It’s rather enchanting.

I got sidetracked…and let’s be honest, you’re here for the pics.

   

Our second place was a very convenient in-town airbnb, walkable to the beach, and equipped with bikes. Most importantly it was a block away from Top Shop, a Byron institution and a great place for a capp with macadamia milk. Harry and I also took turns taking yoga classes at Creature Yoga. This was the first time the 5 of us were separated for such a significant length of time.

 

Ti-Tree Lake

Paula’s Birthday!

 

Beach & Body Surfing

   

Random Pics

I absolutely love Byron and the only thing that is getting me out of this place is knowing that our next stop is the Great Barrier Reef.

As a side note I don’t want to brag but we have truly evolved past linear time. We’re like those octopus creatures in the film Arrival. Unfortunately the rest of the world has not evolved with us. In the last week we’ve been in 3 time zones. Sydney to Uluru is a difference of 2.5 hours. Uluru to Brisbane (the airport) is 1.5 hours. Brisbane to Byron add an 1 hour so back on Sydney time (NSW does not participate in daylight savings) and then back to Brisbane so backward an hour. This caused a little confusion as we made our way to the airport and suddenly noticed the clock in the car change during our drive and realized we woke up much earlier than necessary.

and then there’s this:

Welcome to Red Centre!  Australia is a very large country with a big empty middle and you can sense that vast solitude in Uluru.  Our stay here was a quick one but fascinating nonetheless. It’s provided a lot of conversation for us as we think about what life has been like for the indigenous*** people in Australia and how European settlers really upended things for them and also how that mirrors our own country (this tied in well to Ben’s unit on westward expansion).

Indigenous Australians have the longest continuous culture.  It is the oldest living culture in the world.  Take that in for a moment and consider the number of civilizations that have existed.  That’s an incredible achievement – 50,000 years of uninterrupted existence – despite the incredible and horrific challenges they faced.  As great storytellers, they passed along their culture and animist traditions through art, stories, and dance. Thankfully and despite the attempts to thwart many of the traditions have been preserved.

When the European settlers arrived, those bastards of doom, one of the reasons that they wanted to dominate the original people was of course a desire to have their land but also they believed this ancient civilization would not survive in the modern world.  Rather ironic considering the newbies were constantly failing and dying in their attempts to explore this unpredictable new land. 50,000 years of living here may refute their claim.

The aboriginal and torres strait islanders were expert hunters and gatherers as well as sophisticated stewards of the land.  It’s unfortunate that throughout history we sideline (or worse destroy) cultures that although are different can teach so much. After years of tragic decisions made by the government, there is a movement to integrate the culture but now it is more peripheral and apologetic rather than infused.  Anyways I’m going to stop here and I deleted a ton of what I wrote so this isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. I also understand if you stopped reading a while ago.

Now back to the show…

It’s incredibly hot in the Outback so everything occurs first thing in morning and again in evening. Touring Uluru at midday could be torture. So when we arrived around noon it was pool time followed by rest before our Sky Journey tour. With no light pollution (because we’re in the middle of an open space) the stargazing here is phenomenal. In fact we’re closer to the space station than to the next town, which is Alice Springs. That’s definitely a fact that the guides love to throw around.  The night sky is incredible and although we’ve been stargazing for the last few months it’s nice to have a tour to really understand at what we are gazing. 70% of the stars we are seeing are the same as northern hemisphere (except upside down or right side up to Aussies) but that last 30% including the oh so famous Southern Cross is unique to the Southern Hemisphere.

We had a very late night followed by an incredibly early morning to watch sunrise at Uluru. Our guide did an amazing job engaging the kids in the Anangu Dreamtime stories. Uluru and nearby Kata Tjuta are sacred places and are still used for ceremonies and rituals. The Dreamtime stories tell of the creation of Uluru and other traditions.

Sunrise Tour of Uluru

An early wakeup call to enjoy the majesty that is Uluru before the heat rolls in. But first a little brekkie.

Coffee & hot cocoa to the rescue

We took an art class with Millie and her assistant/interpreter.  We learned more stories and traditions and symbols used in art. We then each made our own story using the symbols. We are also bringing home the painting that Millie was making in the below pic.

Field of Lights 

This was a cool evening.  After dinner we went out towards Uluru for sunset and a viewing of Bruce Munro’s art installation Field of Lights or Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku, which means looking at beautiful lights. 50,000 solar powered lights cover 15 acres with Uluru as a backdrop.

Onward and Upward 

Like I said, this was a quick stop.  Now we’re rolling again.

*Palya means hello/goodbye/ok/thank you in Pitjantjatjara, the language spoken by Anangu (the indigenous people living at Uluru)

** This is on a sign at Uluru and I rather liked it.  Despite the warnings and requests not to climb Uluru many tourists continue to do it.  People often get injured and the Anangu people find it disrespectful. This sign is asking people to instead connect with the spirit of Uluru rather than the desire to conquer it.

***So it’s difficult to know the most respectful name for the group of people we know commonly as Aborigines. Some find this term offensive. Some find indigenous offensive. I feel strange using these names as well. Most people prefer the name of their language group or area where they’re from.

You’ve all been acquainted with Jeff, our campervan. Ben, Paula and Luke unanimously (and oddly quite quickly and just plain oddly) decided early on to name our rig Jeff. Jeff is a big 6-berth fella (we have room for one more – anyone care to join?).

Jeff has been good to us taking us all over New Zealand, but Jeff needs a little bit of TLC each day or so. Luke has been fascinated by the maintenance of the camper van and has been a big help every day in keeping all the systems up and running. All the systems.

Here are some details on how Jeff stays running properly:

You know you’ve got a serious piece of equipment on your hands when you’re handed a keychain containing no fewer than 9 keys for your new home. There’s a separate key for the engine, storage compartment, water fill cover, propane storage, two for the house door, house safe and of course the Lu-key. It felt good to have this many keys. Powerful. Important. Extremely confusing.

Once you’ve sorted the keys, camper van maintenance is all about removing & filling with the appropriate liquids.  And most importantly not getting tanks confused.

The car side of Jeff is pretty easy – just add diesel (and the occasional jump start if you’ve left the headlights on for a few hours accidentally).

The house side of Jeff is where all the fun is. When we’re on the road, we keep a close eye on the house battery charge level (separate from the engine battery). The house battery powers the fridge, house lights, water pump, stove ignition, etc. Luckily, Jeff was a equipped with a solar panel up top and we never ran out of juice.

Once we get to a campsite, Jeff gets plugged into “shore power” to charge the house batteries and power the luxury items like house heat and microwave (which can’t be run off battery).

When we pack up to leave, we give Jeff a little more TLC. Order is important here for hygiene. The fresh water tank gets filled and holds around 100 liters. This water is pumped to the kitchen sink, bathroom sink and the flush. Next we’re on to the “grey water” (which is aptly named). This tank holds water from the sinks and shower. We’ve got a special hose to drain this tank – Hook up the hose. Open the valve. Water goes out and right into the drain. No mess. No fuss.

Then there’s the black water. The name is not accurate. No further description will be provided on that. There’s no hose to hook up. Instead, you remove what can only be described as a carry on roller board suitcase (not sure why you’d want to fly with it except if you’re prone to needing the bathroom the moment the fasten seatbelt sign comes on) and wheel it over to the dump station. Unscrew the cap and turn the 2″ diameter gooseneck outward and pour down the drain. Rinse it out and wheel it back to Jeff for reinsertion. The camper van rental company gives you one pair of disposable gloves for this task and you can always tell the people at the campground who just picked up their camper because they’re the only ones wearing them. However, with considerable practice, one can get to the point of not needing them at all (several extra pairs of gloves would have been much appreciated though).

The Art of Organization 

Ugh TMI. Thank you, Harry for that info. With that being said – as you may know, I like to be organized and there’s a certain finesse required to keeping Jeff efficient and comfortable.  The interior has little cupboards lining the periphery. They are small but workable.  I thought I was a modest packer and now I realize I could have done with half the luggage.  Thankfully the cubby underneath the van allows for suitcase storage where we left about half the clothes.  Everyone gets their own cubby.  Homeschooling, books, and less often used items, like sweatshirts get the long back one.  We have space for linens, a drawer for crafts, crayons, etc… and 2 cupboards for food.  A little closet holds raincoats, stinky sneakers, dirty laundry and bulk items like paper towels.  You would be surprised at how much can fit in this guy, unless of course you have lived on a small boat then you are familiar.

The Art of Entertainment

We’ve spent a lot of time in this guy and logged many km. To pass the time here are some ways we enjoyed the driving experience.

The most obvious activity is gazing at the scenery – wiggly roads, mountains, valleys, rivers, beaches, pretty much any topographical feature you can imagine, and lots of cows and sheep. NZ provides amazing landscape eye candy.

For kids this is enjoyable for shorter periods so we filled those in-between times with other merriment.

Cards, reading, and games were fun but the curvy roads and bumpy van aren’t the best combo for looking down for long periods. Ben seems to be the only one who can handle reading in the car. Friendship bracelets and knitting were satisfying and less nauseating ways to past the time as well.

We listened to many many audiobooks. Here are some favourites:

• Anything by Roald Dahl. His books are great read aloud especially with a British accent.
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s important to continually remind them how nice we are compared to the adults in these books.
• The Midnight Gang by David Walliams. A very similar feel to Roald Dahl.
• City of Ember. All 4 books. The kids got really into this post-apocalyptic children’s series and it took us through Australia as well.  Harry and I were incredibly relieved when it was over but secretly were super into it. Somehow Ember references find their way into many conversations. ?
• Mrs Frisby & the Rats of NIMH Robert C O’Brien
• The Worst Class Trip Ever and The Worst Night Ever by David Barry (funny for the tween set)
• From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Charlotte’s Web (EB White is also a good one for audiobooks)
• My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet

I have more suggestions if you are ever needing some.

1. Australia is the 6th largest country. It is the largest island. It is the only continent that is a country. ??
2. Australia is home to the largest living organism: the Great Barrier Reef ?
3. One of the first group of Europeans to move to Australia were prisoners from England. ?‍
4. The aboriginal people have been in Australia for 50,000 years. ?
5. Melbourne was the original capital of Australia. Now it is Canberra. ?
6. Melbourne was originally named Batmania after John Batman not Batman Batman. ?
7. The design plans for the train station in Melbourne was switched with designs plans for a train station in Mumbai and now they have the wrong buildings.* ?
8. Australians have a funny prank that they play.  They invented the Drop Bear – an attack koala bear with white fangs – to scare tourists. ?+?=?
9. The prime minister of Australia drowned and people made a memorial pool in his honor.?‍
10. Australia has the most native animals in the world; including 140 species of marsupials ?.
11. Australia has some of the deadliest animals in the world (see post on “things that will you”). ?
12. The world’s largest monolith is Uluru.?
13. It is the only continent without an active volcano.?
14. Australia’s platypus and echidna are the only mammals that lay eggs.?
15. Australia has the greatest number of wild camels in the world.?

* This could be a myth but it’s funny.?

By Harry Schechter

Luke has been curious on this trip about the existence of poison ivy in several spots we’ve hiked through in New Zealand and Australia. In New Zealand, it was an easy answer – nope. There’s no poison ivy in New Zealand.

Today, as we were walking to the beach, he asked again, “Dad, is there poison ivy over here?” I simply replied, “no, but there might be some snakes in there.” Luke made a mental note of and then cheerfully continued on to the beach with me.

Then I remembered that of the world’s 10 deadliest snakes, all of them are Australian. No big deal. We’ve learned to make noise as we walk since they are more afraid of us than we are of them (a point which I contest).

Despite the country’s mega liters of venom, Australia is amazing. The people are endlessly friendly, it’s sunny, it’s clean, and kangaroos will just cross the road in front of you. As one of our Hotel hosts said, “it’s like living in a giant zoo.” There’s no where else in the world like it and I love it. It’s just that there’s a lot of toothy poisonous stuff to look out for.

To keep the good times rolling, I put together this handy guide of things to mind when traveling to Australia. It’s such a lethal country, we’ve split it up into several volumes covering snakes, insects, swimming, breathing etc.:

Volume One: Venomous Snakes

According to Australia Geographic, bites in Australia are very rare and often the result of people trying to kill the snake or show off in some way. Snakes bite humans out of self defense and have no interest in eating humans. Logistically, I imagine that would be a bit complicated anyway.

So far, only a brown snake has been encountered on our trip while horseback riding. Our guide just backed away and let it pass and offered this advice: don’t corner a snake so it feels trapped and it will most likely head off in another direction.

Here’s a nice list of some of Australia’s most dangerous snakes. The scariest one to me did not make that list however. It’s the Point Darwin sea snake and it’s not much bigger than an earthworm, but packs quite a wallop. Small and deadly it’s the ninja of Australia’s snakes.

Why some of these snakes produce venom powerful enough to take down an elephant, I cannot imagine. Ok, time to make dinner and swat a few fruit flies away. Just gonna do a quick search for venomous fruit flies and get back to work (maybe).

Stay tuned for Volume 2: The Ocean