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We had an early start today and took a nice ride around the city seeing many wonderful sights. We had some wonderful wildlife sightings today. We saw a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets. Apparently these are found in the Rain Forest. We saw virtually no wildlife on our Rain Forest tour but we saw these two lovelies here in Sydney.

We also saw a kookaburra and a myna bird.

The real prize was the ferry ride that brought us by the Sydney Opera House, the main attraction for today.

The Opera House looked every bit as lovely as it has the hundreds of times that I have seen it in print or on television. We went on a one hour tour which was superb. We also bought tickets to hear Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”. When I first learned that we were going to have this opportunity I became very excited. I am not a classical music aficionado but this is a piece that I am very familiar with and enjoy very much. Unfortunately this is a performance for kids so I might have to deal with some unruly 5 year old but who cares, we will be listening to classical music in the world famous Sydney Opera House.

The bridge over the harbor is also part of this iconic view. We could see individuals on top of the bridge. Apparently when crossing you are strapped to the bridge to prevent you from falling over.

We found out that the city officials were initially very reluctant to allow anyone to take people across the top of the bridge. The person who wanted to start this business was repeatedly given reasons why he could not conduct this venture. He must have been a persistent individual because he eventually got approval and for $250 you can be taken across the top of the bridge.

After our great tour of the Opera House we had lunch at the Museum of Contemporary Art and then headed back to the room. We did have some optional free time but I wasn’t feeling well so we headed back. I know sometimes people die on these trips so I asked Patrice, “If I die who would you take on our Africa trip in May?” She said “I wouldn’t go, I would cancel the trip.” I told her she shouldn’t cancel because as I told her, “I don’t want to make you suffer after I die. It’s enough that I make you suffer while I am alive”. I am really feeling awful, so I better get to bed. I hope to write more tomorrow if I live through the night.

Patrice here now. How could I even consider going on a trip to Africa if Robert was to die? By the way are any of you readers available from May 22 to June 13th this year?

Travel day today. We are heading to Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Before leaving Cairns (actually we are staying just north of Cairns in a town called Palm Cove) Patrice and I signed up for a Sunrise Kayak trip. We needed to be at the dock by 5:40 AM and this was a major concession for Patrice because she is not an early riser like I am. As compensation for her efforts I agreed to be in the back of the kayak and do most of the paddling.

We used Palm Cove Water Sports and the owner, Brad, was our guide. We had a wonderful time. We paddled to a nearby island were Brad filled us in on some of the local history and showed us some of the local animals. We got to see a few stingrays, a small shark (Brad said this type was harmless) and a fish that is apparently part shark and part stingray. It was very small and Brad said he sometimes picks them out of the water. I sort of ignored that comment until a little further up the beach he bent down and came up with one in hand. Clearly there is no risk of me trying to take his job.

On the way back to the dock Patrice stretched her arms out, took a deep breath and said, “Isn’t this relaxing?” Clearly she didn’t realize that her Sherpa in the back was gasping for breath and praying that a big wave would bring us to shore.

After a quick shower and another great breakfast we were on our way to the airport. While waiting to board the bus to the airport we saw a man with a big case of beer. Someone asked if he was getting ready for a party, but one of our fellow travelers, Garth, joked to the Aussie, that what he had was “Just one day’s supply”. I laughed but the Aussie didn’t seem to get the joke. My reasoning was that it really was just one day’s supply.

The trip to the airport was uneventful. Darrin, our guide, said the forecast for Sydney was heavy rains. Darrin likes to keep our expectations low so we are never disappointed. He alerted us that our flight was delayed and because of the weather some flights might be diverted to other airports. “Who knows we might even wind up in Perth” he quipped. That was a joke because a flight heading to Sydney being diverted to Perth would be like a flight from Boston to New York being diverted to Los Angeles. He was kidding. I think.

The flight did leave a bit late but we made up some time in the air. On board they had a wonderful entertainment system which was an iPad that locked into the seat in front and you used headphones for the audio.

Luckily we arrived in Sydney to be greeted by perfect weather. Soon we leave for dinner and tomorrow will be a tour of the city. Forecast for tomorrow is 100% chance of rain. Damn, can’t they give a guy SOME hope?

I thought it would be hard to beat the great day we had at the Great Barrier Reef yesterday and I was right. Today we headed to the Daintree Rain Forest. Darrin warned us that this would not be full of monkeys and wildlife like we saw in Costa Rica. We had a guided walk through part of the park with an Aboriginal guide. He was very informative about the local vegetation and wildlife (although we saw very little of the later). He also explained a great deal about how tribal healers would use some of the natural plants for medicinal purposes. He demonstrated how to prepare a lotion useful for sunburns. It was very interesting for me as a doctor to hear this information. One of our tour members asked if he learned these healing methods from his father or grandfather to which he said, “No, I learned it on Google” (just kidding, he said his uncle taught him).

We also had another short tour of a different section of the park by our OAT guide Darrin. He is a picture of the two of us below.

After the park we headed back toward town to have lunch. Once again we had barramundi which we have been told is Australia’s most popular fish. I have enjoyed it immensely. We also had a variety of exotic fruit served with the fish. One of the restaurant owners explained what each item was and gave us some fun facts. Unfortunately it was too much information for me to process at one time but it still was enjoyable.

After lunch and on our way back to the hotel we also stopped at Rex Lookout, for a view of the ocean. I am so glad we stopped because I had to take a picture.

Tomorrow we head for Sydney the last stop on our tour.

Yesterday we flew from Ayers Rock (Uluru) to Cairns. It was wonderful seeing all the green scenery flying into the town. When we got off the plane it was much cooler but very humid. It reminded us very much of Hawaii and was a great improvement from where we had just left.

We had an excellent dinner at the hotel (Peppers Beach in Palm Cove) during which we were serenaded by an Australian Tree Frog. We heard this constant banging sound throughout dinner. Our waitress told us the name of the creature who was making the racket and we went looking for it. By the sound it was making we were convinced it had to be the size of a small horse.

Today was our day to explore the Great Barrier Reef. The weather was perfect and the staff on the boat was terrific. Everything went as smooth as could be expected. I didn’t bring my camera so I had to depend on our tour guide, Darrin, for photos and he got some great ones. The pictures are his but the expert commentary belongs to me.

Okay, I confess, the commentary was plagiarized Dr. Seuss\.

Darrin also took a picture of Patrice and me that might haunt me for the rest of my life.

Today was an incredible day. Patrice and I saw so many things that we had never seen before. We saw the Great Barrier Reef, many exotic fish, many beautiful birds and a woman in her mid 50’s with a hickey on her neck.

Today we leave the heat and flies behind when we go to Cairns (pronounced “Cans”) later today. But first a word in defense of the flies. We were told by one of our guides (Ivor) that the flies act as an exfoliate by removing dead skin. Suddenly these little buggers seemed less onerous. I did notice, although Ivor is not my type, he did seem to have pristine skin. Maybe I misjudged the flies? Possibly I should have embraced the guys (and gals, I assume there are some of each) and let them have at me. If I let them clean up my skin I could look a few years younger when I get home. Then Patrice asked a very good question, “When there is a proliferation of an organism in an environment there is typically a purpose for this occurrence. What would be the explanation for the large number of flies?” Ivor then told us that since there are so many wild camels in Australia the flies are needed to process the camel dung to let it nourish the soil. Suddenly my idea for a free facial seemed a lot less appealing.

This morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel. It was a buffet and we were given the choice of eggs (poached, fried, boiled, sunny side up or Eggs Benedict). Another option was omelette with the usual variety of ingredients. French toast or pancakes were also a possibility. I opted for the Benedict (I had a great omelette yesterday). In addition they had all sorts of meats, dumplings (yes dumplings), fresh fruit and pastries.

Our flight leaves at 2:35 pm; we arrive 2 and a half hours later at 5:35 pm. No my math skills are not failing me. When we arrive in Cairns from Ayers Rock we lose 30 minutes. Yes, I am not kidding. When we left Melbourne and arrived in Alice Springs we gained 90 minutes. Uluru/Ayers Rock and Alice Springs are in the same time zone so we are giving back 30 minutes today. We will give the other 60 minutes back when we go to Sydney. I was told there are 8 time zones in Australia. I just looked it up and only found 7. Possibly the discrepancy arises because not all areas use Daylight Saving Time. If you think the 30 minute offset is odd, they also have one that has a 15 minute offset. The town of Eucla (No, that is not UCLA’s electronic online school. That would be all caps with a hyphen, E-UCLA, if it existed at all) is currently 45 minutes behind us. Sorry I don’t have an explanation why Eucla has this odd time zone but we have been here long enough so I can answer like an Australian, “No Worries”.

We still have a few hours until we leave for Cairns and Patrice is interested in going to see some camels. Apparently we need to take a shuttle and the service doesn’t start until 10:30. The current temperature is only 85 degrees but we are moving rapidly toward today’s high of 103. In addition to the heat I am sure that if there are camels, there will be flies. What is wrong with this woman? I guess I will need to just grin and bear it. How does the expression go……. “Happy wife …… means camels, heat and flies”

Patrice here now. I am sure you already know that Robert writes his blog and then gives it to me to proofread. Sometimes I find it fitting to make an addition of my own, without his knowledge or approval. This is one of those times. I feel it is necessary to come to the defense of the flies. Shortly after arrival Robert took a couple of flies in the month. Since then he has rarely opened his mouth. It has been heaven.

By the way, the sweets and dumplings were on Robert’s plate and he ate all of them.

Yesterday was our day to see “The Rock”. Patrice was very disappointed because she thought we were about to see:

Instead we went to see Uluru, formerly called Ayers Rock but affectionately referred to as “The Rock”.

Those of us in California know the former federal prison, Alcatraz Island, as the Rock but this is much different. If forced to spend time here without a fly net it would make serving time on Alcatraz seem like going to summer camp. I really enjoyed seeing the enormous sandstone formation but heat and flies made it difficult to appreciate the sight and the information our guides were telling us.

This morning we were given an opportunity to see the sunrise at Uluru but had to leave the hotel by 5:45 am. This was a real sacrifice for Patrice since she is a great sleeper. Since I rarely sleep more than 7 hours it was no problem for me. I really appreciate her efforts and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.

But at the Sunrise viewing it was where our OAT guide, Darrin, showed the value of his great experience. No, it was not all the incredible facts about Uluru or the indigenous people. No it was not the incredible viewing spot he found for us nor was it all the incredible photos he has taken for us. No, it was not all the wonderful astronomy information and star identification he supplied us while on our way to the viewing location. No, it was something much more important than all of that. On our way to Uluru, Darrin told us sunrise would be at 6:43 am and not much would be worth seeing shortly after that. So if we could all be back on the bus by 6:50 AM we could return to the hotel and be first in line for the spectacular hotel breakfast buffet. So while Patrice and I were enjoying our omelettes we saw a long line of people waiting to be seated. Please let me paraphrase Bill Bryson when I say about Darrin, “You just have to love this guy”.

As I am writing we are waiting for our flight to Uluru (previously called Ayers Rock) and not a moment too soon. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, we are having a good time on this trip (Darrin, our guide, has made sure of that) but Alice Springs is unbearable (heat and flies) but it hasn’t all been bad.

For example we had a fun time in town where we attended the gay pride parade. We even saw some police officers supportive of the movement and marching in the parade.

The cultural sights were hard to enjoy because of the intense heat and plethora of flies. I did have an interesting sighting in the shopping mall men’s bathroom.

Thanks to our travel-mate, Joan, I got this photo from the lady’s room.

We did manage to find a great place for ice cream. No matter how uncomfortable I am, a little comfort food helps to ease the pain. Speaking of comfort food we had a great meal at the hotel restaurant. It is called Hanunam and is billed as a Thai-Indian restaurant. Patrice had her favorite (Pad Thai) and I had lamb korma (an Indian dish). I hesitate to order lamb when in Los Angeles because it is tough to find good lamb in LA with tough being the key word. I thought that lamb is a big deal in Australia so I’d give it a try. When my dish arrived and I wasn’t given a knife I was very hopeful. When I realized I didn’t need a knife I was ecstatic. The dish was superb. I know you want to see pictures but I have a new camera and for some reason I can’t transfer the food photos. How about a picture of flies eating me instead?

Our flight from Alice Springs was short and very pleasant (that is if you don’t count the battle with the flies during the short walk from the terminal to the plane.) We did have some entertainment during the short walk when one of the other members of out tour group almost boarded the wrong plane. I think she might have had the right idea. She almost got on the flight to Brisbane (today’s high 88 degrees) when we landed at Uluru it was 105 degrees. Just when we thought we were leaving purgatory we realized that to the contrary, we had just arrived.

Soon after arrival we encountered flies that made number numbers in Alice Springs seem sparse. We need to get ready for our excursion to Uluru. I will check back with you tomorrow.

It was yesterday when last we spoke and I was having a wonderful time playing with the internet on our flight to Alice Springs. Things have gone a bit downhill since then. I had been told by my friend Allen that the flies can get a bit intense in this area. I also read in the Bryson book how the flies will not take no for an answer attacking your eyes, ears, mouth and any body part they can access. After a very short walk from the plane into the Alice Springs air terminal I was convinced. We gathered our luggage and headed for the tour bus to again be bombarded by the flies. They repeatedly hit me in the face and ears. My eyes were luckily protected somewhat by my sunglasses. I didn’t care about my arms or legs because of the intense facial assault. Your usually courteous Robert was moving full speed to the bus. I had no care about my fellow travelers. I pushed aside two hunched-over elderly woman for whom yesterday I had opened many doors. Then I kicked the cane from underneath one of the male passengers. I even elbowed Patrice two times in order to make it onto the bus. After everyone was on the bus and we were ready to go Darrin offered fly nets to anyone who wanted one. I screamed, “ME!!!!!” which I think caught him a bit off guard. He looked back as if expecting to see a desperate man clinging to life. And he did see that man, and it was yours truly.

Now we were on the bus heading to the hotel. So I thought. But no, Darrin had us stop at the sign welcoming us to Alice Springs. You know you are in trouble if one of the tourist sights is the welcome to the city sign. Then we headed to a memorial dedicated to Australians who had lost their lives in various wars. This was nice and the flies seemed less in abundance at that location.

Now were we headed to the hotel? No, first a stop for lunch at the Telegraph Station. We ate outside (yes battling the flies) and then took a tour learning some more information about Australian history. I would like to tell you more but at this point all I could think of was Bill Bryson’s book and the people he described who tried to traverse this desert and died. The tour was about 40 minutes but I didn’t hear very much of what was being said. All I could think of was how hot and uncomfortable I felt. At least the facial net was protecting me from the flies. Actually it provided me with some entertainment. I would wait until a couple would land on the netting in front of my mouth and then I would see how far I could catapult them with a big puff of air from my mouth. I know this sounds pathetic but I got pretty good at it.

Then finally we were back on the bus and heading to the hotel. Much to my surprise the hotel was a very nice Doubletree. I hurried in hoping I could get our key and get horizontal in a well air conditioned room. Unfortunately Darrin announced that two of the rooms were not ready yet. Was this my punishment for torturing flies?

But life returned to my body. We got into our room and it is lovely. No one is forcing me to move. I have great WiFi. Still, I am wondering what I am doing in this town. Hopefully later today will give me an answer.

Today is a travel day and we are currently aboard Qantas Airlines Flight 796 heading from Melbourne to Alice Springs. If you have read “In a Sunburned Country” by Bill Bryson you are probably aware that Alice Springs does not have a lot to offer. You might be wondering why we are going there. I am, as well. In his book, Bryson often tells of things that are very curious facts about Australia and then takes a sigh and says how much he loves this country. For example, in Melbourne there is a swimming centre (i.e. center) that is named after former Prime Minister Harold Holt who drowned to death. Let me quote Mr. Bryson, “I love this country”. If it isn’t clear already, I am using free WiFi aboard the plane! Can you hear me sigh? I love this country.

One of the things that I enjoy about travel is embracing the culture, meeting new people and trying to learn the local language. You would think the latter would not be very interesting since Australia is an English speaking nation. Well, it is quite the contrary. As I mentioned before, our tour guide, Darrin, is terrific but sometimes we are not speaking the same language. Here are some examples of things Darrin has said and what I have heard.

I heard: “Our MIT” (thinking the Australian version of MIT) Darrin said: RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

I heard: “Manly Bitch” Darrin said: Manly Beach

I heard: “Shit paddock” (referring to Melbourne in 1835) Darrin said: Sheep paddock.

I heard multiple times: “We are all sortied” (Excuse me?). Darrin said: We are all sorted (i.e. organized)

I heard: “Your recatella” (whatever that is). Darrin said: Eureka tower (also know as Eureka Skydeck which was fantastic)

And my favorite: I heard: “Sean Penn” Darrin said: Swamp hen (seen at the Wild Life Sanctuary).

But I diverge too much; let’s get back to the flight. We boarded a little late but the process went very quickly. Much to my surprise they offered us something to eat. You would never have that happen in the States unless you were ready to cough up about $15 for something awful to eat.

We were offered a choice of “Smoked Ham with Mustard Cheese Sauce on a Baguette” or “Mac and Cheese Frittata with Bacon”. Both sounded wonderful but it became obvious that Qantas is not trying to lure the Orthodox Jewish clientele. The meals weren’t bad even if they did lack something in aesthetics.

In addition to the food, Patrice also got some utensils which included a fork, knife and this thing.

So far the food, off the plane has not been much better than the food on the plane. With the noted exception of the incredible meal we had at Helen and Robin’s home in Melbourne and yesterday’s lunch when we ate at Supernormal (180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000). The restaurant was recommended by Fayla’s cousin, Samena and it was absolutely fantastic. I have to apologize to my foodies since we were so hungry I forgot to take a lot of pictures. The noodle dish and heirloom tomato dish were great. We also had to try the “New England Lobster Roll”. Although it didn’t measure up to the New England lobster rolls we have had at Neptune Oyster in Boston it was certainly equivalent to anything we have had in New York. The pot stickers were great but we had already eaten too much by the time they arrived but our favorite were the dumplings.

We are getting close to time to touchdown in Alice Springs so one last thing. This was on the back of the seat in front of me. I still have no idea what it means.

Today was supposed to be our day to see Australian animals and we certainly got our fill. We went to the Moonlit Wildlife Sanctuary where they had a great variety of animals. We got to see kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and all sorts of other creatures (most of whom I don’t recall their names). Unfortunately the Tasmanian Devil was in hiding so I guess we will have to schedule a trip to Tasmania to see that critter. Our tour guide, Darrin, who has been amazing (I am not just saying that because he is a follower of my blog and knows where to find the most poisonous creatures that inhabit this continent) took some fantastic photos and has shared them with us on Facebook. My personal favorite is below.

I also got a few shots that I thought you might like to see.

At night we traveled to the St. Kilda area with two other tour members, Mary Ellen and Andrea. At dinner I found out that Mary Ellen is fluent in French (she taught the subject and has spent a lot of time in France). Andrea speaks Italian, French and Spanish. Ugh, I am so jealous. Enough about my insecurities, after dinner we headed to the pier where we were told we could see penguins at sunset.

On our trips the typical scenario will go something like this. We are told of a natural phenomena that will be occurring nearby our hotel. When I go, of course it is the one night (or day) it doesn’t happen. For example in Iceland the boat ride to see the Northern Lights was greeted with total cloud cover. In Austin, Texas I failed to see the bats that reportedly come out every night. The worse episode happened in 2017 when we flew to Nashville to see the solar eclipse only to have cloud cover block our view at the big moment. Knowing that, I was not very optimistic about seeing penguins last night. Much to my surprise the penguins were not aware of my problems and came out in droves. They were very small and incredibly cute. It was very dark so I apologize if my picture is not perfect.

Tomorrow is a travel day so we need to get up early. So this will have to do for now.