Jan 2006

I made it through the 24 hours of transport! really wasn't that bad. And to my surprise, I'm not the least bit jet lagged... slept all night from Hong Kong to Oz... woke up and I was over the outback,and landed late morning... so I had a nice full day yesterday.
I pulled some Australian funds out of the bank, hopped on a bus (the busses are really wierd here) to the city... and have been meeting people left and right. people from France, Germany, Japan....
My intitial impressions of Adelaide: bloody hot. W're right on the coast of a massive desert here. it's 33c right now, gonna hit 35 today, and hit the 40's by sunday, so the locals say...
The cars driving on the other side of the road takes some getting used to (I just about got hit by a car jaywalking yesterday - reflexively looked the wrong way to check for clear. hahah) The crosswalk lights make really funny sounds... like spaceship/video game sounds... they make me laugh... and the telephone dial tone sounds like our ring tone in Canada, confused me at first... The currency here is nothing like I expected... more like mexican currency than Candian... Eucalyptus trees growing everywhere... strange little bugs and really weird little birds eating garbage - cloured like out magpies, behave like out magpies... but shaped like a sand piper of some kind...
Being as I have not left the city yet, I don't know much about the animals and things... but I'll be finding out soon.
I am presently staying at the Cannon St. backpackers hostel. not the best place in town, but it's cheap, clean and a large variety of people are staying here, as it is one of the larger hostels in town...
Have made friends with a German guy and his girlfriend. Henning and Maki. Really cool people. been exploring the city, checking out pubs and cooking up delicious food. The just got back from Tasmania and highly reccomend it. Really sound like my idea of a good time.
What else to say.....
The women are bloody georgeous here. Everyone is so friendly. You can stop people on the street to ask questions and they are really kind and helpful. go out of their way to assist you. It's great.
Ok. my timer is running out here. and I've got some exploring to do. Going to finfd the botanical gardens and there is a free art museum north of downtown by the river...I'm off and I'll write again soon.

Something about flying into the same sunset for 9 hours straight that makes you marvel at these giant birds we have put into the sky...
It is presently muggy as hell here in Hong kong... ad I don't have long to write, as my flight to Adelaide boards shortly.... but yeah. so far, so good. I am 16 hours different than Vancouver presently... and so far my clock doesn't see this as being any different than my normally erratic hours....
I was seated next to a very graceful Philipino woman on my flight... we had a wondeful time and kept eachother entertained most of the flight.... I taught her how to draw - she taught me biochemistry and breathed life into catholocism in a way I never thought possible...
The flight was very nertaining for me... not too often you get to see the Queen Charlotte islands, Alaska, Russia, Japan, Taiwan and China all in 14 hours....
Japan was probably the most spectacular from the air. Alot bigger than I imagined... Nagoya and Mt. Fuji were definetly the highlights. Tokyo was on the other side of the plane... and there were alot of clouds for most of the rest of the journey....
The Hong Kong airport is pretty spacey... showcases of high tech electronics... really bizzare... funny music coming from shops that sell a variety of god knows what... hard to tell what it actually is...
ok.
My flight is boarding soon!
Next stop, Oz.

I made it to Bowen last night. Managed to make it onto the last boat rather than watch it sail away just as I arrive... which is what usually happens when I try to make the last one...
Been all over the lower mainland in the last couple days. Something like 6 hours of busses and skytrains...
My last day in Abbottsford consisted of breakfast and meditation at the Sikh temple (told you they'd be seeing me again), long soggy walks around the flooded trails of the Abbotsford city park system and cookin up some sweet potata' with Michelle, and a late evening Lego run to Walmart with Doug... Rearranging some more furniture with Dustin (you'd really have to meet these people to understand. good times)
Off nice and early Friday morning... took a greyhound out to Vancouver to meet up with Cat. After much wandering about in the rain and very little manifesting of a place to stay, we ended up bussing it all the way out to her place in Aldergrove, a good 4/5 of the way back to Abbotsford where I started out that morning - hah.
Annnd back to Vancouver the next evening, just in time to watch all of the shops I had things to pick up at, close steps before my arrival. nothing important - trivial things, that can be lived without.
Really nice to see the Fams here on Bowen island. Leah and Ron and Terran. Jayden is quite the charectar these days... and Kian's Voice is dropping! I knew it was coming soon!
And to Dad - thanks for sending my new driver's licence - it made it here no problem....if only my solar battery charger were so prompt to arrive. It is not here yet
Hopefully things will be sorted out by monday morning...
Got a few things to do here before my flight on moday. I take off at 2:35pm for Adelaide, Australia with a 2 hour stop in Hong Kong. Flights are reconfirmed. I'm good to go.
And to the people that left comments on the last entry, that is cool. and feel free to leave more or drop me emails as the trip gets interesting!

Sleeping on a shitty matress on a hardwood floor.
The sink drains into a pail.
The heat is off.
The house is built of art.
Wonderful live music presently fills my ears and shakes my seat from the other room.
This place is wonderful. Been staying with a friend of Doug, Dustin. Wonderful people. All of them.
Manic. Driven. Bound to be sucessful.
Sat in on an Eastern religion class yesterday at the university college here in Abbotsford. Made me realize it has been years since I have set foot in a classroom. The whole happening was seeping with sychronicities in the most wonderful of ways.
Went out with Dustin for a little drive out to Mount Sumas today to see his folks place. Everything is flooding quite severly out there, fences submerged, waters rising across roads in some places. beautiful county out here though... Saw the Fraser river through the misty rain...
Ate at a local Sikh temple for dinner this evening... that was a first for me. remove your shoes and wash your feet... wrap your head in paisley and eat wonderful (and free of charge) curry food, taking seat on the floor. Wonderful experience. They'll be seeing me again.
All in all, a nice first gear to get this adventure into motion.