The End

We finally made it home, exactly eight months from the day we left. It was pretty surreal for us to say goodbye to our cousin at the Sydney airport and be welcomed by our parents and aunt at the Vancouver airport thirty-six hours later. 

The first flight was actually not too bad. It was about eight hours and I even slept a bit before getting into Bangkok late at night for our first  stop over. We then headed to London on a flight that took about ten hours and were greeted by our old friends and newlyweds, Camille and James. Our seven hour stop over in London was quite pleasant and included going out for an English breakfast, taking a walk around Harrods, going for one last English pint and seeing the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. It was great to see our friends one last time and we felt like we were "completing the circle" by starting and ending in London. The last flight was by far the worst, It was about twelve hours and Al didn't sleep much at all, and I only a couple hours. We did finally make it though, a little delirious but full of energy and were extremely relieved to see our parents faces on the other side.

Everyone back here in Vancouver has been asking us about the highlights of the trip and stating how lucky we were to be able to travel for so long. While the trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and will stand as a major highlight of our lives, traveling is essentially a selfish act. Trekking through the mountains in north Vietnam, bungee jumping, eating delectable risotto in Verona, sampling wines in the Barossa Valley, biking around the Isle of Mull, and scaling the ruins of Angkor Wat lost some of their significance as we were recalling our trip in the company of friends and family at our Welcome Back party. Our tales were overshadowed by the interest and affection displayed by the two dozen people that showed up to drink beer and chat with us. Thanks to the Bellingham Boys (plus Leslee!) for coming up, and thanks to the Lattimer Crew for showing and being as funny as ever, and to Beak and all of Kate's buddies for making our transition back home an awesome one. Nothing beats life-long friends and family!

Nelson, Kaikoura, And Back Home

From the flapjack rock formations of Punakaiki we bussed to the top of the South Island. We decided to spend some time in Nelson, the sunniest city in New Zealand. The foothills and port setting reminded us of Scotland's Oban, but this little town was much warmer and activity-based. We were there for three days. One of the days was spent biking to Tahunanui Beach. We stumbled upon Stoke Brewery during our ride, by fluke, and enjoyed all of the samples that floor manager Jesse Achilles provided us with. We were so impressed with this family brewery that we both bought t-shirts, and pints, from Jesse. We love boutique breweries...and bakeries...and wineries...and galleries...and....

 The Livingroom-Like Stoke Brewery Taproom

A shout-out to Nelson's Tasman Bay Backpackers for supplying us with free baked chocolate pudding and vanilla ice cream every night.

From Nelson we travelled to Kaikoura, on the East Coast. Kaikoura is a small seaside town that has become famous for the Right Whales and Dusky Dolphins that frequent the waters off the coast. While we could not afford to "swim with the dolphins" at this point in our trip, we did spend a pleasant afternoon hiking up along the coast to visit a furry seal colony. Kate got within five feet of a sleeping seal but was too scared to try to hug the snoring beast, despite my dares. We also saw the largest Red Beaked Seagull colony in the world....ooooooooo!

The Kaikoura Koast

We are back in Christchurch now and only have a few days left in our massive odyssey. We fly to Sydney tomorrow morning to spend a few days with our cousin, and then we fly back to Vancouver on December 7th for eggnog, Christmas cheer, and unavoidable debt. We have been feeling for some time that we should do something to acknowledge this epic trip we have taken...so, after much deliberation and amending, we got our first tattoos! The tattoos are: our family motto ("cursum perficio" aka "perfect the course" aka "finish what you start"), a RTW trip commemoration, and birthday emblems (11/11/11 and 11/19/11) based on font from one of Scotland's most treasured manuscripts, the Aberdeen Bestiary. A huge thanks to Maori artist, Penni, from Christchurch's City of Ink for her flawless work and to Vancouver calligrapher, Jane Woolnough, for creating countless drafts of the tat design.  

We have recently come to the random discovery that many popular sayings amongst the elderly contain the word little: 

"A little dab will do ya"

"That's got a little kick to it"

"It's a little pick-me-up!"

"A little birdie told me..."

Weird.

Poon and Kaka

We went from the small townships of Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph to the smaller roadside community of Punakaiki on November 23rd for a few days. Punakaiki is famous for the odd "pancake rocks" that have formed from the limestone cliffs that are positioned right on the edge of the raucous Tasman Sea. These sedimentary rocks were once under water and are actually comprised of mudstone and limestone...as rain and waves have been wearing away at the cliffs, the mudstone has been eroding faster than the limestone, resulting in the remaining rocks to resemble stacked flapjacks. All of this erosion and active geological activity has also created numerous "blowholes" and underground caves throughout the Punakaiki formations, which results in streams of water being shot up into the air at various points around the cliffs.  Why isn't this a wonder of the world?! While we didn't necessarily need to stay overnight in this micro community, we had fun exploring the town, patronizing the lone coffeeshop four times in less than 48 hours, and hiking the cliffs in the area.

"You May Find Yourself / Chillin' in a Limestone Cliff" - Talking Heads

Mad Scientist Alberto, Summoning the Power of the Tasman Sea

We also wanted to note that the majority of all travelers here in New Zealand are German. While there were lots of Canadians in the UK, and lots of Aussies and Brits in SE Asia, the Germans are dominating the NZ backpacker scene. Whenever we enter a new hostel or get on a bus we point at people and play "German, Or No German".
 

Now for our NZ beer review. For such a small country, they sure have a thriving craft beer industry. In addition, many of the breweries are here on the South Island. 

Invercargill - We tried the Stanley Green Pale and the Wasp Honey Pilsner. A small family business, with brewers that love experimenting with hops.

Monteiths - The Okanagan Springs of New Zealand...a brewery with craft roots that has expanded and can now be found in almost every bar here. We hated their Radler, but their Celtic Red is wonderful and drinkable.

Tui - The national beer of New Zealand and incorrectly described as an IPA. This ruby red, low alcohol (4%) amber ale is cheap and flavourful. I wish Molson Canadian tasted like this!

Steinlager - Another one of the country's big breweries and a primary sponsor of the All Blacks. Extremely average lager, similar to Kokanee or Tiger.

Speights - Proudly southern and small, this Dunedin-based brewery produces beer that is light and hoppy. Even their Distinction Ale and Stout contain a bit too much of a citrusy finish, but their Gold Medal Ale is refreshing and loved by all Kiwis. We drank at the brewery's taproom!

MOA - An expensive, boutique brewery based here in the south that bottles brews with names such as noir (chocolate porter) and breakfast (raspberry wheat). Great, but pricy. Only available in bottle.

The Birthday Girl

Hey y'all! I was in Fox Glacier, New Zealand for my 24th birthday, as some of you may know. Here's a super duper quick re-cap of the awesomeness. Fox Glacier is a teeny tiny town on the West Coast of New Zealand and it is literally only one gas station, three cafes, and a couple of youth hostels. As the name suggests, there is a big glacier just outside of the town and Al and I paid to do the whole day hike on this icy bugger for my birthday. Luckily my day in the sun was...well...in the sun, hehe. NZ is probably the rainiest place on earth (besides Vancouver) and yet I totally lucked out. We got hooked up with all the gear and rolled out to the thing about half past nine. We got to walk through the adjoining rain forest and saw some cool plants and such. We walked about as far up the glacier as humanly possible and got stopped by some pretty big glacial high rises (the final ice fall of the glacier) but got to explore some killer crevasses and ice tunnels. The whole six hours were awesome though, and I even had my group/guide sing happy birthday to me with my birthday hat on! Anyway when we got back to the hostel I did many shots of beer and did some shots of tequila while eating my pizza dinner. This was quickly followed by my face getting shoved in my birthday mud cake! Though this was a surprise, my dream was to eat the cake with my hands and thankfully this soon followed. Al and the hostel crew really made it a goody and here are some pics to prove it! Good times.

chillin in a crevasse

 

the whole-day crew

Roughin' the Remarkable Routeburn

On November 17th, we returned from our excellent 4-day, 3-night stint on the Routeburn Track, just North-West of Queenstown. Ill break our awesome adventure down for ya:

Day 1: We took the 4 hour bus ride from Queenstown to the trailhead at The Divide. Fresh faced and bushy tailed, Al and I headed to our first accommodation at Lake Howden. Most of the hike this day was through the woods and we were pretty lucky to have the sun shining for the two hours we were hiking. It was just as we got the the first cabin that the rain came in through the mountains and rain on our parade. We held off on hiking to the Key Summit for the next morning and decided instead after the rain ceased to walk around the mountain surrounding Lake Howden.

 Why are we holding hands at Lake Howden?

Day 2: Woke up early to sunshine! What a relief it was to not see rain falling as we headed off to hike the 918m up to the Summit. We had a spectacular view of Hollyford Valley and Mount Aspiring National Park and after singin' a little Stevie Winwood headed off to the second hut. Most of the day was spent climbin through the forest and after about 5km walked up to an enormous, dramatic waterfall called Earland Falls. It was definitely the largest waterfall Alex and I had ever seen and even though there were multiple "Do Not Stop" signs up, we decided to stop, drink some glacier water and eat some lunch hehe. The rest of the day was spent walking along the side of a valley and enjoying the mountainous scenery. We walked through what looked to be a fruitless orchard and shortly after came to our second stop, Mckenzie Hut. It was about 20 degrees Celsius when we arrived so we went for a short walk to the "Split Rock" (a 5 meter high rock, split in half) around the backside of Lake Mckenzie. It got cold, so we went to bed early.

 

Day 3: This was the longy and coldy. It was about 12km to the next cabin but not raining when we parted Mckenzie...luckily. We went straight up for a couple Kilometres and it slowly got colder, snowier and sketchier (about half way up we all had to walk separately so that if the rock/ice blocks fell, they would only kill 1 person at a time). We got up and over the top of this first snowy bank and made it about a km along the mountain ridge before the rain came in. It came in quick and hard and though the view was awesome from the side of the mountain, it was getting very cold as we started to get near the top of 3700 foot peak. Thankfully, there was a shelter at the bottom of Harris Saddle because the temperature dropped at least a couple degrees and we were walking through fairly thick snow. We found out only a few days before the day of the hike that we were to take a helicopter over the Saddle due to major avalanche warnings and it was sure an exhilarating one minute ride. Alex was not a huge fan since the wind was blowing us left and right as we landed on the other side on the danger zone. We were freezing and wet but only had to walk another 2 kms to our final destination at Routeburn Falls hut and enjoyed the scene of the gushing waterfall as we crawled into the cabin and into bed.

Posing all of the time. Doucheland Falls.

 

Braving the snowy switchback on Day 3

Day 4: Eazy peazy. Woke up to sunshine and walked the rest of the way down to the beautiful valley floor. Snapped some pictures of the adjoining mountain tops and then took some lunch at a nearby river bend. We took our sweet time walking to the Routeburn Road end and finished a little tired but jovial and proud of our efforts.

DONE! 

Scotland of the South

We arrived in New Zealand one week ago and the country has already made an indelible impression. We arrived in Christchurch knowing about the earthquake that killed 181 people on February 22 of this year, as well the numerous aftershocks, but we were not prepared for the level of destruction that the town has endured. The strange thing about the damage is that it is essentially limited to the city centre, which has now been portentously dubbed "The Red Zone". One of the more disturbing things that we saw on our walk to our hostel was a nine-storey hotel that was still standing but was completely empty. Much of the glass was still intact, curtains were blowing out of some of the windows, and there were still plants in the lobby...it looked post-apocalyptic, like a building out of The Road or 28 Days Later. As you can imagine, the town was quiet and was a far cry from the picturesque tourist spot we were expecting to see. However, we made the best of it: we went to a farmers market at Riccarton House, explored the lush botanical gardens, and drank craft beer at one of the best pubs (Pomeroy's) we have found to date.

Post-Apocalyptic Row Houses in Dunedin

We bussed south to Dunedin on November 7th and were instantly struck by the similarities between this New Zealand university town and the Scottish cities of Edinburgh and Stirling. From the topography and climate to the Victorian architecture and city planning, Dunedin (which is Gaelic for Edinburgh) is like a lip-smacking scoop of Haggis in the southern hemisphere. One of Kate's primary goals (and life dreams) on this trip was to visit the Dunedin Cadbury Factory, and the tour was worth the $18 entrance fee. Not only did we see a chocolate waterfall and sample fresh, liquid milk chocolate from the source, we were also given eight candy bars each! We burned some of these delicious calories on a walk to the world's steepest residential street. Baldwin Street is about four kilometers outside of Dunedin and has made it into the Guinness Book for its 1 : 2.86 (35%) slope. I was an idiot and ran up the hill, without warming up first. It was a LOT harder than it looked. The following day, we took a bus to Otago Peninsula, which continues out to sea from Dunedin. This area is famous for its albatross and penguins, which we failed to see. We did go hiking to find them, but the rain and cold forced us to return to the city for some beer from Speight's Brewery and some pretzles. 

"IS this heaven?!"

After exhausting Dunedin, we headed for Queenstown, the outdoor activity Mecca of New Zealand. We had heard some negative opinions about Queenstown from fellow backpackers, due to its reputation as a tourist hub and its skibum quality of life, but the town's location at the base of the Remarkables Mountain Range and position on Wakatipu Lake make it undeniably breathtaking. Our first mission in Queenstown involved jumping from the first bungee jump ever...at Kawarau Bridge. We did this for my 30th Birthday, after eating an awesome breakfast of eggs benny and ham-banana pancakes (it stayed down, fortunately). The jump was scarier than I thought it would be, but Kate loved it. It just seems so unnatural to fling your body off of a tiny ledge 150 feet above the ground! The rest of my birthday was fun as well. I had a wonderful lamb dinner at Vknow (which included a free birthday beer) and Kate supplied unlimited candy and coffee throughout the day. A new decade!     

The Flowery Fleurieu Peninsula

The past couple weeks have been jam packed with Australian goodness. In an attempt to suckle every last drop from South Australia's teet, we've been on a pie, beer and wine rampage. Not to mention the very Australian sites we've explored. Dan's uncle, Steve, was very generous and invited us up to his new cottage for the weekend in Victor Harbour on the Fleurieu Peninsula. After cruising on the beach in Steve's Jeep (pic seen below) with the waves crashing along side us we needed a break from the cold and went back to try (and fail) the Centurion. The next day we roamed around Victor Harbour and saw some adorable adjacent towns. Port Elliot was Alex's favorite as it was tiny and unpopulated, as he likes it, but mine was probably Horseshoe Bay (yes, there's another Horseshoe Bay) where we got a couple hours of fishing in. On our way out of Victor we scored our 3rd Ned Kelly pie, walked around Granite Island and watched dolphins frolic along the coast. 

Goolwa Beach with Steve on the Fleurieu

We finally got to Barossa Valley! Our dreams came true semi-last minute only 3 days before we were leaving Adelaide. Some of the biggies that we hit up were Penfolds, Jacob's Creek and Grant Burge...and at the last minute got to Torbreck, a little German winery with some fine Shiraz. Over the past month we have both come to the conclusion that we generally dislike Cabernet Sauvignon due to it's dry, less fruity, nature. Shiraz has become our new fave and we've sampled over two dozen from around the region since we've been here (quick shout out to Joy, who inspired me to hop on the Shiraz train!). 


Quick mention of our Halloween extravaganza which was not really an extravaganza whatsoever. We did, however, dress up with a jason mask, some bunny ears, and some fake blood. They don't seem to celebrate all-hallows-eve here but just walking to and from Paranormal Activity 3 over 7 horns honked in our honor! Needless to say we both consumed a whole bag of chocolate bars even though it was about 23 degrees outside.


We've ended our journey in Adelaide with a couple classics. One being the infamous Vili's Pie Floater. For those of you who do not know what this is it consists of a beef pie, pea soup and ketchup. I was not a huge fan and Alex is insistent that it would boom in the prairies of Canada due to its hardy nature but otherwise is unnecessary. Our 4th and final Ned Kelly was from Dulwich Bakery (pronounced Dul-ich) and was very good but still just couldn't beat the eggy goodness of Becks Bakery which came out on top. If you didn't think we could get much more South Australian, on our last day of work at Vili's, we mustered up the courage to go talk to Vili himself who was sitting having coffee. Not only did he greet us warmly but gave us signed Vili's caps for free to take on our journey through New Zealand. What a great way to end our journey here in Adelaide, Australia!

Watch Out! It's Bunnicula! It's Halloween!

SHOULD We Eat This Pie Floater?

The renovations at our relatives' place that we helped prep are plugging along. It is fairly disturbing to see a room that one was lounging in a few weeks ago being destroyed and replaced with an open, dirt-floored space. Fortunately for us and our relatives, they have a second house so are able to escape the chaos. Here is a super short video of the carnage, which is an update to the video posted in our Oct 20th blog entry:

Shiraz is a Fickle Mistress

There are several famous wine regions in Australia, and two of them are in the state of South Australia: McLaren Vale and the Barossa. To prepare for trips to these regions, we went to Adelaide's Good Food and Wine Show last weekend where we sampled dozens of SA wines and got our grubby little Canadian hands on as many food samples as possible.

In Line for the McLaren Vale Shiraz Tasting

We were a bit disappointed in the food on offer, but all of the vendors were really informative and generous with their wines. I will avoid boring details about bouquet and oaking techniques and local winery histories, but I will share some of the basics that we learned:

• This region is hot but is subject to maritime influences. The soil is loamy and dry, resulting concentrated flavours, tannins and phenols
• Shiraz, CabSauvs, Semillon, and Riesling vintages do well under these conditions
• Wines that are matured in oak barrels contain more phenols and complexity than wines that are just fermented in oak and then bottled
• The Shiraz and CabSauvs from both McLaren Vale and the Barossa often benefit from some aging in the bottle (1-4 years) because they possess tight tannic structures that need to mellow and break down...so it doesn't feel as though you've been chewing cotton balls

On October 15th our aunt and uncle took us to McLaren Vale. We started the day in Willunga, the main town in the region, for their weekend market. After sampling and buying some lavender fudge, we headed off for our first winery, Richard Hamilton Wines. It just so happens that our aunt used have a "thing" with Richard (ahem, I mean, Dr. Hamilton), so we just had to stop here. We weren't crazy about the vintages they were offering at their cellar door, but we did buy a Riesling due to the connection with the grower. We also stopped at Hardy's, Settlement, and Oliver's Taranga. We actually sampled a Shiraz and Tempranillo from Taranga at the Good Food and Wine Show, so we wanted to see where the grapes were grown. While we did not particularly like Taranga's Tempranillo or Cab, we really liked their Shiraz. In fact, Kate liked their 2007 Reserve so much at the cellar door that she asked me to buy her a bottle for her upcoming birthday. This Shiraz is juicy and has a full-mouth Cab feel yet finishes just dry and spicy enough to counterbalance that initial splash of flavour.

Outside of Settlement Wines. Can you Tell We've Had a Few? 

...When We Are Not Making Pizza or Drinking Wine

McLaren Vale was beautiful and only thirty minutes away from Adelaide. We are going to the Barossa in two weeks to see how their Shirazes measure up. But the important question is: who is going to be the designated driver?!

Aussie Rules for Demolishing

In addition to pizza-making, Kate and I have been seeking truly Aussie (and, more specifically, South Australian) experiences over the past few weeks.

One of the things that we wanted to do since planning this trip in Vancouver was to attend an Aussie Rules (Australian Football League) game. We picked a good time to be here because the national league Grand Final (yay Geelong!) took place two weeks ago and the SANFL Final was this past weekend. We nabbed free tickets to the SANFL game thanks to Dan the Man and enjoyed a nail-biter between the West Torrens Eagles and the formidable Central Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have won the past five years, so it was great to see the underdog pull through. 

Aussie Rules: Crazier and More Exciting Than Gridiron!

We have done well on the food front, what with our job at Vili's Bakery, but we have been hunting down the illusive Ned Kelly Pie. Due to their colonial origins, Australians love meat pies and sausage rolls, yet they have created several items to call their own. Kangaroo pies are not uncommon, and Ned Kelly Pies can also be found at the better bakeries around the country. Ned Kelly was an outlaw born in 1855, just north of Melbourne, who spent several years in his twenties hiding from the law in the outback. In order to provide extra sustenance for those days in the outback when you are...you know...shooting at coppers and robbing farmers, Ned Kelly Pies are topped with a fried egg and broiled cheese.  We found some acclaimed pies at Beck's Bake House, and were surprised by how well all of the ingredients melded. We were scared the Ned Kelly would be heavy, like its namesake's infamous iron suit, but it was bold and delectable.  

You CAN'T Get More SA Than This

South Australia's official slogan is The Festival State and we really wanted to hit-up a music festival while were here. The major festival in spring is the day-long Parklife, which tours through five of the country's largest cities. We wanted to go, but we just couldn't afford it on our pizza-maker's wages. In an act of extreme generosity, our relatives bought us tickets as early birthday gifts. The weather was great, and highlights from the day included listening to The Naked and Famous, watching Lykke Li from a front row vantage point, and collecting $1 for every beer can and water bottle we found and turned in on the concert grounds. We took advantage of this recycling scheme, especially in the evening after all of the eighteen and nineteen year-olds were pissed. Thanks John, Cathy, Lizzy and J-Ho!
  

Who Owns Each Hand?

Over the past month, we have also been helping our aunt and uncle prepare their house for a major renovation. Here is a video for our family...a last look at Uncle John's house before it is flattened:

How Much is That Puppy in the Photo?

Well, it really IS starting to feel like home, now that we've added a puppy to the household. Our cousin Liz decided on a semi-impulsive whim to buy a puppy chihuahua that she saw on Gumtree a week and a half ago. We all (Liz and I) decided to name the adorable pup Olivia Benson Hunter, hehe. Now, anyone who knows me very well knows I am unhealthily obsessed with the show Law and Order SVU and the name just seemed a natural fit with this wee, assertive dog. She's only about a foot long at this stage but is already fitting in great in her new home with the rest of us animals.

 

That's One PINT-SIZED Puppy

For our own personal reference we have complied a short list of uber Australian sayings that we have noticed in the past month. These are things that people say on a daily basis without thinking them confusing or inappropriate. Weird.

1. "That's heaps good" (heaps commonly used instead of really)

2. "Last night was crackin' " (used instead of awesome or great)

3.  "Truckies/Bikies/Footy/Chewie" (they pretty much make every word a diminutive)

4. "How ya goin' mate?" (as opposed to how is IT going)

5.  "He's a bogan" (meaning a white trash individual)

6. "She'll be right" (aka it's cool or it'll be fine)

7. "I reckon..."

8. "Bring us a beer" (though, they're only referring to themselves)

 

Our Day Job: "This is my pepperoni." -  "And this is my cheese!"

 

De-Bricking and Un-Gardening our Relatives' Abode

Al and I would also like to mention the assorted beers we have had whilst residing in Australia. It's been awhile since we have had so much time to explore the full array of local beers. We've become big fans of a couple.

Coopers - The pride of Adelaide. We've tried their Sparkling Ale, Pale Ale, Dark Lager and Green-Neck Lager. Our favourite!

Hahn Super Dry - Arguably the best low carb beer in Oz. Really dry, with fairly high alcohol content

Carlton Draught - The "Molson Canadian" of Australia. Average and affordable

James Boag's - We have tried the Euro-style lager and the Aussie-style draught from this Tasmanian brewery...the draught is a favourite of ours

VB - Victoria Bitter, the highest selling beer in Australia, is actually a malty lager rather than a bitter
Lord Nelson - One of Sydney's best brew pubs, we tried three of their brews...Three Sheets Pale Ale, Nelson's Blood Porter, and Quayle Summer Ale
Crown Lager - initially only available to dignitaries, this heavy and classic lager is a mainstay, and usually only available in the bottle

A Dingo (Almost) Ate My Baby...Sister

Now that we have settled into Adelaide, we are beginning to explore some areas around the cute little city centre. Our relatives here have been really generous with their cars and their time, taking us to local sites and attractions.

Only Known External Usages of the Dawkins Surname: Atheism, the NFL, and...Adelaide!? 

We have hit the beach several times, and are sure to be spending even more time there as it warms up. While white sand runs along the western edge of city, this 30km stretch is divided into little communities that are fun to visit. From Henley Beach in the north to Brighton in the south, there are many spots to drink, read, and soak-up this harmfully strong South Australian sun.  We have also wandered through Glenelg, which is the largest of these beach towns.

Our cousins took us to Hahndorf last week. Located in the Adelaide Hills, a half-hour outside of town, this quaint village was settled by Prussian Lutherans in the late 1830s who were lured by the warm weather and cheap land. At this time, Australia had not yet established large-scale agricultural developments, so the majority of settlers in and around Hahndorf were Prussian/German farmers. This nineteenth-century German heritage is evident to this day, with the city's fachwerk buildings still being used and German beer featured in most pubs and restaurants. We also learned about two new foods, which are popular up in Hahndorf: the kransky and the beesting cake (or bienenstich cake). We didn't spend a huge amount of time here...just long enough for a beer, a kransky, and a pleasant walk down the village's main (and only) commercial street.

The Rubbish Bin Says it All

Our aunt and uncle also took us to the Cleland Wildlife Park this week. Although we have been in Australia for over one month, we have not seen as many kangaroos, koalas, and kookaburras as we thought we would have seen by now. After we mentioned this, we were promptly taken up into the hills, to Cleland. Using open-air divisions instead of compartmentalized enclosures, Cleland allows visitors to interact with many of Australia's famous, furry, and feathered creatures. While Kate loved patting and talking to Stephen the Koala, I was enamored of the wallabies. I was expecting kangaroos and wallabies to be skittish and grumpy, but these particular marsupials were calm and extremely tame. As my aunt Cathy said, wallabies "filled the deer niche in Australia" and this observation really rang true. However, a deer from back home in BC would never let you hand-feed it and scratch its belly. We also saw wombats, bandicoots, Tasmanian Devils, and purebred dingoes. Oh, one more thing...emus suck.   

I Want a Pet Wallaby!

Stephen Wasn't As Smelly As We Thought He Would Be

"I Don't Want Your Food, and I Don't Need Your Food!"

In other news, we finally scored jobs! After applying for dozens of positions - ranging from Retirement Home Cleaner to Catholic School Librarian to Dog Washer - and feeling as if we had been blacklisted due to our Working Holiday Visas, we were both offered positions as Pizza Makers. This is no Pizza Hut position...we create personal-sized, pre-packaged pizzas for a company that is affiliated with South Australia's massive and ubiquitous baker, Vilis. While it is a tedious processing position (we create 700 pizzas per day!), it has its perks: shifts are 10am-2pm, we get discounted pizzas, the workplace is fairly close to home, we get to work together, and it pays $19 per hour. The owner was really nice regarding our Visas and said that he doesn't expect backpackers to hang around too long...he'll hire them as long as they work hard while they are in town. That's us!

A Pie Floater from Vilis Cafe...Yum?

Light's Vision - A City of Parks and Grids

Like Vancouver, Adelaide regularly makes The Economist's Top Ten Most Livable Cities. Much of Adelaide's success has to do with the city's layout, which was conceived by William Light. Light, a British Colonel and the first Surveyor-General of South Australia, designed this city himself. The design was unusual for its time, for it consisted of a compact city centre completely surrounded by parklands. He wanted to create a city that broke from European models of urban planning. In order to avoid the labyrinthine organisation of many medieval cities in Europe, and to avoid the creation of a cityscape dominated by brick and stone, he envisioned a low-lying, inviting, grid-based town dotted with local parks. The greenery and geography of the city were the first things to make a positive impression upon us as we arrived via the rolling Adelaide Hills during a startlingly orange sunset. This city does not possess the grandeur of Paris or the swank of Melbourne, but it is quaint and pretty.

Unlimited Oranges!

What is with my Shirt Here?

We have definitely experienced a change of pace since arriving to Adelaide. We have family here, and a place to stay, so it almost feels like a home away from home. We have our own bedrooms, we have our own bathroom, and we go over to our aunt and uncle's a few times every week for dinner. This convenient arrangement is comfortable, but our days feel torpid when compared to the backpacker lifestyle. This change is neither good nor bad, it's just different. The great thing about being here is that we get to stay with family members that we had only met a few times in our lives...when they made the long trip to Vancouver. Why did they move sooooo far away?

Windy Point Lookout

We have been busy adapting to South Australia: we have consumed several Farmers Union Iced Coffees, we shop at Foodland, we have learned all the rules to Aussie Football and are going to an SANFL this week, and we are now accustomed to hearing Rainbow Lorikeets in the morning instead of pigeons. Our cuz, Liz, has been really generous with her time as well, showing us some of the local attractions which include:

Botanical Gardens

Brighton Beach

The River Torrens

The plan was to work while we visited with relatives here in Australia, but the search isn't going too well. Employers really really dislike Working Holiday Visas because they know that employees with these visas won't be sticking around. If the dry spell continues, we may push everything back and aim to be home in November. Now...time to pound the pavement!