G'day mates!

Hello friends from Down Under!

I got here Wednesday night and am back at the Sydney airport awaiting Melvin's arrival.  I spent three days up in the Blue Mountains exploring that tourist mecca (Katoomba) before heading back down to Sydney last night.  With Melvin I'll explore Sydney & surrounding country more.  To keep this interesting, I'm going to change my format this time and present to you the highlights of my stay here so far, discussing topics of interest.

Executive Summary:
*The people: VERY friendly.  Everyone is interested in my trip and has plenty of advice about where to go and what to do here.  The bus driver, the man at the train station, the man on the trail, the hostel roommate, etc.

* Losing things: I must be losing my mind or something because I seem to be losing something every single day.  I've already lost two headlamp lights (that makes 4 in the last 4 months & 2 in the last week!)  I'm starting to feel like they did in the book of Ether -- sleep on it or lose it!

* Pack-weight: A constant obsession.  How can I lower my weight?  I seem to be accumulating even more stuff. Books, brochures, food, etc.  I've never felt so much like a homeless person!  I'm looking forward to this next week driving a car with Melvin.  Maybe I'll send some stuff home with him?

* Hostel life: I must be getting too old -- I'm just not up for the party atmosphere at the hostel.  The rates are great though (except the nickel-and-diming laundry) -- and fortunately my room was clean and quiet, even sharing the room with 5 other guys.  Americans are strangely rare here, but there are many from the UK.

* Church: I found the singles branch here in Sydney and attended it today.  I always love going to church in different countries.  There are so many interesting people to meet, and new insights to be gained.  It was such a stark difference in the spirit between the hostel and the church.  It was a bit embarrassing walking in with a backpack on (I hid it in the library) but I was proud of myself for having a white shirt and tie.  I should make it back to the Hyde Park Branch 3 more times in my coming/going thru Sydney!  I was amazed by how international the branch was -- really people from all over the world were there.  And people here are joining the church in big numbers -- today a new member from Sri Lanka was confirmed.

* Shopping: I found a K-Mart (!) in Katoomba and got me some styling new clothes (watch out world!) then headed next door for groceries.  It's interesting to shop a week's worth of food when you realize you have to carry it all with you!

* My foot problems: Unfortunately suffering from "coral toe" -- a couple of toes got pretty gouged in Hawaii on the reef and they're not getting better very quickly.  I may need to take it easy for a week or so.  Fortunately the doctor (my brother Melvin) is coming and he'll take care of it!  In the meantime I've been wearing my reef shoes (thin & rubbery) because they are so much more comfortable on my feet.

*The Blue Mountains: A rain forest paradise.  I dayhiked what they call the "Grand Canyon" -- which although very different than Arizona's Grand Canyon is incredible in its own right.  Giant ferns, pools, waterfalls everywhere, a catwalk on the side of a narrow canyon.  I also did a backpack trip to Mt. Solitary, very fitting name because I had the whole mountain to myself on a mystical, foggy day.  I just about stayed in my tent all day but fortunately the rain let up around mid-day after raining all night.  The mountain was quite rugged but the big views of valleys below and exotic foliage was all worth it.  I spent another night sleeping under a huge overhang -- if only the ground had been flat it would have been perfect.  I felt like I was almost rolling down the slope all night.

* The birds: I've seen a beautiful red/white/blue bird, a big flightless bird with a big tail feather, a tiny brown speckled bird, and a crow-like black/white bird.  I've heard all kinds of neat bird calls.  In the backcountry one type of bird makes a call that basically sounds like you're hitting the two highest keys on the piano over and over!  I tried recording some of these sounds.

* The foliage: I love the giant fern trees, the beautiful eucalyptus trees (I love the tree trunks), moss covered boulders, and I wish I knew what else I saw.

Have a great week and we'll catch you all later!
Ray