getting to kathmandu...
Well, I'm in the Hong Kong airport for 8 hours after my 9 hour trip here from Sydney. THen it's off to New Delhi, where I'll have another 10 hour wait. Apparently you can pay $16 for a shower there, I think I'm gonna spring for it. :) If only I had an AMEX black card or was a business class member, I could shower and lounge around for free. Marc, this makes me feel less bad about all the travelling you do. They also have massage therapists in these places. I just keep telling myself how much a hundred bucks could get me in Kathmandu so I don't spend it here. Also...massages in Thailand will cost like $5 and I will get one every day. Every. Day. I've already made a pact with myself.
So with all this time, I figure I should catch up on blogging.
For some reason today I've been lonely. Maybe it's that I'd gotten used to the lovely company of Jane. Maybe it was that I watched "The Reader" (fantastic, by the way) on the plane and cried my eyes out. maybe this is normal. in any case, i appreciate that I have a place to write and people who will read it...even if it's not my partner. makes me feel less alone wherever I am in the world.
So...my last couple days in Sydney were lovely, and not quite as jam packed, which I think Jane and I both needed. We went to the Sydney Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and a bunch of private art galleries that were lovely. AND we had Din Tai Fung! Even if Jane liked it but wasn't blown away. There's no accounting for taste (that's for you, Jane). :P I'm not sure if I just haven't been to a Museum in a while or what, but the art gallery of NSW was AMAZING! I mean, I went for the Aboriginal art, but ALL of the exhibits were awesome. Easten art, modern art too. will put up 2 pictures of my favorite works once I get to Nepal. Interestingly enough, I found that I like other Oceanic Aboriginal art better that Australian. Bornean and stuff from Papua New Guinea in particular. The Australian market is so saturated, apparently, with Australian Aboriginal art, that there's not much of a market for the other. Which allowed me to buy and post home some REALLY cool stuff from Papua New Guinea at less-than-antique prices.
Other interesting things about Australia:
They say "post" instead of "mail", when using it as a verb.
They call movers "removalists". I LOVE this.
When they say the word "no" it sounds like "noy".
They call pharmacies "chemists". This made for a fun picture when ther was a rainbow (gay-friendly) triangle next to a "chemist" sign that made it look like an ad for a gay chemist. I dont know why I found that so cute.
By the way, I'm not sure I've quite mentioned it, but I'm kind of in love with Sydney as a city. It has the bricks and house architecture of chicago, the neighborhoods of San Francisco, and the night life of New York City. What more could you ask for?
So on my last night, Jane and I met up with Linda's Jon (whom I'd already seen once in Auckland, as he was there on business while I was there), who'd invited us to a fundraiser for a Mexican Orphanage. Who could turn that down? The fundrasier was at a place called and RSL. Oh, but if we had those in the U.S. As I understand it, RSLs (something something League) are somewhat like shriners places in the States. It's in honor of veterans, and it's a membership thing, but nowadays memberships are extremely cheap, like $5 a year or something. They have food, cheap drinks (there are members discounts), and...wait for it...gambling! Also, they have a vending machine that serves meat pies. And event rooms. Our party/fundraiser was in one such room. It was the cutest thing ever. Basically we paid a fee, had drinks, and sat and played trivia by the table (tables of 10). Ours was table 8 and included Jane, Jon, me, and a bunch fo Jon's mates. Oh! That's another thing! Everyone in Oz is a mate. Even when they stamp your passport at the airport they'll say "Have a good trip, mate" or "cheers, mate!". It's so cute! Also, Jon's apartment is AMAZING. It has views of the whole city and harbor. Linda, you'd love it. Anyway, back to the fundraiser. There were questions like "spell 1999 in using Roman numerals" and things like that. And there were auction items. So basically it was a bunch of Aussies (the place was packed) throwing money around, buying drinks, and taking trivia! It was so fun! There was something really sweet about it. Like, people weren't going to raves and taking ecstacy. They were having fun with friends and playing trivia! Kind of makes me want to move to Sydney, if that's what my weekends would be like.
Anyhoo...this blog is no longer so mini. Off to bide my 5 more hours here. Pray to your god for me that I'll be able to sleep on the way to Delhi. And get hungry enough for some dumplings. Or duck. Or something like that.
Sar
So with all this time, I figure I should catch up on blogging.
For some reason today I've been lonely. Maybe it's that I'd gotten used to the lovely company of Jane. Maybe it was that I watched "The Reader" (fantastic, by the way) on the plane and cried my eyes out. maybe this is normal. in any case, i appreciate that I have a place to write and people who will read it...even if it's not my partner. makes me feel less alone wherever I am in the world.
So...my last couple days in Sydney were lovely, and not quite as jam packed, which I think Jane and I both needed. We went to the Sydney Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and a bunch of private art galleries that were lovely. AND we had Din Tai Fung! Even if Jane liked it but wasn't blown away. There's no accounting for taste (that's for you, Jane). :P I'm not sure if I just haven't been to a Museum in a while or what, but the art gallery of NSW was AMAZING! I mean, I went for the Aboriginal art, but ALL of the exhibits were awesome. Easten art, modern art too. will put up 2 pictures of my favorite works once I get to Nepal. Interestingly enough, I found that I like other Oceanic Aboriginal art better that Australian. Bornean and stuff from Papua New Guinea in particular. The Australian market is so saturated, apparently, with Australian Aboriginal art, that there's not much of a market for the other. Which allowed me to buy and post home some REALLY cool stuff from Papua New Guinea at less-than-antique prices.
Other interesting things about Australia:
They say "post" instead of "mail", when using it as a verb.
They call movers "removalists". I LOVE this.
When they say the word "no" it sounds like "noy".
They call pharmacies "chemists". This made for a fun picture when ther was a rainbow (gay-friendly) triangle next to a "chemist" sign that made it look like an ad for a gay chemist. I dont know why I found that so cute.
By the way, I'm not sure I've quite mentioned it, but I'm kind of in love with Sydney as a city. It has the bricks and house architecture of chicago, the neighborhoods of San Francisco, and the night life of New York City. What more could you ask for?
So on my last night, Jane and I met up with Linda's Jon (whom I'd already seen once in Auckland, as he was there on business while I was there), who'd invited us to a fundraiser for a Mexican Orphanage. Who could turn that down? The fundrasier was at a place called and RSL. Oh, but if we had those in the U.S. As I understand it, RSLs (something something League) are somewhat like shriners places in the States. It's in honor of veterans, and it's a membership thing, but nowadays memberships are extremely cheap, like $5 a year or something. They have food, cheap drinks (there are members discounts), and...wait for it...gambling! Also, they have a vending machine that serves meat pies. And event rooms. Our party/fundraiser was in one such room. It was the cutest thing ever. Basically we paid a fee, had drinks, and sat and played trivia by the table (tables of 10). Ours was table 8 and included Jane, Jon, me, and a bunch fo Jon's mates. Oh! That's another thing! Everyone in Oz is a mate. Even when they stamp your passport at the airport they'll say "Have a good trip, mate" or "cheers, mate!". It's so cute! Also, Jon's apartment is AMAZING. It has views of the whole city and harbor. Linda, you'd love it. Anyway, back to the fundraiser. There were questions like "spell 1999 in using Roman numerals" and things like that. And there were auction items. So basically it was a bunch of Aussies (the place was packed) throwing money around, buying drinks, and taking trivia! It was so fun! There was something really sweet about it. Like, people weren't going to raves and taking ecstacy. They were having fun with friends and playing trivia! Kind of makes me want to move to Sydney, if that's what my weekends would be like.
Anyhoo...this blog is no longer so mini. Off to bide my 5 more hours here. Pray to your god for me that I'll be able to sleep on the way to Delhi. And get hungry enough for some dumplings. Or duck. Or something like that.
Sar
posted by sara leib at 2:24 AM
2 Comments:
Sar,
Damn really never have wanted to travel to Australia. I know, crazy, but it has never been high on my list. Your blogs make it sound so lovely and interesting. AND I too love papua new guinea art. There's an amazing selection of it at the Asian Art Museum in SF. Sorry you are feeling lonely, I do think it is all a part of this adventure you are on. Traveling is tiring and hard and amazing. But you already knew that. I remember one night I spent in a concrete cell out on the middle of no where tanzania. It was not a good night. But now it makes me laugh my ass off.
always thinking of you. write write write in that journal of yours. XO
kg
S:
So great to hear about the great down under. Made me choke up to read how you've been feeling. I think it's so great that you are undertaking this adventure on your own. I think this journey with all its highs and lows is going to help remind you what makes you, you. So, brave and stalwart adventure maven, embrace all the experiences and feelings. Even the lonely. Love you and wish I were there in your pocket.
Cat
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