Sweet Tooth and Matching Outfits

Last Sunday, I went to what I can only describe as the most magical place on earth short of Disneyland: Max Brenner. A friend of mine had mentioned it to me a couple of weeks ago, and I had been eagerly awaiting the chance to check it out for myself.

For those of you not familiar with it (as I was before becoming intimately acquainted with it this past weekend), Max Brenner is a chocolate-lover's paradise. They have vats of swirling chocolate being stirred constantly, tubes of chocolate leading across the ceiling, walls and shelves covered floor to ceiling, even the chairs and tables are made of chocolate (ok, that last one isn't true).

At any rate, there is so much chocolate here, it will give you a cavity just looking at it. It's designed as a sort of cafe that serves items solely based on chocolate: hot chocolate, drinking chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate mousse, chocolate pizza, chocolate fondue...you get the idea.

A few of us went over there in the evening after another day in Bondi (which is going to be fantastic once the weather is warmer). We grabbed a table and just ordered a bunch of stuff. I ended up with a coconut and lychee smoothee, an Italian thick hot chocolate (white chocolate), and split a chocolate fondue and chocolate mousse with ice cream with the rest of my friends. Toward the end, I queried as to whether or not anyone else's teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

Milk and dark choclate fondue with bananas,

strawberries, marshmallows, and banana bread.

Three-layer chocolate mousse with chocolate

sauce, fresh strawberries, and vanilla ice cream.

Italian thich hot chocolate - white chocolate, naturally.

They serve hot drinks in 'hug mugs' - they are

shaped so that you can easily wrap both hands

around it. I really wanted one, but they were $25.

I'll have to think about it.

As a side note, I had met a friend of mine earlier that day to go over to Bondi, and when we met up, we saw that she and I were wearing the same outfit - a red polo shirt and blue jeans (same color blue too). This amused us. But wait, it gets better. Later that night at Max Brenner, we met up with someone else as well. This will blow your mind:

Josh and Carson. Red polos, blue jeans,

and the SAME PUMA SHOES. Coolest. Outfit.

Ever.

So, at one point in the evening, there were three of us in our group of four wearing essentially the same outfit. I imagine we looked a bit like cult members. Who else wants to drink the Kool-Aid?

Diving in Jervis Bay

Disclaimer: I do not own an underwater camera, so these are all photos of things I saw taken by others to give you an idea of what it looked like. That being said, I really want an underwater camera now.

So, this past weekend I went on my first diving excursion since my arrival here down in Jervis Bay. The main draw of this dive is that we were to dive with seals, so I was pretty stoked, as they are essentially the puppies of the sea. I will preface this tale with the statement that these were two of the best dives I've done so far.

After picking up the rental car (again, our good friend the Toyota Kluger), I headed out of the city. For those of you who to whom I've not yet explained my car woes about wanting to bring my car over here, Australians drive on the opposite side of the road, and the steering wheel is on the right side. This is not as problematic as it sounds, as I was comfortable with it within about 5 minutes. The one thing, though, that I never quite got the hang of was the fact that the turn signal and windshield washer stalk are also reversed. I imagine it's relatively easy to spot American / German / etc. drivers on the road down here, as they are are the ones indicating their turns with a brief cleaning of their windshield.

At any rate, the drive down was quite pleasant, and took a couple of hours to the town of Huskisson where the group was staying in a large shared house. Our divemaster, Pete, was a greying man of few words, but at least he knew what he was doing. There were some nice folks on the trip, including a couple in their early 30s, Shane and Zorka. They were a riot and the three of us stayed up until 2 talking movies (I was in heaven). Probably wasn't the best idea to stay up late, considering I woke up at 6:15...

Anyway, Pete fixed us pancakes for breakfast, which I sadly didn't eat (some of you may know - despite never suffering from motion sickness before ever in the past, the last boat dive I took I fed the fish, as it were). Armed with my ginger pills and slightly stronger pills as a last resort, we made our way to the docks.

The boat was nice and the crew was fantastic (both named Steve). They gave us a quick briefing and we hit the open water. The trip out to the dive site took about 45 minutes, and we stopped a couple of times along the way to get a few fun facts about the area. First, Jervis bay is several times larger than Sydney Harbor. When Captain Cook first sailed by, he took an intial glance at the area, labeled it as a swamp, and sailed onward before finally landing at Sydney. Because he had labeled it as a swamp (which it's not), it was many, many years before anyone set out to explore it further. They didn't even have electricity until the late 1950s. The second stop was 100m off of some cliffs, which one of the Steves explained was because it was a breeding ground for over 8,000 fairy penguins. A few minutes later, we were finally at the dive site - and it was quite obvious: there were about a dozen seals in the water, barking, leaping, poking their heads out. We dropped anchor, geared up, and hopped in.

The visibility was about 50 feet or so, which is better than the soup I'm used to in Monterey. The bottom was a good 80 feet down, so once you jump in, you're surrounded by nothing but blue in all directions. Taking out my knife, I started banging on my tank with the hilt, as the seals are very inclined to check out such noises. After about 20 seconds of clanking, I started to see dark shapes moving around the very edges of the visibility. Soon, we were surrounded by no less than a dozen seals, all swimming around looking curious. If you've not seen seals up close, they can be a bit dauting at first underwater, as they easily weigh a good 400 pounds. Once they came to check us out, we were told we could keep their attention by acting crazy underwater. Having majored in crazy, I began to wave my arms, makes singing noises through my regulator, and somersault. It apparently worked, bescause shortly after my antics ensued, a handful of them swam closer. By closer, I mean they were no more than a couple of feet away. They began to mimic my movements, flipping, waving, swimming by with their mouths open. I would chase after them, and they would then chase after me. As they got more comfortable, they would start a game where they would swim rapidly straight at me and within a foot of me would change direction. It was their equivalent of 'chicken.' Another game they enjoyed was to wait until my attention was focused on something else, and they would swim up behind me and just float a couple of feet behind me until I turned around, at which point they would flip around and dart off. We were playing with them for a good 35-40 minutes before surfacing. It was probably one of the singularly most incredible experiences I've had in my life.

Back on the boat, they served us a quick lunch and we motored off to the next dive site. On the way over, we looked off the stern of the boat and saw about a half dozen dolphins leaping in our wake. They followed us for quite some time, and it was amazing to watch.

We anchored at our second dive site, The Docks, and were briefed on the location. This one was apparently full of caves to explore, and promised tons of fish. This was no understatement. We hit the water and began our descent. After dropping to the bottom, we immediately began to see fish. Lots of them. Upons swimming toward the first cave, I could see inside a massive school of fish (not certain of the type), and I swam right through them. Coming out of the other side of the cave, I was greeted by some large angelfish, a large blue grouper, and many biscuit stars. After a few minutes of swimming around, I spotted another dive pair beckoning me, pointing at something, and putting their hand vertically on top of their head like a fin (the international divers' sign for shark). Swimming over, I peered into the cave and saw just the white underbelly of a Port Jackson Shark. It was a bit menacing just sitting there in the darkness. After admiring it for a bit, I swam on. Finding another cave, I decided to try my luck with it. Had no problem getting in, but the cave narrowed considerably toward the end, closing to only slightly wider than my body / tank. I had to pull myself out through the final crack at the end. Still, a pretty cool experience. A short while later in the dive, I saw my buddy gesturing and pointing at something behind a rock. Swimming over, I peered down and saw two ~5-6 foot long leopard sharks relaxing lazily on the floor of the bay. Being that they were a bit larger, I wasn't about to attempt to cuddle with them has I had the kangaroos, as the sharks are considerably more...bitey. But I did watch them for a bit - they are really cool looking critters. Continuing on toward the end of the dive, I returned to the first cave, where I noticed something I hadn't seen before. Right near the entrance was an odd-looking rock. Swimming to ~12 feet away, I looked more closely at it. This rock had eyes and fins. Turns out it was a stonefish. For those of you not familiar with the stonefish, it is the most venomous fish in the world, and among the top 10 most venomous creatures. The venom from its spines can cause shock, paralysis, tissue damage, and death if not treated within a few hours. Needless to say, I didn't touch it.

After the end of the second dive, I headed home and relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

I'm going on a 3-day dive trip in a couple a weeks to the South West Rocks, an incredible underwater cave brimming with nurse sharks, eels, turtles, spotted eagle rays, and other large pelagics. So good.

Two Weeks' Worth of Fun!

Fear not - for those of you with whom I have not spoken over the past couple of weeks, I have not, in fact, met my demise by anything crawly, hairy, toothy, or stingy.

I have been up to quite a bit, though. In addition to finally moving into my flat (pictures to be posted as soon as it's presentable), things have really started to ramp up at work. But, in keeping with my solid work / life balance, I've found quite a bit of life to balance it out.

I made yet another trip to Bondi Beach, and this time took the full path all the way to Coogee Beach, as opposed to stopping the trek at Bronte Beach. It really is a stunning walk. Also, any excuse to go to Bondi, where there is a really good ice cream place...

It was a bit choppy out today - the wind really
whips up the waves.

There was an area on the walk where the waves

were really churning, at times shooting water

several dozen feet into the air.

I particularly enjoyed the many graphic warnings

this sign provided as to how I might bring about my

own demise should I attempt to swim anywhere near

the area.

Additionally, I happened upon a rather humorously-titled fish & chips cafe - I must remember to go back there at some point.

Absolutely love the name.

Also along the walk, was a hand-decorated stairway, similar to the Santa Teresa Steps decorated by Selaron in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Not nearly as eye-catching as the aformentioned steps, but still really cool to see.

The eyes are watching you...

Some of the tile detail of one of the lower steps.

A few days after that, I went out for a fun night on the town with a few of my teammates. Nothing fancy - dinner and bowling. Turned out to be a blast - we had a lot of fun. Also, they have an equivalent of Coldstone here called Cold Rock. I had a 2-scoop ice cream: one scoop of white chocolate ice cream with cookie dough, and another scoop of butterscotch ice cream with caramel. It was enough sugar to give my grandkids diabetes. I found it delicious.

We went out for some of the best Thai I've ever

had. Was so stuffed after the meal. But not

stuffed enough to skip ice cream.

Bowling was a lot of fun too. The only downside

is that I am constantly reminded of how

terrible I am at it - even though I started

off both games with a strike.

Also, I'd just like to share a quick shot of what I get to see on my walk to work each morning.

I swear, this place is like Disneyland.

Last weekend, it was one of my teammate's birthdays. During the day, a few of us went for a bit of a drive to a place called Bald Hill, which had spectacular views of the ocean and the neighboring city of Woolongong.

It was pretty much a straight shot down from here

to the ocean. People apparently hangglide / para-

glide off the cliff here.

To the right, where you see the twisty coastal

road, is the city of Woolongong.

After our brief stop by Bald Hill, we drove a couple more minutes to a nearby ranch, where we would be going horseback riding. Considering my most recent riding experience was on a mechanical bull, and I had only been riding twice before that (the most recent of such occasions being ~15 years ago), I was looking forward to it.

The ranch was quite nice! Anna's flatmate used to work there, so she set us up with some good horses, and we set off into the forest.

As a side note, they sadly did not have horses with the names that I requested. After failing to provide me with a Widowmaker, a Maelstrom, a Thundermare, a Mane o' War, or a John Goodman, I was given a horse with an equally-terrifying name: Cherry.

Anyway, Cherry and I set off with the rest of the group through streams, forests, across open fields, and we did a bit of trotting as well. I had one of the better horses, it seemed (and the biggest of the bunch). One of the horses, River, felt the need to stand in one place occasionally. Another one of the horses, Pocahontas, was quite often inclined to kick other horses. And my sweet, wonderful Cherry, had a propensity for rubbing his face on anything and everything, including me, fences, and other horses' butts. Affectionate, no?

This is Cherry, in one of his rare moments when

he wasn't spewing brimstone from his nostrils,

rubbing his face on something, or dragging me

through a bush.

I am such a pro (pro: Latin (n) one who looks

excessively goofy in a riding helmet).

First person view of horseback riding. It's like

you're actually there!

The view out into the forest from the trail. While

we were out, we saw a fox, a wallaby, and a

rosella parrot.

Later that evening, we went out in a larger group for a tapas-style Mediterranean dinner and then later to a chic nightspot called the Piano Room. We had a new guy named Nick serve us who came back no fewer than three times to get our drink order. 45 minutes later, we finally had our drinks in hand as we listened to a local band with their self-scribed music. It was good. This place had a lot of potential. This was at 8:30. We left to go wander and come back later.

At around 11:30, it really began to pick up. They had a new band in their place, playing all sorts of fantastic adult contemporary hits - Sexual Healing, Let's Get it On, Superstitious. As a side note, this last song was awesome because the drummer looked uncannily like Stevie Wonder.

After a kebab (yum) at 3:30 in the morning, I made my way home.

I have a diving trip planned this weekend - look for another update then.

Have a good night!

Animals Galore!

Since arriving, I have been trying to find a weekend to go by Featherdale Wildlife Park. I had initially been dissuaded by my teammates who told me that a trip to Blacktown (where the park is located) would result in my imminent stabbing. Apparently it's only certain parts. So, in good spirits, I went with my teammate Anna on yet another trip to see animals (no, I don't get tired of this stuff).

As with the zoo trip, this visit was mainly pictorial. Let the critter-cuddling begin!

The entrance. Nothing says fun like a massive

Papier-mâché koala.

A baby koala! We were all a bit shocked when
the keeper took the baby off the mother's

back. He explained that it wasn't the real mother

and that the babies will latch on to anyone.

Vun...two...thrrree batty bats! Ah ah ah...

This little guy, a rainbow bee eater, had a

razor-sharp beak and some incredible coloring.

"Oh, hello! I'm a cassowary and I'll be your

guide for the day."

"Now, the Australian Wood Duck can primarily

be found in the Eastern and Western regions of

Australia..."

I caught me a chicken. Named 'im Fluffy.

This is a Tasmanian Devil. Vicious little beasties,

so much so that they can't be kept in the same

enclosure. A group of them can devour an entire

cow in 30 minutes or your devouring is free.

It was also feeding time for the dingoes. They

got tons of meat, hearts, and chicken legs. Yum.

And for the first time in person I got to see dingo

pups! They were playing with the food dish. I

imagine it will be quite some time before the zoo

notices one is missing...

This guy you've seen before - it's an echidna. I

did learn a new fun fact, however. A baby echidna

is called a puggle.

This guy was adorable. If you scratched his chest

just right, he would hug your hand. If this whole

Google business doesn't work out, I want to live in

a zoo. Actually, even if it does work out, I want to

live in a zoo.

A peacock in full bloom.

A peahen in white.

What happens when you combine the two?

Awkward...

This was totally the time for baby animals. This

little wallaby had a joey crammed into her pouch.

This happy little kangaroo was kind enough to

humor me with a hug.

Sidenote: koalas are fluffy.

Me looking tough with an equally tough-looking

kookaburra.

The animals here are very acclimatized to having

humans around, as evident by this kookaburra

who allowed me to pet him.

The staff does not limit the amount of food that

is fed to the kangaroos. What does that give you?

A lot of fat, lazy kangaroos. Ok, not really. I just

caught them at a bad time.

Can you spot all 4 owls? (OK, there are only 3 -

I just wanted to mess with you).

Little penguins, aptly named...little penguins.

The zoo is going to call me if they happen to find

any more of my teeth.

This guy was begging for a belly rub.

And then we played red hands for a while. His

claws gave him a distinct advantage.

I then switched to intimidation tactics. He just

mocked me.

This is a fat little wombat. I found a spot he

liked scratched behind his ear and he was putty

in my hands. After that, he followed me around

the edge of his enclosure until I pet him again.

After the zoo, Anna and I hit up Wagamama for

dinner. This was barramundi (one of the more

common fish here) in some sort of coconut curry.

Barramundi is a fishy-tasting fish, but overall this

was very tasty.

Fried bananas with ice cream for dessert.

So. Good.