Hello from Australia! We are in Melbourne and I am typing away as I sit in our almost-penthouse suite (thanks to an upgrade given because Eric is in the poker tourney), with a 180 degree view of this beautiful city. It is so clean and pretty -- we are along the river with views of the ocean as well. The hotel is very upscale (reminds me of Okura in Japan) and the smells remind me of Tokyo, although I think it's the diesel!
We got up at 3:30am on Tuesday in NZ to catch our 6am flight. We arrived in Melbourne and napped after getting into our hotel room. We spent the afternoon walking along the river and swimming at the pool (it was 37 degrees Celsius, almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit!) On Wednesday we rented a car (just for the day) so we could drive along the famous "Great Ocean Road". It was beautiful -- we spent the afternoon boogie boarding at two beaches -- one that we call, seaweed beach, because it was covered in a thick blanket of seaweed about 20 feet wide (you couldn't avoid it because it went all the way down the beach). The other was a pristine beach further along the road where the water was crystal clear and the sand was white and plentiful. Kiana had fun running from the waves and playing in the sand. This was a far cry from horsepoop beach in NZ (I'll explain later). Next time we come, I want to do the tree walk at Otway, where they've built a walkway along the treetops (pictures remind me of scenes from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). I really wanted to do this, but thought the girls would have more fun at the beach. The coast is absolutely beautiful!
We spent this morning in the city -- I would LOVE to come back to Melbourne with just Eric. It is more of a city for adults. It is trendy, people are dressed nicer, and it is very, very expensive. We are in the most expensive part of the city, and one of the nicest hotels. It has been a long time since I've been in such a nice hotel. Very upscale, and I must say, I'm enjoying myself since it is really a decadent break from our New Zealand house. The girls and I walked around the city for a couple of hours in search of the perfect cream puff. This has been Mari's wish for her birthday treat (today she turned 7, and yes, this is the 4th time and 4th city we are celebrating in!). We found a beautiful French bakery with all the individually displayed desserts and pastry chefs in their uniform standing behind the counter. I, too, was in heaven. They didn't have the exact cream puff, but Mari chose a very pretty chocolate dessert and Kiana chose a lime/raspberry one. We are going to celebrate in a few minutes. Mari is finishing her homework, and we just shared some rolled sushi we bought on the street.
Last night Eric gave me a 2-hour break while he and the girls went to dinner. I know I sound like a terrible mother, but I really enjoyed the peace and quiet. It has been a little stressful lately because for some reason the girls have not been on their best behavior -- especially Kiana. Eric has played live in the hotel casino to get into "poker mode" -- he feels pretty out of competitive mode since we've been on "holiday" mode (see, we're talking like Kiwis already) for the past several weeks. Anyway, hopefully it will kick into gear for the start of tomorrow's tournament (speed poker, not the championship tourney which starts on the 16th).
Tomorrow the girls and I leave early for the airport and fly back to NZ. Mom K will arrive on Sunday morning! I will be without a PC until Eric's return on the 19th or 21st.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Saturday Update
Hello from New Zealand again! It is Saturday, January 8th and another rainy day. Yesterday it rained non-stop all day and all night. Can you believe this is New Zealand's coldest and wettest summer in 60 years?! It has been very windy as well, but we are still having fun. Obviously the weather here pales in comparison to the devastation from the tsunami. It is so sad to know how much suffering is going on. We haven't watched any TV so we haven't seen live news reports, but the newspaper here has better coverage of world news than our San Diego paper. It is a separate section chock full of pictures and stories. The newspaper is quite critical of the U.S. and President Bush. There are stories about how we (the U.S. and Bush) must repair our tarnished reputation (since the Iraq war) and how stingy we appear to be with aid to countries who don't directly benefit us. Anyway, seeing the differences in news coverage is also an interesting observation being in another country.
Yesterday we stayed close to home; not just because of the rain, but because we had been traveling by car for the 2 full days before. We were all kind of tired, and Mari missed doing her home-schooling. She is very serious about school and wrote up a schedule (which we can't possibly adhere to) and does her studies diligently. She writes in her journal everyday, reads for an hour, and does math and language pages from her workbook. In addition we do a lot of 'school' while we're together, either on 'field trips' or in the car. She has such good comprehension. I wish I could remember things as well as she does. She and Kiana both got haircuts at the corner barber shop and Eric opened a bank account. We had lunch in town and I made a spaghetti dinner. It was terrible! The tomato sauce here is SO sweet it tasted like noodles mixed with ketchup and then a few teaspoons of sugar on top of that! Mari, who loves spaghetti, said she'd rather eat a whole bunch of asparagus tops (one of her least favorite) than eat my spaghetti sauce! That said it all.
We drove north a couple of hours both Wednesday and Thursday and did some fun things. Mari and I went horseback riding on the beach. Mari and Eric boogie-boarded. We all went to the Honey Centre and learned all about bees. This was fascinating, we got to actually see the queen bee laying eggs (she has to lay 1,500-2,000 every day) and the drones (males) doing nothing. They can't even feed themselves. The 30,000 female worker bees do everything else and when it's time for the drones to die, the female workers just stop feeding them, and the drones don't seem to be able to do anything about it. So, they starve to death! The roles of the bees and the amount of activity in the hives is amazing! The scenery is beautiful, and for me what sets NZ apart is having rolling green hills with sheep grazing backing right up to sand dunes and beaches.
We met another family while horseback riding and spent the whole afternoon with them on Thursday. It was a treat because they were so nice (an American couple from Colorado and the Colorado wife's brother, who has a Kiwi wife and live here in Auckland) and the kids had a great time with their 5 children combined, who ranged from 4 to 8. I think this is one the hardest things about traveling; there are no children for our kids to get to know. Mari, of course, wanted them to all come home with us. We may get together with the New Zealand-based family while we're here.
It is now 10:30 am, and Eric just woke up! We were up until 2am because he was playing in the Party Poker Million (cruise) semi-finals. He made it to 27th, out of 1,399 players. The top 23 won an entry to the cruise tourney. Needless to say, he is still replaying his final hand in his mind Looks like cruise may not be meant to be this year. It would be hard to top the thrill of last year's tournament anyway, unless he wins it, of course!
Just a reminder, we are off to Melbourne on Tuesday morning (your Monday) and the girls and I will be back on Friday night. Mom K arrives on Sunday morning, and Eric will be returning on the 19th (or 21st if he wins!).
--Tami
Yesterday we stayed close to home; not just because of the rain, but because we had been traveling by car for the 2 full days before. We were all kind of tired, and Mari missed doing her home-schooling. She is very serious about school and wrote up a schedule (which we can't possibly adhere to) and does her studies diligently. She writes in her journal everyday, reads for an hour, and does math and language pages from her workbook. In addition we do a lot of 'school' while we're together, either on 'field trips' or in the car. She has such good comprehension. I wish I could remember things as well as she does. She and Kiana both got haircuts at the corner barber shop and Eric opened a bank account. We had lunch in town and I made a spaghetti dinner. It was terrible! The tomato sauce here is SO sweet it tasted like noodles mixed with ketchup and then a few teaspoons of sugar on top of that! Mari, who loves spaghetti, said she'd rather eat a whole bunch of asparagus tops (one of her least favorite) than eat my spaghetti sauce! That said it all.
We drove north a couple of hours both Wednesday and Thursday and did some fun things. Mari and I went horseback riding on the beach. Mari and Eric boogie-boarded. We all went to the Honey Centre and learned all about bees. This was fascinating, we got to actually see the queen bee laying eggs (she has to lay 1,500-2,000 every day) and the drones (males) doing nothing. They can't even feed themselves. The 30,000 female worker bees do everything else and when it's time for the drones to die, the female workers just stop feeding them, and the drones don't seem to be able to do anything about it. So, they starve to death! The roles of the bees and the amount of activity in the hives is amazing! The scenery is beautiful, and for me what sets NZ apart is having rolling green hills with sheep grazing backing right up to sand dunes and beaches.
We met another family while horseback riding and spent the whole afternoon with them on Thursday. It was a treat because they were so nice (an American couple from Colorado and the Colorado wife's brother, who has a Kiwi wife and live here in Auckland) and the kids had a great time with their 5 children combined, who ranged from 4 to 8. I think this is one the hardest things about traveling; there are no children for our kids to get to know. Mari, of course, wanted them to all come home with us. We may get together with the New Zealand-based family while we're here.
It is now 10:30 am, and Eric just woke up! We were up until 2am because he was playing in the Party Poker Million (cruise) semi-finals. He made it to 27th, out of 1,399 players. The top 23 won an entry to the cruise tourney. Needless to say, he is still replaying his final hand in his mind Looks like cruise may not be meant to be this year. It would be hard to top the thrill of last year's tournament anyway, unless he wins it, of course!
Just a reminder, we are off to Melbourne on Tuesday morning (your Monday) and the girls and I will be back on Friday night. Mom K arrives on Sunday morning, and Eric will be returning on the 19th (or 21st if he wins!).
--Tami
Monday, January 03, 2005
Greeting From Kiwi Land!
We are here in lovely New Zealand! Interestingly, our first impression was that this area reminds us of Hawaii (lush greenery and certain neighborhoods), San Diego (coastal scenery and flowers) and Portland (city center and hills of Auckland)! So, it is all familiar to us -- except the driving! Eric has been driving their Toyota, and it is a stick shift, so he has to use his left hand to shift (we may have stripped a few gears). However, the most difficult transition is that the turn signal is on the right side of the steering wheel, so every time he tries to signal a turn, he turns the windshield wipers on. It has gotten to the point where we start laughing every time a turn comes up! Turning in general is quite challenging, as is crossing the street because we automatically look the wrong way! Eric also found establishing eye contact with another car challenging. You know how you catch the eye of an oncoming car before you turn to make sure the driver sees you? He realized that he thinks he's doing this, only to find that he's looking at the passenger, not the driver, because he's sitting in the left seat!
Anyway, we are having a good time -- the house has worked out fine. A little ant invasion the first day and the lack of cooking utensils and cookware have been the only challenges. The location of the house is great! We walk right down the street to the center of town (Mission Bay) and the beach. There is a 2-block stretch of restaurants, bakeries and coffee houses (a little like downtown Encinitas, but more European in feel). The playground and beach is so convenient for us, and we enjoyed being out late at the playground (til 9 or so). There is a real "vacation" feel because it is now summer vacation for all the kids. In addition, it seems many businesses take until Jan 4th off, so everyone is out enjoying life. As we were walking across the park to come home, we enjoyed watching families and friends playing rugby and cricket!
The flight was long (almost 13 hours) and tiring (all nighter), but after all the craziness of getting the house ready and preparing for Christmas, not to mention the crazy final 48 hours, it finally hit me at LAX (after we had checked in and made it thru security) that we were embarking on a very exciting trip! You know the excitement you feel going to a new place for the first time? That's what I felt, and we were all excited, we shared a little Haagen Daz to celebrate!
We arrived at 6am as scheduled and took a taxi from the airport. (It was about 40 min). It was rainy and cool (supposedly summer has not yet arrived, and the Kiwis are NOT happy about it!) The people are very nice here, especially with the lilt in their melodic accent! The people seem to be made up of Caucasians (distinctly European vs. American in feel), islanders (Maori/other Polynesian-looking), Indian, and southeast Asian/Chinese. We explored Mission Bay and had breakfast, then went grocery shopping (Eric's first driving experience, which went well!)
Yesterday (Sun) we explored Auckland. We parked the car and walked around for 4-5 hours. We were set to take a ferry to another island/town, but Kiana was ready for a nap, so we'll do that another day. In the evening we hiked to the top of a beautiful park above the ocean and then got a pizza and ate by the beach. Prices are a lot more expensive than we had thought. Eric's Kiwi co-worker said things were one-third cheaper here than San Diego, so we had that expectation. However, that was before the kiwi gained 25%, 25%, and 10% on the dollar over the last 3 years! Prices are on par with San Diego for groceries/restaurants (or higher), and higher for other things, including gas and books. It has been cool and grey in the mornings (like San Diego) with showers on and off the first 2 days (like Honolulu in the rainy season).
Today, Eric 'watched' the Bills via the internet from 7am. Although he was depressed, we headed out for an excursion by car to the rugged west coast (about an hour). The driving was a lot more stressful because we drove on major highways and on winding roads thru the mountains! The roads in general are much narrower here, and the signage as well as the terminology and roads are unfamiliar and not instinctive. However, Eric did great. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to pick up Mom K at the airport (Eric will be in Melbourne when she arrives). I will practice, but seeing Eric stress out makes me worry how well I'll do! Anyway, the good thing is, they drive MUCH slower out here than southern CA. Reminds me of Hawaii. The lanes are much narrower, however, and people don't seem to think it's too important to stay in their lanes! Oh well, we'll see. Anyway, got side-tracked -- On with our day. We drove out to the rugged west coast with beautiful views (like the Oregon Coast and parts of southern CA) and black sand beaches. (This is where the movie The Piano with Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel). Eric and Kiana did a breathtaking cliff hike while Mari napped in the car (a rarity, but she seems to have caught a cold. I also think she is still trying to catch up from the lack of sleep in New Jersey! She can never miss a moment with her cousins). Then the girls had a blast running in and out of the waves on the black sand beach. Kiana loved covering herself up with the black sand. I am never going to get all of it out of the folds of her swimsuit! We have some great pics but these will have to wait. They do not have broadband here and we also have to pay a per hour charge to AOL. In addition, we don't know if they added a US phone plan (we asked them to) so we won't be calling as often as we'd like. We'll try to check in with someone this coming weekend, but if you have an international calling plan maybe you could call us, and we'll pay you back.
We hope you all had a very happy new year! We completely missed it (being asleep on the plane!) and haven't formally celebrated. We continue everyday to celebrate life and feel very fortunate. We wish you could all be here, too.
-ETM&K
Anyway, we are having a good time -- the house has worked out fine. A little ant invasion the first day and the lack of cooking utensils and cookware have been the only challenges. The location of the house is great! We walk right down the street to the center of town (Mission Bay) and the beach. There is a 2-block stretch of restaurants, bakeries and coffee houses (a little like downtown Encinitas, but more European in feel). The playground and beach is so convenient for us, and we enjoyed being out late at the playground (til 9 or so). There is a real "vacation" feel because it is now summer vacation for all the kids. In addition, it seems many businesses take until Jan 4th off, so everyone is out enjoying life. As we were walking across the park to come home, we enjoyed watching families and friends playing rugby and cricket!
The flight was long (almost 13 hours) and tiring (all nighter), but after all the craziness of getting the house ready and preparing for Christmas, not to mention the crazy final 48 hours, it finally hit me at LAX (after we had checked in and made it thru security) that we were embarking on a very exciting trip! You know the excitement you feel going to a new place for the first time? That's what I felt, and we were all excited, we shared a little Haagen Daz to celebrate!
We arrived at 6am as scheduled and took a taxi from the airport. (It was about 40 min). It was rainy and cool (supposedly summer has not yet arrived, and the Kiwis are NOT happy about it!) The people are very nice here, especially with the lilt in their melodic accent! The people seem to be made up of Caucasians (distinctly European vs. American in feel), islanders (Maori/other Polynesian-looking), Indian, and southeast Asian/Chinese. We explored Mission Bay and had breakfast, then went grocery shopping (Eric's first driving experience, which went well!)
Yesterday (Sun) we explored Auckland. We parked the car and walked around for 4-5 hours. We were set to take a ferry to another island/town, but Kiana was ready for a nap, so we'll do that another day. In the evening we hiked to the top of a beautiful park above the ocean and then got a pizza and ate by the beach. Prices are a lot more expensive than we had thought. Eric's Kiwi co-worker said things were one-third cheaper here than San Diego, so we had that expectation. However, that was before the kiwi gained 25%, 25%, and 10% on the dollar over the last 3 years! Prices are on par with San Diego for groceries/restaurants (or higher), and higher for other things, including gas and books. It has been cool and grey in the mornings (like San Diego) with showers on and off the first 2 days (like Honolulu in the rainy season).
Today, Eric 'watched' the Bills via the internet from 7am. Although he was depressed, we headed out for an excursion by car to the rugged west coast (about an hour). The driving was a lot more stressful because we drove on major highways and on winding roads thru the mountains! The roads in general are much narrower here, and the signage as well as the terminology and roads are unfamiliar and not instinctive. However, Eric did great. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to pick up Mom K at the airport (Eric will be in Melbourne when she arrives). I will practice, but seeing Eric stress out makes me worry how well I'll do! Anyway, the good thing is, they drive MUCH slower out here than southern CA. Reminds me of Hawaii. The lanes are much narrower, however, and people don't seem to think it's too important to stay in their lanes! Oh well, we'll see. Anyway, got side-tracked -- On with our day. We drove out to the rugged west coast with beautiful views (like the Oregon Coast and parts of southern CA) and black sand beaches. (This is where the movie The Piano with Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel). Eric and Kiana did a breathtaking cliff hike while Mari napped in the car (a rarity, but she seems to have caught a cold. I also think she is still trying to catch up from the lack of sleep in New Jersey! She can never miss a moment with her cousins). Then the girls had a blast running in and out of the waves on the black sand beach. Kiana loved covering herself up with the black sand. I am never going to get all of it out of the folds of her swimsuit! We have some great pics but these will have to wait. They do not have broadband here and we also have to pay a per hour charge to AOL. In addition, we don't know if they added a US phone plan (we asked them to) so we won't be calling as often as we'd like. We'll try to check in with someone this coming weekend, but if you have an international calling plan maybe you could call us, and we'll pay you back.
We hope you all had a very happy new year! We completely missed it (being asleep on the plane!) and haven't formally celebrated. We continue everyday to celebrate life and feel very fortunate. We wish you could all be here, too.
-ETM&K
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