First Stop - Hawaii!

The first part of our trip was actually Erik's genius idea. First, you should know that originally we had planned to visit Africa for 3-4 weeks during December/January. However, once my sister announced that she would be having a baby in November, I decided I could not miss out on holding my nephew as a newborn, so we would still visit Africa, but we would travel there via the United States. I looked at airfares for months, and it is bloody expensive to fly to America around Christmas. I checked flights from different airports in Oz and to all of the major west coast US cities. It was my smart husband, however, who suggested flying through Hawaii. Fortunately, a budget airline in Australia, Jetstar, flies direct from Melbourne to Oahu.

Originally, I figured we would arrive in the morning (flight arrives at 6am), spend the day on the beach in Waikiki and then fly out that night (most flights to the mainland of America leave at 10pm or so, putting you on the west coast in the early morning hours). However, Erik suggested that we stay a few days, and seeing as we were about to embark on a pretty crazy 2 weeks of US travel plus 3 weeks of Africa travel, I was obviously up for his idea! We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon over 6 years ago, but did not visit Oahu, only Kauai and the Big Island. I was excited to see the North Shore of Oahu and thought that would be the perfect place to chill for a few days. 

Due to the fact that we were traveling like crazy, we wanted to do Oahu on a budget, which is not easy to do because Hawaii is expensive, at least compared to mainland USA. I found a place on Airbnb that was not too pricey and just steps to the beach on the North Shore. We decided that we would take "The Bus" up to the North Shore to save money on transport. However, upon arriving at Honolulu airport at 6am on December 17th, we were told that we could not take our luggage with us on The Bus (we each had our hiking packs which are about 55L and each had a daypack). Thanks to the power of 3G and the fact that I had activated my US sim card before we left Oz, I searched for car rental deals and found that we could rent a car for 3 days with Firefly Car Rental for $90. Sold. I booked on my mobile and we boarded the bus to pick up our rental car about 15 minutes later. FYI: we later learned that people take their luggage on The Bus frequently, so it is probably do-able if you are wanting to use public transport on the island!

Now that we had wheels, we could do some additional exploring before heading up to Haleiwa. First, we visited Diamond Head, where we walked to the top for views of Waikiki, the coastline, and the crater itself. I would definitely recommend doing this early in the morning like we did, otherwise I think it would be HOT!

After a few hours there, we headed up the east coast, stopping at a few beaches and overlooks along the way.

With Airbnb, sometimes you actually stay in a person's home, but this one was a self-contained cottage that was so cute! They also provided beach chairs, surfboards, bikes, etc., so pretty much everything we could ever need was there. 

The beach closest to our place was Sunset Beach, which is aptly named for the gorgeous sunset views.

In addition to lounging in the sun, we rode our bikes to Haleiwa town to check out a few shops and to get a little exercise. There are bike trails along much of the North Shore that run between the beach and the road, which is really nice. The place where we stayed was close to Ted's Bakery, where we enjoyed a meal or two. Also, you cannot leave the North Shore without trying shrimp from a shrimp truck. My mouth is watering just thinking about how delicious those shrimp (prawns for my Aussie friends) tasted!

Matsumoto Shave Ice. YUM!

We were staying very close to Pipeline, and the famous annual surfing competition had unfortunately just finished when we arrived. However, we did get the chance to watch some decent surfing from our own beach. 

First time I've ever seen a surfer's circle. Not sure who the tribute was for but it was awesome to watch!

We stayed for 2 nights and flew out late on the 3rd day. Our Airbnb hostess was super flexible and let us check out late, so we hung out on the beach before taking the inland road (as opposed to the coastal road) back towards Honolulu. Along the way we stopped at the Dole Plantation, which was really touristy but the pineapple soft serve ice cream was quite tasty! We actually made it back much quicker than we expected, and I was interested in seeing Waikiki Beach, so we headed that way in search of dinner. Duke's was the answer for dinner, though it was a bit pricier than the one we ate at in Kauai in 2007! Nevertheless, it was a good dinner and we had sweet seats for an another amazing Hawaiian sunset. After dinner we were on our way to the airport to say goodbye to warmth and sunshine and hello to winter in Minnesota!

A crowd gathers to watch sunset on Waikiki Beach

'Round the World in 5 Weeks

When we first started dating 10+ years ago, Erik and I discussed the possibility of taking time off from study/work to travel around the world. Our trip would involve numerous stops in multiple continents and would take place over about a year. Instead, we took a trip around the world in 5 weeks! This trip was not intended to replace our 'round the world itinerary, and perhaps one day we will have the chance for that big trip, but in order to visit our families for Christmas AND our holiday destination, it required traveling the circumference of the entire globe. 11 flights, 3 trains, 1 bus, and several private cars were used during our 5 weeks of travel. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting details about our trip, so stay tuned!

One of the many stunning views we witnessed in the air!

Affectionate Aussies

Happy New Year! Wherever you celebrated the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, I am sure that some hugging or kissing was involved. This traditional celebration made me think about the differences between Americans and Australians when it comes to greeting one another.

Australians generally greet friends with a kiss on the cheek. Sometimes they might use a kiss on each cheek, particularly if their family is of Italian descent. At first this was strange for us to get used to, but now we have embraced it and I, in particular, like the extra affection shown to others!

American friends will occasionally greet eachother with kisses, but more often than not it is hugs and handshakes that are used to say hello and goodbye. This difference became very evident to me when I was traveling back to the States in June. I was seated next to two Aussie blokes who were headed to a conference in the States. They had a booklet containing instructions for their week detailing where they were staying, where they should eat, and general things about visiting the US. One of those things pertained to greeting people, and it said "Americans like their personal space. When greeting someone, a handshake will be sufficient." At that point I recognized that I liked the affection of our new culture and starting wondering if Americans have it wrong. Would people be happier if we showed a little more love to each other in the States? Just a curious observation that I wasted to share with you to start this brand new year. Best wishes for a fantastic 2014!

Kokoda Memorial Walk

A couple of weeks ago we headed out to the Dandenongs with a group of friends to walk what many Melburnians refer to as "1,000 Steps". Also known as the Kokoda Memorial Walk, the trail was built to honor Australian soldiers (also called "diggers") who fought on the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea during World War II.

The hike itself does not take very long if you are in relatively decent shape. At the top there is a picnic ground, where our group hung out for an hour or so before making the descent. There is a separate, wider trail built intentionally for exercisers right next to the original trail, though we still passed plenty of people running up and down the steps instead of the exercise track.

Our group (minus Erik and I) on the way down!

We saw (and heard!) many kookaburras on this hike. They have a very distinct song that can be heard here if you are interested.

This short hike is definitely worth a visit, especially combined with a few other stops in the Dandenongs, whether that be another hike, a stop at the Sky High Observatory, or coffee at one of the quaint towns nearby.

Public Transport

Public transport in Melbourne is quite good compared to places that we have lived in previously.  We can get to many places using public transport, which is a combination of trains (like the Metro in DC), trams (like trolley cars, above ground), and buses. We live close to two different tram lines and several bus stops. The prices are cheaper on the weekends, which is when we usually end up using public transport.

Unfortunately, there are occasionally accidents involving trains and trams. Melbourne's public transport system has been running a campaign for a while now called "Dumb Ways to Die", complete with a game made for the iPhone. Below are some pictures of some of their slogans, which I thought my American readers might find amusing!

Aussies use 'cos as slang for "because"

Erik heading to our "platform"

The tram system has posters up everywhere reminding passengers and pedestrians that being hit by a tram would be the equivalent of being run over by 30 rhinoceroses.

Recently, the campaign was taken even further when trams started getting paint jobs to look like rhinos. Creative work by the public transport employees in Melbourne, don't you think?!

Permanent Residency

Some of my neighbors must be reading the blog, because just after I posted about the lack of Christmas lights in our 'hood, three houses in a row started showing off holiday decor! Needless to say, it was a nice surprise, and it helped to encourage a little Christmas "spirit" on my end.

Over the course of the last year, Erik and I have been taking the necessary to steps to ensure that once our visa ends next August, we will not be kicked out of the country. We want to have options - either staying in Oz or moving back to America, and we did not want to leave that decision in the hands of the Australian Government. We could have applied for a visa similar to the one we are currently on, however, we decided to go a bit further and apply for a permanent residency visa. 

The process of applying for this visa was tedious and required a fair amount of effort on our part. We had to get heaps of documentation from the States regarding Erik's previous work, transcripts, and proof of graduation/degrees. We applied under his name because fortunately the state of Victoria is in need of people with PhD's who study science. Both of us had to be fingerprinted for an FBI background check and we had to have police checks in Australia as well. The hubby had to get numerous letters from employers here in Oz and had to show proof of previous and current work. Erik also had to take the English test, where he spent an entire day proving that he has sufficient English reading, writing, and speaking skills (normally he would not have had to do this, however, due to our ages, we needed more "points" for our visa, and the English test helps with that). We spent nearly an entire day getting medical exams that required bloodwork and chest x-rays. I organized these things on my own (rather than using an immigration agent) to save money, as this process is not a cheap one. Fortunately I crossed all of my t's and dotted all of my i's and on October 21st, 2013, we received an exciting email.

Ironically October 21, 2003 was our first date. Ten years to the day that Erik took me to Outback Steakhouse (an Aussie-themed restaurant for those readers who are unaware), we were granted the rights to stay in Australia permanently.

Taken over 10 years ago...just a few nights before our first date!

At this point, we are unsure as to what will happen when Erik's contract ends next August. He will be applying for jobs in the States and in Australia, and now that we have the flexibility to stay or go, we can choose the best option for us. There are many reasons that we would love to stay in Oz and there would also be advantages to moving "home", so there will be lots of big decisions to make in our house over the next few months! There are no restrictions with permanent residency, and the next step would be to apply for Australian citizenship. However, to become a citizen you have to be living Down Under for at least 4 years, and time spent out of the country (including holidays to the USA, New Zealand, Thailand, etc.) does not count towards those 4 years, so we have some time before we can think about the option of dual citizenship.

If there are any readers out there who need advice or assistance with applying for PR, please don't hesitate to contact me with questions!

Summer?!

Today, December 1st, is the first day of summer Down Under. As if the weather gods knew that summer started today, we have been blasted with a warm (85F), sunny day. Normally, Erik and I would have no complaints, as we find that temperature just about perfect, and any day with sun is a good day in our books. However, as I have previously mentioned, it is certainly hard for it to feel like it will be Christmas in 24 days when everyone is walking around in tank tops, shorts, and thongs (flip flops for the non-Aussies!). Very few houses have lights or decorations because, to be honest, it's not getting dark these days until about 9pm, so very few people would be able to enjoy those lights. We do have one neighbor who has gotten into the festive season though!

As far as 'trimming the tree" goes, I'm pretty sure that most Aussies use a fake tree, though there are a few Christmas tree farms within a reasonable drive of Melbourne that will set you back about $100 for a tree. I actually think that the risk of fire, due to the climate being so dry, is a deterrent for having a real tree in the house.

Our "tree" last year...if you can find the actual tree in the picture!

Pavlova, or "pav", a summer/Christmas tradition in Oz. This one was made by my dear friend Ellise.

I am sure that if we had grown up here, we would associate this type of weather with Christmas. Many Aussies that we know spend the time around Christmas soaking up sun at the beach and having picnics in the park with friends, which is nothing to complain about, except that is just doesn't "feel" right. Our association with Christmas is cold, snow, and snuggling up under a blanket or by a warm fire with baked goods and hot chocolate while lights twinkle outside the house. Quite a different scene, but we are trying to embrace the traditions of our new home, having spent last Christmas hiking along the beaches of Wilsons Prom. Surely there could be worse things in the world than spending Christmas at the beach?! :)

Christmas greetings projected on Melbourne's Town Hall last year.