My trip to Hawaii and Australia
10-28-07
Well, my long journey started on October 28th. My family (dad and Ali): We had to get up extremely early. Luckily, I was the only one who wasn't tired. My Aunt Dianne drove us to the airport (TRI), and we flew to Cincinnati, then from Cincinnati to Los Angeles, and from LA to Honolulu. When we got to the airport in Honolulu, everyone was tired, because there, it was 8:00 PM, but in Tennessee where you are, it was 2:00 AM. The big surprise that mom got us was a huge, white limo. We all got to ride from the airport to the hotel in it. The limo took us to the Waikiki Wave Hotel. Mom was the only one who had adjusted to the time difference. Hawaii is six hours behind Tennessee. We watched some TV, and found some Ghost cookies from Verna, mom's friend. She felt sorry for us that we would miss Halloween. Then, we went right to sleep and had a good night's sleep.
10-29-07
This is my first full day here in Honolulu, Hawaii. My mom thought we wouldn't be awake very long because of jet lag. But we made it through the day!! One of the things we did was go to the beach. We were at the Pacific Ocean. My mom and I went far out, and we had lots of fun. We stood in the waves and let them knock us over; we saw crabs, black ones, that jumped from rock to rock; and my sister buried me in the sand. I laid in the shallow end of the ocean. I wouldn't move unless the waves moved me. Mom, Ali, and I went shopping. And I got some cute things. Mom took a picture of Ali and me with Duke, a statue of a famous Hawaiian surfer.
10-30-07
Today, I am back to traveling, taking an airplane from Honolulu to Sydney, Australia. The trip took 11 hours and 19 minutes. The flight attendant, a man, was so nice, because he gave us Halloween candy when we crossed the International Dateline, and it became October 31st in the air. He also gave us a pack of cards, and he smiled and said: "Hey, no smoking!" And then, "Look, a whale!"--as if it was outside the plane window. He was funny. He also gave us a DVD player, and we didn't even have to pay for it. I watched The Epic Movie. And he baked us fresh, oatmeal-raisin cookies in their very small oven. We landed in Sydney on November 1, because we lost a day crossing the International Dateline. With eight pieces of luggage, we felt like real Americans on a trip. WE'RE IN SYDNEY!!!
11-02-07
This is our first full day in Sydney. We went for a walk. It is springtime here, and a little rainy, but getting warm. The rain did not stop us. If you read my earlier posting, you will know that we went to see the Parliament in the state of New South Wales. In Australia, they have seven states, all of which are very, very big and beautiful. The seven states are: Queensland; New South Wales; Victoria; Northern Territory, where the Aborigines now have full control of their sacred land; Western Australia, South Australia; and Tasmania. Each state has its own government, like our state does too. And the national capitol is in Canberra, which is like our Washington, DC.
11-03-07
Today, we went to the Australian Museum. It was raining outside, and we bought a cool umbrella with the Museum logo on it. We got to see art and history related to Aborigine life. I am sending all of you a book soon that will tell you about some of it. I want to read it first with my mom. We also went to the Sydney Opera House; it is almost like a wonder of the world or something. It has three different tops that all look like sails in the wind. It has a huge room all made out of wood where the symphony plays. And sometimes, children from Australia come and play recorders there. Ali will have put up pictures of it by the time you read this.
11-04-07
We left Sydney today for Bathurst. It is a small town in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. It was the first settlement west of Sydney. It is about three and a half hours by train. We kept going up and up into the mountains, and along the way you could sometimes see a kangaroo or a wombat. When we got to Bathurst, we met the people we are staying with. They are named McLeod. The father is David; the mother is Sharynne; and the kids are Brenden, age 13, and Jessica, age 10, but she is in fourth grade too. We had baked goods with strawberries and lemon and chocolate for a celebration of our coming. We are staying in a Granny Flat, a little house, in the back of the McLeod's big house. Sometimes, we eat dinners together. And they let us use their house for some of the things we have to do. They are very nice and generous.
11-5-07 to 11-25-07
I am having to catch up a little bit. We had to get settled, and my mom and dad had to be gone for a week, doing a teaching in different parts of Australia. I stayed with Ali and Jacqui, and she did not have me journal each day. So this is kind of a report for the last two and a half weeks. I've had fun at the McLeod house. They have a yard with two trampolines next to a tennis court, which we haven't used yet, and a swimming pool!!! Jessica and I always stay in the pool a long time, and we are making up a water show. Yesterday, we were in for four hours. I have had a lot of fun here for the two weeks we have been settled here.
While mom and dad were gone, Jacqui took us to the Fossil and Mineral Museum here in Bathurst. I watched a video that said that each time you press a button on a computer keyboard, some gold is in the electrical line to help the machine work. Gold is in things you would never expect it to be in!!! They also had a book there that an Australian explorer used in the 1600s. The biggest thing was the GIANT T-Rex!!! Ali took a picture of me with my hand pretending to be eaten by this fossilized T-Rex. I will ask her to put it up on the Blog soon.
One of the other cool things I saw there was Amber. It is this kind of clear goo that goes around things and later hardens, leaving the thing complete inside the amber--so the things get stuck. The one I was interested in was the gecko in Amber. The rocks also had flowers, tics, flies, cockroaches, and the gecko!!!
After that, Ali, Jacqui, and I went to Mount Panorama. That's where race car drivers race. They go up a mountain, and around it, and then back down, and they do that 160 times. It is out in the open, different than the Bristol Motor Speedway that is like an oval. You probably didn't see this on American TV (but it was on there), but a kangaroo jumped on the race track and raced too. No one was hurt, but the racers had to slam on their brakes!!!
There's a park here that has a replica of the Eiffel Tower. It's much smaller than the real thing, but it's about 30 feet tall. I've climbed to the very, very top!!!
My dad went to Adelaide, a town in South Australia, about ten hours from here by car. He attended a workshop for some training. He came back with hat with a net over it. It looks like a bee-keeper's hat--even though it is not. He wears it because the flies are really thick here, and they are always buzzing you when you walk. Everyone makes fun of my dad though. He looks funny in it.
On Monday (that will be Sunday after Thanksgiving for you), I'm going to a music workshop all day!!! And I'll learn to play an percussion instrument. Then, I'll be able to play three instruments. I play the violin and the Celtic harp too, and so later, I will tell you the results of the music workshop.
I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!!! Bye!!!
Nora
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