Sydney saga (continued)

Stupid internet. I typed a long post and now have to re-type it.

So work has been long and long and long. It never ends. I worked last Saturday and after that I went back to the hotel and took a nap. I love naps if you didn't know. It is actually one of my favorite things. This one was nothing special but very much needed.
After my nap I met a friend of a friend, Joy, out at the Opera Bar. It is right below the Opera House so a very cool view. After a few drinks we headed to get some dinner. We hiked across town it seemed (20 or 30 min) and ended up at a nice Vietnamese restaurant. After a wait for a table we ordered up some salt and pepper squid and some snapper (along with some sides). This dinner was awesome!!! The flavors were quite amazing.
After dinner we stopped by another bar for some drinks (The Clock bar). It is off the beaten path so a little different than I was used to.
I am getting sent to bed at the hostel that I am at so got to run. Will finish this post later.
PS. I am in Cairns at the moment. Dive trip here I come!!

Long Week

This week has been a doozie. I have worked an awful lot. (which reminds me I need to put my timesheet in) We are very close to being up and running with 1 week left for training.
I booked my plane ticket to Cairns this week. Everybody pronounces it exactly how it looks C-"air"-nz. To me it looks like "car"-ns. Oh well. Either way I am going there next Saturday. I don't have a plan once I get there but I hope to rent a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. That sounds like fun to me. I fly back out to Sydney on the 4th in the evening and then back to KC Saturday the 5th. Hopefully there are no travel delays on the flight to here! I would have to stay longer ...
My whole vacation time I want to spend scuba diving or on a beach somewhere. The water is plenty warm and I have been told to pack very little. Shorts, flippie floppies, and lots of sunscreen. I really have no desire to sit on airplanes for 26 hours with a sunburn. Not my idea of a good time. If it gets me bumped up to first class I would reconsider ...
Today I worked and am getting ready to go have drinks with a friend of a friend. Tomorrow I hope to make it to the Blue Mountains but I haven't planned out my trip yet. I should probably do that sometime.

I uploaded more pictures from last weekend. I haven't had a chance to go edit captions to let you all know where they are at. I decided to do a dump and take care of it later. I think I have some "wall worthy" ones. You can come to my house when I get home and walk around like it is a gallery. You must wear fancy clothes to be served wine and cheese though. I'll play some classical music on iTunes.
Until you get that new suit or dress, you can find them at:
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/sheldonbucl/SydneyAreaBeaches?feat=directlink

Gotta run. Cheers!

Aaaaand more photos

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/sheldonbucl/WalkingSydney?feat=directlink

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

So after Phil showed me the city and surrounding area I took a nap. It was a fabulous nap. I had big intentions of going out to eat and then hitting up some pubs, clubs, dubs, rubs, and a bar or two. Supper was missed because I was in a deep slumber.
I arose from the dead and hit the ground running. I started out down George Street and found this chill bar that had some happening music and a bunch of young people. It looked promising. Eden Bar and Restaurant. I strolled into Eden and there was a sign out front that said "Happy Birthday Anna!" Awesome ... sounds like a fun crowd. At the bar I ordered a beer, nothing special. The bartender got it for me and walked off. I stood there for a minute or so sipping my beer and noticed that nobody else was paying either. Even better ... I dropped in on a private birthday party!
I chatted with a few people at the bar in hopes that I could make quick friends and take advantage of the situation. Nobody seemed to want to be my friend except for one guy that said he wouldn't tell anybody I was mooching a beer or two. He would have done the same.
After enjoying my beer and getting shot down by lots of people I was about to leave and find a better place to fit in. A knock-out girl came up to me and gave me a nasty look and asked who I knew there. I hadn't gotten any names (idiot ...) so I said that I would like to wish Anna a happy birthday before I left. Apparently my American accent gave me away (or that rat bastard that said he wouldn't tell) and she very directly said I should leave. Being persistent I asked to say hello to Anna and asked which one she was and I was rudely told that she was busy and I was leaving. Fair enough. I didn't need to be roughed up by big Australian blokes. Free beer ... check!
Walking down the street there wasn't much going on so I decided that my next plan of attack would be up to Kings Cross. Phil told me that I should watch my back and not get too drunk. I guess Kings Cross is known to be a bit rowdy ... I can handle myself, right? On the train I met a few guys that were going out. One had just graduated from Uni and the other was just out with friends. They were wearing suits out on a Saturday night just to stand out and have fun so I thought that this could be a fun time tagging along.
Johann and Daniel. Apparently Daniel is a bit shy (computer engineer) and Johann asked him for 50 dollars in 5's. at the beginning of the night. As it turns out he kept them and would only give them back if he made an "attempt" with a group of girls. Now that's motivation!!! 5 bucks a pop! If at the end of the night he did not try 10 times he lost the remainder of the $$. Needless to say we had fun.
Surprisingly enough we only went to 1 bar. Eye Bar. It is the equivilent of the Lou in Manhattan. People only go there for cheap drinks to get drunk before going on to the next one. We actually saw them pouring the cheapest vodka into the expensive bottles. They weren't trying to hide it either! Yes, I had 2 shots. Yes, as you can imagine, it tasted terrible. The tequila wasn't good either. They were meeting a friend out and we ended up meeting a bunch of people. The group 3 of us multiplied to 8 by the end of the night.
After hanging out and having a great time they decided that some McDonalds was in order before hitting the next bar. It was just across the street so very convenient. At McDonalds we were enjoying a nice, fancy meal and it is customary that if you don't order pickles and they are on your sandwich to throw them at the wall and make them stick. Some guy thought it would be cool to throw one at Johann and make it stick to his suit. The night just turned ugly......... Spilled drinks, food on the floor, many words exchanged in a few different languages, and they were headed outside for a throw-down. I was just standing there off to the side because the last thing I needed was an arrest record in Sydney or better yet a hospital visit. Punches were exchanged, shirts ripped, a bit of blood and it was broken up and everybody went their separate directions. Didn't see that one coming .... I decided that it was time to call it a night while I was making smart decisions. My new friends Claire and Andy (from Ireland) and I hired a cab and headed off. The rest of the evening was calm but oh the fun times ... :)

Here is a picture of my new friends.

Photos

I will be posting more photos online. Here is the first batch from Sydney Harbour.
Cheers
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/sheldonbucl/AustraliaSydneyHarbour?feat=directlink

Tour de 'burbs

After the first weekend in Sydney I had to work. The fun was good while it lasted. Monday morning I started out on the train to Pymble from the Town Hall station. It is about a 30 minute ride. Surprisingly it is rather peaceful! When I get to Pymble station it is a 15 minute walk to the 3M office. It gives me time to prep for my day and unwind before getting home.
I found out the hard way one night that the trains quit running at 9:00 due to track maintenance. I had to wait for a bus (20 minutes) and it was about a 45 minute ride. It wouldn't have been bad but the bus smelled atrocious!
Really the week was quite boring. I wish I had more to write about it.
The fun started back up Saturday morning. The HP guy I am working with (Phil) picked me up at the hotel with the goal of showing me around the city. We cruised by Centennial Park, which is the equivalent of NYC's Central Park. Very large with tons of stuff to do. Next we went over towards Bondi Beach and looked at it from some cliffs on the south east edge. It is a very picture perfect beach. Most of them here are like that.

Here is Bondi Beach from afar










Bondi Beach up close





We stopped at Bondi Beach and I walked around a little bit to get my plan of attack for today's trip. Back on the road we stopped by South Point and a got a few more pictures of the city. Looking back into the harbour is also very cool. Next up was North Point (just on the north side of the mouth of the harbour). It was even better. The views get better the further north you go! The last stop on the picture tour was at Long Reef. This is spectacular! No tourists ever go that far north so it is not crowded nor beaten down. Definitely a secret spot!





Long Reef. Amazing!





To end the tour, Phil treated me to lunch at a local joint. I had some calamari, chips, a salad, and a beer. Seafood is sooooo good here!
He dropped me off back at the hotel and went about his way. I came back and took a quick nap. Seeing sights made me tired.

Pictures!

Here is a picture of the Opera House with the Bridge in the background. I thought some palm trees made a nice frame!

The other is a picture of the picture that is from the top of the bridge. It was a beautiful day!

A day-ish of Sydney

This weekend was a long weekend of walking. I started out on Friday. After checking in to the Holiday Inn in Darling Harbour I decided to start walking. I walked and walked and walked. Ended up at Sydney Harbour by the Opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge. I strolled around The Rocks area and made my way through the Opera House and such. Yesterday I did the same. Just a day of strolling.
Today I started out with a different story. I decided to walk by Hyde Park because there are some good coffee shops up there. Little did I know that there was the City 2 Surf "fun run" going on. Basically it is a huge fundraiser that everybody runs in. Something to the tune of 75,000 people were registered for it. Freakin' crazy!!! It is bigger than the London and New York marathons combined! After watching the 3 "heats" of runners go by I stopped by a Woolworths to get some breakfast. Woolworths is like a Walmart, Target, or something like that.
After chilling by the Australian Navy shipyards for breakfast I made it to the Royal Botanical Gardens. This place is full of exotic plants and trees that have been growing here for quite some time. It is a very cool place and very peaceful. I may go back next weekend and take a nap there. It might rival my best nap ever! (which for the record was in a park in Bayeux France).
This afternoon I decided to go do what I wanted to do this morning. I made my way back across the harbor to the base of the bridge. You can climb the bridge for a small sum of money and take in the view. It was a bit expensive but now I can say that I have climbed the bridge! Very cool! The view from the top was amazing!! In my group I had 2 people from south Australia, a guy from England, 4 guys from Austria, and a chick from Poland. We were friends by the end of the tour. :)
Next up I decided to find some supper. I made my way to a Starbucks for a pick-me-up (I know, it is a Starbucks but it was the only coffee shop open on Sunday evening). I eventually found a pub and had some lasagne and a Guinness. This is where I met some Aussie friends from Brisbane. They found out I was from Kansas and here by myself and we started with Jager-bombs. 3 Jager-bombs, 2 beers, and 2 bars later I find myself in my room. Probably a great decision since I have to be up and at 'em tomorrow morning and have no clue where I'm going. Oh well. I had fun.
Friday while I was eating my fish and chips from a local dive restaurant I made friends with an Aussie that was wearing a Zack Grienke jersey! He had just returned from a trip to KC to hang out with some mates of his and actually enjoyed baseball. A KC jersey was the last thing I expected to see here. Usually it is the damn Yankees that get all of the attention....
Til next time, cheers!

G'day Mate

Whew. I'm there ...That was the most tiring trip of my life. It did not go smooth at all. But, I made it safe and sound in Sydney this morning at 6:15 AM. We got to watch the sun rise as we went through customs. This picture is of my chariot just after we parked. A very stunning sunrise. It reminds me of SW KS.

Act 1 - Terminal B

Sooooo, it all started when a friend of mine was pissed that I didn't invite him to OK Joes. He put a travel curse on me and I hate him for that. Please take the pins out of my voodoo doll. I got a car, made it to the airport in good time, checked my bags, made some "terminal laps" and sat at my gate until the gate person informed us that we had mechanical issues. This was about 15 minutes before our flight was to depart. "The mechanic is on his way, it shouldn't take long." Well, either way I was screwed on the Northwest flight. I had a 19 minute layover in Minneapolis before leg 2 of my trip to LAX. So, I had them crack the bottom of the plane, search for my 2 bags, grabbed them from baggage claim, stopped by the Northwest ticket counter, and at that point I had 3 options. Since they are idiots there and take forever, 2 potential alternate flights had already closed and were departing without me. Someone up above found a US Air flight that connected through Phoenix that was scheduled to leave in 1.5 hours. Awesome. So, there I go from Terminal B over to Terminal A.

Act 2 - Terminal A

The Red Bus arrives at Terminal A and I hopped off. Hurriedly I made my way to the ticket counter and this lady proceeds to inform me that she doesn't know who in the world booked me on this flight because the connection in Phoenix is overbooked by 20 people. Yes, 20! Count them on your fingers and toes. 20. Rediculous!!! She said there was nothing she could do and I would have to go back to Northwest/Delta. Since there is only 1 Red Bus that goes between terminals, I conned a poor sap that drives a hotel shuttle into running me between terminals. He was a nice guy and I thank him for it.

Act 3 - Terminal B

So there I was, running back up to the Northwest ticket counter ... (mind you I have my Kelty pack on, a roller bag, and a backpack) and the lady that worked with me the first time was not there. The next lady looked at me with a look of disgust when she saw me. I immediately jumped into my rant about what I was doing and where they had just sent me. After some keystrokes (I swear she was looking at her MySpace page) she proceeded to tell me that there was nothing that they could do and I would have to wait until the next day for the next flight to LAX. Um, no. Not gonna work. Gotta be on a flight to Sydney at 10:35 PM. I knew that there were 3 more Southwest flights that would get me to LAX in time and felt that she should know. Her response you ask? "We do not have an agreement with Southwest to book our customers on their flight. You can pay for one yourself but there is nothing we can do." Really? After this little adventure there was nothing they could do? I told her that her manager Troy was in for a world of hurt if he was around. Lucky for him he was not. I told her that Northwest would re-imburse me for the flights from MCI - MSP - LAX and that I was flying Southwest airlines. I didn't have time to wait for Troy to get back from whatever he was doing behind the counter.

Act 4 - Terminal B (Southwest Counter)

I showed up at the Southwest counter with beads of sweat rolling off my brow and my shirt half-soaked. A line of 10 people let me cut in front of them. (I thank them too, if you were one of them I owe you a beer). My soon to be good friends at Southwest saw me running up and were already in triage mode. Joshua at Southwest Airlines hooked me up with a C24 boarding pass and said he would personally put my bags on the plane. It was 20 minutes until departure so they would get me an attendant to get me through security as well. There was only 1 catch. I had to get my bags at LAX, re-check them in at the Delta counter, and go back through security at LAX.

Act 5 - Southwest's Boeing 737

Luckily there were some fun people on the plane that wanted to drink with me. I probably didn't smell too rosy but we enjoyed a cold beer and some water to calm my nerves. Thank you Lauren and Helen. Also, if you ever fly Southwest, you WILL get yelled at if you congregate at the front of the plane. NEVER mess with a 1st grade teacher turned flight attendant. They can be mean.

Act 5.5 - LAX

So we landed in LAX and I ran to get my bags. Of course they were the last ones to come through baggage claim. Went back to Delta baggage check and 45 minutes later I was through security I ran to my gate just as they were boarding. Made it on the plane and off to Sydney.

Intermission - go to the bathroom, sing to yourself, watch Sportscenter, and grab some popcorn

Act 6 - Delta Flight 17 - Boeing 777

I was stuck in Row 37, seat E. When there is a 3 x 3 x 3 row, that puts you in the middle seat of the plane. I chose that one so nobody would have to climb over me in the middle of the night to get up. I could be that guy. :)These planes are very nice if you are flying for 3 or 4 hours but when the flight is 14 hours long it gets a little bit cramped. This is why they invented Business Class. I wish I had booked it. If you ever go to Australia, sell a kidney and go Business Class. You get to lay down and sleep comfortably. The one perk of a 14 hour flight is that you get 3 meals and all of the beverages you want. I chose chicken and potatoes for meal 1, a sandwich for meal 2, and pancakes for meal 3 as we were flying over the last bit of the Pacific. They were quite enjoyable.

Long story short, I got to the Holiday Inn at Darling Harbour. It is in Chinatown and a ritzy area of town. I wandered around for about 4 hours today and picked up a Vodafone modem so I have internet, a plug so I can use my American made power cords, and a cold beer (brought to me by a very cute waitress named Dani). I am going to have a great weekend now that I am here. Tonight I will sleep very well, and tomorrow will be full of exploration. I am thinking maybe the "Hanger" walk will be in store.

May as well start it off right, eh?

D-Day

Working from home this morning until my car arrives to pick me up. I suppose I should finish packing at some point. I started last but got distracted easily. Almost there.
I picked up a new camera at NFM. It is a Olympus Tough 8000. Supposedly it is waterproof up to 33 feet and crush proof, drop proof, idiot proof, and pretty much unbreakable. I am up to the challenge! I just hope that it works well during my trip. I will try to break it when I get back. Paired with a 4 GB micro SD card I can take about 1200 pics at 12 megapixel. Not bad for a pocket camera.
My flight is at 4:44 PM today out of KC. After a 59 minute stop in Minneapolis I go to LAX where I have 1 hour and 31 min to catch the Sydney flight. DL 17 is the flight # just in case we have another Air France debacle ... my made in the USA, Boeing 777 chariot is operated by Delta so I should be fine.
Going to get some Oklahoma Joes for lunch today. I can't wait! Should be tasty!
Next time you hear from me it will be on the other side of the wild blue yonder. Cheers!

Ride The Bear

Here is the bear. Mark Gubicza came from my good friend Chad. A little momento to remember him by I guess. The bear was a parting gift from one of my customers (kind of weird, I know). I paired the two up and it is quite the discussion piece!