Saturday, January 1, 2011

Down Under

Rather than go back to the US for holidays, we decided this year to go visit Isha and Brenton in Melbourne. It was a bit odd for me, as I had to work most days so I was "in the office" at the hotel most afternoons, but got the chance to do some sightseeing in the mornings, and a couple of days I had off.

Rather than list the full itinerary, I'll just share a few places we saw.

Melbourne 2010-12-225
We went to St. Kildas, and walked along the beach. My cousin Jan Marc, and my nephew Satchel were visiting as well.
Melbourne 2010-12-222

We saw the tiny penguins (well actually penguin) on the pier. Too many people crowded around to get any good pictures.

Melbourne 2010-12-256 On Christmas the Cicadas were very loud, this one joined us on the table after we ate dinner.

Melbourne 2010-12-268 Cindy and I went for a drive down the Great Ocean Road. She put her toes in the Tasman Sea, and in the Southern Ocean. Melbourne 2010-12-2617

Melbourne 2010-12-2612And along the way we saw the 12 Apostles (though there are only 11 left standing now). It looked a lot like the California coast except that you have to drive on the wrong side of the road.Melbourne 2010-12-2614 And to prove we were there: Melbourne 2010-12-2616


And of course we had to see Kangaroos, so we visited the Healsville Sanctuary where we saw all sorts of strange Australian wildlife.
Melbourne 2010-12-2820

Melbourne 2010-12-2819

Melbourne 2010-12-2821

And we even managed to stop at a winery and sample the local wines. No pictures, but we did bring back a couple of bottles to India.

Oh Yeah, We also went to the beach, where many went surfing, though your's truely had to get back to the "office" so I skipped this activity.
Melbourne 2010-12-3031

Satchel and Jan Marc did manage to do fairly well.
Here's Satchel on the Right.
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And Jan Marc:
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Even Marian got in on it.
Melbourne 2010-12-3041

And then on the way home I got serenaded by this group in BLUE at the Singapore airport. The picture is a bit blurry, but that's how I was feeling after 6 hours flying on New Years Day.
Christmas in Singapore 2010-12-31

The rest of my Christmas in Melbourne photos can be found here.