4-1-09
In the air over the pacific.
0:44

There is a huge communal flat screen in my cabin that shows our position in relation to the globe. As the icon of our plane made its way out over the digital blue of the pacific, I realized that I am leaving my country for the first time. Mexico when I was seven does not really count. We’ve all been watching movies and sleeping from time to time in odd postures. And although this plane is a behemoth, the bathroom starts shrinking the moment you close the door. It’s a device that United Airways uses to make sure everyone has their fair amount of time in the lavatory. If you stay in there too long, the room gets too small and you end up just getting flushed down the pipe and jettisoned into ocean eternal. I cant help but wish that there was a room on this plane with a jungle gym. Moving is all there is to think about when there is a movie playing that is sad just to be sad, and outside my window there is only a seventy foot wing that is as black as the tens of thousands of feet between us and the water.
Chi (chee), my Chinese row-mate, hails from Las Vegas. He is a very decent fellow and I like his plaid shirt. Fortunately for me, I began pronouncing a few Chinese sentence fragments which helped us start laughing right away. I’m sure my missed vowel sounds were just as funny to him, as his are to me. Let me just say that my main man Chi, has a laugh that would stop a bullet. It roars out like a motorcycle race and then trails off to a slow grinded halt after every silly comment. His winter woman sidekick is ancient. I know she is ancient because asian people do not age much until they hit the late forties, and this woman looks as if her late forties came and went long before the cassette tape. They are headed to New Zealand. Chi has been to Oz four times. I like the odds of this place being good news.

4-2-09
Sydney
7:20

I was extremely excited to use my first Australian atm moments ago. Everything here is efficient with the obvious evidence of forethought. While the bathroom was stark white with only the bare necessities and no paper towels (something I was looking forward to), the currency is a mix of big colors, giving style to the appropriate devices. I bought a small coffee and while I was blown away by how small the final product, the taste was out of sight. Im not just being sensory overload green horn either. The coffee really is a thousand times better than what I know in the states. To my right, overlooking the tarmac, I see a light blue, green, and white plane whose obvious origin is Uzbekistan. Well, that is what is written on the side, so that’s my guess. It was raining when I arrived which is giving this early morning a very shimmering grey glow. In the distance, past the airport, there are trees I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before. They look to be about sixty feet (judging by the buildings) with little green canopies at the very top. Like an enormous umbrella. The airport here is minimalist and perfect. Comfortable furniture that is very simple, lighting that is more inviting than harsh, and a pace that represents everything I mentioned before.

Arrival in Adelaide

4-3-09
Adelaide
20:05

My first day in Adelaide was tremendous. Mara and I got up and walked downtown to the campus for her one class of the day. To get there we walked through an outdoor mall that reminded me of something out of Blade Runner, just not so rainy, dark, and overcrowded. There were café’s and shops of all kinds, fresh produce, and street acts. There was a man who was about eight thousand years old juggling four hacky sacks in the midst of his electronic bubble blower. It was an impressive sight. There is a glass building on campus that houses the library, or so I’m told. Many of the buildings on campus look like something out of a story book. Big green gates. Tan brick with tiled roofing. A river running along side of campus. It’s ridiculous. We took the tram and got off at the downtown “market”. I am not kidding when I say that this is one of the most fantastic places I have ever seen. Running between and through several downtown buildings there is this fresh market that has an extraordinary amount of shops. Butchery, Coffee, Produce, Asian foods, and the list just goes on. We got a few things and then went to eat in this huge hall that had an assortment of different asian food stands. Once again, very Blade Runner. After that, we wandered back home. After a brief period of laziness we went back outside and across the street to Ray’s Outdoor Supply. After looking at all the tents and fancy camping things, we walked across the street and wandered around in the huge soccer field, took some silly pictures, and now we are back home. I am thoroughly training myself to look the opposite directions when crossing the street. Driving on the left looks so weird. We didn’t take a camera downtown today, so I’ll post up pictures of that in a day or so when we go back.

Mara's apartment and the soccer field.  The hat pic was taken at Ray's Outdoor Supply.  Yeah.