THE HONEYMOONERS

Say you were searching the Internet for a 2-week itinerary to see the continent/country of Australia. Where would you start?? If a search engine returned our adventures the last two weeks, it would come up "Shapiro Itinerary - ADVANCED". We've tried to attach links to our activities below so that you can see just how busy we were.

After a challenging 3 day camping tour in Kakadu National Park, we arrived via Qantas (our favorite airline) to Alice Springs and took a shuttle to our HOTEL. This may not seem like a big deal, but to us, HOTELS had not often been on our menu of accomodations. In fact, it probably wasn't since our stay with the Herlings in China had we stayed in a hotel. And as we were checking in, Bob and Janet came thru the looby and there were hugs and kisses a plenty. But that didn't last too long as Mom's motto was "I want to do as much as possible. We're only here for two weeks." From the Outback to the Great Barrier Reef to the Metropolitan Cities, we covered the best that Australia has to offer as we traveled from Alice Springs to Cairns to Melbourne and to Sydney.

Alice Springs - It wasn't long after we checked in that we were off on our first evening activity, Red Center Dreaming, pictured above. We dined while learning about the native Aborginal culture and traditions, and then were entertained by the native people performing some of their dances and music. I had a go at playing the didgeridoo, but proved to be not so good - tough instrument. No rest for the weary as we were up before 5am the next morning to board the bus for our one-day (18 hour) tour of Ayers Rock and the Olgas, Emu Tours. Five hours there, five back and some rock formations in between, and there you have it. Seriously though, it was an incredible experience to see Ayers Rock (aka Uluru), an enormous rock in the middle of the Outback. If you think of it as a circular rock, which it is, it's actually 2x as big below the ground as it above, just mammoth. It is considered sacred to the Aborginals and belongs to them under a 99-year lease from the Government under the condition that they continue to allow people the option to climb it. Although there are warning and pleadings not to climb it from the natives, many people do and Amanda and I did. It is a ridiculously scary climb and shouldn't be legal as there is only a single chain link to hold on to as you steeply climb and then descend, over 35 deaths and countless injuries.

Cairns - Again via Qantas, we arrived in Cairns and checked in to our waterfront Hilton Hotel, which was spectacular. And again, not wasting any time, we were booked the next morning on Tusa Dive where we boarded the boat about 7.30am and headed out to the Outer Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It was a brilliant day of snorkeling and sunbathing as we snorkeled two different sites and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and surroundings. Mom, Dad and I put on wet suits for the first time, which was a site to see, but I don't have those shots. They are on strict copywright on Bob and Janet's camera. Also in Cairns, we toured what is deemed the largest Rain Forest in the World and largest Sky Train, experiencing both the Skyrail and Scenic Train as we traveled to the nestled little city of Kuranda. As you might imagine, the Skyrail did not go so well with the girls. In the relaxed beach town of Cairns, we did just that, seeing two movies, Thank you for Smoking and You, Me & Dupree.

Melbourne - Pronounced Mel-burn, we checked in to the Melbourne Marriott and benefited from Pop's extensive history with the hotel chain as we were permitted continuous access to the Executive Lounge, where we ate and drank as much as we wanted for free. Breakfast was a given and usually a mid-afternoon snack was in order as well. Melbourne is undoubtedly a proud city with a rich metropolitan culture. It is a melting pot of urban, suburban, ethnic and traditional. Our first night, we walked up and down Brunswick street looking for a burger and struggled for nearly a half-hour. We did, though, walk by restaurants serving Italian, Vietnamese, Thai, African, Malaysian, Mexican, Spanish, Turkish, Greek and many other types of food. Next day we walked the Melbourne Zoo. Other nights included seeing the opening of Mum's the Word 2: Teenagers, a great live performance about 4 Mom's (Mum's) who struggle with their children's adolesent years. We also all went to an AFL (Aussie Rules Football League) game and saw Western knock off Essendon in the beautiful Telstra Dome, walking distance from our hotel. As gambling is legal throughout Australia, I obviously got some action on the game and won $50 as Western barely covered the 17.5 points. One afternoon, we shopped the Queen Victoria Market, went to the Melbourne Museum and saw Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees IMAX. Lastly, in Melbourne, we rented our first car and drove (I drove) on the wrong side of the road South for 2 hours to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade, a 365-day a year event where you get to witness first hand the Little Penguins returning from the water to their burroughs, completely unprovoked or initiated, an amazing thing for your eyes to see.

Sydney - Arriving at our final destination, the center of Australia's commerce, we still had much to do and see in Sydney. First, we walked and walked and walked, and walked - a common occurence whenever you're with Bob and Janet, but at least it was thru the Royal Botanical Gardens and not the Aventura Circle. Other than walking, though, we took a fantastic 2hr ferry cruise around Sydney's harbor, Captain Cook Cruises, with a microphoned guide educating us on the harbour's history and the famous residences (Elton John, Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, etc). Another day, we again rented a car and drove 100 miles or so (160K) and took a grueling hike (trek) thru Sydney's Blue Mountains. The adventures fittingly closed at one of the world's most recognized and revered pieces of real estate, the Sydney Opera House, as Amanda and I took in our first Opera, Turandot.

It is impossible to express in words how grateful we are to have experienced the last two weeks with my parents here in Australia as well as the two weeks spent in China with The Herling's. Believe it or not, for Amanda and I, the best part of traveling for us has been seeing and feeling the happiness and contentment when we were with both our parents.

Finally, our deepest condolences to Steve Irwin's family. While we obviously do not know them personally, we were and still are deeply saddened by his tragedy. Rest in Peace Croc Hunter.

Click here for some pics with The Shapiro's