The Longgg Journey!

Hello Haddonfield Friends School! I am currently traveling in Australia and will be updating you with some interesting sites and facts during my journey. I hope to load some interesting photos for you also during this trip. Isabela thought you would enjoy following along similar to last year when I did a blog with the class on my trip to Africa.

It is a long way to get to Australia!! I left Philadelphia on Friday afternoon and arrived in Australia late Sunday morning! I first took a plane to Los Angeles, CA. Then I switched onto another plane to Sydney, Australia. Then I took another plane to Melbourne, Australia. It took me about 33 hours to get here in Melbourne from Philly. It is 16 hours ahead of you here. So what time is it now where I am at? I am a day ahead of you because I crossed the International Date Line on my way to Australia.

I am using Australian Dollars for currency but the value is almost exactly the same as a US Dollar, so the prices are basically the same.

I walked out to the beach in Melbourne today to take a look at the ocean. What ocean was I looking at? It is Spring here going into Summer. As you know, the seasons are opposite here in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a bit strange seeing all the holiday decorations go up here and it is so warm. Generally it is a bit cooler here in Melbourne then the other cities I will be traveling to. It is about 70 degrees here for the high in the daytime. Melbourne is in Southern Australia. The penguins travel here from Antarctica and come on the shores here. There are also lots of seal colonies.

I will be traveling to other places in Australia including Cairns which is in the northern part of the continent. I will be scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef while there and I hope to post some good pictures. I will also be traveling to Sydney before I return back home next week. I am hoping to also see some Koala Bears, crocodiles, and kangaroos while I am here.

I always try the local food when I am traveling. Today I tried a Vegemite Sandwich and it was horrible!!! Your teachers may remember the band “Men at Work” back in the 1980’s who sang about them. It is basically bread with condensed dark brown yeast spread like butter. Yuck! It was gross! Never again!

I will try and post something each day during my trip. Feel free to send me any questions on Australia while I am here!