From the middle of one country, to the middle of another...

It seems I am more Nebraskan than I thought. Growing up among cattle pastures and cornfields, miles from any sort of coastline, I always assumed I would spend the rest of my days making up for lost beach time by residing as close as possible to the sand and sun. Yet, after six months in Australia of morning beach strolls and splashing in the salty waves, I have found myself back in-land, right smack in the middle of the Aussie Outback. Perhaps growing up in the Midwest has ingrained itself in my subconscious, an intrinsic pull to the center. As in yoga, we are told to find our core in order to balance ourselves, and in the hectic days that have passed with all the issues afloat in this world, it doesn't seem far fetched that I would need to find some balance of my own. And, as crazy as it may sound (particularly when said aloud), a balance is presenting itself to me one blazing hot day at a time...

So here I am in Yulara, Northern Territory, just 20 kilometers from the infamous Ayers Rock (a.k.a. Uluru) and I am quickly learning that the middle of Australia has little in common with that of the US. Nebraska's sprawling fields of beans and corn are replaced with uninhabited red dirt and dried desert shrubs that stretch as far as the eye can see. Raccoons and skunks are replaced with venomous snakes and scaly lizards, while the sticky humidity is swapped for a dry, moisture sucking, heat. With temperatures regularly reaching 45 degrees Celsius and a lack of clouds to cover the fiery orange sun, there is little one can do to beat the heat. Although Nebraska is far less dangerous than the rugged desert life, I must admit that I feel well equipped to battle its extremities. After all, you never know what to expect in the Midwest...does anyone remember the 1997 October storm?

안녕 (goodbye) and hello...

After a blundering final week in Seoul and a race out the door to Incheon airport, I was finally on my journey back to Australia. Forty-two hours of planes, trains and automobiles left me with enough time to finally finish my book and catch up on in-flight movies. Air China mistakenly left my luggage in Beijing, so when I finally landed, I found myself stranded in Sydney with minimal belongings and a desperate need to shower. Numb to it all after such a hectic travel itinerary, I set off to explore the city and soak some much needed sunshine. Then, after a fun night with friends at happy hour I awoke just in time to catch my train up north to Ballina where the weather is warm and the sun, oh so bright :)

Classic literature for thought...

"Man is primarily a creative animal, condemned to strive consciously toward a goal and to engage in the engineering arts; in other words, to be eternally and continually building roads for himself, leading somewhere, no matter where."

-Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Notes from Underground"

Beachy Ballina, a surfer's paradise

Melbourne

Sneak preview; we've only just begun...

Kangaroos and Oversized Objects

When thinking of Australia, one of the first things that springs to mind for most is kangaroos. And, true to form, kangaroos are everywhere... In front yards, in parks, at the beach. Everywhere. Kangaroo roadkill is as ordinary as the lifeless raccoons often seen along highways in the American midwest. And while they are more heavily concentrated in specific areas, they are easy to spot more times than not. Another easy-to-spot entity is the "oversized object". Ranging from an oversized pineapple to an oversized whale or lobster, there are an estimated 150 oversized objects to be viewed across the Aussie countryside. So far I have witnessed, in all their oversized glory, the Big Banana in Coffs Harbor and the Big Prawn in Ballina.

OZ

After a lengthy stint in Asia, it was finally back to Western society. Perhaps among the most laid back and easy going of western countries, Australia is a land of surfers, coastal living, meat pies, wild animals, deadly snakes, rugby, beer, beer, beer and a no shoes policy. With enough space for every Australian citizen to have their own kilometer of land, it was a spacious change to the crammed sidewalks of Asian cities. A change I readily accepted. First stop was the cruisy surfer town Byron Bay near the northern end of New South Wales. Famed for being the most easterly point of Australia, the beaches were beautiful and the night skies were filled with stars...