The Kilimanjaro Journals

Royal National Park, Coast Track

New photos! Our Coast Track Photos.

This Month in Pictures

Our town. Eastwood. This large town centre is always bustling with strolling elders, busy shoppers and hopping children. The large, currently-dormant green ceiling is the largest I've ever seen.

A neighborhood garden. This is practically the dead of winter, mind you.

Our lorikeets were back a couple of weeks ago. Libby got to interact with them.

Our friend and terrific human being, Serena came to Sydney from Perth a few weeks ago. She taught English with Libby in Yokkaichi, Mie.

Last month we also did the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, an easy track that follows the coast past some gorgeous beaches, multi-million dollar mansions and stunning ocean vistas. It takes us about 50 minutes to get to Bondi beach by car.

I was worrying about her - so close to the edge - while it turns out she was worried about how close I was taking the photo.

A long way down.

Australia has more world champion surfers than anywhere else on earth.

I'm doing an internship with a non-profit organization called AID/WATCH. They monitor developmental aid schemes and produce reports about mis-named aid, such as Iraqi debt cancellation and feeding refugees on Christmas island. AID/WATCH's offices are in a hip area of Sydney called Erskinville. This little green space is on my walk from the train station.

Libby and I cook together almost every night. Last night we made a delicious sweet and sour tofu dish. It's a good thing it turned out well, we made enough of it to feed a small country. Lunch for the week.

Cockatoo Morning

On my walk to the bus stop this morning I saw something that made me stop and stare. A grand sulphur crested cockatoo was standing on the curb across from me. Joe and I often see these magnificent birds flying around and on the powerlines but this was by far the closest I’ve been to one. He was huge. I’d say the full 20 inches this site says they can grow to. He was hopping along, spreading his wings, furling his crest and squawking at intervals. A car drove by and he still didn’t fly away. I figured that he must be injured and was considering knocking on a door to get someone to call for help when he made one final attempt and flew up to the powerline above me. I said goodbye and as I walked away he flew on. It was a beautiful start to a beautiful day. Spring has begun in Australia.

The Simpsons