Hiked around chilly Chiricahua National Monument in southern Arizona. A good day.

3 days on Oahu

Touring around Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Yet another transit day, this time to Almaty, Kazakhstan.

A transit through Abu Dhabi.

We're off; via San Francisco and Abu Dhabi to Almaty, a unlikely tripling of cities.

Just had an odd thought: how would I describe Sydney to someone who's never been? Here are some bullet points, somewhere there should be some cohesive threads. Or maybe not.

First, Sydney looks like a North American city.

Topographically, it's most reminiscent of Seattle, or perhaps Vancouver. Not San Francisco; while Sydney sits on a harbor like SF it doesn't have the huge inclines that San Francisco has--it has more moderate hills, and none of them are very large like Twin Peaks, or offer the sweeping views you often get in San Francisco. The many inlets of the harbor remind …

We signed up for a day long 4WD tour west of Sydney in our new old Landcruiser

I'm really surprised at how cheap things are here. Everyone back in North America is interested in 'how expensive is it over there?'

Here's a sampling of a few rates... all in US dollars.
- Car rental for a day, Toyota Camry: $35 (incl tax and gas)
- Haircut and beard trim: $7
- Our one bedroom suite apartment in central Sydney: $75 per night
- Valet parking, with in-and-out privledges, per day: $8.50
- 750ml bottle of beer (24oz): $1.75
- Motel room, outside of Sydney: $20 - $30 US
- Big Mac: $1.50, though you can easily find coupons for 2 for US …

Just a few

How to land on your feet