Update USA

G'Day my many friends.

I just thought an update might be in order since my last posting included lots of snow and there could be a fear of my being stuck in snow covered wilds of Sunriver. Not the case however I had been lost in among the unemployed hoards once I arrived back home. Not anymore, a couple months ago I went to work back at my old place of employment.

With my first paystub, I was able to refinance a 10 year at 3/5%, pulling enough money out to cover my 6 months of being unemployed so I'm back to square one money-wise. Thanks to my son Nick, I have transportation. His generosity in allowing me to borrow his car for a while only proves that we've raised him right. It's taken about $1,000 in repairs and maintenance to bring it back up to par so I can give it back to him this fall in perfect working order. Crafty little bugger, isn't he? I believe he'll still let us make the payments and cover insurance, too. At least he's working towards getting into teaching so our payments will most likely continue.

I'm looking forward to getting my boat out of the water, doing much needed bottom painting, maintenance and getting her ship shape for the Latitudes & Attitudes PNW Cruiser's Party. Here's a link to some of last year's fun: http://www.seafaring.com/photo-gallery/thumbnails.php?album=38 if you're interested. Also as an added addition, I may have a couple of Aussies join in the fun as well. Jo and her friend Cassie may fly up for the sail up to Friday Harbor! That'll be great to see them again. I do miss the old Fairy Meadow gang. I know it'll be Jo's first trip to the US but I'm not sure about Cassie. Hopefully, I'll be able to show them a good time while on this side of the pond.

I've been growing out my hair and added a goatee in preparation of appearing more pirate-like once underway and at the party. I'm sure most people look at me and wonder if my Harley is near by.

More updates to follow.

Memoirs of a former Ex-Pat

As you may know, I'm back in the US of A. Reluctantly in so many ways as I wish I had done more exploration of that great country/continent while I was there. Who knows, while they say the US economy is improving, unemployment is twice that of Oz (and working here just isn't as much fun as it is abroad = very limited time off). But, getting home felt good. Seeing the in law half of the family was a great way to spend the holidays and doing that in Sunriver is the icing on the cake. Or in this case, the snow on the winter wonderland. I recommend getting a condo for family get togethers there if you can.

Now the job search begins. Hopefully I'll be able to find something worthwhile very soon. David, who I worked with at Aero Metric found a job in Iowa after a 2 year search! Congratulations to him. A workshop I attended put on by the State of Washington on how to apply for jobs with the State (although most of the presentation was universally applicable) indicated that at this time, an 8 to 9 month job search is typical. I may just apply for work back in Oz as they are scrambling to fill positions in many fields, especially in mining. A truck driver there can make about $80,000 per year!

I do miss Oz already and maybe will go back. It does depend upon how this country and the economy shakes out in the next few months. So, if you know of a good job opening in engineering sales and marketing or project management, let me know.

I was joking about the 'memoirs' portion as I don't know if I can really say "a yank IN Oz" while I'm back home. I will add more posts as I've been somewhat lazy, I mean, busy in my last days in Oz so neglected further posts.

I am deeply appreciative of all the friends I've made while in Oz. Mark and Kath showed me so much kindness and introduced me to so many different areas around Wollongong and really got me into the local 'scene.' And Jo, I can't say enough good things about this incredible kind and giving woman. I think if anyone tries to picture an Aussie woman, Jo would certainly fill that vision. Tough and tender, a loving mother and can be a mother, but overall a wonderful human being. Thank you, Jo.

I will return to Oz someday. Soon, I hope. Until then, I'll add more pictures and stories to fill this space.

Crikey!

Balinese Dance Video 1

Tanah Lot

Another seaside attraction in the form of an ancient temple. Tanah Lot (not Camelot) is very old and very beautiful along the sea. Great views of the temple mixed with people taking surfing lessons. This was the first stop of our two day scooter ride across Bali and what a relief it was to get the hell out of Kuta Beach.

The picture of the Balinese family is our tour guide Wayans and his wife and kids. Since our final destination was close to his family village, he decided to bring his family at our suggestion, and since everyone in the group decided to ride scooters, he didn't have anyone in his car. It seemed to have worked out for everyone.

In Kuta, it is the worst of the city life with people grabbing you to sell you their cheap stuff. At first it's annoying but after several days, you wish you'd have been able to pack a Dirty Harry. The scooter tour into the country seemed like a great escape and it was. Tanah Lot does give a glimpse of how almost all tourist attractions are set up. In order to get to the temple, you have to buy a pass then walk the gauntlet of tiny little stalls selling everything related or not to the attraction. Fortunately, cold beer is always one of those items available, allowing the unwary tourist enough time to survive and spend at the next attraction.

A couple pictures above show women oiling and staining some woodwork that is very common and very beautiful throughout Bali. I recognized the smell of the oil several booths away and wasn't disappointed in what I'd found. It's too bad that what they sell is too big and too heavy to bring back home. In fact, all wood items are banned in Australia so they'd have ended up in the Customs nightly bonfire for sure. Besides, on orders, I need to reserve room in my luggage for Tim Tams and Turkish Delights when I come back to the Fatherland on 23 Dec. See you then!

An added note of sadness, I may have sold my Hoon Wagon today. I'll find out if I'm no longer the proud owner of an Australian icon, the Holden Commodore.

My Balinese Dream Boat

No not a woman (well, maybe the 'other' woman) but a real Balinese boat. You can see my 'project' boat in the last couple of pictures!

The first couple of pictures are of one of these Balinese boats in action on the Java Sea on the north side of the Island and where we all spent the night after the grueling scooter trip (then we had to return!). It is one used to support tourist dives and from the looks of it, the compressor and the boat itself should've been scrapped decades ago, but then again...this isn't America. Would you trust your breathing to that hunk of rust?

Hey Richard, just a little project to keep you occupied. Come on over to Lovina, Bali and get your paint scraper and primer handy.

The next few pictures are of what the finished boat should look like when I'm done. Yep, beautiful isn't she? Floating peacefully on a mountain lake in the middle of Bali. If you look closely, you can see the white roofs of a large temple, which is about as close as I was able to get to it. This was one of the few stops during our scooter sojourn across Bali that I'll write about later.

A Day at the Zoo

This may sound corny, going to the Zoo while in Bali, but actually it was a lot of fun. The same tour guide from the previous day said he was taking a few people to the Wildlife Safari and had room for one more. I thought why not and joined the group.

Not only do they have opportunities to feed camels, elephants, etc. but you can ride an elephant, too! I did that but no picture available. There is also a tram that goes through different habitats such as Asia and Africa, water part (forgot my swimsuit, dammit!) and a few other rides for the kids. I wished I'd remembered my swimsuit (or cozzie short for swimming costume in Australian) but at least Bin Tang was served cold and often. I did survive.

I'd recommend going on this even thought it's expensive. It will last you all day. Before the zoo, the driver took us to a Balinese Dance performance. Again, we got a soap opera like explanation of what was going on and it was interesting. I took some pictures and videos that I'll see if I can download to this blog next. The sounds and action are very interesting and certainly different.

More adventures later.

The First Big Tour

Naturally these pictures are not in order but I'll try to give you an idea of my first tour in Bali. I grabbed a map (I guess I have a thing for maps) from a small touring company on the way to the beach. It's owned by a very nice guy and on the map are several different tours and activities available. One of the activities is a Balinese cooking class that was tempting although he did mention it was run by his sister and there were several cooking classes so I did some shopping and never did make time to take a class. Typical, I know.

Anyway, this tour is of an ancient (age unknown) seaside temple. It was amazing and all the intricate carvings in stone had been worn smooth by the weather, it didn't take much imagination to see how it must have looked when first built and that it is so old, no one seems to be able to set a date when it was constructed. It is so sacred that men must wear a sarong to cover their knees and everyone must wear a sash. In the picture above, I'm the one in the sarong.

There was also an elaborate fire dance that went well into the night. I'm glad it wasn't the full version that we were told takes several days and the short version was plenty. The plot is from an ancient Hindu sacred text and reads like a soap opera with a villain trying to steal the beautiful princess and everyone taking on various disguises or forms. The music consisted of the 40 men chanting, no instruments are used.

As it went into the night, several piles of straw were lit and a monkey character kicked these burning piles sometimes hitting the chanting men or the audience. It was exciting and naturally I had a front row seat that didn't seem all that attractive during that particular dance. No wonder the priest shown is the last photo blessed the event in the beginning.

After the dance, we headed to a strip of restaurants that have the tables on the beach. It was great and I apologize for not having a decent picture of the set up, but it was dark and lighting was kept to a minimum so everyone could enjoy the stars. I did get a picture of one of the roving bands who serenaded unsuspecting eaters much like a Mexican mariachi band. In fact, I may sound like a broken record in comparing Bali to Mexico but it is strangely similar. I've told family that sometimes I felt like I was in an old Star Trek episode involving a parallel universe! I'll show later a picture of a couple young kids and an older woman in front of colorful material and you'd swear I took the photo in Mexico or Guatemala.