Think back to making a motorboat sound with vibrating lips, then resting them inside the top of the skinny hollow log. All of us tried with lame results so we marveled as he entertained us with variations of sounds, some like an elephant skat-singing. Followed by an outback BBQ a la Jak our leader.
The Great Barrier Reef is as big as Japan. Who knew? Surrounding tropical Cairns are beachfront towns catering to vacationers, honeymooners and tourists most setting out on boats of one kind or another for around an hour to reach an island, cay or drop spot to see the coral and sea life wonders. Raining buckets? No worries, Mate. Just have a go. The idea of dropping into the ocean on a grey day was not appealing, so even though it cleared up occasionally, we spent a relaxing day in the catamaran watching our friends come and go. Besides, because the jellyfish are terribly poisonous, they all had to wear bodysuits. Now the men have an idea of how pantyhose and Spanx fight back. More tame was Jules Verne contraption, the semi submersible boat with glass windows below the surface. The coral varieties were amazing, but apparently not as vibrant as through a snorkel mask.
The Sydney Opera House; spectacular building. The story behind it as well. Unfortunately there were no performances when we were there. We enjoyed it , the harbor bridge, and the rest of the beautiful harbor sights on an hour cruise, even through the grey and rain.
We considered skipping Sydney's Jewish Museum as our year has been filled with so many Jewish museums already. But we did go, and how glad we were. The professional exhibits, surrounding a foyer shaped like a Jewish star presented the history of the Jewish world and not just of Sydney's community. Holocaust education is a focus, and the school groups in their crisp uniforms fanned out to glean what they could in a short time. We happened upon a lovely octogenarian woman, Olga Horak, standing in front of a glass case containing a woven blanket. It had been hers, found discarded after her five concentration camp nightmare. It stayed with her while she was nursed back to health after the war, and was saved by the people who took her in. In recent years she got it back, and now gives talks about her experience to the school groups. It was made with human hair.
We bought her book "Aushwitz to Australia" in the bookstore and promised to mail her Max's book.
Jackaroo, our OAT leader, our own cutie Olivia Newton John look alike, encouraged us to taste the offerings of her homeland.
Tropical fruits (never seen before), kangaroo, Pavlova, ANZAC cookies, goody balls, vegemite. Vegemite is a definite no go! And of course meat pies. Little round flaky creations approximately 4" in diameter can be filled with almost anything; lamb, beef, Indian curry, chicken, and fruit. Then there is McDonalds, (they say Mackers) where there is a lamb and feta wrap. Imagine that going over on Main Street America.
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