The Sydney Opera House design was an international contest. 32 architects sent in designs and interesting ideas, but most of them had the the theater and symphony hall across from each other, taking advantage of the length of the peninsula, but one design had the theater and the hall next to each other, but a complicated design plan. Even so, the plans we chosen. It took around 14 years to build, and her majesty Queen Elizabeth II opened it. After, the build was known for it amazing design and amazing show.

The House has 2 major theaters, 3 minor theaters and hosts 1.5 millions theater-goers annually.

We went on a tour of the Opera House today where I learn all of that, but I forgot the rest.

- Izzy


It was an amazing site and I had no idea that it took 14 years from design to completion. Or that when it was designed on paper the architect had no idea how he was going to build the roof - with or without interior supports. Or that he walked off the job about 6 years in.  WOW.  Imagine the troubleshooting that went into this building.

My favorite part of Darling Harbour was the 'Free Hugs' guy that hangs out there on the weekends.  People here are so friendly.

-Suzanne

Since Ben refuses to write a travel blog entry, I guess I'll write one about him.

It was a good week for being Ben - he started Chapter 10 in Algebra I, plus a new workbook, Introduction to Physics I, and is reading two books about the space program and NASA; The Right Stuff and the new bestseller, The Astronauts Guide to the Earth by NASA Astronaut Chris Hatfield.

Oh, and what else - fire a 9mm Glock pistol, ride his first-ever Segway, and then tonight, two heats in a professional Go-Kart.

The girls are also doing great with school work and Izzy also rode the Segways with us. Poor Maddie was tall enough but didn't weigh enough. :( So her and Mom did some other neighborhood boutique stuff.

Both Izzy and Maddie did also race the Go Karts, and besides me accidentally slamming into Izzy, everything went fine. Maddy (who was both tall and heavy enough!) was a little frustrated as these were the serious type that steer by hard-braking and sliding through turns, and they were very touchy and easy to spin-out.

But we all had fun (Mom was out getting a new 'do and some quiet time!) and I taught Ben and Izzy how to navigate me in a foreign city in the dark using Google Maps - and only a few shouting matches ensued! :)

Off to Sydney tomorrow!

First I thought it would be Buenos Aires, then India, maybe Thailand but it was none of these. Turns out Brisbane is our second home.  It might be the lack of a language barrier or maybe because all of the people look like us, but WOW, Australia sure does feel like home. The girls weren't here more than 12 hours before it moved to the top of the list.  And we already have built in friends, with toys.

Facebook does it again and reunites some friends across the oceans.  The Russells of Hinsdale had left for London back in 2012 for a short stint across the pond. Then the pond turned into the ocean and they have ended up in Brisbane.  Well, perfect for us. Not much to do in Singapore anyway and if we were already over here why not visit another continent.  Maddy was tired of the big, noisy cities anyway.

The Russells welcomed us with open arms and wonderful BBQ (on short notice) into their vacation style home in Ashbury. Turns our the neighborhoods outside of Brisbane look just like Marin County.  No wonder the girls love it so much. 

We also arrived just in time to help with the unpacking of their goods from London.  Perfect timing. Mike and Ben haven't put together a piece of furniture since helping Leelie's parents in Addis Ababa with a dining room table and they needed their hex key fix.  Maddy and Izzy  are handy with box cutters and can sort Tupperware with the best of them.  It was the most productive day we have had thus far on our trip.  I loved it.

-Suzanne

We've found the place for Maddy to worship and enjoy her daily quest for the perfect pancake.

Pancake Manor is a 24-hour pancake house in an old cathedral in downtown Brisbane.

"I've found Heaven!" -Maddy

It's one of my favorite Australian phrases, "No worries"; a more melodious version of our "No problem" and said often here in a sincere, pleasant, and friendly manner. Even just after our first-ever 48-hours here in Australia, I can see the origin of it clearly now. It seems, on the surface at least, if you live here, you'd have no worries at all, mate.

We diverted our trip and are now staying in the NE corner of Australia in the state of Queensland (QLD) in the city of Brisbane (BRIZ-bin). And it is fabulous - what a great last minute decision. The city is a coastal town, yet with a beautiful snaking river that dominates the downtown and all of the little hipster neighborhoods that hug it. And speaking of hipster, this city reminds me exactly of a mix between Portland, OR and Marin County just north of San Francisco. It is very beautiful, hip - and fun.

After being here just a few hours, the girls already said it was their favorite stop on the trip so far. What's not to like? Plus, we look just like everyone else, so we fit in well. In fact, we were mistaken most often for Australians during our travel in India and Asia (even after they heard us speak!), we feel like honorary citizens.

We are renting a quaint little cottage home on a quiet, hilly street in an area called Paddington. We are in a "Queenslander" style home (somewhat Cape Cod-ish). There are no bugs and it is in the low 80's everyday, so the windows (without screens) are thrown wide open. The Noisy Miner birds are large and numerous and loud - and literally wake us up every morning, rudely - like cats in heat.

The people here are fun and friendly and relaxed - and everyone here looks fit and tan and tall and (mostly) blonde. Wow.

We talked about just selling our house in Chicago and moving here, that is until we found out there is no such thing as half-n-half or cream for coffee. They just drink it black. Oh that, and it looks pretty expensive to live here. So it looks like we'll be back in June as planned.

And as in Argentina, we decided to rent a car as there is no way to really experience a town like a local until you drive their roads and get out to the outer neighborhoods and suburbs. The big difference is the cars steer from the right and drive in the left-hand lane. I decided we would be fine as I did this in England and Scotland some 20 years ago. I picked up a car from the airport (the day after we arrived) and promptly got lost coming home (missed the exit inside a tunnel). Now, trying to navigate the opposite steering and lane-side, in a passenger van at least a half-foot wider than a U.S. minivan, all the while while lost and reading Google maps on my iPhone through my reading glasses, I was lurching and weaving and wouldn't you know it - I saw some flashing red lights behind me.

The next thing I know, young Constable Tim Li pulls me over for erratic driving! After I explain the situation he laughs and says he understands and to just be careful. However, as a precaution and an official procedure, he says he must administer a "drunk driving breathalyzer". By this time, him, me and his partner are yucking it up about arrogant American tourists trying to drive in Australia and I am making some bad jokes about just measuring the strength of my "morning breath" before noon.

Needless to say, I pass and then carefully pull away. To which Izzy, who has been riding shotgun in the van the whole time, looks over at me, cocks her head like only a smarty 12-year old can, and says, "You know Dad, I'm going to tell Mom about this as soon as we get home".

It's OK Iz, I'll do you one better and tell everyone in our travel blog. It's a funny story.

No worries, yeh?

Let's all play - What's! More! Amaziiiing?

1. The flying-boat hotel and casino, the open-flower art & science museum, or the world's largest Ferris wheel in the Singapore skyline?

2. That the Singapore skyline is in the top-three on most international-skyline lists, or that 12-13 of the top 20 are typically in Asia?

3. That New York City is in the top-five skylines internationally, or that Chicago is in the top-ten (wow, who knew)?

4. That we are two-weeks away from the half-way part of our trip, or that we have only had two half-days of inclement weather in all that time?

5. That we have only had two half-days of inclement weather in 12-weeks, or one of them occurred exactly as we were at the top of the world's largest Ferris wheel?

6. That we are almost half-way through the trip already and about to begin Spring already, or that we missed the worst winter in Chicago in 30 years?

7. That we have only had one-day of sickness in the family so far? Or that we haven't had a flight delay, been robbed, or lost anything so far? (I know I shouldn't have said that out loud!?!)

8. That we have added Australia and The Great Barrier Reef to the trip? Or that we have had to cancel our extended stay in Crimea?

9. That we think the Japanese international news channel NHK World is like the BBC and much smarter than CNN? Or that Russia's international news channel, RT, really thinks radical subversives are a threat in the Ukraine and Putin is a hero?

And finally...
10. That the U.S. doesn't get mentioned very often on international news channels? Or that we're really starting to miss the basics of home, and are all looking forward to the Fourth of July in the good 'ole U.S.A.?

Off to Australia, mate!

After traveling from country-to-country and wondering why each culture developed as it did, I tried for the fourth time to read through Jared Diamond's best selling 1999 Guns, Germs and Steel; The Fate of Human Societies, and I have to say, it is an in-penetratable read. Maybe it is my over 50, male ADHD, but I could not get past the first few chapters (yet again) and turned to several online synopsis to get the details. If you haven't read it, the book (apparently - ha!) does a great job explaining why Europeans conquered the America's (and not the other way around), and why Africa never developed like Eurasia, but it did not tell me anything as to why Thailand, and SE Asia in general, is such a profoundly beautiful, laid-back and peaceful part of the world.

Everything is Thailand is simply pretty. The environment, the food, the women, the lady boys, the clothing (traditional and modern), the architecture, the shopping, both market stalls and brand new malls - and the good-naturedness of the people are all so beautiful. It is easy to get around, fairly inexpensive, friendly and just feels good to be here.

So why SE Asia? Why is it so friendly to tourist? Why are the people so painfully polite and easy to integrate with? So many of our friends have been here to Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines or Malaysia and bragged on them, and from our perspective, it did not disappoint. What is it about the environment or developmental history that makes it so inviting to tourists - so much so that Bangkok was the #1 most visited tourist city in 2012.

Some basic research shows that Thailand was the only country in SE Asia to avoid European colonization in the 1800's and largely stayed out of all of the major World Wars - and even the messy Indochin skirmishes from the 1930's to 1970's. Since then, it has been a mostly a military-led, but steady government with a progessing Democracy wing and several military-to-civilian-to-military coups back-and-forth for power. But it looks like the average Thai's life has simply gone on in this beautiful and peaceful environment. And even the current unrest in Bangkok in 2014 seems like it could be on the moon for most Thai's.

The bottom line for us - this part of the world is pretty distant for most U.S. travelers, but it is worth the extra flight time in our opinion. If we were not on this trip, we probably wouldn't have ventured this far with the kids at the age that they are, but we are sure glad that we did. It is an amazing place.

Consider the gushing reviews of Thailand 'paid forward'. I hope many of you can also make it here someday.

- Mike

P.S. Something I found interesting (and healthy) was that in the ubiquitous "glossy tourist shopping magazine" in our hotel room in Chaing Mai, there were political editorials discussing both sides of the new elections, political-party affiliation and their affect on friendships, and even an editorial openly challenging perceived governemnt censorship. Wow, was that refreshing.


What I liked about Chiang Mai was all of it's markets. In the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, we went to get fish spa. What you did was stick your feet in a fish tank, and all these tiny fish nibbled on your feet and ate the dead skin of your feet. It tickled SO MUCH!!!!!!!!! At a different market I have awesome tasting waffles. Not as good as my grandma's waffles though. I also got a super cute stuffed animal bunny. Plus a squishy dude thing.

- Maddy

When I bring my friends to Thailand, I will make them do the fish spa, just because its fun. They eat the dead skin of your feet, and in the process, tickling them, a lot. Just like Grandpa always said "The fish won't bite your toes off, they just nibble and tickle your toes." They had so many cool things at the Bazaar, like fancy hair clips, cute purses and shirts, and a ton of other thing I liked. Plus, the ice cream is good here and no one begs you to buy something from them. Not a lot of homeless people and very nice helpful people! I totally would come back here!

- Izzy

As we traveled from the Christian Western Hemisphere, to the Muslim Middle East and Northern Africa, to Hindu India, we were interested and excited to see how the heavily Buddhists cultures and societies of Sri Lanka and Thailand compared. The branches of Buddhism that have attracted us both recently are focused on mind/body connection, meditation and embracing our inherent inner-spirituality through quiet, still and awake mind. I guess we naively expected to find minimalist and peaceful rituals, more of the Zen type of Buddhism. What we found was the exact opposite.

Not judging in a good or bad way, but the overtly Buddhist cultures we have seen are every bit as bold, brash, dogmatic and ritualistic as any of the other major deity-based religions. In fact, we were also surprised how much Buddha is actually worshiped as a deity as that is the opposite of our rudimentary understanding of his role in the religion; he as "the first awaken one who has gone before you" and is just an inspiration for your own inward spiritual journey, and not an external God-like figure at all (?).

All of the golden statues, broadcast prayer-services, monks, robes, holy water and financial offering looked every bit as externally-focused (vs. the internally-focused spiritual learning we have sought) as any Catholic ritual from my youth. No judgement, just unexpected. The lighting of candles, the water blessing, the walking in processional circles around the temple with hands folded sure looked like Palm Sunday to me.

However, the basic tenants and thoughts of the Buddha on things like the Right Paths, Awaken Mind, The Middle Way, of course, are still the under-pinning of their beliefs, we just didn't expect all of the layering atop to be so thick.

Maybe most people just universally need an external focus to help support their beliefs? And relateable living and breathing humans who are perceived as more spiritually advanced to guide them? And shiny objects and ornate statues to inspire them to a higher-level of spirituality?

Or maybe there are not such great differences in the seven major world religions? Or even, just maybe, there are really seven-billion world religions as we all pick-and-choose and customize our belief systems just for us?

For me, I'll keep looking and maybe we'll find that quiet, still and austere Zen temple in Japan.

- Mike


Our visit to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple within the grounds of the Doi Suthep National Park in Chaing Mai is ranked the #5 tourist destination on TripAdvisor.com.  This alone should have told us that it wouldn't be a serene, peaceful experience. My heart went out to the people that may have been there to actually worship as the crowds were thick and the walk up the 309 stairs to the temple was full of shopping stalls and food carts. I was not expecting this inside the park.  There was even a shop inside the temple. After I took my shoes off I could purchase things. 
My guess is that most people in Chiang Mai don't visit this temple that often and it is more for tourists and street artists to perform.  The groups that I saw actually using the temple looked to be tourists themselves visiting from other parts of Thailand.  Like visiting Catholics at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

-Suzanne

Lions in Ethiopia, Monkeys in India, Tigers in Thailand,  - now all we need are bears! OH MY!!!

So, first we went to see the baby tigers (2-4 months) and they were so cute and furry and and soft and sweet and less dangerous than they seem, but, you know you can't really play with them so it wasn't as fun as I wanted it to be but, hey, they bite! They would let you rub there tummies and lie with them but they don't let the tigers get up.

The medium tigers (6-months to one-year) could get and walk around and play-fight in water and soak you by splashing. The people who worked there had bamboo with toys tied and the end and have them jump and walk around for pictures. So there are the big tigers, which I couldn't go see because I'm 12, so only my dad went to lie down on them for yet more pictures. Then, he came back and said "Tonight's blog should be called Life of WY! Your father is a genius, just like all those fortune cookies said."

- Izzy


What a day it was in the Tiger Kingdom. This weird American family showed up, and the father would not stop taking pictures! When they came in, the two female humans starting playing, or as humans call it, physically fighting (but they have no idea what it really looks like).

Their first stop was the baby tigers. It was there nap time, so all of them were sleeping. Personally, I did not like being in the baby cage. I don't know if it's just me, but it's a little hard to sleep when giant humans are lying there heads on you all the time. But you have to agree, we are pretty adorable. I overheard that one human thought the drugged us! They're rough here, but no THAT rough.

After that, the human family headed over to our cage. They thought that my friend who had just gotten out of the pool lying on a log was amazing. But when I started playing in the pool, then the cameras really started clickin'. Then "snap, splash, snap, splash." was all I could hear as one of my friends came in the pool with me. But after awhile they got bored so the father went to see the big tigers. I saw one trying to catch the feather on the stick, and I felt so mad when I looked at the human controlling it. They never let us catch it! The father seemed to be having fun though. When they were done they all got ice cream that looked amazing. These are the moments I wish I was a human.

-Teenage Tiger
(Maddy)


"I don't mean to defend zoos. Close them all down if you want (and let us hope that what wildlife remains can survive in what is left of the natural world). I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces. Religion faces the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both."
- Life of Pi   Part 1, Chapter 4. Pi says this just after debunking what he believes is the myth that animals are not happy in zoos. He has just explained that the environment of a zoo, if properly maintained, creates a habitat so comfortable for animals that it is preferable to the violent uncertainty of life in the wild.


The Tiger Kingdom is a very popular half-day outing in Chaing Mai, and we were very excited once we arrived and saw the people before us actually laying right on top of full-grown tigers and rubbing their bellies. We started in the baby tigers' cage and they were all sleeping. All, as in each and every single one of them. Suzanne started to wonder if they were drugged? When I asked, I was told that they mostly eat and sleep at this stage of life and slept up to 16-hours a day - and are mostly awake at night when it is cooler. This seemed to match what we have seen on countless Animal Planet shows, so it made some sense. But Suzanne was still suspicious and kind of bummed about the whole caged-animal exhibit thing by now. Which is when the quote about zoos from Life of Pi came into my head. It's a touchy, and rightfully, high-profile question these days, but I'm not sure how I personally feel, especially in such a well maintained place of business.

Next, into the "teenage" tiger cage we went where most were awake and playing, including two who "play fought" just like ordinary house-cats, but in a shallow pool of water as we stood frozen just 2-3 feet away. We were absolutely mesmerized and just stood and watched them for a good 5-6 minutes. It was a very unique feeling actually being inside the zoo cage, exciting and felt just a tad dangerous if they ran right by, and next to you.

As our kids were not old enough to go into the full-sized tiger cage (you had to be 15), and Suzanne was not feeling supportive of this whole idea anymore, I charged alone into the "lions den" as it were. In the adult cages, one or two were coaxed into playing by chasing some string on a 10-foot stick (I swear just like our cats at home), while the remaining 4-5 "fat cats" just slumbered waiting for the next tourist to lay on them and rub their tummies. The guides just kept saying to approach the tigers from the rear and don't wave anything by their faces and you'd be perfectly safe!?!

I agree with Izzy that since you are that close to them and they do act just like house cats in almost every other way, you really want to reach up and rub their faces and actually "play" with them, but you just know you can't  - and you can't make sudden moves. But, actually just laying on, and feeling, a 500-lb tiger's rib cage go up and down as they breath, was magical. And yes, I put my ear close down and tried to hear a purr.....but nothing.

As far as the conflicted conscience about whether it was a humane set-up for the tigers, I guess I would come down 51%-49% in favor and say yes it was, as they are well cared for, fed, healthy and safe. They are not beaten, trained, or whipped, but they are on display and a poke on the butt with a small bamboo stick will steer them toward or away from people, but it looked harmless to me. We wandered around some closed-off areas by accident, and the behind-the-scenes equipment looked new and clean and in good operating condition, so nothing felt shoddy or inappropriate. The bottom-line for me was that we humans got to interact with nature in a way that is very emotional and unique, and the tigers, all whom were raised with humans from birth, seemed to enjoy the interaction just as much as our cats at home love a good tummy rub. But hey, maybe I'm arguing the other point, that teaching them to interface safely with human's is unnatural and wrong, etc.

I have to say, though, I guiltily enjoyed it immensely and I know most cat lovers would too.

- Mike

I have, at times, struggled internally with the location where my clothing was made.  Made in China was the norm when I was a child. Made in Indonesia became more and more prominent as I became an adult.  Anyone who really knows me is aware that I received an expensive sewing machine as a college graduation gift. The long term goal was that I would make my children's baby clothes. By the time my children were born the cost of making clothes was 10X that of buying them at Target and Old Navy.  Plus, what new mom with 3 kids under three has the time? 
Disposable clothes have become the norm these days and I was expecting just that when we traveled. I wasn't concerned with packing as I figured we would find what we needed along the way.  This is partly true. What I have found is that what I need is very different than what I want.  Sure India is packed with hawkers selling their wares. T-shirts, pants, underwear and flip-flops.  Readily available but somehow out our reach. Maybe it was the shopping experience of standing next to a cow while trying to purchase a dress that turned me off or maybe it was the feeling of waste that occurs in every country (that we have been too) that started to wear on me.  Do I really need it? Do I really want it? Can I get by without it?
I caved in Sri Lanka with the girls and stopped by a shop with bathing suits in the window.  In all honestly, the Target bathing suit that has been purchased for Izzy and passed down to Maddy was now showing it's age and needed to be replaced. It had earned it's $12.99 price and was ready to retire. To my surprise and amazement I was standing in the TJMaxx of Sri Lanka.  Even with the tags cut out I can still recognize a pair of Gap capris.  Most of us could do the same. Guess what?  They we all Made in Sri Lanka.  The bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts from H&M, pants from Eddie Bauer. 
I knew that what I was about to pay for a pair of shorts, 3 swim suits and a dress was no bargain, (equal to what I would have paid at Target) but as I handed my Sri Lankan Rupees to the store owner I knew that they would end up closer to the source of production than had I bought them in Willowbrook.  Which made me feel a little better about where my clothes were made. But not much.

-Suzanne