Whales, Kangaroos, and Shrimp on the Barbie

Is this an authentic Australian experience? Oh, yeah! There is so much to report from the last trip that I would never get it done if I recalled all of it, so I will just hit some highlights. Alison and I spent two wonderful days with her sister, Heather McAlpine, and John (husband), Melinda, Christine, Matt (children), and Jo (Matt's good friend). On the way down to Kiama (over an hour south of Sydney), where the McAlpines reside, I saw possibly the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

Alison and I have been quite busy on this trip meeting dozens of people and spending quality time with many of them, so the trip down was quite nice just to catch up with one another. We went through a National Park (we would say National Forest in the States) for about 8-10 miles. The Australian bush is much, much prettier than I had anticipated. The large variety of Eucalyptus trees - there are over 700 total - and palm trees, often situated along spectacularly beautiful rivers, well, it is quite a scene. In this particular National Forest, we went downhill for 4-5 miles and then went uphill for about the same amount of distance in curvy, mountain-like roads. It reminded me, in fact, of Three Mile Road in Avery County, North Carolina where I used to live. Three Mile is actually Hwy. 194 between Linville Falls and Hwy 19E, close to Spruce Pine. The road we were on was quite curvy, one of those roads on which you wonder if you will ever come out of the curves and the hills. All of a sudden, we burst out of the forest to find ourselves quite high and overlooking the incredibly blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The view was very much as one you might see on the Pacific Coast Highway in California - only much more beautiful. It was lunch time, so we stopped just a few miles down the road and ate at a restaurant overlooking the Pacific. Magnificent!

We did not see a whale on Thursday, but we did see three whales on Saturday and one breached (leaped out of the water rolling over on his back). That was on the same day we saw the famous blow hole of Kiama, a cove in the rocks that border the ocean and in which the water rushes in and gushes up into spectacular spray. By the way, I exhausted my admittedly meager supply of descriptive adjectives to describe this beautiful land and this particular experience in Oz several days ago.

But, what about kangaroos? Can you have an authentic Australian experience without kangaroos? No worries, mate! We ate lunch very close to kangaroos on Friday in another National Park. OK, OK, it is like bears in Alaska hanging out close to picnic areas, but you have to admit it is better than seeing them in a zoo! Indeed, we had a mother and two joeys hanging out, just hoping that we would give them a snack, which we did not, of course. The kangaroos were within 25 feet of us just about the whole time we were eating.

The Rosella's - beautiful tropical birds - did not wait for us to throw them a morsel. They were all over us, literally, competing with us for our food. They were on our shoulders, our heads, on the table, trying to eat the sandwiches out of our hands. What a day! I am constantly thinking about how much Professors Bartlett and Metz (biology profs at Campbell University and part of the Grace Community Church Family) would enjoy being with me. In fact, I would enjoy having them with me immensely, telling me all about the plant life and wildlife in this magical land! And, by the way, did I mention the incredible views of the coastline and the bays along the Pacific Coast of Australia, south of Sydney?

Sunday night, we went back to Gil and Jo's home for shrimp on the barbie! It was a barbecue (I can't believe I am using that word as a verb!) that almost any American would award the highest of marks! We had steak, shrimp, chicken, and beef sausages, in addition to salad and risotto. What a great time with these good friends! Today, Monday, has been a day chock a block (full) of meetings with more of Alison's close friends. One lady, who is a close friend of Alison and her mom, happens to be the grandmother of Bonnie Wright, better known as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films. Doreen, Bonnie's grandmother, is a gracious and beautiful follower of Jesus.

It has been a wonderful trip, but I am very much looking forward to being back home later this week. We leave Sydney at 1:30 on Thursday and get in to Raleigh that night at 11:30, so it is a 10 hour trip. No, wait - with the time change, it is about a 24 hour trip, with stops in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Maybe there will be time for one more post from here, but if not, I will see you in the States!