I'm on dial-up. I've already crashed this machine once. Ah well... at least I'm not feeding it dollar coins for fifteen minutes of access. The weather changed dramatically. This morning it was raining and breezy. Yesterday afternoon, I was getting stung by sand while standing about 150 yards uphill from the beach. I've never seen a place empty out so quickly! That was the start of it, by this morning cold rain and clouds and surf, not great surf, but cold surf, and since I took my friend's advice and left the wetsuit at home, I was not in the surf. But they never surfed Sydney so I should not have listened. Not wanting to revive the hypothermia I nearly got snorkeling the day before when it was 100 degrees out, I decided instead to pack and get out of town. Slept in til 7. I'm up too late tonight and feeling it, but this dial-up just takes so dang long... After getting lost in Sydney for an hour and a half because I misread a turn (signage is worse than Seattle, and the city is much much larger), I had to make a U turn behind a horse-drawn cart where the street ended in a market fair. I'd driven through downtown which even on a Sunday was flooded with people moving like schools of fish through the intersections. I was trying to avoid a toll way tunnel so I could be above it and see the sights. Big mistake. The only sign indicating that it would get me where I wanted to go was through the tunnel.

The crowd at the backpacker was mostly foreigners, a few new zealanders, but lots of Germans, a drunk and gregarious Italian, a japanese living in Victoria, and others but no other americans or canadians. Hung out there last night as opposed to going out, it's the same scene just cheaper; a nice outdoor patio with all kinds of people, all smoking like chimneys and drinking like fish, the 1 litre beer bottles from the store four blocks away. (Everything was less expensive four blocks away). I went to bed thinking, I'm getting a little old for this, although I must admit I'm better at engaging complete strangers in conversation than I was when I was their age.

I had a stroke of luck getting to the rental car: after two busses I was informed I needed a third and was about ready to get a cab, but at the bus stop an Italian was heading to the same place I was. He was very chatty, giving his folks and other relatives a grand tour via 6-sleeper camper van. I have spoken with few genuine ozzies- I seem to run into only tourists. Spose it makes sense, being one myself.

Corlett near Nelson Bay is very nice, if not somewhat remote. I'm glad to be here. It's nice to have a car and a clean, comfortable place to be with people I know and love. Yesterday I was having withdrawals from my cell phone and cable modem for email. I suppose I'll get over it eventually.

Funny signs: Silohuettes of people crossing the road with "Aged Crossing". Hand made sign in yard: "Cow poo".