SinceI have just arrived and don’t yet have any adventures to report, feel free to skip this entry.

Tried as I might to stay awake until a reasonable bedtime hour Tasmania time, I crashed while the sun was still up (7:30 PM. I LOVE summer!) and woke up at 3AM. Some of you may recognize that that may constitute a complete time shift for me, but I am hopeful that I will soon be keeping the same hours as the rest of the Aussies.

Here are a few stats:

Distance travelled: 15, 611.6 km = 9700.6 miles (from Grand Central Terminal NYC to B&B in Lindesfarne, Tasmania)

Total travel time: 32 hours 28 minutes

Total time hanging out in airports waiting for planes and/or luggage: 9 hrs. 3 minutes

Number of in-flight movies watched : 5

Number of in flight liters of water consumed: 6.5

Number of new tree species seen thus far: 9

Number of new bird species identified: 1 (Silver Gull, Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae)

observations thus far vis a vis US/AUS Similarities: airports, language, architecture (remember, I haven’t been to Sydney yet), supermarket brands, crap available in airport shops, range of clothing styles

US/AUS Differences: driving side, language, some vegetation, climate, season

First impression is that Aussies really are as laid back as their reputation indicates. Time will tell.

3 hours until breakfast. Nap time!