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Australia Budget Breakdown (Warning: Extremely scary numbers ahead)
Although our blog hasn’t quite caught up with us, we left Australia more than 10 days ago and have been traveling around the south island of New Zealand before we head to Auckland for a family wedding! But in the meantime, I’ve finalized all my expenses for Australia and wanted to share my results. My…
Bottle shock and awe
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 100
- Shutter Speed: 1/20 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
“Have you seen the water feature?” asked Sparky Marquis in his delightful Australian accent. We had, in fact, already been informed of the waterfall outside the office at the MollyDooker winery in McLaren Vale, located about 45 minutes driving south of Adelaide. Our tour guide, Russell, mentioned it and guessed Sparky, the owner and CEO,…
Lost in wine country
- Aperture: f/29
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/100 s
- Focal Length: 15mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We had planned to visit the MollyDooker winery — home of our favorite wines — from nearly the moment we knew we were coming to Australia. We were first introduced to the brand in 2006, when Him’s mom bought a bottle of the 2005 Shiraz, The Boxer. Since that time, we’ve celebrated family birthdays and…
“I’m sitting in Peter Jackson’s seat,” or a review of “The Hobbit”
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 2000
- Shutter Speed: 1/15 s
- Focal Length: 1.85mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
- Location: 41° 17.64′ 0″ S 174° 47.04′ 0″ E
Let me begin with an admission: I’m a Lord of the Rings fan. Not a let’s-attend-Comic-Con-dressed-as-elves kind of fan, but I read the books, watched each of the films during their first run in theaters and, as a teen, hung a framed poster from the “Fellowship of the Ring” on my bedroom wall. I confess…
Adelaide’s got balls
- Aperture: f/16
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
While wandering the streets of Adelaide during our first evening in this garden-filled, wine region gateway, we happened upon Urban Cow Studio, a quirky shop full of art and wares by local craftspeople. While perusing the hilarious T-shirts (printed with things like a cartoonish ghost saying, “I’m the ghost who played Patrick Swayze’s ghost in…
Riding the rails across the Outback
- Aperture: f/20
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 14mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
If you’re interested in traveling at a painfully slow pace through barren landscape at great expense, then the Ghan is the train for you. We rode the rails from Alice Springs in the Outback to Adelaide in the south, a trip that would amount to a 2-hour flight but drags out to nearly 24 hours…
Camels, kangaroos, and contagious conjunctivits
- Aperture: f/14
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/250 s
- Focal Length: 17mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
“That is one big rock!” Her exclaimed. We were seated in our rented Toyota RAV4, A/C blasting, in the sunset viewing parking lot several kilometers from the base of Uluru, the massive monolith in the Red Center of Oz. We decided to stop over here to see the “postcard view” before going to see the…
“I’m not sure you’re built for climbing Everest, darling”
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 80
- Shutter Speed: 1/20 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
- Location: 34° 55.3′ 0″ S 138° 36.47′ 0″ E
Warning: The following post describes some gross and decidedly un-ladylike behavior. Read at your own discretion. Throughout our relationship, I’ve frequently teased Him for possessing a weak immune system. If someone — anyone — at his office had a cold, he would invariably catch it. Somehow, I managed to escape unscathed almost every time, and…
Chasing wombats
- Aperture: f/20
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
When Him and I were in Nadi, Fiji, a remarkably witty hostel employee named Rico innocently instructed members of his kava circle to tell the group their favorite animal. Strumming on his guitar, Rico then began a sing-along in which each participant took a turn filling in the gaps of the song with two noises…
