February 23, 1998
Subject:  Greetings From Down Under

Hey All,

Here's the first of my trip reports from the magical land of Oz:

The plane ride in wasn't bad, except that I had to endure Home Alone 3.  
I felt like putting my hands on my face and screaming.  I got to Ian's place 
at around 9:30 am Saturday morning.  We immediately hit the Bondi Beach, which 
is where Ian lives, and spent all day surfing (boy do I suck), swimming, and 
sunning.  I didn't realize that it was a topless beach (although I did go 
topless), but the average age on the beach was about 25-30.  The women in 
Sydney are absolutely amazing. ;) ;)

That night, Ian and I went to a barbi (bbq for you Canucks) at a co-worker of 
Ian's flat.  We had a blast.  There were about seven of us and we partied till 
2 in the morning.  Take note that I still haven't slept in over 48 hours.  
I'm surprised that I wasn't even affected slightly by jet lag.  Although I 
do arrive home Monday morning at 8am, so will I be at work then???

Sunday, Ian and I rented a car and drove through the Blue Mountains and did 
a few hours of hiking.  The Blue Mountains area is exactly like the Grand 
Canyon (formation wise), but is filled with trees instead of red rock.  The 
trees form a blue haze cuz of the eucalyptus oil.

Yesterday I toured Sydney and saw the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and 
Circular Quay.

This morning I rented a car and drove down to Wollongong where I just 
finished giving a presentation to the Nortel-IT people down here.

Before I go, here are a few things I've learned in Australia so far:

1 - Don't shave just before going in the ocean.
2 - If you rent a car and it's the first time you've driven a right
    handed vehicle on the left hand side of the road, don't upgrade to 
    a full size, even if it means an extra 1000 frequent flyer mile.
3 - If you're talking to a topless beauty on the beach, make sure  
    your sunglasses are quite dark.
4 - Not only is Australia a nuclear free zone, but it's also a   
    ketchup free zone.  So if you visit this country... BYOK.
5 - Riptides in the South Pacific do exist (Oops).  But!!! They can be 
    conquered without the help of Pamela Lee, although it is less 
    enjoyable.

That's it for now.  Thanks for the letters I've received so far.

Cheers,

Rob