Housing Bust Goes Boom!

Housing Bust!

It started with our first trip out to visit Townerville [see Week 1 entry]. We now call this place Downerville. Anyway, we had the next Saturday afternoon lined up with a reputable realtor - reputable in that her agency is recommended by Accenture Singapore for executive placement. Furthermore, she was from Iowa so she understood our situation, could give us some relevant tips, and there would be no language barrier. Unfortunately, Holly must not have read my answers to her questionnaire because although I specifically said "no apartments," the only properties we saw were, you guessed it, apartments. She was concerned that we wouldn't like a place more than 5 years old. Have you seen our places! The Arlington apartment was built in the 1930's, the OC beach house was built in the 1940's, we clearly don't mind age. It wasn't a total disaster in that we got to drive around to several different areas. We were able to rule out places where we wouldn't live, but at the end of the day, we had no prospects.

We tentatively made plans to go out the following week but for various reasons that never happened. That ends our time with Holly. Melissa and I did our own snooping and found some places that met our requirements and our price range. Unfortunately, those two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Our requirement, simply put, was for a landed property. Landed property in Singapore is extremely rare to come by and it comes at a premium. The worse the shape of the property - age, upkeep, location, etc - the more affordable the price. I visited three properties Friday afternoon all at an affordable price, and I wasn't keen to visit any a second time. Still no prospects.

So with two major outings and no prospects, I hit the pavement. There were neighborhoods/areas that I knew we'd like to live. Close to Orchard Rd and the city, but not stuck in a vanilla, all inclusive high-rise. Following my last viewing, I was in one such neighborhood so I just walked around. Following my little stroll, I had 4 legit leads and a full weekend ahead.

Down to the Final Two

I started Saturday morning with a flurry of calls to realtors setting up viewings for the day. [Another interesting thing about Singapore is that very few people use voicemail on their mobile phones. At first, I thought this was rather strange. You could never leave a message for anyone. But then I remembered that all call plans have at least 500 texts pm included. So what do people do... text! Trying to coordinate with so many realtors in a short period of time, I was getting multiple texts at a time. Its like I'm a Gen-Yer.] A couple of the leads from Friday fell through, i.e. really out of our price range. The ones that did not, they were legitimate prospects. The way the day lined up, each visit was going to be better than the previous.

The final two we visited ended up being the two we'd decide between. One was a two-story apartment with a huge open 2-story patio that could not be surpassed. It was like a little play yard 7 stories up. It was great; it even included a pond with fountain. Totally Asian style. The apartment also had 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and was in need of some serious maintenance - more space than we needed [or could ever use] and it wasn't going to be ready in time for our move-in. The apartment was not marketed, and admittedly, the realtor had been sitting on it for months because the owner wasn't interested in fixing it up without an interested tenant. Very different approach when dealing with a couple of American landlords. We found this place through friends who live in the same building. We saw their place and immediately loved it. We based every other place we saw on, 'did it match their apartment?' It made sense for their family consisting of 2 kids and a nanny. For us, we weren't completely sure.

The second place was Melissa's exact wish before moving to Singapore - a traditional colonial black and white in the 'heart of it all'. I found a older two-story terrace house among a series of row houses that had all been modernized. Sound familiar 870 3rd street! The apartment maintains the old world charm with the detailed designer tile flooring downstairs, dark hardwood floors upstairs, white plaster walls, exposed teak dark-wood floor joists and staircase, and an overall grand room feel with 14' ceilings. On the surface, this one felt like it could be our place. To top it off, it's a nearly identical floor plan to our house in Melbourne. A couple of drawbacks: a kitchen that is always 'outside' and the noise from a major construction site just across the street.

What started off as a housing bust has turned into a housing options boom. This all happened on Saturday. By Tuesday, we had worked both realtors to the same price point - the apartment with some concessions but nothing too dramatic on our end. We couldn't decide. We'd discuss one, feel like that was the choice, then reconsider. Each morning I woke up with a different preference. This was becoming an emotional choice for us. The answer: a third and impartial vote. It just so happened that Leela was in-town for work so we brought her along to see both the apartment and the terrace house. Her reaction was dramatic after seeing each property, but to her the choice was clear. As we walked Leela back to her hotel, we put it to a vote. Majority wins. In the event of a tie, Leela would be the tie breaker. Were we crazy to give her such a power, or were we confident in her ability to make a good choice for us? In the end, it didn't matter, it was a landslide, unanimous, almost no contest. The winner: the terrace house. See slideshow on the left.

1st Triathlon in Singapore

A solid 4-weeks of training and never a cold day... seems like paradise right? When never-a-cold-day means everyday is 80F+ and 98% humidity [at 5:30AM], the training plan needs to be adjusted. It has been challenging acclimatizing to the heat and humidity as it relates to my training pace. So far, it looks like I'm a good 10-15 secs slower per km on the run than when I was in Melbourne. Of course, Melbs couldn't be anymore different than Singapore. People would complain when the relative humidity cracked 55%. "Oh no, we're becoming just like Sydney!" people would say.

The Tribob Singapore Triathlon is the only sprint distance race on the island consisting of a 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run. This first race will give me an indicator of how my training is going and what to expect during a race in these conditions. The goal is to have a new PR for the Bali race in June. The race was a good one to break off the rust. I have not raced since Noosa in early November. With the move in March, I really stopped training all together and didn't start up again until April.

You'll notice from the pictures that something else is new. I'm now donning a black race suit. Since my traditional [smurf] blue suit is still on a cargo ship somewhere on the ocean, I needed to improvise. I suggested and Melissa vetoed my Nike shorts and Noosa Tri singlet. A shame and a good thing all the same time. So I picked up something new that would be a good long-term addition to the collection. But going from blue to black, I dunno, I feel like it's my alter-ego version - like in Spiderman.

Overall, my performance was pretty good. My time of 1:13:34 was good enough for 15th out of 262 competitors in my age group and 59th out of 647 male competitors overall. Not my fastest time, but now I know what I really need to focus on - other than ultra light-weight, portable air conditioning.

Next up is the Bintan Triathlon [Olympic distance] and the Adidas Sundown 1/2 Marathon.

Singapore Week 2 - Employment Pass

So there are three types of people in Singapore:

1. Singaporeans

2. Expats with an Employment Pass

3. Expats with a Dependent Pass

Nothing against the local Singaporeans - they are so friendly, warm, and helpful - they just aren't the focus of this entry. Through these first-hand experiences, you will understand the difference between a dependent pass holder and employment pass holder.

Week 2 was all about establishing our life in Singapore. Interesting thing, all that really entails is a mobile phone and a bank account [and somewhere to live too - see subsequent posting]. Once those two services are locked down, you can pretty much do anything. The challenge was how to determine which service provider to use and how to get the best deal.

I started with the mobile phone. A new acquaintance in the Accenture Singapore office [also a fellow UMD grad - go Terps!] turned me onto the Accenture corporate discount provided by Starhub. Good deals on minutes, texts, data and even some well-priced devices. I was set. All I had to do was repel the instinct to get the iPhone. With Melissa in my ear about my current Palm Treo and the fact the plan was only a fraction cheaper than the plans in the US, it wasn't that hard. I easily picked out plans for Melissa and me and headed to the closest Starhub retailer to sign up.

"Proof of address," the sales clerk asked.

"What is that?" I replied.

"To prove you have a real address here in Singapore."

Well, I only have a couple of documents at my disposal at this point. One is the lease for our serviced apartment but that has the name of a 3rd party realty company Melissa's company used for the lease. Not the best option. [not to mention I don't have it on me] The other is my temporary pass signed and approved by the Singaporean government. Sounds good, except the address on there is another 3rd party service provider CEB used to handle our passes.

I lay the temporary pass down and say, "here you go."

The clerk replies, "great, is this [address] where you want to have your bills sent?"

I thought for a minute and wrestled with the options here: a) I say 'yes' and my billing address becomes this non-sensical business/agency that will likely toss the first bill and any subsequent mail to me or b) say 'no' and run the risk of trying to provide another form of 'proof of address' that I clearly will not have. So I answered in really the only way I could. "Yes, please." I had hoped to pick up Melissa's phone/plan as well, but unfortunately, the phone was out of stock. I would return.

I returned another day to finish Melissa's transaction and after a painful Q&A, document producing, and slightly stressful explanation process, I was stopped just short of the finish with this statement, "You are only on a Dependent Pass."

The statement was true and I couldn't really see a reason why I should think of an alternate answer, so I confirmed, "yes."

Lesson #1: Dependent Pass holders may only sign up for one mobile phone line.

This is something I wish I had been told from the outset. I was trying to do Melissa a favor by getting her phone situated but being the 2nd class citizen that I am, no dice. Melissa, you're on your own.

Next up was the bank. We were both somewhat ambivalent about which bank to go with, but secretly we both had our preferred option and for very different and not-so rational reasons. Melissa liked UOB because she works in the UOB Plaza and a major branch with several ATMs is in her lobby. I like OCBC for the color scheme, font, and overall marketing image. [I should mention that we both agreed on Citibank from the outset, but once we learned that an account in Singapore could not be linked to an account in the US, there was no reason to pursue.] Since we both live by online banking, I pledged to Melissa to take the online tour of all the major banks to see if there was a differentiator. Following that exercise, UOB was the clear winner.

Next day, I headed into the city with Melissa to get the bank account application started. I signed up for a savings account. I also tried to sign up for a checking account when the bank rep uses a somewhat familiar line, "You are only on a Dependent Pass."

Lesson #2: Dependent Pass holders may only sign up for a savings account, unless the account is to be co-owned. Thankfully Kevin, our bank rep, was very nice and super-helpful. He allowed me to set up the accounts and Melissa just had to swoop in, show here Employment Pass and sign a couple of documents. As an addendum to this lesson [2.a], only EP holders are able to sign up for credit cards as well.

It's a tough life for a Dependent Pass holder. So far, I've not seen special seats reserved for 'Employment Pass holders only' on buses or trains. It's a good thing I'm not prevented from taking a taxi. Melissa has all the freedom and I'm beginning to question if I should even leave the apartment anymore. All will be right in the world soon, once Accenture Singapore figures out what to with me.

Singapore Week 1 - Its a Small World

The first couple of days were well and truly all about 'getting settled'. The jet lag must have been substantial as we were in bed early and waking up early for several days - and I mean early. Let's lay down for a nap at 5PM and whoa, wait-a-minute, what-the, its 6:30AM?!! We both managed to book in some transition time with our jobs - OK, mine is a bit longer than Melissa's - so we didn't have to race to our respective offices on Wednesday morning.

On Friday, we took advantage of the free shuttle to the city provided by our hotel/serviced apartment. Its really a nice service since we're a good 10-15 min walk from the closest MRT (metro/tube/train) station, and although it doesn't seem like that long of a walk, you melt in the heat and humidity. The shuttle departs every 30mins and stops at both of our offices - how perfect?! As we board the 7:30AM shuttle - the first one available - I hear but a familiar voice call out, "hey Sean!" I looked up to find Pei Sia, who I worked with previously at Australia Post in Melbourne. What a small world. Apparently our hotel - Fraser Suites - is a popular spot for Accenture people working overseas in Singapore. She went on to drop several other names of Accenture-Melbourne peeps who are not only working in Singapore but staying at Fraser Suites. What a small world! What are the chances I'd run into someone I know let alone on the morning shuttle!

On the weekend we got out of the apartment to explore a bit. I joined a group ride with the boys from SwissValley Cycles on Saturday. Really nice group and couldn't ask for a better meet-up spot - the shop is directly across the street from the hotel. They took me out to Changi Village via the East Coast Park and Changi Coast Rd. Flat, straight and well paved - can't ask for much better ;-). The one drawback is that on Saturdays, they stop and have breakfast breakfast in the village. A fine tradition and a very common way for the group to stay social. I'm not a fan of mid-ride meals. But the guys were super-nice and it was great to have an escort while checking out this great ride. I have a feeling I'll be doing this circuit weekly from here on out.

The hotel is right on the Singapore River and along side there is a nice walk that links several parks, cafes, and shopping areas. On Sunday, we ducked into a cute little breakfast place and took a seat overlooking the walk and river. The hostess asked if a seat 'without a fan' was OK. Seemed fine at the time. Never again! Surprisingly, a ceiling or wall mounted fan makes all the difference. [Think Clam Bar in July] As I wiped the sweat away before it dropped onto my breakfast burrito, I learned that you always request a table 'with a fan'.

Our Fraser Suites set-up is only temporary. We have 4 weeks there and then we're on the street! Well, it's not that emphatic, but at that point, it becomes our expense and let's just say Fraser Suites isn't the cheapest option in town ;-) Knowing we need to find a place fast, we need to generate some leads... fast. Several people had suggested we check out Townerville. The neighborhood is a cluster of colonial-style conservation houses each with 3 bedrooms, dark hardwood floors throughout, a maid's room, and a large terrace. [Note, at this stage of our search, the only characteristic/amenity we can agree on is 'it must have a large terrace/patio'.] There are several houses in the neighborhood available immediately and its a 5 min walk to the local MRT station. Sounds like a dream, right?! Well, kinda. The immediate neighborhood and the houses are beautiful. They come as advertised. The surrounding neighborhood - eek. Although its close to the MRT, the area is not so pedestrian friendly. We walked a couple of blocks in each direction and could not find a grocery store/shopping center - that's pretty uncommon. The neighborhood is also surrounded by several high-rise block housing which doesn't exactly give me the warm-and-fuzzies if you know what I mean. And you know the 3 most important aspects of real estate - location, location, location. It was a no-go. And the process begins...

Check out the short video below to take a tour of our corporate apartment at Fraser Suites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7WYy4ZWBc

Singapore, here we come!

The blog is back! I know many of you were unsatisfied with our blog upkeep over the last year. The blog was great for sharing all of our NEW experiences - the first time we went to the Australian Open, the first trip to Queensland, SE Asia, New Zealand, etc. As we became immersed in the Melbourne lifestyle, nothing really seemed that new anymore. And who wants to read a blog about going to work, running errands, and the typical weekend outings. We were in a rut! Then came the end of the year. Knowing we were set to leave Melbourne in April - following our last 'summer down under' - we realized there were so many new experiences that we needed to cram in before we left. Check back periodically as we retro-actively update the blog with our trips to Ayers Rock/Uluru over Christmas, sailing the Whitsundays aboard our own yacht, exploring the south island of New Zealand, and some other odds and ends.

Now, back to the present. We arrived in Singapore this morning and were met with warm Singaporean hospitality. A driver was sent from our serviced apartment to greet us outside of customs and take us to our new, temporary home. We were also met with heat and humidity - a common theme I think ;-) The flight was a bit harder than usual. Some say that it's much harder to travel east and based on this experience, I'd have to agree. The good news - we were upgraded to business class for the London to Singapore leg which made all the difference!

It was a sad last couple of weeks saying good-bye to friends, work colleagues, and the wonderful city of Melbourne. I had several 'last drinks' with friends and made sure I did one last 'Tan run and Beach Rd ride. We take with us so many great memories and one day, we will return. Thank you Melbourne!

Brrr BEIJING!

This time in Beijing was a lot harder, but a lot more fun. I am not sure if it is because my Chinese is worse than before or because I was there longer and did more.

Starting with the fun. I continue to travel a lot and see very little. This trip I decided to get in a day early and see some of Beijing. It's a hard decision to add an extra day away from home, but one of my long time friends at the company, Catherine, was going to be in China too so we convinced each other.

I don't know when I have ever packed so much into a Sunday. After 17 hours in transit to Beijing - we did the Great Wall, Tian'amen Square, The Forbidden City and the Olympic Village - and none of those places are close to each other.

The hotel tried to convince us not to go to the Wall - saying the weather wasn't good. Well, we only had one day so it was good enough.

Did you know when you barter in China you are supposed to go down to 15-20% of the starting price? Yeah, me neither...I think we did alright. The morning started with the Great Wall. We had to negotiate with a taxi driver to take us there (2 hours), wait for us and bring us back - we were speaking English, he Chinese, the bell boy "translating" (you never really know do you?). I think we made the right choice, not only did we get a fair price ($650 RMB), but he shaved 30 minutes off the Lonely Planet estimated time, while providing a thrilling experience.

The Wall was spectacular. We chose to go to Badaling. Badaling is further from the city, but worth it. After being harassed by hawkers (they convinced Catherine to buy a hat and gloves with the promise that it would be very cold up there),

we took a cable car up to a section of the Wall. The sm/fog made the Wall look like it was suspended in the clouds. The climb is challenging and invigorating. One of the more surprising things was the lack of white people. It was crowded, and everyone was Asian. When we had seen enough, we took the cable car back down. Within a couple seconds of arriving in the car park, our taxi driver had spotted us (super impressive) and we were on our way back to Beijing and on to the Forbidden City/Tian a'men Square.

Upon arriving in Tian'amen Square (later we found out that what we thought was the square wasn't actually the square, it was in fact the one across the street!), we realised that everyone thought Catherine was Chinese (she is Korean). Throughout the whole trip people were approaching her and speaking Chinese. Then they were taken a back when I told them (in my very broken Chinese) that she didn't speak Chinese, followed by confusion that she wasn't actually Chinese. I am not saying it wouldn't have been helpful if she was.

We met up with the rest of the team for some Peking Duck at one of the most famous restaurants in Beijing. Fortunately, we had an actual Chinese colleague with us so it was ensured that we would actually get the duck.

Time to get to work...

We woke up Wednesday to about 4 inches of snow. Snow makes it impossible to get around!!Realising that my feet were still wet, my throat was getting sore, I wasn't going to get to Shanghai until midnight and I was meeting with one of the biggest, most important companies in the world the next morning (GE), I called the hotel and arranged a car to pick me up. Best decision ever!

Celebrating Denise!

It was so nice to be at home. It was the first time in 8 years of working, we took two weeks off of work. (In fact, when we moved to Australia, I didn't even take one day off.) We spent both of those weeks in NJ. It was wonderful to catch-up with friends and family. We got to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday with her; catch up with mom and dad; have lunch with Lauren; spend some time with Laura, Lee and Larry; see Maddie growing bigger; meet Nash; and be around long enough for RJ to know Aunt Liss and Uncle Sean.

Our last night we got to celebrate Denise! It was a celebration of 10 years cancer free. I can't think of a better reason to celebrate! It was such a special day of everyone coming together from all of the stages of her life.

Finishing in the top 3!

Our time at our new beach house culminated with the Brigantine Triathlon. Sean had set a goal for himself to break an hour and 10 minutes this year. Going into it, it was questionable whether or not his bike would make it. He brought his old bike back from Australia. While training that week he had gone through 3 tire tubes. Once he was down in Sea Isle and Dad and I had to bring the van down to pick him up. This triathlon, isn't like the Tour de France with your crew following you in case of a blowout - if your tire goes, you mind as well throw in the towel.

You'll see that he not only met his goal, but he slashed it and came in third! His fan club was very happy :)

Bahamavention

I kicked off my four weeks in the US with a Bahamavention with Sherry. How fun is that?! Sherry recently moved to Orlando so one of us was going to have to fly in order for us to get together. Neither of us were too psyched about spending the weekend with Mickey or Barack so we decided on Nassau. It was an inexpensive, direct flight for both of us and there was a Sheraton - which means hotel points.

The beaches on Nassau are some of the most beautiful I've been to. If you're an east coaster, it rivals Fiji, yet much closer and less expensive. Don't miss what's in your own back yard!

It was great to catch-up with Sherry and have a girls weekend. It's one thing I've missed being so far away from home!

A winter break

Not that we can complain about an Australian winter, but it was starting to get to us. So, we planned a trip up north to take a break from the grey days and get some sun. We decided on Noosa, a quaint little beach side town in Queensland. It is about an hour and a half plane ride from Melbourne, an easy weekend trip. Because the field hockey league I coach in thinks it's a funny joke to have all its games on Friday night, we took off early Saturday morning. Our friends from Sydney (you may remember Leela and Pete from an earlier post), met us up there. It was our first time going away with another couple - boy was it a blast!

Noosa was every bit as great we heard it would be. Beautiful beaches and no dramas. On Saturday we spent some time walking along the beaches and visiting the Surf Life Saving Club. Are you asking yourself, how fun can that be? Did someone get hurt? No mate, the SLSCs are one of the coolest things we have discovered in Australia. They are club houses right on the beach. Think Elk's Club, Night's of Columbus, etc... cheap beer, on a club house deck, overlooking some of the most amazing views you've seen in your life. What a find!

After the beach, Leela and Pete brought a couple of bottle of sparkling wine to our room in the evening and our night of fun began....

The next morning Sean and Pete got up for a run and Leela and I did some yoga on the beach followed by a beach front massage. Perfect! Brekky then a bike ride to the neighbouring beaches (and of course we had to try the beer at their Life Saving Clubs :)). Leela introduced me to shandies. Yum. What a refreshing way to enjoy an afternoon beer.

During the trip Sean and Pete decided we'd be back. Next time it would be to compete in the Noosa triathlon, one of the preeminent in Australia.

I guess there will be less Life Saving Club visits next time... for the boys that is!

Relaxing in Tasmania

I can be very impulsive. I was flying back from Sydney one evening and decided I had worked enough that week and I would reward myself by reading the Qantas magazine instead of getting my laptop out immediately (a window into the crazy). There was an article written directly to me. Are you tired? Stressed? Do you love nature? Yoga? YES! YES! YES! YES! Then you've got to come to this yoga retreat in the Bay of Fires in Tasmania. Done - I am there. I got home and booked it in.

Well, as I was on the plane to Tasmania it started to sink in. I was going to a yoga retreat in the middle of nowhere, alone. I had tried to convince my friend to come, but she thought it sounded too intense, hmm... that should have been my first clue. I got off the plane and saw a small group of ladies, looking very yoga like waiting for me. A round of introductions and then a three hour drive in the darkest dark. There is nothing in Tasmania. After the long drive we pulled over and got into a four wheel drive Land Rover to take us further into nothingness. After a half hour on the dirt road, we hiked up the mountain to the retreat. Whoa! This is serious. I didn't know the half of it. They showed us to the "bathroom" area. Where I learned this place didn't have electricity or running water and there were composting toilets. They weren't kidding when they said escape from the complexities of life.

I was getting a bit up tight about the whole thing - why didn't they tell me this? why didn't I ask? Then I laid down in my (very, very cold) bed (with all the clothes I had packed layered on) and looked up. Through the glass ceiling, the sky looked more amazing than I had ever seen it. That's what this weekend was about. Slowing down and enjoying the beauties of nature that we are too busy to notice in our daily lives.

Each morning started with 6:30 meditation over looking the crashing sea, followed by three hours of yoga, a midday hike and 3 more hours of yoga. There's nothing as refreshing as clearing your mind and being grateful for what you have and where you are in the present moment.

Malaysia, truly Asia

Malaysia, truly Asia - at least that's what it say on the Australian Rules Football players' jerseys who are sponsored by Malaysia Tourism. Random, I know. Well Malaysia is very much like the sign - closed to non-Muslim tourists. I flew from a meeting in Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. I took the train from the airport to the hotel. It seemed like the best option because it allowed me to see the beautiful country side.


I arrived on a Sunday so I was able to take a tour around the city. I did a hop on hop off bus tour. I wish they would have warned me before I got off at the Masques that I wouldn't be able to go into any of them. I ended up walking to the next location down a questionable highway. KL is an interesting place. Very East meets West. It seems that every city I have been to has British influence. The key sight in KL are the Petronas Twin Towers. The Petronas Twin Towers are Kuala Lumpur's most prominent landmark. At 452 meters-high, it is the world's second highest structure and was built in 1998. The towers' design and architecture are inspired by Islamic art with a modern outlook, reflected by its steel and glass façade. A sky bridge connects the two towers mid-way, and it is here that visitors can come up and catch a bird's eye view of the surrounding city.

It's hard to get around KL. They don't follow the typical methodology of street number, street name. Instead it's building name, city. Well, google maps can't handle that and the cab drivers can't handle my accent. Great combination. God was watching over me on one particular cab ride. One of my meetings was further than I had anticipated - a lot further. I was meeting with Malaysia Airlines. It was at the airport (obviously), so I asked the hotel concierge how many Ringgits it would be. Not so obviously, it was at a different airport. As I sat in the cab and watched the Ringitts tick up...I started to sweat. I was in the middle of nowhere, didn't have enough cash for the cab and they don't take credit card. What was I to do? Say excuse me, can you let me off? EEEK! As we pulled up to the office building - in the middle of nowhere - I was very relieved to see an ATM!!!!

16 bottles of wine for Easter!

You might remember from last year that Easter is a 4 day weekend in Australia. With 4 days off we were excited to set off on an adventure. Being a Murray, I never plan too far ahead. Being a first born, I at least plan a little bit ahead. We tried (again) for Ayers Rock. We were too late (again). So we decided on Perth and Southwestern Australia. Although Sean and I had a deal - no more Jetstar flights - I booked a Jetstar flight. It was just so much cheaper. I couldn't help myself. We paid for that choice - with time and sleep.

Day 1 - we took a ferry to Rottnest Island. Rottnest Island is an island getaway about 30 minutes from Perth. In it's earliest days it served as a gaol for Aboriginals and then an internment camp in WWII. In 1903 it was turned into a tourist attraction for swimming, sailing, golfing, hiking. Rottnest is all about enjoying natural beauty. There are not any cars on the island. Just bikes. The island was named for the small native marsupials - quokkas. When the island was first discovered they were mistaken for giant rats and it was referred to as rat nest island. We hired bikes and set off on the 26km ride around the island. I said let's go with the single gear bike (because it was cheaper) instead of inquiring why one might need a multi gear bike. If I had asked that someone might have said - because it is really mountainous terrain! The ride was challenging, exhilarating and the scenery was spectacular. The beaches are some of the best in the world! We wasted no time jumping into the Indian Ocean. Wow is it blue and clear. 4 oceans down - one to go! On Rottnest you are so remote. Nothing between you and India in one direction and nothing between you and Africa in another.

If you are looking for a beach vacation that is all about the simple pleasures, this is place. No five star resorts or restaurants here. Just understated shacks with unobstructed views of the ocean (and the quokkas).

Our first winery stop was Swings & Roundabouts. We chose that one because of the wood fire pizza and the pretty cool label. The wine was good too. After doing some tasting we couldn't decide on just one so we bought a case. Needless to say that was our hotel accommodation for the night so I guess we'd be sleeping in the Prius. No seriously, we never made a reservation and in the Murray tradition Easter is for camping. We drove up to the place where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet - or should I say collide - and camped out for the night. We watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean and started Easter with it rising over the Southern Ocean!
As we were packing up our gear - ie folding up the beach towels and putting the seats back up - we caught site of another couple doing the same. Hmmm....they look familiar. Wait. They are the German couple we were swimming in Geographe Bay with two days and 100km ago in search of dolphins.
Thanks to the catholictraveler.com we've been to churches through most of the world. This one had some very unique features: panoramic views of the ocean, holy water in a seashell, and a hymn board that read OH for everything. As we were preparing for the opening hymn we couldn't figure out what OH meant and then the word appeared before us on the wall. Ah yes, OH must stand for over head (projector). Why didn't I think of that?!

Pop the Champagne!

Time for the formal introductions: friends, family, [random strangers trolling the internet] - meet our new beach house. Beach house, meet our friends and family. This house is the first Murray-Bailey business (ad)venture [Murray-Bailey Ventures - a good name. We're one 'Jameson' short of a good irish law firm]. Melissa and I together with her parents have joined forces to bring an Ocean City home back into the family.

It's a charming and cozy duplex on the north end of the island and within a stone's throw of the boardwalk/beach/water. We really lucked out. It's one of the last 'original' beach houses on the street, now dwarfed by mc-mansions on either side. Aside from the traditional bookcase and pillars separating the common rooms, there are some great architectural details including traditional hardwood floors, crown molding, and high ceilings. The second floor is a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom. The first floor is a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom. With off-street parking, outdoor shower, covered porch, and even a bit of grass, it's a gem! [Did it sound like a sales pitch ;-)]

If this news catches you a bit off-guard, then here's the quick back story. Last August, the house was recently listed and we informally checked it out. After initial discussions with the agent, the price was still a bit high and the sellers were not interested in negotiating. Before long, an offer was extended by another party and the house was off the market - so we thought. Fast forward to November when Melissa stumbled across the listing online - 870 3rd St was available again! Melissa reopened the line of communication with the agent. [Did I mention the sales agent just happened to be a long-time friend of Melissa's parents :-)] An intense cross-continental negotiation ensued, a middle ground was reached, and the house was ours.

Remember this address: 870 3rd St OCNJ. We've listed it for seasonal and weekly rental at the following website:

http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/51728.html

Be sure to enquire about mates' rates ;-)

Cheers to 3-0!

Time for a break... again.

Yes, we just had a vacation in SE Asia over the Christmas holiday. But that wasn't really a vacation, it was more of a discovery mission - uncovering the hidden gems in Cambodia, experiencing the craziness of Bangkok, and learning of the cultural differences Vietnam. We were up with the sun most mornings and didn't have any time to just relax.

Enter the Fiji excursion. A week of nothing but nothing. Enjoy the beach and pool; get back to work-out basics with yoga, meditation, and swimming; and don't leave the island unless absolutely necessary. Timed perfectly, we also celebrated in style the big 3-0 for Melissa.

Fiji is like the Bahamas for Australia and New Zealand. Its a five hour flight from Melbourne and located in the South Pacific, almost directly north of NZ. As we did nothing, there is nothing really to blog about. You may notice a few interesting pictures featuring Melissa. We discovered Fiji Bitter and Fiji Gold (both beers) and that our balcony had a great view of the sunset each evening. We also discovered that there are lots of bugs. We made the mistake of leaving our balcony door open one night - we had not yet discovered the screen door - and were awoken with many bug bites. One momento we would have preferred to leave in Fiji.

An interesting story... after a few drinks one evening, we headed out towards the beach and the hotel's hammocks. After laying peacefully, admiring the stars for a few minutes, we decided to head back to the room. As Melissa rolled one way - that way being towards my side - we were both dumped by the hammock onto the ground. Luckily, I broke Melissa's fall. Unfortunately, my foot took the brunt of the fall and my running days were limited the rest of the trip. My feedback to the Westin, add a sign above that reads, 'danger, beware of hammocks when drinking'.

A Dark Day for Australia

...and I'm not talking about the lack of Oscar nominations for the movie 'Australia'. Saturday, February 7th will forever be remembered as Black Saturday. Regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country's history, bush fires destroyed several towns outside of Melbourne. As my mom remembered, Healesville [where we visited the animal santuary and Big Steps Winery and not too far from Melbourne] is on the cusp of the fire line. Early Sunday, the death toll climbed above 50. Within the last week, over 200 people have been confirmed dead, and due to the circumstances of the tragedy, many remains are still left unidentified. Based on your emails, phone calls, Facebook messages, etc, its clear that the US media picked up the story and reported the countless personal tragedies. I can assure you that Melissa and I are just fine; we do, however, have friends who have been significantly affected by the fires.

Its hard to comprehend until you put it into perspective: Marysville, a small town just beyond Healesville, where friends have said to visit as its a quaint country town in the mountain foothills, is no more. It just doesn't exist on the map. No more library, police station, post office, school, gas station, and definitely, no homes. On that Saturday, Melbourne was one of the hottest places on earth! You can see from the screen shot of the weather station below, the temperature in the late afternoon topped 115F. Yikes! Add to that hurricane force winds - yep, winds that were knocking us over as we walked through the neighborhood - and it was like being in a convection oven. Imagine the feeling when you put your cold hands on the baseboard heating to warm-up during the winter - you know how its hot but the warm feels good - until you have to pull your hands away from the heat. Now imagine the air surrounding you is giving you that same feeling over your entire body. Yeah, its that hot!

The good story following this tragedy is how Australians have banded together to support those most affected. Not known for their charitable giving, nearly every large Australian corporation - including Accenture, CEB, and Australia Post - have made considerable donations to the bushfire appeal. Clothing and other donationed items were being turned away from shelters because of the overwhelming response. If you'd like to help out, please donate here. http://www.redcross.org.au/

A funny footnote on the day... Melissa and I had to run an errand across town in the middle of the afternoon using the un-airconditioned trams. That's one hour each way. We had to pick up Melissa's laptop... the laptop she left at the Sydney airport a day earlier... the laptop that a friend picked up from security but couldn't get it beyond her mother's house in Kew... the laptop that couldn't be picked up on Sunday when it was 20 degrees cooler. I know, I know... I'm a great husband.

It's Summer!!!

After a stormy December and cool start to January, the last few weeks have reminded us of the real Melbourne summer. With three straight days above 40C (110F), even the players at the Australian Open were feelin' it! With the extreme heat, the rail system collapsed, rolling blackouts hit the city suburbs, and city office buildings' A/Cs were put to the test. Good thing Melissa was working from Sydney where the weather always seems to be perfect. Add to the mix no substantial rain for 40+ days and our gardens are looking great ;-)

Since the trip to SE Asia, I've turned my focus to the Gatorade Triathlon Series. I competed in my first Olympic distance event in Sandringham (beach just 20mins south). I was very happy with my result; I finished in under 2:30 and in the middle of my age group. A few weeks later, I competed in a sprint distance event in Portarlington (1.5 hrs from Melbourne near Geelong) and was within striking distance coming out of the water - I think I went alittle too fast in the water because the bike and run suffered. Rookie mistake. My next race will be the final race in the Series in St Kilda at the end of March.

In the meantime, we have more travel planned. We head to Fiji for a week to celebrate Melissa's big 3-0 next week. Upon return, Melissa gets back on a plane and heads for Beijing. She's been asked to help launch the CEB programs in China, and this is her first trip to meet with current members and assess new opportunities.

The Shock of Vietnam

With passports in hand (phew), we made it to Vietnam on Wednesday. When we arrived at our hotel, our luggage felt a little lite...after much negotiation with a cab driver and an agreement we would ride with a pair of Aussie girls, we settled on what we considered a fair price. hmmm...our luggage felt a little lite...where are my sunglasses and Sean's blackberry?! The cab driver must have pinched them when we let the girls off and he was in the trunk getting their luggage out. UGH!

The streets of Ho Chi Minh are crazy! Everyone on motor cycles and I am not quite sure if there are any traffic laws. It is a funny site when it starts to rain (which is several times a day). Everyone pulls their motorcycles over and gets out their ponchos.

We did a walking tour of the major sites of the city - a tour of the palace, museums, the post office, and a beautiful cathedral. All that walking and we barely made it out for New Year's Eve. We managed to find an Aussie dive bar - the Blue Gecko - in true Aussie fashion, it was a night filled with Abba!

The first day of 2009 we spent at the War Remembrance Museum. What an eye-opening experience?! In the spirit of peace and harmony among our readers, I try to refrain from controversial or politically charged postings HOWEVER I just have to comment here. This was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. How did I miss everything that happened in the Vietnam War. Boy did I get an American view! On several occasions, I felt sick to my stomach and was brought to tears on one occasion. I ended up buying McNamar's book, In Retrospect, from a man without any arms (a victim of the land mines left in Vietnam). I highly recommend it. It was very enlightening - and disturbing. Makes you think...

Angkor Wat?

We boarded a very small plane for the short jump to Cambodia. Cambodia very quickly became the best place I have ever been. Most of us have learned about the Roman Empires in high school history - about their empire and their amazing advances in architecture - raise your hand if you can tell me about the 12th Century Khmer Empire - anyone? Bueller? Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The other temples...not so preserved...

Early on the first day, we found a tuk tuk driver to take us to the ruins. He was a nice teenage boy who quickly secured his place as our "driver" for our entire stay. For just $10 US he spent 8 hours shuttling between all of the temples. We gave him $15 at the end of the day - you should have seen the smile! That first day we went to all of the temples aside from Angkor Wat, including Ta Prahm (as I affectionately came to call Ta 'Shrimp'). It is most famous as the setting for Tomb Raider. When they discovered it the forest had over taken it. Some of the tree couldn't be removed during when they were excavating it because they had become part of the structure.

Our most loyal readers know by now that we fly by the seat of our pants when it comes to our travels. In most cases, that suits us well. This isn't one of those cases...after our day of exploring and climbing old temples, we went to the concierge to book our flight to Vietnam for the next day. And that's when we learned we need a Visa for Vietnam?! Uh-oh...okay we'll get visa, we just need to go to the Vietnam consulate - easy. What, there's no consulate in Siem Reap? hmm...how much do we want to go to Vietnam? My determination led to what could have been a very stupid choice. We sent our passport via air courier to the closest city that had a consulate. Yes, you read that right. We gave our passports to some stranger while in a foreign country. With a bit of a pit in our stomachs we went into town (w/o our passports) to enjoy dinner at the Red Piano - a favorite spot of Angelina's.

The next morning we got up in the dark to get to Angkor Wat in time to see the sunrise. Amazing! We spent hours exploring the temple - they say 80,000 people staffed it back in the day. On the way back, the tuk-tuk needed some petrol. We had to wake up a guy from his nap in a hammock so he could pour a coke bottle's worth of oil into the motor bike.

Siem Reap Day Three - The schedule has officially changed. We're still waiting for the Vietnam visa's to be returned Monday night so we've extended our Cambodia portion an extra two days. We spent the extra touring the neighboring villages/farms while on horseback. This was very exciting as I've never ridden before. We were fitted with Cambodian horses - somewhere between a pony and normal sized horse. My horse always had to be in the lead - even ahead of our guide (who by the way didn't speak a word of English).

Day four - Sean headed into town to pick up our passports (PHEW!)- this time with visas - and to book our flight to HCMC. Booking flights via the internet are not always possible. Furthermore, the prices quoted online are typically more expensive than when you find in here. We packed and headed to the airport.There was a Dairy Queen in the Siem Reap airport. Needless to say, we split a kit kat blizzard.