Apologies for the last few weeks break in updating my blog.
This weekend I came across many people leaving Australia after literally only a few hours stay in the country. They were mostly American citizens who had cruised from Honolulu to Sydney, arriving in the morning and on a flight back in the other direction in the afternoon. Hopefully they will spend a little more time in our country next time!!
I came across 2 American couples who had visited children who were now living here. One of these couples had their home living arrangements well worked out. Each year they spend the cooler half of the year in Arizona and the warmer season in North Dakota. That certainly makes for a comfortable climate all year round.
It wasn't only Aussie revheads that headed to the Bathurst car racing last weekend. I chatted to a New Zealand couple who had split their Aussie visit between Bathurst and Sydney. While the male really seemed to have had a great time at Bathurst, his partner appeared to have enjoyed the shopping expeditions in Sydney much more so.
Other travellers included US businessmen who had spent time in Sydney and Melbourne, a NZ woman in Sydney for only 3 days on business and a young American guy who spent his whole stay in an on-site van in a caravan park in Cairns.
Till next time.
Peter
Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
From Seattle to Sydney and a Russian Student
Another friendly bunch of visitors this last weekend!
Travelling to Honolulu on Jetstar for a Hawaiian break was an American women who had just spent time in Sydney on business. Also on the same flight was an English couple on Round the World tickets.
I chatted to a friendly young Russian girl heading home via Beijing. She had stayed in Sydney with her aunt and did a short English language course. Other travellers on China Airlines included a young Italian couple who had enjoyed their holiday in Australia and were now about to spend a week in Beijing before heading home.
A couple of other visitors travelled our country widely by campervan and rental car. The first was a younf Irish girl who flew from Sydney to Townsville and then went back to Sydney by campervan with stops including Airlie Beach, Whitsundays, Hervey Bay, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Nimbin, Byron Bay and Newcastle. The others were a couple of French who had spent a lot fo time with family travelling through the Northern Territory.
I also came across an English businessman who spent 3 weeks in Sydney and stayed at the lovely Coogee Beach for all his stay.
Till next week.
Peter
Travelling to Honolulu on Jetstar for a Hawaiian break was an American women who had just spent time in Sydney on business. Also on the same flight was an English couple on Round the World tickets.
I chatted to a friendly young Russian girl heading home via Beijing. She had stayed in Sydney with her aunt and did a short English language course. Other travellers on China Airlines included a young Italian couple who had enjoyed their holiday in Australia and were now about to spend a week in Beijing before heading home.
A couple of other visitors travelled our country widely by campervan and rental car. The first was a younf Irish girl who flew from Sydney to Townsville and then went back to Sydney by campervan with stops including Airlie Beach, Whitsundays, Hervey Bay, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Nimbin, Byron Bay and Newcastle. The others were a couple of French who had spent a lot fo time with family travelling through the Northern Territory.
I also came across an English businessman who spent 3 weeks in Sydney and stayed at the lovely Coogee Beach for all his stay.
Till next week.
Peter
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A Wedding Anniversary and Visiting Friends
On their way to Christchurch was an Irish couple who had just had a few days in Sydney. They had only known about their trip 3 days before their departure. The trip was a gift from their children to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and the wife's 60th birthday. Their daughter is living in New Zealand.
On Air Vanuatu I chatted to a guy travelling on a German passport and living in Vanuatu for his work project which was in the field of waste management. He only had one night in Sydney with an old friend and, from what he told me, it sounded like they partied all night long. Also travelling to Vanuatu for a 9 day stay was a Canadian family. They had spent time in Sydney and Melbourne and would be staying in Brisbane on their return from Port Vila.
Heading home to Germany on British Airways were 2 young German sisters (20 and 14 years old old). Their father had been with them for the first few days in Sydney and they then stayed with friends in Brisbane and had an enjoyable couple of days by themselves on the Gold Coast at the end of their stay Down Under. Also on the same flight was a friendly young Italian guy who had studied English in Sydney for the last few months and a young French guy who spent 4 months holiday just in Sydney.
I came across a few visitors who were in Australia just to visit friends. These included a British passport holder who lives in Pennsylvania, USA and another from Georgia, USA who spent a week only in Adelaide with a close friend.
Till next week.
Peter
On Air Vanuatu I chatted to a guy travelling on a German passport and living in Vanuatu for his work project which was in the field of waste management. He only had one night in Sydney with an old friend and, from what he told me, it sounded like they partied all night long. Also travelling to Vanuatu for a 9 day stay was a Canadian family. They had spent time in Sydney and Melbourne and would be staying in Brisbane on their return from Port Vila.
Heading home to Germany on British Airways were 2 young German sisters (20 and 14 years old old). Their father had been with them for the first few days in Sydney and they then stayed with friends in Brisbane and had an enjoyable couple of days by themselves on the Gold Coast at the end of their stay Down Under. Also on the same flight was a friendly young Italian guy who had studied English in Sydney for the last few months and a young French guy who spent 4 months holiday just in Sydney.
I came across a few visitors who were in Australia just to visit friends. These included a British passport holder who lives in Pennsylvania, USA and another from Georgia, USA who spent a week only in Adelaide with a close friend.
Till next week.
Peter
Monday, August 3, 2009
From Iceland to Hobart, Film School in Sydney, an Irishman in Grafton and more
I'm a bit behind in posting my latest reports so I'll combine 2 weeks of visitors in this one. They were again a very varied and interesting bunch.
I met a lady and her daughter and 2 children from Iceland. I think these are the first visitors I've come across from Iceland. Actually she was an ethnic Thai living in Iceland and was here to spend time with her Icelandic husband who spends much of each year working in Hobart, Tasmania. It was their first trip to Australia and they only visited Tasmania. Our conversation included a mix of England, Icelandic (daughter to mother) and some Thai language.
One Swedish guy that I chatted to was in Sydney to attend a Film School course. The course was good but his comment about the film 'Australia' wasn't - 'the worst film he has ever seen'. This movie has certainly received very mixed reactions from the 'very enjoyable' through to that of this Swedish visitor.
Spending a few days in Sydney on their way to New Zealand to work were a couple of different US visitors. The first was a young couple who were going to spend 5 months in religious related work in Tauranga on the New Zealand North Island. The other was an older couple from Alaska who were off to Christchurch where the husband was to take up a University lecturer position in Mathematics.
Also on the way to New Zealand was a very friendly Catholic priest from Christchurch who had spent time bushwalking in the Blue Mountains and attending a religious retreat in Sydney.
Other visitors of note included the following:-
* A young Irish guy who had been working on construction equipment in Jindabyne and Grafton, NSW. He was going home for a short break and then back here to work for another year.
* An Aussie guy and his family heading back to Illinois, USA where he has his own business selling hand made soaps and other products.
* A 40's NZ couple who had visited family and friends in Mullavey, Bathurst and Moree - all in country NSW.
* A Swiss businessman travelling on a South African passport. He spent one week in Sydney and was off to China and Japan, also on business.
* An Irish couple who were here to visit their son who was working in Dunsborough, WA. They also visited Central Australia, Cairns and Sydney.
* A friendly young French girl who studied Sociology for one semsester at Sydney University and in her Uni breaks, backpacked around much of the country. Her accommodation included camping, hostels and sleeping in cars.
I met a lady and her daughter and 2 children from Iceland. I think these are the first visitors I've come across from Iceland. Actually she was an ethnic Thai living in Iceland and was here to spend time with her Icelandic husband who spends much of each year working in Hobart, Tasmania. It was their first trip to Australia and they only visited Tasmania. Our conversation included a mix of England, Icelandic (daughter to mother) and some Thai language.
One Swedish guy that I chatted to was in Sydney to attend a Film School course. The course was good but his comment about the film 'Australia' wasn't - 'the worst film he has ever seen'. This movie has certainly received very mixed reactions from the 'very enjoyable' through to that of this Swedish visitor.
Spending a few days in Sydney on their way to New Zealand to work were a couple of different US visitors. The first was a young couple who were going to spend 5 months in religious related work in Tauranga on the New Zealand North Island. The other was an older couple from Alaska who were off to Christchurch where the husband was to take up a University lecturer position in Mathematics.
Also on the way to New Zealand was a very friendly Catholic priest from Christchurch who had spent time bushwalking in the Blue Mountains and attending a religious retreat in Sydney.
Other visitors of note included the following:-
* A young Irish guy who had been working on construction equipment in Jindabyne and Grafton, NSW. He was going home for a short break and then back here to work for another year.
* An Aussie guy and his family heading back to Illinois, USA where he has his own business selling hand made soaps and other products.
* A 40's NZ couple who had visited family and friends in Mullavey, Bathurst and Moree - all in country NSW.
* A Swiss businessman travelling on a South African passport. He spent one week in Sydney and was off to China and Japan, also on business.
* An Irish couple who were here to visit their son who was working in Dunsborough, WA. They also visited Central Australia, Cairns and Sydney.
* A friendly young French girl who studied Sociology for one semsester at Sydney University and in her Uni breaks, backpacked around much of the country. Her accommodation included camping, hostels and sleeping in cars.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Camping in Central Australia and a Hillsong Conference
Last Saturday was my first day back at Sydney airport after a bit of a break. We did a big road trip to Central Australia and took a 3 day camping trip with a bunch of young international backpackers from Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (Olgas) and Kings Canyon. All went well and had a great time. Time to start planning the next one!
It was then quite a surprise to find that the first visitor I chatted to on Saturday was a young Swiss backpacker who had done the same camping tour as us just 4 days after we did it. She had also travelled with friends up the East Coast and to Darwin, Adelaide and Sydney.
I also came across a couple of French visitors on their way home. The first was a yuong girl who had been on a homestay in Australia for 7 months and loved it. She had also done a couple of short holidays to Bali and NZ. The second was a French couple who had 3 nights in Sydney on their way home after a holiday in Noumea.
On a Qantas flight to Singapore was a friendly young Indonesian lady who now spends most of her time here in Sydney. She had first come to Australia as a 9 year old schoolchild and now works in food technology for a large company.
Travelling home on V Australia was a couple from Ohio, USA who had seen a lot of our country in a short time. In 16 days they had visited Port Douglas, Cairns, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne and Sydney. This included a bus trip from Adelaide to Melbourne.
I met a young New Zealander going home after attending the big Hillsong Church annual conference in Sydney. He said there were 30000 people here for the conference from all parts of the world.
Till next week.
Peter
It was then quite a surprise to find that the first visitor I chatted to on Saturday was a young Swiss backpacker who had done the same camping tour as us just 4 days after we did it. She had also travelled with friends up the East Coast and to Darwin, Adelaide and Sydney.
I also came across a couple of French visitors on their way home. The first was a yuong girl who had been on a homestay in Australia for 7 months and loved it. She had also done a couple of short holidays to Bali and NZ. The second was a French couple who had 3 nights in Sydney on their way home after a holiday in Noumea.
On a Qantas flight to Singapore was a friendly young Indonesian lady who now spends most of her time here in Sydney. She had first come to Australia as a 9 year old schoolchild and now works in food technology for a large company.
Travelling home on V Australia was a couple from Ohio, USA who had seen a lot of our country in a short time. In 16 days they had visited Port Douglas, Cairns, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne and Sydney. This included a bus trip from Adelaide to Melbourne.
I met a young New Zealander going home after attending the big Hillsong Church annual conference in Sydney. He said there were 30000 people here for the conference from all parts of the world.
Till next week.
Peter
Saturday, June 13, 2009
A Long Way To Go For An Exam and A Nigerian Musician
On Ethihad Airlines yesterday was an Egyptian guy who had come all the way from Egypt to Sydney for 3 days just to do an IT networking exam for Cisco Systems. He had previously come in January for the same exam and failed then but this time he was confident that he had passed. Apparently there are only a few places in the world where this exam can be done and Sydney is one of them. I came across another fellow a few months back who had come for the same exam so it seems like it is a regular occurrence.
Also on Ethihad was a British Airways cabin crew menber who had been here for a few months travelling around the country and also in Bali. She spoke very highly of Ethihad and their cabin service and, in fact, was considering a transfer to work for them instead. Ethihad is expanding rapidly and employing many new staff.
On a Qantas flight to London was a French guy who had come for a couple of weeks to visit his girlfriend in Cairns. She is Japanese and works in the tourism industry in Cairns. They had met in Melbourne during his previous visit to Australia. He is planning to come back in August for a longer stay with her and a working holiday.
I chatted to an English guy going home on BA who was here to work in oil refineries. His job entailed making sure that the oil storage tanks were cleared of any impurities such as sand.
Other travellers included a Welsh guy on a family visit to Melbourne and an older delightful English lady who visited her daughter in Canberra. Her last full day in Canberra was the coldest day there for 43 years - a maximum of only 4 degreees C.
My last interview was with a Nigerian musician who was part of a musical group which had just performed at the Opera House. They were only here for 4 days so he didn't get to see much of Sydney. Most of his time was taken up rehearsing and performing. They had performed in Australia a couple of times before. I forgot to ask him the name of the performing group.
Till next time.
Peter
Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
Also on Ethihad was a British Airways cabin crew menber who had been here for a few months travelling around the country and also in Bali. She spoke very highly of Ethihad and their cabin service and, in fact, was considering a transfer to work for them instead. Ethihad is expanding rapidly and employing many new staff.
On a Qantas flight to London was a French guy who had come for a couple of weeks to visit his girlfriend in Cairns. She is Japanese and works in the tourism industry in Cairns. They had met in Melbourne during his previous visit to Australia. He is planning to come back in August for a longer stay with her and a working holiday.
I chatted to an English guy going home on BA who was here to work in oil refineries. His job entailed making sure that the oil storage tanks were cleared of any impurities such as sand.
Other travellers included a Welsh guy on a family visit to Melbourne and an older delightful English lady who visited her daughter in Canberra. Her last full day in Canberra was the coldest day there for 43 years - a maximum of only 4 degreees C.
My last interview was with a Nigerian musician who was part of a musical group which had just performed at the Opera House. They were only here for 4 days so he didn't get to see much of Sydney. Most of his time was taken up rehearsing and performing. They had performed in Australia a couple of times before. I forgot to ask him the name of the performing group.
Till next time.
Peter
Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Fish Conference and a New Niece
Last Saturday I chatted to a couple of American marine scientists who had been in Fremantle, Western Australia for a fish and marine life conference. It was some conference with over 1000 people attending from all over the world. After the conference they spent a week in the south western corner of W.A.
Travelling on QF5 was a Finnish couple who had come here for a family visit. The fellow was travelling on an Australian passport but his wife needed to spend time here to satisfy Australian permanent residency requirements. I also came across a young Finnish guy on Air China who had spent time with relatives in Manly (Sydney) and a couple of nights in the Blue Mountains.
On their way to Beijing was a couple who had come to Oz for a short stay to visit relatives in Port Macquarie and to see their new nephew who had been born just a week before.
I also spoke to a young Canadian guy who worked for a few months and did a campervan trip to the Centre and an Aussie guy who was back to spend time with his wife in Sydney. The Aussie was working in a military job in Kuwait and was travelling on a Turkish passport.
So yet another varied and intersting batch of travellers at Sydney Airport...
Till next time.
Peter
Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
Travelling on QF5 was a Finnish couple who had come here for a family visit. The fellow was travelling on an Australian passport but his wife needed to spend time here to satisfy Australian permanent residency requirements. I also came across a young Finnish guy on Air China who had spent time with relatives in Manly (Sydney) and a couple of nights in the Blue Mountains.
On their way to Beijing was a couple who had come to Oz for a short stay to visit relatives in Port Macquarie and to see their new nephew who had been born just a week before.
I also spoke to a young Canadian guy who worked for a few months and did a campervan trip to the Centre and an Aussie guy who was back to spend time with his wife in Sydney. The Aussie was working in a military job in Kuwait and was travelling on a Turkish passport.
So yet another varied and intersting batch of travellers at Sydney Airport...
Till next time.
Peter
Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
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