During my time Down Under, I was (amongst other things) an Olympic Team Leader, a translator, a frequent photographer, a very frequent educator on all things Canadian, a Today Show groupie, a fingerpainter, a birthday boy, a would-be financial analyst, a researcher, an accidental extra in a miniseries, an Indiana Jones impersonator, a horserace punter, an absentee voter, an almanac, a hiker, a bushwalker, a pool volleyball player, a koala cuddler (as you can see here), a kangaroo feeder, a crocodile spotter, a camper, a four-wheel driver, a Rockhampton apologist, an amateur anthropologist, an even more amateur biologist, a reef snorkeller, a bridge climber, and, on occasion, a professional basketball player's lucky charm.
It was quite a trip.
How did all this come to pass? The details are to be found below, conveniently divided up by both theme and chronology:
Olympiad: September 2000 (forthcoming)
I arrive in Sydney and plunge full-on into the world's largest peacetime event.
Malaise: October 2000 (forthcoming)
I discover just how boring Australia's largest city can be.
Southern V: November 2000 (forthcoming)
I decide that Sydney's not enough and head even further south.
Interlude: November/December 2000 (forthcoming)
I embrace irony by changing my living arrangements.
Northern V: December 2000-February 2001 (forthcoming)
I become a true backpacker, encountering many of Australia's wonders along the way.
Embarkation: February 2001 (forthcoming)
I reluctantly depart, fitting in just a few more adventures before I go.