Go West (To Go East)

My five hour flight today from Sydney to Perth went off without a hitch.

Landing in Perth I kept thinking how much it reminded me of Southern California 25 years ago -- spread-out, relatively flat and mostly brown.

The city itself is very charming. It certainly feels like "Western" Australia.

By the way, I learned last night they don't have "downtowns" in Australia. They have "City Centres." Nor do they have "gas stations." They have "Servies" which is short for "Service Station." The Australians love shortening words, like "Uni" for "University."

Sometimes someone will talk to me and I'll sit there thinking, "I know we're speaking the same language, but I don't understand you."

Tomorrow I board the Indian Pacific Railroad for the three day trip back to Sydney (crossing Australia's Outback) and via Adelaide.

One of the world's longest regularly scheduled rail routes, it includes the single longest perfectly straight stretch of railroad track -- 478 kilometers over the stark Nullarbor Plain.

I'll arrive back in Sydney on Wednesday. I'll blog along the way if I can, but I don't really expect internet access on the train as we trundle through the desolate landscape. So we may have radio silence until Wednesday.

But I wouldn't leave you without my annual Oscar predictions. (Since I'll be on the train I don't expect to see the show and may not even know the results for a day or two afterwards. Not my best example of travel planning!)

BEST ACTOR
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland"

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls"

BEST ACTRESS
Helen Mirren in "The Queen"

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"Cars"

BEST ART DIRECTION
"Dreamgirls"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Children of Men"

BEST COSTUMES
"Dreamgirls"

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese for "The Departed"

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"An Inconvenient Truth"

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
"The Blood of Yingzhou District"

BEST FILM EDITING
"The Departed"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Pan's Labyrinth"

BEST MAKE-UP
"Pan's Labyrinth"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Babel"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Listen" from "Dreamgirls"

BEST MOTION PICTURE
"The Departed"

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
"Lifted"

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
"West Bank Story"

BEST SOUND EDITING
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

BEST SOUND MIXING
"Dreamgirls"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"The Departed"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Little Miss Sunshine"

At least if my predictions tank I won't know it while it actually happens.

A Manly Day

Took the Manly Ferry to Manly Harbor today -- about thirty minutes from Sydney's Circular Quay.

It's considered one of the most scenic (and cheapest) excursions from Sydney.

Saturday I'm up early to fly west (for a change) to Perth, on Australia's West Coast. I'm looking forward to my first glimpse of the Indian Ocean.

Sydney Opera House. 

Harbor Bridge. You can climb to the top of the bridge, but that seems a little intense to me. 

Sydney Skyline. 

Manly Beach. 

Getting Away From Politics?

Dick Cheney's arrival in Sydney today seemed to have stirred up more dust than mine did.

What is it with VIPs visiting Australia the same time I do?

In 1988 when Brian Perry and I visited Australia it was like we were stalking Queen Elizabeth. She toured Sydney the day before we arrived. We traveled to Canberra, the capitol, and she addresses the House of Parliment the day before. We went to Brisbane to visit the World Expo, and the Old Dame had done a walkabout the day before.

The police were out in a major show of force. 

By and large the demonstration was orderly. 

Thursday night I went to see a shocking film that was part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival called "Grimm Love." It tells the true story of one of the most horrifying crimes to have ever occurred. A few years ago in Germany a match was made over the internet. Someone with the desire to eat someone met someone with the desire to be eaten. They met in a chatroom called "Cannibal Cantina."

The Festival host introduced the film by saying it was "the most out there" of all the films in the festival. I don't doubt it. And it proves there is a perfect someone out there for everyone.

Someone Left The Cake Out In The Rain

A Broadway-caliber musical based on the movie, "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" is currently making its world debut in Sydney and I had a chance to see it tonight.

What a fun, fun show. The story is familiar: three drag queens from Sydney ("the drag queen capitol of the world") make their way through the Outback to perform in Alice Springs.

This audience of Aussies loved the show. They clapped along at the slightest hint of a disco beat. They applauded the Harbor Bridge on the stage. And they went wild when they first spotted the bus. (Actually presenting the bus on stage is quite an accomplishment. It looks like a real bus and is a centerpiece of the show.)

And the show loves the audience right back: bringing several audience members onstage for one scene, throwing stuff into the audience, and even the bus floats over the audience at one point.

It'll be interesting to see if this show transfers to London or New York.

Given the nature of the story I was surprised the older, conservative looking audience enjoyed it as much as they did. But it's a fun-loving show that's pretty hard to resist.

Spent this afternoon at Sydney's breathtaking Bondi Beach. 

Had a great lunch at the North Bondi Italian Food Restaurant right across the street from the beach. 

The Queen Victoria Building in Downtown Sydney with a statue of its namesake in front. 

The lovely summertime weather made for a nice walk in Hyde Park in Central Sydney today. 

I love the Australian cheeky sense of humor. Isn't this a great name for a restaurant or club? 

Boy in the Bubble

Made it to Sydney Tuesday night, but I haven't been out and about yet.

I spent Monday hanging out at my hotel in New Dehli, never venturing out into the madness of the streets before my late night airplane departure.

With time on my hands I went into the hotel's Barber Shop to get my beard trimmed. Before I knew it my head was in this giant steamer machine. It wasn't very pleasant. But I got a good picture for my blog and isn't that what matters anyway?

Patio at the Imperial Hotel. 

The 1911 Bar at the Imperial Hotel. 1911 is when the British made New Dehli the capitol of India. 

King George sat in this chair during a visit to New Dehli. 

Grounds at the Imperial Hotel. 

Gardens at the Imperial Hotel. 

Dinner Monday night was at The Spice Route, the Imperial Hotel's signature Indian restaurant. The dinner was good but the dessert was amazing! Pineapple cooked with brandy, black pepper and other spices, served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. 

Orchids at the Singapore Airport Tuesday morning. 

Road Trip to Agra

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan made two promises to his wife on her deathbed: 1) he would build a monument to her unmatched by any built before or could ever be build after and 2) he would never marry again.

He kept both promises. The Empress was buried in the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan followed her there upon his death.

The Taj Mahal is in Agra, about 4 hours by car south of New Dehli. In my mind going there and back in one day would be a little like a trip to Fresno. That would be true if Highway 99 was filled with people walking, people on bikes, people driving on the wrong side of the road, motorcycles, overloaded trucks, huge containers of wheat being drawn by camels or water buffalo, etc.

What an amazing adventure.

Tomorrow I leave New Dehli for Sydney, Australia. I fly on Singapore Airlines via Singapore, arriving in Sydney on Tuesday night.