Hmm…How About That?! GOON!!!

Normally when people hear the word ‘goon’, they think of some hired thug or a stupid ignorant roughneck. Interestingly enough, in Australia goon is a type of wine, which pretty much fits the definitions provided above. Goon, the Australian kind, is a type of wine that falls under the “boxed” vintage variety. To be more technical, a box of Goon has a plastic bladder inside which contains it’s vinaceous contents, meaning it’s out of one bladder and into another. Goon’s taste can be described as “a party in your mouth and everyone’s invited.” That is, if everyone lived in squalor and called rainy days ‘cleaning time’. Which segues nicely into the type of people who drink Goon. Read more “Hmm…How About That?! GOON!!!”

Hmm…How About That?! Roo Kill

Traveling to Australia gives a person the very special opportunity of seeing Kangaroos in their natural habitat; splattered all over the shoulder of the A1 highway. While the sight of many a poor roo marred in the tar may be the exact opposite of what a traveler was hoping to see, it isn’t necessarily that shocking, or indeed worthy of pity according to most Aussies. Fact is, the kangaroo population has skyrocketed across Australia to the point of the bounding marsupials being viewed as nothing more than a backyard pest. Read more “Hmm…How About That?! Roo Kill”

Hmm…How About That?! Gecko Shit

I was sitting on the veranda of our cabin in Bali when I felt a warm sticky splatter on my left arm. I knew immediately that it was no pigeon that had laid me out. A few days ago, we had met with a friend, and when I told her we were thinking of removing the netting from the top of the bed she immediately warned me, “I wouldn’t do that.” “Why?” I queried, “the mosquitos?” “No, the gecko poo!” she explained. Indeed, only a few days prior to this discussion, one of our other friends was dismayed when a gecko had shit right on her head while she was sleeping. Read more “Hmm…How About That?! Gecko Shit”

Hmm…How About That?! Seen on the Back of a Motorbike

One of the less popularized joys of traveling in Southeast Asia is seeing how people have learned to do more with less. For example: motorbikes. For westerners, motorbikes (scooters really), are a simple mode of transportation meant for one, possibly two small people who want to go a short distance on smaller roadways. In Southeast Asia, motorbikes are viewed on a much grander scale. They are your family mini-van, your buddy’s pickup truck, the rented U-haul, and even possibly the semi tractor-trailer. Here are just a few of the amazing things we’ve seen on the back of a motorbike in Southeast Asia. Read more “Hmm…How About That?! Seen on the Back of a Motorbike”