Sydney, Australia – Let’s put another Barbie on the shrimp, she’s delicious.

The first sight I saw in the daytime in Sydney, a poor view of downtown from high up in the elevator window at the hotel. For some reason I expected it to look different, even though it was still amazing. We didn’t have much time in Sydney, so we immediately jumped in the van and headed to a $60 million mansion. This was easily the most epic home I’ve ever been in. As we pulled up I captured this picture of the bay, seen from his driveway. It’s a slightly better view than from the hotel.

Behind the house, six floors down at water level, is the marina and his private dock. I found a few moments to sit out and enjoy being so close to the water. Even the sky looked like never before. It was amazing that the weather was so similar to San Diego. I realized it is almost exactly as far from the equator, but on the other side of the poles. The sky and clouds looked so different to what you would see above America though. Europe also showcases amazingly beautiful skies that are far different than the Americas, somehow captured in many paintings from European artists, but this was certainly a unique sky as well.

Here is the private dock from his poolside view, overlooking the downtown area of Sydney. The Sydney Opera House can be seen just to the left of the arc on the bridge, in the center of the picture. This gig was for a charity event put on for the most successful realtors in Sydney, and the event was incredible. What was most amazing to me, was the six floors of the mansion, which could be reached by elevator. Each floor was an inspiring private residence, each uniquely themed. The floor designated for our group had its own gym, multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, and some of the most impressive sculptures and pieces of artwork I’ve ever seen. What I found especially cool was the “backstage” of the house, where the eight live-in workers had their personal residences, offices, security booths, storage areas, the kitchen, and so much more.

Even though we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house, I took the liberty of taking a picture of this couple chilling out in the backyard out by the marina. This metal work captures the beautiful, modern style that matched the inside of the house as well.

Here’s a picture of where the small event was held in his personal concert venue. There was an awesome sound system built right into the ceiling above the stage proscenium. It sounded great for the audience in the back of the room, but whoever designed the system didn’t realize that speakers vibrate when they run at high decibels. It made the whole lighting system rattle to an unacceptable noise level. Kinda like if you tried to measure the 0-60 mph acceleration of a grocery shopping cart. Center stage, it felt like an aircraft was about to land in this small hangar. Even with the technical oversights, this room was incredible. To the left was a full bar, behind the stage was his and her bathrooms that would make the Ritz Carlton look like a highway rest stop, and my favorite, the many incredible metal sculptures of various musicians all around the room.

I really wanted to go surfing while I was in Australia, but I never found the time. We were too far from any good waves on the days I was actually free. At one of our duller moments we actually tried to test the theory that water flows down a drain the opposite direction. We soon realized with the invention of most flushing systems, the water just does what the jets make it do. You have to actually use a body of water at rest, to see this experiment work correctly, and it was not nearly as exciting as we thought it might be. I did however learn that an Australian kiss is very similar to a French kiss, except one goes down under.

Even though we traveled Australia for about 10 days, I only took my camera out in Sydney, which is rare for me. We hit a lot of the big cities; Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne as well. Somebody mentioned the main city planner & architect for a lot of Australia’s bigger cities spent much of his time studying San Diego and Los Angeles, and modeled these cities after Southern California. I could totally  see the resemblance after growing up in Southern California my whole life. The weather was almost identical too, much like the coastal desert regions of so-cal.

I had an awesome Australian experience, even without kangaroos or koalas. Even though I always wanted to go to Australia and surf, I just couldn’t find the time. Nonetheless, Australia was amazing and I would love to go back again. The stereotypes about males being rude and females that love Americans, didn’t exactly prove to be true. There were a few rude waiters along the way, but generally they were all great people. I found it fascinating that the history of Australia was that of English criminals taken to the island rather than putting them through the prison system. Either way they sure know how to live off the land and manage all those crocodiles. Plus, have you seen Rugby, Ouch!

When I got home from that trip I went straight to the beach at home in Oceanside to catch some waves. Here’s a picture of one of my favorite surf spots, south of the pier. I’ve seen six-foot sharks caught off the pier here, and a jellyfish at a beach close by stung me.

That’s still like the kiddie pool compared to the great down under. I hope next time I get the full Crocodile Dundee experience, away from the major cities where I can catch some wild life and experience one of the largest uninhabited territories on the planet. I’m just a little worried about the deadly spiders, snakes, lizards, and kangaroos that can shoot a rifle in the dark.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Where outer space meets the Middle East, a whole new world on a magic carpet ride, or in a Ferrari. 

Tokyo, Japan

Domo Origami Mr. Rubato.

Sydney, Australia

Let’s put another Barbie on the shrimp, she’s delicious.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

“Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light…” But it really highlights your features, and green kinda makes you look like a pregnant alien.

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Welcome to paradise, playmates, and stubborn goats that won’t share the road.

Athens, Greece

“When in Rome…” Destroy all the sculptural remains of the past…But leave the bosom please.

Stonehenge, England

“I said eighteen feet, not eighteen inches.”

Impentris Record Release Concert

Impentris was live in concert, it was an awesome show!!!