The bulk of my time was spent with Geroges Verly, who lives in Vancouver and has a PhD in Geostatistics from Stanford University. This university has developed a well deserved reputation for having produced many of the best geostatisticians in the world, all under the tutelage of Andre Journel.
Saturday morning I departed Sorowako and began the long journey back to Canada although I will have a relatively brief hold over (3 full days) in New Caledonia to put on an Introduction to Datamine training course for a group of five technicians and geologists involved in the laterite exploration program there. One of them is Laurent Sapor, who I had met on my last trip to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
After leaving Sorowako I flew to Makassar, then on to Jakarta where I transferred to Singapore airlines for a flight to Singapore. After several hours there I then caught a British Airways flight to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, which is where I am now as I need to wait for my flight to Noumea, New Caledonia tomorrow. Note, if you ever have the chance/choice, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, from my perspective are two of the best whereas British Airways, while having very friendly service, was definitely lacking in comparison (i.e. plastic utensils as compared to Stainless steel). But still better than anything I've experienced on Air Canada!
The BA flight got in about 7:00 am. After clearing customs I then took a cab to the Radisson 
Hotel in downtown Sydney (if you are interested in seeing where it is, use Google Maps and search for "27 O'Connell St, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia "). As I have already indicated, my next leg is not until tomorrow morning so I spent much of today walking around. The hotel is very close to Circular Quay, where the Sydney Opera house is located and to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. I had thought of doing the walk up to the top of the bridge superstructure but the fee for the 3 1/2 hour guided tour is almost $200 AUD (about $180 CAD) and I am too cheap to spend that kind of money!
Hotel in downtown Sydney (if you are interested in seeing where it is, use Google Maps and search for "27 O'Connell St, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia "). As I have already indicated, my next leg is not until tomorrow morning so I spent much of today walking around. The hotel is very close to Circular Quay, where the Sydney Opera house is located and to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. I had thought of doing the walk up to the top of the bridge superstructure but the fee for the 3 1/2 hour guided tour is almost $200 AUD (about $180 CAD) and I am too cheap to spend that kind of money!
Even so I had a good time walking around, enjoying the sights, including performances by aborigines using the didgeridoo, chanting and dancing, as seen in this picture.
I got a laugh, which I will share with you as there is a restaurant on the quay, near the opera house, called "Minus 15°" who describe themselves as "The Coolest Experience in Sydney"! Note the parka!
This last photo is of the Sydney downtown skyline from in front of the opera house. Unlike my experience in Western Australia , Sydney has not been a disappointment but was everything I had been led to believe. A very beautiful setting and a well laid out city with a very modern cosmopolitan look (unlike anything I saw in Indonesia, that's for sure!). Even some geology as the quay is carved into a sandstone headland with excellent cross-bedding! Prices are generally on the high side but I already knew that based on my 2 previous trips. The one disappointment is that, at supper I tried to have a Foster's and came up empty handed, again! For those of you who are not aware of this for a few years I had taken a hankering to the Canadian version. I no longer drink it in Canada as it is hard to find. But I have always been curious as to how similar, or different, it is to the Australian original as made famous by Crocodile Dundee. On 3 trips now I am still shooting blanks! Oh well, maybe next time, if there is a next time.
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