wood auster world tour

Favourite WAWT 'people'

2010-09-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

arron: mike from lotan and 1968 israeli ping pong champion
amy: stevie logasi and leah from lotan
samantha: maddie and jaqueline at camp chi
elinor: didi and kathryn
jake: orange man w/lid and Lilach

Favourite WAWT 'food'

2010-09-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

arron: yotsvata yogurt
amy: nimrod strawberries
samantha: desi seni bali pineapple pancakes
elinor: lotan spaghetti bolognise
jake: israel bamba

Favourite WAWT 'sayings'

2010-09-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

arron: "slicha" and "wawaweeewa"
amy: "boker tov" and "peel with your heart"
samantha: "alice kingsley, will you be my wife" and "this is noice"
elinor: "just taste it" and "meet me under the gazebo in precisely 10 minutes hmmmph"
jake: "this way- that way" and "chamud"

Favourite WAWT 'places'

2010-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

arron: kibbutz Lotan
amy: malia's child, gili meno
samantha: camp chi
elinor: en gedi springs
jake: daddy's baby backpack

Favourite WAWT 'events'

2010-09-27T05:43:00.002-07:00

arron: daily boker tov ritual
amy : great america V2 roller coaster
samantha: hong kong sound and light show
elinor: snorkeling on glass bottom boat at gili meno
jake: screening of 'hot dog hot dog'

Last day of WAWT in WA

2010-09-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

PERTH

2010-09-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

end of woodausterworldtour

2010-09-25T07:45:00.001-07:00

Last day in Indonesia. arrived in perth to see amazing grand final draw. Go saints next week

LAST DAYS IN GILI MENO-VOTED BEST PLACE IN WORLD BY AMY

2010-09-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Gili Meno boat trip

2010-09-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Gili Meno

2010-09-25T07:05:00.001-07:00

Nat Geo Pic specials- near UBUD

2010-09-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mt Batur- Bali

2010-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Go Saints

2010-09-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

We have watched all the finals live in Bali. Last night was a beauty and Amy carried on like a crazy Aussie overseas.
we arrive in perth at 2am on Grand Final morning.

Ceremony in UBUD

2010-09-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Elephant safari in UBUD

2010-09-16T07:38:00.001-07:00

Amy and Samantha go Balinese Cooking at Hanging Gardens

2010-09-16T07:15:00.001-07:00

Bali- Ubud

2010-09-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Bali- Seminyak

2010-09-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

Father's day in Seminyak, Bali in a swish yoga place- Desa Suni. Noice.

end of Hong Kong leg

2010-09-06T19:05:00.001-07:00

Internet connection in bali = negative bagus.
safe in seminyak - off to Ubud tomorrow. pics later

Hong Kong Fashion Week

2010-09-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong

2010-08-31T00:55:00.000-07:00

Family Everywhere in San Fran

2010-08-27T21:45:00.001-07:00

San Francisco

2010-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Jake Walks! We meet Emma Jane Pieper.

Chicago Fun Run

2010-08-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin Dells

2010-08-22T18:09:00.001-07:00

Wisconsin. Samantha camp and getaway

2010-08-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

Samantha is TEN!!!!

2010-08-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

Chicago

2010-08-12T18:14:00.001-07:00

Atlantic City/Margate

2010-08-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Philly

2010-08-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

Last days in New York

2010-08-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

NY Yankees

2010-08-05T20:17:00.001-07:00

YANKEES

2010-08-05T20:04:00.001-07:00

Samantha's first Yankees game. My first at the new Yankee stadium which is beautiful but overly commercial. Seats were $US55 each at gate. A Rod stuck on 599 home runs finally got the 600 two nights later.

and... more New York

2010-08-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

More Manhattan week

2010-08-05T07:32:00.001-07:00

More NYC!!

2010-08-05T06:17:00.001-07:00

New York City!!!!

2010-08-02T04:21:00.001-07:00

Last days in Israel

2010-08-02T03:52:00.001-07:00

Amirim

2010-07-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

We are making our way to Tel Aviv for plane to NYC,.

Golan Heights extended stay week 2. Nimrod

2010-07-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

We have really loved this place.

Golan Heights

2010-07-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are way up the top of North Israel now. Golan Heights is mountainous, it snows here. Just last week we were in the lowest place on earth. Now we're in a gourmet Mountain Lodge overlooking Lebanon and Syria. The niche here is the food = heaven. We've taken on another volunteer gig. To pay our way we do everything including prepare breakfast for the (up to 9) guests, garden, clean rooms. I must get a photo of Amy ironing the linen! It's magic here. The Jordan River runs through this region so it's all about swims, rafting, waterfalls. Photos to come.

Around Sea of Galilee 2nd week

2010-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Sea of Galilee

2010-07-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Bet Guvrin caves.

2010-07-08T11:06:00.001-07:00

King of Jerusalem in week 2

2010-07-03T07:16:00.001-07:00

Jerusalum week 1

2010-06-27T21:27:00.001-07:00

What a week in Jerusalem. We are staying in a very comfortable 2 bedroom apartment in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
Thanks for the baby backpack because lots of steps and walking.

some youtube links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEdNn33doUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6969xDmIuk&feature=related

and we are featured in some greenie website:
http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/06/27/23310/kibbutz-lotan-eco-tour/

Dead Sea-- En Gedi

2010-06-23T07:56:00.001-07:00

Up the Negev Desert

2010-06-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we left the kibbutz. Spent the morning at Hai-Bar, an animal reserve trying to bring back nearly-extinct indigenous animals to repopulate the area. Pecked at by ostriches, nearly run over by a Somali Wild Ass, almost kicked out of the park by irate ranger when Arron against all advice of the women in the car drove off the main road.

We all agree it's a nice change to be back in a car again! Funny how things you take for granted become special.

Drove that evening to Mitzpeh Ramon, the Grand Canyon of Israel. We arrived at a fairly empty Bedoin campground to spend the night, then took off for lovely hike down a wadi that was unexpectedly lush. Pools of water in the middle of the desert, and animal life abounding. Awakened through the night by the dogs barking at wolves - not a worry for us as we were in a room - however the fat Finnish tour group in the open-sided tent may have found someone gone missing.

More Mitzpe in the morning - Elinor's first big hike. She's determined to do it, having been left out of hikes so far on account of being little. A great start, followed by mega-shwarma lunch in town before driving on to Masada, passing a large group of ibixes on the way. The Masada hostel is unlike any hostel I've ever known previously - very clean, very roomy and most importantly with an unbelievable pool. Welcome relief! There we slept at the foot of legendary Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea.

Up 5 am for the hike up the Snake Path to the top of Masada. Jake in backpack, Samantha on her own, Elinor being pulled by one parent and pushed by the other. But we made it - 60 minutes! Spent probably 2 hours on top of Masada, appreciating the view and the ruins. Amazing piece of history. The cable car ride down was pretty good too.

Arrived this afternoon at Ein Gedi, which sits next to a wadi that runs into the Dead Sea....but too hot for us to visit this afternoon...waiting for the a.m.

Arron highlights: Mitzpe Ramon crater, getting up pre-dawn for a family hike up Masada. Humus
Amy highlights: Masada 25 years later. First avocado in 6 weeks. The freedom of the car. My nap today in air-con while World Cup soccer on TV. Surprising amount of wildlife here.
Samantha highlights: Yotvata ice cream, Hai-Bar ostrich nearly getting Dad, hiking up Masada, sleeping at the moment, sitting next to Jake in the car, seeing all the Roman stuff was really cool
Elinor highlights: Communicating with Jake, swimming pool at Masada, cable car down Masada

Last week at Kibbutz Lotan

2010-06-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

We left Kibbutz Lotan on Wednesday, 16 June, 2010. What an amazing month we had! By the end of our time at Lotan, we all knew how to do mud construction and had gained confidence in gardening. Learned a lot about permaculture (sustainable agriculture) and thinking about how we're going to take what we have learned into our lives in Melbourne. We had a beautiful Saturday night end-of-Shabbat dinner with our friends Leah & David and family. Our final pot-luck dinner in the Bustan was fantastic, followed by quite an amazing bonfire. Our girls' first experience with the joys of campfire and guitar, but a throwback for Arron and I. With 1 big change.... the 20somethings of today sing all the usual suspects incl Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles and the perennial Hotel California but also Disney musicals. Oy!

Amy's highlights: Appreciating the many friends we made at Lotan, though sad to say good-bye. Finishing a successful art project by decorating the Auster-Wood wall with a Southern Cross made of smashed ceramics. Attending the bonfire with Samantha - a bridge across generations. Hopefully the motivation to take up guitar will be renewed with vigour! And seeing Jake properly crawl.

Arron highlights: Watching Elinor do laps around the kibbutz on her bike. Humus. Arron lowlights: Germany 4 - Australia 0.

Samantha highlights: Bonfire, potluck, meeting everybody... everything pretty much.

Elinor highlights: Swimming and learning how to ride my bike. Going to Eilat. Wednesday pasta lunch!

Lotan week 3

2010-06-09T21:02:00.001-07:00

New Kibbutz Lotan Photos

2010-06-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Work and play on Kibbutz Lotan

2010-05-26T11:49:00.001-07:00

KIBUTZ LOTAN. An eco kibutz in the desert

2010-05-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

We have arrived to our Kibutz in the middle of an Israeli desert!

Eilat. Most Southern part of Israel

2010-05-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

A new blog on our 10 days in Eilat.
I would highly recommend Eilat to anyone- especially families with kids
It has it all.
Hot weather. Everything on the Red Sea with some very good coral and an abundance of very colorful fish.
The tourists are mostly Israelis.
Not expensive.
We are staying in a dorm style place called the Field school.
Loads of things to do- an amazing national park 20kms away.

Amy can tell more..............

ISRAEL

2010-05-13T03:42:00.000-07:00

HELLO WOODAUSTERWORLDTOUR FOLLOWERS. We have been in Israel for about 1 week now.
3 days in Tel Aviv which was interesting but busy. And the last 4 days down the very south in Eilat.
Eilat is on the Red Sea which my brother Moses parted.
Eilat has amazing fish and coral. We have been snorkeling every day. Elinor is a legend snorkeler.
I run every morning to the Egypt border. We can see Jordan across the red sea which prompts a rousing rendition of "I once went to Jordan, and what did I see"?
Samantha had an early 10th birthday present when she went scuba diving with dolphins. Dolphin in Hebrew is 'Dolpheen'.

Amy disappointed us all yesterday when she asked a waitress how do you says 'cheers' in Hebrew. Obviously she needs to watch fiddler on the roof another 50 times. Anyway after I danced and sang "to life, to life l'chaim" around the table I think she has that one.

Shalom! (they really do say this here)

Black Eyed Peas in London!

2010-05-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

Samantha Wood (9) and Zoe Kaldor (12).
Amazing photo taken by Samantha

london

2010-05-08T08:47:00.001-07:00

London

2010-05-08T07:44:00.001-07:00

Surprisingly great time in London!

LONDON

2010-05-08T00:38:00.000-07:00

3 action packed days in london. met the Queen!

Volcanoland

2010-04-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

Could be a problem getting an extra seat on the aisle at this rate.

ITINERARY

2010-04-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

London 4 May to 7 May
Israel 7 May to 27 July
New York 27 July to 2 Aug
Philly 2 Aug to 9 Aug
Chicago 9 Aug to 15 Aug
Wisconsin 15 Aug to 23 Aug
San Fran 23 Aug to 28 Aug
Hong Kong 29 Aug to Sep 3
Bali Sep 3 to Sep 24 Sep
Perth 24 Sep to 28 Sep
28 SEP HOME!!!

First blog

2010-04-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

This will be the blog for the Wood Auster World Tour (WAWT).
Stand by for more!!