Approaching Melbourne after a 9 hour flight from Bangkok. In these 9 hours, one not only changes countries, but hemispheres (Northern to Southern) and Summer to Winter seasons.

It is interesting to note that Australia, as an actual stand-alone continent, was long considered to not be part of Asia...at least by Australians I guess. Never mind that it appears to be IN Asia...you know, all those countries that appear to comprise one half of this side of the Earth. But actually it is part of something called "Oceania". I had to Google it, but Oceania is not a fabled land from the "Narnia" movies or "Land of the Lost", but an actual place that is actually NOT Asia.

"Oceania" is a place free from disease-ridden wooden masks, disease-ridden fruits and vegetables, and the like. Also, unlike the phony "pubs" in Asia, patrons of pubs in Oceania are not restricted to actually drinking INSIDE the establishment, but are more likely to be standing in the alley outside the pub. I often wondered what was the use of all those tables and chairs in restaurants here in SE Asia, when standing outside on the curb with my brewski in hand makes much more sense.

I watched the arrival video on the plane as we approached the city. Unlike the silly welcome videos that are presented when we approach Thailand, which encourages visitors to shop, be entertained and enjoy themselves, the video showed a variety of arriving visitors being caught by customs for bringing in restricted items ... like one of those deadly wooden masks ... and the gleeful grins of the customs people for once again saving the day! The last we see of the actor in the video, she appears to hang her head in shame, apparently to be punished offline somewhere...actually, if I recall correctly, everyone in the welcome video is apprehended with some type of illegal import. I felt safer even before I landed!

In the airport taxi, there were signs that said the driver had the right to ask for payment in advance, or to suddenly kick me out if he felt threatened, and that a webcam in the taxi was transmitting my every move back to taxi HQ, so I better not try anything. Oceania is a very safe place !

The city of Melbourne has a tram that runs down the center of major streets. I took a tram down Collins Street on my final evening ... as I observed my fellow passengers, I noted that Oceanians look very much like ... Asians. About 90% of the people in the tram were of Asian or Indian origin. But later, I decided that probably all these people were probably tourists like me, not actual Oceanians ... well, at least I could be assume that they were not carrying any deadly wooden masks !

On a less facetious note, Australia has a great online visa application system. Everyone has to apply for a visa ... even us Americans, who normally can go almost everywhere with visa-on-arrival status (probably Americans are notorious for wooden face mask violations!). Anyway, I asked my secretary to apply for a multiple entry visa for me, and 5 minutes later, I had it! No embassy visits, and no physical stamp in my passport. Other countries could learn from this ...

Latkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand.
The Zitting Cisticola or Streaked Fantail Warbler[2] (Cisticola juncidis), is an Old World warbler in the genus Cisticola. This genus is sometimes split off with various other southern warbler genera and given family status as the Cisticolidae. This species was previously known as Fan-tailed Warbler , but the current name gives consistency with the many tropical cisticola species.

It has a very wide breeding range including southern Europe, Africa outside the deserts and rainforest, and southern Asia down to northern Australia. It is mainly resident, but some East Asian populations migrate south to winter in warmer areas.


This species is a rare vagrant to northern Europe, mostly as a spring overshoot. Its European range is generally expanding, although northern populations are especially susceptible to hard winters.

Zitting Cisticolas are very small insectivorous birds. These small passerines are found in tall grassland habitats, often near water. Male cisticolas are polygamous; the female builds a discreet nest deep in the grasses, often binding living leaves into the soft fabric of felted plant-down, cobwebs, and grass. The Zitting Cisticola's nest is a cup shape with a canopy of tied-together leaves or grasses overhead for camouflage; 3-6 eggs are laid.

These warblers are brown above, heavily streaked with black. The underparts are whitish, and the tail is broad, white-tipped and flicked frequently, giving rise to the alternative name for the species. The adult males have less crown streaking and more back marking than the females, but there is no great difference between the sexes or the eighteen geographical races.

Although this species is unlikely to be confused with other warblers in Europe, where it is the only cisticola, it is very similar to other members of its genus. It is best distinguished from its many African relatives by its zit-zit-zit song, given in flight. The song is always the easiest identification criterion for this genus.

These birds are more easily heard than seen, and because of their small size (about 10 cm) not always easy to recognise, particularly outside the breeding season when they seldom emerge from their grasses.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia