Unfortunatly my views on the 'Importance of breakfast' changed dramatically during the well documented: 'Australian financial drpression July '05'. During this time breakfast consisted of what ever we could create out of our own left overs and items from the 'Free Shelf'. But please dont pitty us as we created some of the most nurishing, interesting and entertaining meals ever imagined! Easy! Comming up with these ideas was the fun part but implementing these adventurious reciepies was a whole different spatular game. The Hostel kitchen is usually a standard sized family kitchen with maybe an extra oven and sink. 'No Drama's: for mother, father and the two little nippers BUT these kitchens are used by 100's of smelly, hungry backpackers who often attack at the same time. You've got to have a plan! and most times we do: Sig: "i'll go and open the tin of tomatoes, whilst"... Vic: "you boil the water for the pasta" ..Too Easy! But sometimes when the get creative (usually when the pasta runs out) the plan fails and the pressures on. None more so than when we attempted to make 'Cannaloni' from a tin of tomatoes and bread. Vic had joked that she thought dinner was going to be "can" on its "Lonei" and as i was rolling out the bread flat, trimming off the egdes and adding the tomatoes - watched eagerly by hungry and smirking eyes - i wish i'd chosen 'humour' over 'hunger'! Still it's all good fun. the only reason this is all boiling to the surface now it that after a week of home comforts in Howlong and Geelong and a blissful two weeks touring New Zealand in a campervan we're back in a hostel and the kitchen fight for survival, nurishment and the tin opener IS BACK ON!! We're in Auckland for a few days before we fly onto Santiago, Chile, for the next leg of our adventure. We've really enjoyed Australia and New Zealand but it's fair to say that we've loved it when we've strayed from the tourist track and seen some real Aussie and Kiwi culture - away from McDonalds and Subways (not for too long though! :) It's the same reasoning why we're so looking forward to the 'challenge' of South America... ...Pan Pipes, Poncho's, Alpaca's, football, Bikini's and a bit more muscel with our mighty pound! Adios Down under, Hola South America! Maradonna and Pele xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx