November 7, 2013

Sorry, but no pictures today.

We left Canberra around noon today and drove up to Sydney.  The entire trip was pretty much on the M-5 Motorway through rolling hills.  The terrain looks a lot like what you would see in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska.  Very dry, scraggly-looking trees scattered around the landscape, and not a lot of wildlife.  Actually, we did see three or four kangaroos and a couple Wombats, but unfortunately, they weren't moving very fast...

We're leaving in the morning for Yulara, in the Northwest Territories, and near Ayers Rock.  On Saturday morning, we're taking a daybreak camel ride out to the rock to witness the sunrise  (I know...sounds like a tourist trap and it probably is) and then that evening we have a sunset dinner near Ayers Rock itself. 

We have noticed some interesting things about Australia that are different from the States:

They drive on the wrong side of the road...that takes some getting used to
They don't tip waiters and the like, but food and everything else is more expensive
We've seen a few camper trailers, but none of the huge Class-A Motor Homes that are all over the Interstates in the USA
They drive on the wrong side of the road
We've seen NFL games, the World Series, and College Basketball on the Telly
"No Sweat" is "No Worries"
"Give Way" means the same as "Yield"
"Keep left unless Overtaking" means "Keep Right except to Pass"
No billboards along the roadway
Gasoline is "Petrol" and costs about $1.65 per liter...about $6.50/gallon
The turn signal is on the right side of the steering wheel and the windshield wipers are on the left.  We've cleaned the windshield a lot when I wanted to use the turn signal.
They drive on the wrong side of the road.
They don't have "Left turn on Red"
Every electrical outlet has an on-off switch.  Voltage is 250 volts, too.
Every place you look there is a cafe/coffee bar with  lots of baked goodies.  Yet...there aren't a lot of fat people.
They have a lot of bad American TV programs being broadcast
You can't buy a cup of regular coffee.  Everything is expresso.  A "Long Black" is a cup of expresso coffee diluted with water.  A "Flat White" is a cup of expresso coffee mixed with cold milk.
Not a lot of street signs.
They drive on the wrong side of the road.
"Brekky" is breakfast, "Nappies" are disposable diapers, a "Lift" is an elevator, a "Boot" is the trunk of your car, the "Bonnet" is the hood of the car, a "Coach" is a bus
They drive on the wrong side of the road.
They have a lot of strange cars here.  "Holden" is the GM subsidiary in Australia, so you don't see a lot of Chevies.  There are a lot of Fords, but Fords ceased production in May of this year.  You see lots of Japanese cars.
There are bicycle lanes along their Motorways (Interstates).  Speed limits are 110 Kilometers/hour...about 68 miles/hour.
They drive on the wrong side of the road.
"Hungry Jack's" is Burger King.  There are KFC Restaurants everywhere.  Woolworth's is a grocery store.  Aldi stores are everywhere.  There are NO Walmarts in Australia, but there are lots of KMarts. McDonald's is everywhere and has pastries for sale in its McCafe areas.
We know where all those psychodelic Volkswagen buses went to.  They have a Volkswagen pickup truck here.
Lots of motorcycles, but not a lot of trikes.  And...they're very expensive

But...we have yet to meet anyone who wasn't engaging, polite, helpful, and interesting!

So far...great trip!