11 - Australia

What a Ride

I arrived in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia yesterday at eight a.m. after a long-winded flight. While seemingly never-ending – and made more so without Wi-Fi, a personal television, or upper-class comforts – it was surprisingly comfortable. The flight was full, and the less-than-roomy seats were as cozy (or not) as most common flights in the U.S. That said, there were only two of us in my row and we delighted in the extra breathing room the empty middle seat provided.

My row-mate was a younger guy of 27, who was on holiday to visit his family and hometown on the west coast. He was adorable, looking like a younger version of Curtis Stone (Aussie chef, Food Network star, and one of the world’s prettiest People). He works on a yacht with the title First Mate, leading and accommodating rich people around the world. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Otherwise, the flight was uneventful. I saw a few movies, one of which was Captain Phillips, based on a true story of Somali pirates capsizing an American freight ship outside Oman, which (spoiler alert) terrified me. I ate too much though it helped break up the ride. And I hadn't slept enough.

Check out was fine. I was thankful I had the forethought to obtain my Australian visa online weeks ago and was fast-tracked out of the gate and through Customs.

I pre-rented an apartment for a few days in the suburb of Waterloo, a quick ride to city center by bus. Sydney is a very expensive city – think New York, Singapore, Hong Kong. Hotels by the airport, where I originally wanted to sleep for a few days upon arrival cost $200USD and above, and this was my affordable (relative term) housing.
 
The shuttle and the train companies at the airport kept sending me to one another, denying each would take me to where I needed to go - when in fact, I found out later they both would. I'm not sure how I got lost in that translation. So, I took a bus. Well, three buses. It was surprisingly easy, as I befriended the bus drivers - as I tend to do anyway - to figure out which one to take for each leg of the trip. I arrived at Waterloo, walked a mile, and found my apartment.

The apartment is cute, clean, and modern, with all the conveniences. After I settled, I walked the neighborhood – more business than residential – and fell asleep by seven p.m., waking up at three a.m. (eight a.m. the day before in Portland, where my body clock was most recently set). My land legs are scheduled to arrive soon.​

I remember my brother telling me that in his first years of traveling alone, it was always interesting to see the weather map on the television news in any given place. His point was you get to see the area from the local perspective; it underlines being away from home. Of course, there are few other signs as well.

I suppose it’s normal to focus on differences when visiting another culture for the first time, so I’ll start here:

- There’s the obvious driving on the other side of the street. Even though I wasn’t driving, I wasn’t as jarred by this as I thought I would be, although jaywalking is no longer an option for me.

- The street signals make a different sound when prompting us to walk across. Although I couldn't recognize it, I'm going to pretend (and hope!) it’s the sound of emu.

- The toilet flushing in the other direction due to our location south of the equator. In my favor, I had never paid attention to the direction previously, so it registers very low on the cultural shock scale for me.

- Australia’s food, from my limited time so far, is heavy on savory hand pies and all things wrapped and baked in dough, from meat products to spinach and cheese, called "pasties." I ate one for lunch and found the taste pretty good. I'm looking forward to seeing what other delicacies will be offered.

- There is quite a diverse mix of people here. In the few hours I walked about yesterday, I heard so many different languages spoken, though none of which I could identify.

- It’s high-season summer here. Yesterday the weather was sunny and warm, with a cool, comfortable breeze, and expected it to hit a high of 36C (97F) by week's end.

- Although Sydney is considered expensive, the exchange rate is in my favor with 90 cents to their dollar.

All in all, my first impressions are warm people, clean city, and great transportation despite the shuttle-train conflict I had encountered. And to top it off, Bruce Springsteen - one of my favorites - is touring the country now. Unfortunately, I missed his Sydney show by one day. It would have been nice to see him, although my trip had just started, and I wasn't yet homesick enough to connect with someone else born in the USA.
 
And to bottom it off, I just got an alert from my credit card company that my go-to card was compromised in the Target store fraud that occurred in December, and they're sending me a new one. It’s a bit unsettling. And even worse, it's the only credit card number I've ever memorized! Crikey!