No pictures taken today...
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 02:30:52 -0800 (PST)
Subject: A short driving day, an upgrade, a new car, and a bag in my possession!
G'day,
Wow... today has been one of the shortest days of this trip, yet probably the
most eventful!
I left Port Augusta at check-out time: 10 AM. It's a 300 km drive down to
Adelaide, which is where I am now. That took just under 3 hours.
After checking into my motel here (with a free room upgrade to a "spa room"), I
called Qantas flight information to see what time Flt 661 is arriving: 1:27 PM.
Hmm, add 1/2 hour for them to get my bag out of the plane, another 15 minutes
to figure out its supposed to be delivered to me... that gave me a good hour
for lunch. I went downstairs and had a "GOOD" hearty meal at the hotel
restaurant -- very very nice -- then back upstairs to room 35.... couple of
phone calls to Qantas flight information (Flight arrived at 1:00 PM), Qantas
baggage service ("Yes sir, we have your bag!"), Avis Car rental office (my old
car was showing a light for 30000 km servicing required), and finally I was on
my way to the airport to pick up my bag!
First stop was a gas station - $25.25 for 300km driven (and that's cheap). Then
off to "Sir Donald Bradman Avenue" which goes straight into Adelaide airport. I
dropped off the rental car, picked up another one -- which had something like
200 km more on the odometer than the first car, went to an ATM machine to
withdraw another $220 (total cash withdrawals this trip so far: $400) -- the
machine gave 2 $100 notes and a $20. So had to go inside a shop and get the two
hundreds changed for 20's and 50's. A quick restroom stop and FINALLY......
Qantas baggage service for my bag!
I got it. FINALLY I GOT IT!!! it was okay -- nothing missing even though there
were no locks on it... and it had a lot of tags on the handle ... LAX-Auckland,
Auckland-Brisbane, Brisbane-Mackay, Mackay-Brisbane, Brisbane-Adelaide,
"Expedite Baggage RUSH", "Baggage Transfer"...... but the bag was safe, and it
was in my hand. And it wasn't going ANYWHERE ELSE but with me now!
I picked up my new rental car (a shiny blue Holden Commodore V6 without any
squished bugs on the headlights), and started driving back to the motel ...
following another road all the way back, through Port Adelaide.
One note about the roads here:
Unike Europe, a first-time visitor planning on driving in Australia does NOT
need a car with a navigation system. The roads here are fantastic -- so far
(knock on wood) I've never been lost ANYWHERE -- in cities or deserts or
mountains... and there are actually signs that tell you where you want to go!
Amazing! All you need is a good map of the area (state map is sufficient in
most cases -- I've only had state maps and the local tourist booklet from the
hotel that has a fairly decent local city map), and you can always find your
way around! So different from Europe! Over there even having an excellent map
is no use because you can't find the signs anywhere anyway!
And about the driving-on-the-left-side thing: let me just say that I'm not dead
yet, nor have i killed anyone else. (actually I'm getting quite used to driving
on the left -- so used to it that its worrying me -- its becoming almost second
nature to stay on the left side and that's scary! so you folks back home better
not get in the car with me for a few weeks after I come back!)
So anyway, I didn't really do much else. I looked at the tourist booklet about
attractions in Adelaide, and only noticed one thing I was interested in. They
have a "Haigh's Chocolates Visitor Centre" ("World-famous Haigh's chocolates
are made right here in Adelaide. The visitor centre is open for tastings and
sales and combines excellent viewing of the factory, heritage displays and a
spacious retail area. Free admission, guided tours at 1pm and 2pm. Bookings are
essential.") Well, that caught my eye, but by the time I read it it was already
well past 2pm... so that's saved for my next trip down undah. :>
There's also a maritime museum that's supposedly "justly acclaimed as one of
the best of its kind in the world". Hmmmmmmm.... after seeing Lisbon's museum,
I highly doubt it. But that's another place. oh well.... next time.
Now I have to figure out how to stuff 6 additional pairs of clothes into an
already fully-stuffed bag and still be able to carry it with me on my flight
back out. Maybe i'll donate away some of my older clothes so i can fit in the
new ones...
So for dinner now it's back to the same restaurant downstairs.. they have a
fantastic chocolate sundae!
That reminds me of another side note:
At lunch today the waiter actually asked me "Want a piss, mate?" I had to think
for a second about what he just said! Well, I know that's slang for "beer", but
it was still a little shocking to actually hear someone asking me if I wanted a
piss! Last Saturday when I had arrived at Mackay a guy came up to me (looking
obviously drunk) and asked me if I had a "B". I assumed that meant beer. Now, I
can understand it if a drunk on the street asked me if I had a B..... but
piss?????????? and in a semi-formal restaurant too, for the waiter to ask me
that!!!!! ha. hahah. BTW, "brekkie" means breakfast, but strangely enough,
"continental breakfast" is still "continental brekkie", not "conti brekkie" or
anything like that!
And finally, on a personal note: Happy 0x24th b'day parixit!
See'y'layta mates,
-me.
(p.s. NO.)
No pictures taken today...