Day 2

      I had an enormous sleep in! Maybe there is something to this jet lag theory! Hahahahaha! I thought an old, interstate truckie wouldn't be as badly affected. Maybe I wasn't, because Robyn says she was surprised how bright eyed and bushie tailed I was, yesterday!

       I never even stirred until Robyn rang my room at about 9:00AM local time. I slept like a bloody bomb! I must have needed it, ay?

       Anyway, Robyn picked me up and we went to all these places, shopping for one thing and another. I haven't got a bloody clue where as I am not yet able to navigate. Unlike home, where I have an innate sense of direction, I can't even see the bloody sun, here, so I dunno which way is up!

       To cut a long story short, we acquired maps from AAA, then went to a mall to buy a shirt for me to "go out", since I didn't possess anything reasonable! It seems the malls aren't too dissimilar to our own, except the entire center of the walkway is filled up with booths where they sell you anything from a mobile (cellular) phone to beads and trinkets with which to purchase land???? For these trinkets, you exchange money which all looks the same!

       For Americans reading this, Aussie money is colour (NB proper spelling *chuckle*) co-ordinated, with our lowest denomination of notes being the $5. The $5 in Oz is a pinkish colour, the $10 a bluish colour, the $20 a reddish colour and so on, such as to make denomination a sinecure. HERE, I get the whole bloody lot mixed up! Strueth! You would think your Government could afford to pay for a little ink so that we can tell the difference. Mind you, America is a day behind in chronological terms and..........never mind.....I will leave that one alone!!!!

       I felt clothing was of a comparable price but so much better in quality! It really is chalk and cheese!

       The shopping mall we visited was comparable in size to a Sydney mall, except they seem to open up in the afternoon (9:00AM) or, as an Aussie would put it, when the day is about buggered!  It seems that there are more shops and shop attendants than there are customers! How the hell do these poor devils make any bloody money????

       Next, we ventured up to Oaklands to the Ham Radio outlet. The bloke there was most accommodating and was a wealth of information. He taught me how to drive the access tones for my hand held (walkie talkie) as we don't need tones in Oz. He also sold me a very good quality magnetic base and an SO239>-<BNC cable adapter and a repeater book. Price was also excellent.

       The "through roads" system is so good as to defy belief and the road surface in this country are just so far superior to our own but I have to say that when you get OFF these ring roads, the local road network is pathetic inlay out. They are like bloody rabbit warrens and are worse than in Marrickville, in Sydney! Such was the ridiculous twists and turns of the local roads that Robyn and I wandered around like the lost tribes of Israel, both getting TO the joint and getting out of it!

       I neglected to mention breakfast! What an adventure!

       We went to a Denny's and, since I couldn't recognise a damned thing on the menu, I reckoned bacon and a couple of fried eggs and toast and a cup of tea would be pretty safe! Surely we couldn't have any misunderstanding with such a simple order. Hmmmmm! You reckon?

       The conversation went something like this.

Waitress:	Good morning, Sir.
Me:	Gerday! Owyagoin'?
Waitress:	Excuse me?
Me:	Hello. How _ are_ you? (Said VERY slowly and distinctly)
Waitress:	Fine, Sir? What will you have?  (at this stage I was uncomfortable, preferring not to be referred to as a Knight or a peer!)
Me:	Can I have this, please? (pointing at the item)
Waitress:	Certainly, Sir. How would you like those eggs, Sir?
Me:	Fried
Waitress:	Easy over or sunny side up?
Me:	Can you fry them so they are soft, please?
Waitress:	Certainly, Sir. Would you like those easy over or sunny side up?
Me:	Buggered if I know! Can you cook the bloody things so that the yellow is soft and the white is white?
Waitress:	We sure can! Would you like them sunny side up or easy over?
Me:	Strueth! Can I just have a couple of bloody soft fried eggs?

       At this stage, Robyn was just about due to head for the potty, she was laughing so hard! There followed an explanation of what the bloody hell sunny side up was!!!! 

    But wait! There is more to follow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       Thus it went on! I have to say that the waitress was amazingly patient with me and always polite and attentive. Who would have thought there was such a language and cultural barrier between some half smart truckie from Downunder and a waitress, especially since I lived on the road on interstate for 18 years and I get on very well with such people.

       It is strange the things you notice that are different!

• Toilets are half full of water, which is strange to an Aussie who is not used to getting splashed when he errrrrr.......... drops one!!!!!

• Taps (faucets) are almost all single with some peculiar means of selecting both heat and direction of flow. Whilst I have (rarely) seen similar (but not the same) systems, they are rare as rocking horse do do and are never any bloody good, anyway! Aussies, for example, have separate hot and cold taps for both bath and shower!
• A rock melon is a cantaloupe (spelling???)
• Peppers are capsicum
• The list is almost endless!

       For a while, I couldn't figure out what the strange smell was until I realised that it was the lack of eucalypts!!!!  Everywhere in Australia, we have gum trees. Still, it is a blessing in disguise as I haven't had a single migraine headache since I arrived in the USA!

       Time to go do some busy work! Stay tuned for more!