This is really just a silly post, but it’s been a while since my last post, and I am alive and well – just still trying to catch up from my business trip to Australia! I did have some time to explore on my own as a “tourist”, and got some awesome photos that are posted on Facebook, and I even had the opportunity to touch two different Koalas!

I have a few draft posts lined up and waiting to be completed with some useful information, but for now, here’s a “fun” post about what I observed and learned from my trip:

Photo credit: Ursula Comeau

• Hotels in Sydney charge an arm and a leg for internet – about $25 per day! Needless to say, I did not have internet access, and felt very deprived!
• It was definitely different for me to see cars driving on the opposite side from North America, and to have the driver’s side of a car be on the passenger’s side (from my North American perspective)
• Koalas may see cute and cuddly, but they can be vicious and have claws that can cause some real damage! Luckily, I did not witness this!
• Being deprived of internet access other than via my Blackberry, I had quite a lot of e-mail to catch up on when I got back (I was gone for 11 days)!
• I must be completely addicted to the internet, because I felt very out-of-touch without it! (also, am I mentioning it one too many times or what?)
• Australians speak English and I love their accents, but some of the words they use are different from what we use in North America — for example: garbage = rubbish, power bars = power boards, trunk (as in a car trunk) = boot, Pharmacy/Drugstore = Chemist, Agenda = Diary, washroom/bathroom = toilet, cookies = biscuits, among a lot of other differences, but these were the ones that stood out for me!
• Australians (at least the ones I met) definitely use the word “mate” a lot… and I mean A LOT!
• Having a lack of internet drives me insane! (are you sick of this line of thought yet?)
• Sydney’s public transport is awesome, especially the ferries!
• Australia is definitely a very multicultural country
• Australia’s population is smaller than Canada’s – I was surprised by that one!
• Sydney’s weather is infinitely nicer than the Canadian weather I live with on a day-to-day basis
• Being an animal lover, I absolutely adored seeing the unique Australian animals, such as Koalas and Kangaroos, that to Australians is just an everyday occurrence… to the point of said animals being “pests” (though I don’t think so myself, but that’s just me – what do I know?)
• You have to be careful with electronics – if the electronic’s power supply doesn’t meet the 240v specification, you could end up needing a replacement! Luckily, my hotel provided me with a “transformer” so that I could charge my camera’s rechargeable batteries
• As much as I missed my internet access, I definitely did a lot of exploring when I wasn’t working, since I really didn’t have much else to do… this is a good thing, as I’ve dreamed of visiting Australia ever since I first learned of this country and its unique fauna when I was in 2nd grade and living in Boulder, Colorado!
• The Duckbilled Platypus is a lot smaller than I expected, and the Wombat was a lot bigger
• The grocery stores sell Kangaroo meat, such as Kangaroo roasts… I thought that was strange, because in North America, you won’t find deer meat at the grocery store at all…
• Australia is Carb Heaven! Bad for me as I’m on a low-carb diet… I resisted, but it was not easy! They have many MANY yummy things, including the infamous TimTams! Luckily I can get those here in Canada – some of the grocery chains import them, though I wish they would import ALL Arnott’s products!
• The seagulls there make different sounds than the seagulls in North America, but they’re just as rowdy! (No, they don’t say “Mine!”)
• Not having any internet access made it very hard to keep up with my blogging!
• Australia is a beautiful and unique country!
• The jetlag was worse when I came back to Canada – probably because I was so excited when I had initially arrived in Australia!
• The 13 hour difference made calling my husband a difficult task – I felt a little isolated down under!
• I really REALLY missed my internet connection!

I definitely loved Australia, and can honestly say it’s a country in which I could happily live (if I have my high speed internet access!), if the opportunity were to arise. For now, I leave you with some photos I took during my trip! Yes, there are a lot of photos of animals – as I said, I am an animal lover, and ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to see Koalas, Kangaroos, the Platypus, and other animals that are unique to that continent. I also got to touch two Koalas! If you’d like to see the photos, click on the image below – I posted them on Facebook!

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So, have you ever been to Australia? If so, what observations did you make? If you live in Australia, what observations have you made when visiting North America? Would love to hear about your experiences – leave a comment below!

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