I have returned to Australia, the lucky country, and see it again with un-closed eyes. It’s a strange phenomenon that when you have been travelling for a while and return it seems you have returned to a different country from the one you left.The Good: Open space, relaxed living, good food and drink, being in the same place for more than a week. Your own transport, mum cooking you food, party, sleep in, play computer games, bushwalking, camping, go out. Ok, so maybe i am more living the life of a playboy than a true unemployed bum washing windows and sleeping under a bridge BUT... *meh*
The Bad: We are not REALY world class in most things. We are in general inefficient, unrefined and with too much legislation... anyone who tells you otherwise is ignorant or deceitful. But the good news is we are not the only ones! Even Germany for all its military efficiently can be badly designed and poorly efficient. The French for all their culture are a bunch of ignorant country bumpkins and rip-off merchants half the time. And don’t get me started on the English. Let’s take the tube... as your walking along you keep to the left, unless there is a split coming up then it’s keep to the right... they drive on the left and you MUST stand on the left on a travelator so some people can run up the side, even when there are 400 people crowding around the base of them – single file only. Do they not realise that any time you gain by scurrying past people is more than lost by waiting for everyone to get into a single line before getting on the elevator. 100% increase in people moved for the cost of what? Business mcScrooge can’t jog while sending emails to people who don’t care on his iPhone? And this, even with all its delays and track works, is probably the best public transport outside of Asia. So come on Australia let’s continue to revel in doing allot of things pretty well – and not pretend we are best at everything.
The Ugly: Cost! How bloody expensive is a night out (or in) in Australia. Alcohol, food, accommodation... they hit you everywhere. $10 for a pint of beer? $20-30 dollars for a decent bottle of wine?? WTF!!??! And I am not comparing this to Bolivia, in Paris or London or Berlin you can get a meal and a beer for lunch for 10 Euro and for dinner for 20. Try that over here?! What can you get for under 30 dollars? Fish and chips... if you’re lucky. And don’t think the bottle shop and the supermarket will save you. One way or the other you can drop 100-200 dollars on a night out before you know it, if you spend a hounded Euros on a night out it will be one to remember, if you can.
