It's that time finally, when all good stories reach their
close. There's no epilogue to this narrative, it's pretty cut and dry. Many
thousands of miles and some 60 hours of travel later, the Scott family
successfully made it to Australia and back. I have honestly enjoyed this
opportunity to travel around such a unique country (especially on someone
else's dime) and it's been good to spend some time with my family. I've been to
the Southern most point of my life to date, held a Koala that made all the
ladies love me (now that is a Koalaty picture (credit for that pun goes to a
Melbourne Uni Student)), made contact with extended family I've never met, and
decided from day one that Australia is heaps o' fun. Here now I offer some reflections on my time
Down Under in the hopes that you find it enjoyable and that it inspires you to
ignore the time and distance required to get there and find an opportunity to
go.
·
Australia is fucking expensive. Plain and
simple. Not much you can do about it, and the only thing I can say is that I'm
extremely grateful to my parents for bringing me with them and footing the
bill.
·
Geographically, It's a huge continent. And
extremely diverse. I'd recommend the West Coast just as much as the East.
·
No Starbucks down here, lots of independent
cafes. The coffee is universally strong, hot and tasty. I did not have a single
bad cup.
·
A 'long black' is not what you think. It's a cup
of plain coffee.
·
Just as the coffee is good, so is the quality of
the savory pies. I had a meat and vegetable pie combo in five different
territories across Australia and every time, I was left smiling and satisfied.
·
If you can snorkel the great barrier reef and
NOT think about Finding Nemo, Welcome to the Guinness Book of WR’s
·
Don't ask, just do a 'Tim Tam Slam.' It's cool.
·
Fosters is, in fact, Australian for EXPORT.
·
Kangaroo meat is very tasty, but it presents a
moral dilemma. As was pointed out to me, as Australia's national animal-it's
like eating a bald eagle.
·
Clearly, I am obsessed with the food and
Australian food is good. DJ Nolan would be proud.
·
If you are like me, you will think Didgeridoo's
are really cool and culturally appropriate. You might also think, like me, you
can pick one up and immediately play it. They are much harder than you think.
·
The Outback is hot and dry.
·
Air Conditioning in the Outback is more like a
fan, blowing hot air into your room at a rapid rate.
·
Dingos are not easy to find.
·
It's the Southern Hemisphere, so go see some
wild Penguins.
·
Kangaroos
roam around like deer do in America. I was really excited to see wild 'roos and
kept trying to imagine an Australian visiting America and being really pumped
to see deer. It's just not the same.
·
As you might expect from an Island, the beaches
are beautiful.
·
Not everyone surfs.
·
Australians just moved their clocks forward an
hour for daylight savings time. In October. MIND. BLOWN.
·
Australian people are extremely friendly. And
men like to wear skinny jeans. Maybe it's a cause and effect relationship.
·
Watching
the sunset will never get old. Taking pictures of sunsets gets VERY OLD.
·
A truly enjoyable vacation.
Thanks for Reading!
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