Thanks to all

Surely you access this ng (at least through Google news) and keep us
informed? You may have additional questions while you are here.



"Richard" wrote in message
...
Just a brief word of thanks to all those who have contributed throughout
the several years I've been gathering info about Australia. We're about
ready to put it all to use.

This has to be one of the more informative and responsible groups on the
internet. I'll offer a few observations when we return in a couple months.

Richard

Peter Webb wrote:
Surely you access this ng (at least through Google news) and keep us
informed? You may have additional questions while you are here.

Personally, I consider Internet-free and gadget-free an essential part
of a (Oz) holiday. My only compromise is a mobile phone (when there is
coverage (yeah, right!)) and a Telstra Phone Away card to send/tell
"We're not dead yet!" messages to the poor souls back home.

So Richard, *if* you're reading this: Get the insert_hot_place out
of that Internet cafe and back into the real world!

Frank Slootweg wrote in
:

Peter Webb wrote:
Surely you access this ng (at least through Google news) and keep us
informed? You may have additional questions while you are here.

Personally, I consider Internet-free and gadget-free an essential
part
of a (Oz) holiday. My only compromise is a mobile phone (when there is
coverage (yeah, right!)) and a Telstra Phone Away card to send/tell
"We're not dead yet!" messages to the poor souls back home.

So Richard, *if* you're reading this: Get the insert_hot_place out
of that Internet cafe and back into the real world!

Frank, and Peter:

Well, as you noticed, I was completely silent for the entire two months
:-)

I had the option, many times, to drop into an internet cafe but resisted
(mainly I didn't want to know how badly Stanford did in the college
baseketball playoffs, which I just found out were *very bad indeed*.


Anyway, I'll eventually get back in the mix and describe my terrific
vacation. As of now, we're still unpacking.

Richard

in article , Richard at
wrote on 4/10/04 4:01 PM:

Frank Slootweg wrote in
:

Peter Webb wrote:
Surely you access this ng (at least through Google news) and keep us
informed? You may have additional questions while you are here.

Personally, I consider Internet-free and gadget-free an essential
part
of a (Oz) holiday. My only compromise is a mobile phone (when there is
coverage (yeah, right!)) and a Telstra Phone Away card to send/tell
"We're not dead yet!" messages to the poor souls back home.

So Richard, *if* you're reading this: Get the insert_hot_place out
of that Internet cafe and back into the real world!

Frank, and Peter:

Well, as you noticed, I was completely silent for the entire two months
:-)

I had the option, many times, to drop into an internet cafe but resisted
(mainly I didn't want to know how badly Stanford did in the college
baseketball playoffs, which I just found out were *very bad indeed*.


Anyway, I'll eventually get back in the mix and describe my terrific
vacation. As of now, we're still unpacking.

Richard


Welcome back, Richard (even if it is to Trawna 8-)). Tell us stories!

Raffi Balmanoukian a wrote
in news:BC9DEC9D.22BD4%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca:

Welcome back, Richard (even if it is to Trawna 8-)). Tell us stories!

Thankya, Raffi, and I'll be doing that eventually.

Got a pile of catchup to do -- arrived back last night, stayed up to 5 a.m.
chatting, etc. so haven't quite gotten back to normal yet. Still, no real
jet lag, and a very fast flight from Vancouver made up for the looong Hong
Kong - Vancouver flight. Didn't much like Hong Kong, even as a brief lay-
over. It isn't the bargain shopping it used to be.

As for Australia itself, I'll just say it was everything I expected it to
be and more. Only disappointment is in our *&&*% dollar, which is a bit
lower than theirs, which means things like decent restaurants etc are
fairly pricey. (Before you ask, *no* I didn't chow down on a Kangaroo
steak, not at $25.90 :-)

fairly pricey. (Before you ask, *no* I didn't chow down on a Kangaroo
steak, not at $25.90 :-)

Bloody oath, 'roo filet was something like AUD $5.00 a kilo, give or take,
at the Port Augusta Woolies in 2001/2/3. Mmmmmmm......

Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in
news:BC9E1F7F.22BE6%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca:


fairly pricey. (Before you ask, *no* I didn't chow down on a Kangaroo
steak, not at $25.90 :-)

Bloody oath, 'roo filet was something like AUD $5.00 a kilo, give or
take, at the Port Augusta Woolies in 2001/2/3. Mmmmmmm......

You're talking shopping, I'm talking restaurants. Did see it once in a
Coles and don't recall the price, but certainly would have been more than
$5/kg.

Actually as I recall we did some shopping in the same Woolies. You better
shop there if you're heading west, right? Picked up a six-pack of beer
across the street as well.

At this time we were with a group of 15 (tour from Adelaide to Perth
across the Nullarbor) and as we were all grouping up after shopping at
Woolworths, to climb aboard the mini-van, one of the German girls on the
tour returned accompanied with an Aboriginal 'gentleman' slightly
inebriated. The gas station attendant saw them and immediately shouted
out "If Dave's any problem, I'll send him on his way." 'Dave' just wanted
to talk about how they had all this land, see, and now they have
nothing... My wife gave him a dollar and he seemed a bit happier. After
Dave shuffled off (quite inoffensive, actually) the attendant came up:
"You all right?" as if we'd been contaminated with something. Just about
the only direct interaction with Aboriginal people on the entire trip.

in article , Richard at
wrote on 4/11/04 6:38 AM:

Actually as I recall we did some shopping in the same Woolies. You better
shop there if you're heading west, right? Picked up a six-pack of beer
across the street as well.

A six pack for the Nullarbor? Teetotaler.

Hope you got some French Hot Bread on Commercial Terrace as well. Their
potato pies are mighty fine, too 8-)

Raffi Balmanoukian a
wrote in
news:BC9EA97C.22BFC%walkabout@TAKEOUTTHETRASHTOREP LY.ns.sympatico.ca:

in article , Richard at
wrote on 4/11/04 6:38 AM:

Actually as I recall we did some shopping in the same Woolies. You
better shop there if you're heading west, right? Picked up a six-pack
of beer across the street as well.

A six pack for the Nullarbor? Teetotaler.

Hope you got some French Hot Bread on Commercial Terrace as well.
Their potato pies are mighty fine, too 8-)

*Now* you tell me! :-)

As for the Nullarbor, this was just the first six-pack purchased...
another at Streaky Bay, etc. Some of the guys ordered *slabs*! While it
was hot, I wasn't quite that thirsty (and besides, my wife was 'banker'
for the trip. My choice, and it proved a good one, for she kept us on
budget while still pretty much quelling my thirst along the way.

in article , Richard at
wrote on 4/11/04 7:55 AM:

*Now* you tell me! :-)

As for the Nullarbor, this was just the first six-pack purchased...
another at Streaky Bay, etc. Some of the guys ordered *slabs*! While it
was hot, I wasn't quite that thirsty (and besides, my wife was 'banker'
for the trip. My choice, and it proved a good one, for she kept us on
budget while still pretty much quelling my thirst along the way.

Ah, but if you have a way to keep 'em cold, a slab works out to be much
better value.....

Experience counts!

I hope, since you were with a group, that you didn't partake in the
Australian version of Neptune and the Equator.....the first time you cross
the Nullarbor, tradition has it you do so nekkid.....