The Land of Oz

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What's Up Down Under

After completing our first 3 ½ weeks traveling, we have learned a lot about not just Australia, but Europeans, and the world’s view of the US. I am still under the impression that Australia is very similar to the US. We have seen strip malls, Target, fast food outlets, SUVs, etc. The size and the variety of the country are also similar, with Tasmania and Queensland being as different as Vermont and South Florida. I already mentioned the American TV - it really was surprising because in Europe I have felt like there was very little US programming shown. There is a love of sports that rivals, if not surpasses that of the US, including an unusual fascination with cricket and footy, which can be used to refer to soccer, rugby, or Australian Rules Football. We saw the red carpet prior to the cricket annual awards, but apparently, similar awards shows are held for all major sports. Similar to the US, Aussies love their beer, despite the high price (the result of a recent tax on alcohol to reduce the use of alcohol by youngsters). There also seems to be a generally held belief that American beer sucks. Their words; not mine. One thing I find fascinating is that prices are generally on a round and even number. At the supermarket, your final bill is either rounded up or down. Great idea. Perhaps we could follow their lead and eliminate the penny?

I am also still fascinated by the Australian’s use of so many abbreviations for words, ending them in “ie” or “y.” Some of my favorites are brekky (breakfast), nappy (diaper), sunnies (sunglasses), pollies (politicians), pokie (poker), and mossies (mosquitos). The Australians also take great pride in naming things like they see it. Fraser Island was originally the Great Sandy Island; the Blue Mountains have a tendency to look blue; the Harbour Bridge spans the Sydney Harbour; Midstrength beer is neither weak nor strong; coffee rocks were dark like ground coffee; a short black is an espresso; the Rocks is a neighborhood originally built on rocky land; and Four Mile Beach, Six Mile Creek, Seventy-five Mile Beach are each self explanatory, etc.

I have dreamed of going to Australia since I was a child - it seeming so far away, and foreign, with unusual animals. I did not, however, find Australia to meet these expectations. It was a great starting point for us on the M.P. because it gave us some time to adjust to our new lifestyle. I would also like to return to see the outback and spend time in the north and west, in Perth and Darwin. Despite my fear of creepy crawlies, I would like to see the bush, and the real, more unique Australia.

US and International Economy

We have had a great deal of discussion with travelers and locals about the state of crisis the world is in right now. People seem way more knowledgeable about the details of the US economy than I had expected. And, people were adjusting and reacting to the slowdown in the world wide economy in different ways. First, we met Chris and Lena Skelley in Sydney. They had been living in Australia for about twelve years but are originally British and Ukranian, respectively. They have spent the past decade alternating between work and travel. They are both in IT, which offers them a great deal of flexibility. They have never had a problem taking four or six months off to travel, and would return to Sydney and easily find work. When we met them, they had just returned from traveling from Europe to Asia overland. They immediately noticed the slowdown in the economy in Sydney when they were not immediately employed upon their return. Lena, however, admitted that she was not performing well in some of her interviews with the employment agency because of her lack of desire to return to the office. When we left them, they were considering an opportunity to teach English as a Second Language in Vietnam for awhile, to ride out the down turn. On the opposite end of the spectrum, another British traveler in Sydney, Simon, traveled for a period of time through Southeast Asia, and planned on spending an extended time in Australia. After landing in Sydney he started picking up work at the guesthouse we were staying in, became a manager of a local café, and last I heard started a third job as well. I have not seen the economy taking much of a toll on traveling in general. We are still seeing “no vacancy” signs, although tours and boats have not been sold out. I think that is due more to it being the “low season” or people shying away from Victoria and Queensland due to bush fires and flooding.

People understand our time away as riding out the economic storm brewing in the US. Several people sent me the news from the states about the mass firings from large firms, around 800 staff and attorneys nationwide in one day. We received detailed questions about the economy and both the outgoing and incoming administration. Some farmers from South Australia, who were on holiday at the Great Barrier Reef, asked questions about the housing crisis. When asking about current mortgage rates, they asked how low mortgages had fallen because of the decrease in the Federal funds rate. They were surprised to hear that 30 year mortgages were still hovering around 5.5%, at least when we left. They were shocked that the bank was still making a “profit” of 5%. I did not realize that, at least in Australia, the mortgage interest rates tracked the federal lending rate more closely, so that mortgages might be had at closer to 1-2% if the federal rate was close to 0%. On this same topic, people were stunned that it had become so easy for Americans to get loans, with no money down and interest only loans. Those loans just don’t exist in Europe and Australia.

Traveling just a few days after Obama started in office is also an interesting time to be an American. We had detailed discussions about Obama, Bush, and the election with and older couple from Stratford England, while we were in Hobart, Tasmania (aka “Mr. and Mrs. Stratford”). The Stratfords were taking four months to travel around Australia. Mr. Stratford hated Bush with a passion, was fond of Clinton, and did know much about this Obama fellow before Clinton graciously bowed out. A similar story from a psychiatrist from Melbourne who was also staying at the same hostel in Tasmania. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stratford and Mr. Melbourne Psychiatrist were hoping that Obama would come into office and have this whole mess cleaned up real quick. From their lips to God’s ears.

Our dollar is stretching farther in Australia and New Zealand than during our recent travels in Europe. I am completely okay with the exchange rate as it currently stands. It is interesting, though, that Europeans and Brits repeatedly said the dollar “has rebounded” or is doing “quite well.” I still think the dollar has a lot to gain. The Brits, in particular, feel that they are getting pounded right now (pun intended), against both the dollar and the Euro. I have never met so many Brits complaining about currency before, but they have had it good for so long!

Another unfortunate universality I am noticing is an irrational fear of Muslims. I chalked this up to sensationalism in the press in the US. But, I noticed a similar fear in Europeans, particularly the British, who have been directly attacked by extremists in recent years. When discussing the topic, people are quick to mention, though, that we have our own form of religious extremism in the US.

Fellow Travelers

At first it was refreshing the reaction we received from fellow travelers as we told them our plans - it was a pure excitement, not a “you’re crazy, what are you doing?”. It should be noted that we have met mostly Aussies and Europeans thus far. Very few Americans have crossed our paths. The people we are meeting have not been surprised in the least that we are taking time from our careers to travel. Mr. Melbourne Psychiatrist must have said “fabulous” with respect to our plans at least a dozen times in the span of twenty minutes. I think it reflects the difference in priorities between Europeans and Americans. Mr. Stratford, for example, said that it is clear to him that Europeans work to live, whereas Americans live to work. We met so many people who were on holiday, not a sabbatical, lasting anywhere from 4-6 weeks to several months. They had all heard stories of Americans getting only two or three weeks of holiday a year and never even taking the full time. And, a lot of people had either taken off a year in the past, or had a close friend or relative who had done what we are doing. We met a British couple who were on a three week holiday, and that seemed short.

The generally held belief is that Americans just don’t travel, and when they do, they stay close to home. One of the first books I read on this trip was “America Against the World” analyzing why the rest of the world hates the US so much. I read an interesting statistic that, as of around 2006, less than 20-percent of the American population had passports, and a shockingly small percentage travel overseas. I understand the geographic isolation the US faces. When the Dutch drive 5 hours from home they can be in Germany, Brussels, France, etc. When the American in Illinois drives 5 hours from home, they can get to Indiana, Michigan, and possibly Iowa. The cultural differences are just not there in the states. Five hours from home brings the same language, the same food, and the same culture. But, the question remains whether the lack of international travel is due to geographic limitations or lack of interest?

There was also a general belief among Europeans that Americans do not know as much about the world as they should. Kieren asked us what our evening news covers, is it just local Illinois, or does it include national and international news. We told him our evening news, like Fox 5 news, covers all three, but usually only hits one or two large international stories, and even then only briefly. To receive international news, you have to watch a cable station. Someone questioned me regarding the relation between these two facts - lack of travel and lack of knowledge of the world. Are they related? Is it a cause and effect relationship, and if so, which is the cause and which is the effect? Do Americans not travel because they do not know about the world and there is a lack of curiosity, or are they afraid to travel because they do not understand what is out there for them to experience? Alternatively, does the lack of international travel cause Americans to be more focused on the US, leading to them to understand little about the world outside? I completely understand that not everyone can afford to travel to exotic locations, but the US is one of the richest countries in the world, and many of the people we met traveling are not at the upper echelons of their society. They just have different priorities, focusing on experiences more than possessions. I am still stunned that we were only the third American couple Kieren has had on one of his tours - in 5 years. I understand that Australia is crazy far away, but once in Australia, Americans head to Sydney, Alice Springs, and the Great Barrier Reef and head home. How can you accomplish anymore during a two week vacation when several days are spent just getting here?

I am excited to travel to New Zealand, and hope to meet more interesting people. I am fully aware, however, that we may meet less people as we travel even as we head to a smaller country. We will be renting a campervan for 12 days and driving the countryside, so who knows what awaits us. This may be my last entry for some time, but stay tuned.

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Photos

Swimming Area
This is the sign warning of the marine stingers on Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas

Croc Warning
At Daintree Rainforest

Dangerous Climb
This was at the tip of Indian Head on Fraser Island

Generic Wildlife
On Fraser

Dingoes
Don't feed the children to the dingos. The first warning reads "Always Stay With Your Children".

Comments

[Mary]

Press
The conversations on Americans and the media and travel are fascinating. I loved having these when I was in Spain and Ireland. We simply dont care about what goes on "over there" wherever that might be. Its sad. I would love to be in your position to travel and catch up with world travelers. Even if I totally disagreed with their assessment of the US and Americans, the notion of dialogue and discourse is lost on so many. I am really enjoying this blog...even if we still miss you guys a ton! :)