TravelStream™ news feed for member trevorrose on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/trevorrose en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:53:37 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251185578/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251185578/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251185578/tpod.html Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:53:37 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

So our last day in Singapore today - for exploring, anyway - we fly out tomorrow morning!We had booked a harbour cruise and the pick-up was 10am so we went and had some brekky at a Dome Cafe we found in Suntec City - nothing like supporting a West Oz business - and had coffee and raisin toast, YUM! it was beautiful!Our pick-up bus was spot on time and we were whisked down to Marina South Pier to catch the "Imperial Cheng Ho", which is a modern Chinese junk. There were only a handful of people on board so we chose to enjoy the unusually (for Singapore) strong sea breeze out on deck! The cruise took us past a new private accommodation development being built on reclaimed land overlooking the harbour and then around passed the beaches of Sentosa before heading out into the harbour proper.What an amazing sight the Singapore port is! Hundreds of container cranes dotting the skyline and ships everywhere. The port is the busiest (by tonnage) port in the world and over 140,000 vessels dock each year - that's an average of one every three and a half minutes!!!!!!!!!!!At any one time there can be over 800 anchored in the harbour and it makes for an awesome sight. Ships of every size and shape are coming or going or are at anchor!!!We stopped for three quarters of an hour at Kusu Island, about 5 kilometres from Singapore city, and had a look at the Chinese Bhuddist Temple there. The little island is a favourite place for weekend picnickers and anyone wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle - a very pretty place with lots of palm trees and sandy beaches. I would imagine that it would be packed on weekends etc.The cruise then headed back to the Pier, sailing amongst hundreds of "bum boats", which are the small boats that zip in and out to the anchored ships, ferrying supplies and crew to the shore! How they keep drugs and illegals out I have no idea, such is the number of little boats plying their trade!It was a great way to spend the morning and amazing value at $27 per head including hotel pickup - I am sure not may people would consider such a trip , but we thoroughly enjoyed it.The bus dropped us back at the hotel and we spent an hour or so doing a bit of last minute shopping then it was back to our room for a quiet beer!So that is Singapore done and dusted! We have had a fantastic time - it would be such a great spot if not for the bloody heat and humidity - and would happily recommend the Pan Pacific Singapore to anyone. The whole trip has been a great success.Have to be at Changi Airport by 7am, for a 9.05am flight home, so an early night!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251096388/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251096388/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251096388/tpod.html Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:32:23 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

Got started a bit earlier today, as we wanted to get to Sentosa before the rush and to avoid the usual afternoon thunderstorms. Took the train down to Harbourfront and bought tickets for the Cable Car over, Monorail back and then took a lift to the 15th floor of the building to catch the chair lift. We went up to Mount Faber first and then back over to Sentosa. The views were fantastic out over the bay and the Strait, but sadly the window tint on the little cabins had bubbled so our photos were a bit blurry. The Chair Lift travels 60 metres above the water and Mumsie was extremely quiet for the entire journey!!!As soon as we got there we took the Sky Tower which is a 120 metre high tower with an enclosed viewing platform attached to it which revolves as it goes up. The views were even better and this time we got some great shots of the island and its beaches and resorts (including the huge new casino and Movie world complex being built), the city in the distance, the port, the giant oil platforms and all the ships in the harbour! It was a tremendous ride for $12.From there we wandered through the lovely gardens and past the giant Merlion statue and then down to the beach were we caught the bus and did a tour of the island, getting off here and there to have a better look. It was stifling hot and so a lot of time was spent in the air-con in the bus!Sentosa is very commercialized and the throngs of tourists were getting bigger and bigger as time passed so we decided to head for home once our tour was finished. I caused a slight drama when some foreign kid decided to climb all over me to get a look out the window of the bus and I gave him a few choice words, - I don't think his dad was too pleased but not my problem!!!!!We caught the monorail back to the base in Vivo City and once again gawked at the size and number of shops - the place is simply huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!From there it was back on the train and back to the hotel - for me anyway, Mumsie had an urge to shop some more - where I booked a Harbour Cruise for tomorrow morning!We went to an Irish Pub just around the corner for a pre-dinner drink and then followed the Suntec Mall around to the Fountain of Wealth where there was a beautiful light show on the fountain. We found an authentic Chinese restaurant and had one of the nicest meals we have had for ages!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251012411/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251012411/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1251012411/tpod.html Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:31:19 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

We decided to have a bit of a look around the rest of the island today and caught the MRT train and did a loop to the north of the city and around in a westerly direction back to City Hall. The Mass Rapid Transit is typically Singaporean. That is, totally efficient, spotlessly clean and very well used! The system has 3 main lines running east-west, north-south and north-east, with an city circle line about to open also. There are about 118 kilometres of line existing, with 77 stations, well spaced along each line. The cheapest fare is 90 cents and the dearest $1.90, with trains running every 2-3 minutes 24/7! We rode for about 4 hours and it cost less than $5 each, so it is great value. Food, drink and smoking are banned in all stations and all trains, so the system is clean, tidy and a pleasure to use! There are video cameras everywhere and we have seen no sign of any graffiti - sure makes Perth look like a slum - and you feel safe at all times.Once out of the city itself the train comes out of the underground and rides on a concrete bridge about 15 metres above the ground (like a monorail) and uses a side of track contact for the power so there are no overhead wires. Plans are well advanced for the addition of another 3 lines and 40+ stations in the next decade as well as the introduction of driverless, automated trains on the Circle Line by 2010!The trip took us very close to Malaysia and we saw the causeway linking the two countries as well as the more industrial side of the place with timber mills, some steel works and some big pre-cast concreters.There were also hundreds of the multi storey apartments we saw over at Tampines - with over 4 million people in such a small area, I guess highrise is the only way to house them, but the units look awfully smallWe got off at a stop near Jurong East and walked to a beautiful Chinese Garden which full of families enjoying the beautiful buildings, lakes and gardens. There was a fantastic Bonsai Garden set in the middle. By this time it was brewing up for rain again (we had a huge thunderstorm during the night) so we hurried back to the station and traveled on to Harbourfront which is where the cruises leave from and also the Cable Car to Sentosa Island. The MRT station is underneath another monstrous shopping precinct - this one is Vivo City - and the place was packed with people. Most Singaporeans only get one day off a week and Sundays must the big day out because everywhere we went the shops and malls were full - no sign of the recession here!We saw the Virgo at the dock, ready to take another cruise out into the Straits and there were many other ferries etc. coming and going. We sussed out the Cable Car to Sentosa which we will catch tomorrow and then headed back to City Hall station and then back to the hotel.Later on we headed up to Orchard Road to pick up some jewelery that Sue ordered - still lots of people about -  and then we headed home stopping for dinner on the way! 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250930139/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250930139/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250930139/tpod.html Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:09:41 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

Saturday morning and I am missing the West Australian, a cuppa and some toast! So to make do we found a Dome Cafe and had scrambled eggs, bacon and real toast!!!!  This was more of a brunch because we slept in and didn't get moving until about 10am. Our hotel room is very quiet and the bed is fantastic so we are enjoying a good sleep each night. Walking about 6 kilometres a day is also contributing.After our brunch we walked down to the Esplanade and then across the bridge to get some photos of the "Merlion", the mythical half lion - half mermaid figure that is the main symbol of Singapore. There were lots of people about - many school children and lots of families - and we headed over for a look at the "Pandang" the large park which houses the Singapore Cricket Club. There was a big Twenty20 cricket carnival be played on the tiny ground there and we watched a while before having a quick look at the SCC itself - very olde world and very English - and then finding Funan Digitalife City, which is a huge mall with 5 levels of electronics! Geek heaven!We spent about 90 minutes in the centre - there was every gadget you could think of plus some more I hadn't even dreamt of - some of the shops were huge and you could take a shopping trolley to fill with electronic goodies!We saw a huge refrigerator that had diamantes set in the handles for God's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By now we were getting a bit sick of the throngs of people and so we walked in the stiffling heat back to the MRT at City Hall and from there in the air-conditioned comfort of the City Link Mall back to our hotel.We had a chat to Katie on Skype and watched the end of the Dees/Blues game while lamenting the thrashing the Crows were giving our Eagles!!!! In combination with the pathetic efforts of the Aussies in the cricket has made for another miserable sporting Saturday.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250840888/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250840888/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250840888/tpod.html Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:04:17 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

Our Night Safari at the Zoo last night was good - very commercialized with thousands of people there - but it was quite entertaining and for the $SD30 each it cost, was good value. The bus left from Suntec City (which is only a short walk from the Pan Pacific) at 6.00pm and we headed out into the peak hour traffic for the Zoo some 20 kms away. Such was the snarl of traffic that it took us over an hour to get there but it was good to see some of the other areas of Singapore that aren't usually seen. When we got to the Zoo the driver gave us instructions on where to go and what to see etc. and asked if anyone was scared of snakes!  Mumsie and I put up our hands quick smart! The driver then asked us to stay on the bus and then when everyone had left he told us to make sure that when we went to the amphitheatre to see the animal show, to make sure we sat on the extreme left or right of the seating!  As it turned out, half way through the show the animal keepers asked everyone to look under their seats, and under one poor buggers seat was this bloody huge boa constrictor!!!! I would have most certainly crapped myself if it had been anywhere near me and I thanked the driver profusely when we returned to the bus! We did a tram ride through the Zoo and saw lots of different animals - most of which looked in excellent condition and very happy in their environment and later saw a most impressive display of fire eating from group of performers! Not sure what it had to do with a Night Safari but it was entertaining!!!We got back to the hotel at about 10.30pm and had a quick nightcap before hitting the sack.This morning we headed into the City Hall Station and traveled a couple of stops to the top of Orchard Road and began our shopping day!  First off I wanted to look at some phones so we went to the Nokia Concept Store and got some info on models suited to Oz and then we tried any number of communications type shops to locate the model I was interested in, but most were way dearer than home, so I gave that idea away and let Mumsie have her turn! Well, she certainly left me behind in the shopping stakes - I left her for 45 minutes in The Centrepoint Shopping Mall and when I met up with her again she had ordered a pearl ring and a pendant (made to her design) and whacked it on the card already!!! Wowsers! What a shopper!We walked through many malls and shops - way too many for me - and by about 1.30pm I had had enough of the crowd and it was about to rain so we set off for the nearest MRT to get the train back. BUT!!! Mumsie found a little market and wanted some stuff for the grandies and so 20 minutes later we got going again just as a violent thunderstorm hit! If only I had my camera out as the look on Mumsie's face as a flash of lightening and a huge clap of thunder burst overhead was a sight to behold!!!!Luckily the MRT was only a few hundred metres away so we dashed along the footpath and made it without getting too wet. From there it was back to City Hall and then by foot back to Suntec City where we bought a sandwich and a couple of Tigers and headed back to our room to put our aching feet up.Later we had a drink in the Lobby Bar and then wandered down to the Esplanade waterfront to have dinner. Lots of people down there enjoying a free concert at the sound shell and many having drinks and meals. It would be a perfect night out if not for the bloody humidity - so high after the heavy rain this afternoon - which makes drinking and eating alfresco totally unpleasant.Back to our room to watch the Bullies beat Geelong - amazing how even Singapore can get to watch the game at a reasonable hour - not like WA! Good on ya Channel Bruce!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250755152/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250755152/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250755152/tpod.html Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:31:37 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

Today we decided to test out the local train and bus system and head out to Changi for a look at the Changi Prisoner of War Museum.Then nearest MRT station was at City Hall, which was only a short distance away, trying to negoitiate the streets or the malls is a bit of a nightmare so we sought instructions from one of the many helpful hotel staff. She in fact walked with us part of the way so that we wouldn't get lost - try getting that sort of service in Oz!!! - and we had no dramas at all, covering the kilometre or more in about 15 minutes a series of shopping malls that are fully air-conditioned! Way to go!We paused at a Starbucks for a coffee and a bit of brekky and then got two pre-paid MRT tickets and found the correct platform (out of about 20) to get the train to Tanah Merah station. The maximum fare on the MRT is $1.90 so we will get plenty of use out of the $20 card!After the first few stops underground we came back to the surface and sped along the track about 10 metres above ground on a concrete span. We passed many many of the brightly coloured multi storey housing blocks - obviously a lot of workers live out that way - and some wharehouse type buildings, there is very little actual manufacture done in Singapore, nearly everything is imported.We got off at Tanah Merah and caught a bus to the Museum and enjoyed a very moving and interesting tour! WW2 certainly had a major impact on the island and the audio tour gave us much detail.We caught a bus back to another station, passing through many colleges and schools - they all seem to be put in the same suburb - along with more of the highrise blocks of accommodation!As we got on the first bus at Tanah Merah the driver said we couldn't use our MRT pass on that bus system and so we paid the $4 or so to him,  when we went to pay the second bus the diver said our passes were valid on ALL transport!  So the old bugger had fleeced us! Come in suckers!From Tampines we headed back to City Hall on the cool, spotlessly clean train - no food or drink allowed into the stations at all - and then found the Raffles Hotel where we found a spot among the peanut covered floor in the Long Bar and had a Singapore Sling! The tables have bowls of raw peanuts and you are expected to eat them and chuck the shells straight on the floor!!! Some old tradition apparently. I just had a beer, but Mumsie said the "Sling" was beaut, which at $27 it bloody should have been!!! Mind you my glass of Tiger was $17 so the place would make a big quid I reckon!By this time it was after 3pm so we headed back along the mall to the hotel to get ready for our Night Safari Tour atthe Zoo.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250670647/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250670647/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250670647/tpod.html Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:55:27 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

Well, Wednesday saw us have brekky at Starbucks again, only because of the coffee! – the food halls have lots of Asian stuff which would be good to try but they don't do coffee!Afterwards we booked a Night Safari at the Zoo for tomorrow night and then caught the bus down to Clarke Quay to take a river cruise. The Quay is full of bars and restaurants and we decided we might go back later for dinner. They even have a Singaporean Hooters! The only problem being that the Asian waitresses don't have much in way of actual "hooters"!!! They still looked pretty good though!Our cruise was only short, taking us down into Marina Bay, past the "Merlion"- the half lion, half mermaid statue – and also the Esplanade entertainment venue which has seating for 27,000 people overlooking a floating stage! Apparently it is jam packed full when popular entertainers perform!After the cruise we took the bus to the Botanical Gardens where we spent about 3 hours wandering through the beautiful setting which included a fantastic orchid garden. It was well worth enduring the 34 degree (and 98% humidity) to see it all, although Mumsie found the going tough! She is not handling the outdoor conditions too well, getting very red in the face!Found a gigantic Big W type shop that had groceries as well, when we returned, and bought some fresh milk and a few beers, then retired to our room for a quiet drink.Later on we caught a taxi down to Clarke Quay and had a stroll along both sides of the river, stopping for a beer and a cocktail, before having a meal at one of the hundreds of restaurants along the Quay. It was a Chinese place and we tried some very different dishes, which turned out to be absolutely delicious.After our meal it was a taxi back to the hotel, a stint on the computer to type another blog and then bed!So, another day of exploring is done – still finding it hard to take in all the things happening here – but enjoying everything (except the humidity) greatly. Everyone we have come across has been friendly and helpful and the place is just so CLEAN and TIDY!!!! Beautiful!!!!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250583783/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250583783/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250583783/tpod.html Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:32:41 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

Well, today we slept in a bit and then set off along the vast shopping malls and found a Starbucks where we got a great coffee and a snack for brekky! From there we found a place selling tickets for the city bus tours and then spent a couple of hours doing a series of sightseeing tours. It was a tremendous experience – hot and humid in the open topped double decker bus – going through Little India, the Business District, China Town, CBD, through the "Embassy District" passed the Botanic Gardens and then down Orchard Road back to Suntec City . So much to see in such a small area, we were blown away by all the sights, especially the Orchard Road strip where there are dozens of huge shopping malls and literally thousands of name brand stores (i.e. Hermes, DKNY) as well as Harvey Norman and myriads of smaller shops. The whole city is abuzz with activity and bustle – lots of new buildings and shopping malls – heavy traffic and sidewalks packed with business people and tourists. It is all spotlessly clean and we hardly saw a policeman or police car! We saw no graffiti and there were no gangs of idle teenagers hanging about anywhere! At last! A country that tolerates no bad behaviour and punishes heavily those who may offend!The only times we saw grotty buildings were in China Town and Little India where the shopkeepers live on the floor above the shop – the alleyways between them were pretty messy, although the shopfronts were generally pretty tidy.We also passed the Singapore Cricket Club – where the playing fields were just so small – and also the famous Raffles Hotel where we will definitely have a “Singapore Sling” later on.There was an enormous amount of preparation being done on the streets around Marina Bay for the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix. The GP is held at night and there were specially imported lights being erected on scaffolds right around the track, as well as the safety fencing and barriers, which spoilt the vista somewhat. The GP brings millions of dollars into Singapore and the prices of everything skyrocket over the week it is held. (Glad we dodged that!)The commentary on the tours was quite informative and we learnt that on the island (which is 45 kms wide and 27 kms long) there are 4.8 million people of many nationalities – squashed in like bloody sardines I reckon – and as a result housing is at a premium with city rents topping $SD1,000 per week (and more) and 3x1 tiny units selling for $SD180-240,000. Only the rich and famous actually own the land they live on and we saw a number of “bungalows” that were worth over $SD16,000, 000. Most of the local workers live in high rise unit blocks which they can buy if they have the finance. The units are tiny and the occupants have to hang their washing on long bamboo poles out of the windows – sure makes for an amusing sight!Despite the high rainfall, water is scarce (no deep valleys for many dams) and a lot of the water is brought from Malaysia. The 100 year old treaty with Malaysia for the provision of water ends next year and huge steps have been undertaken to provide either recycled or desalinated water, to make the country independent.After our tours we got off at the Singapore Flyer (the local edition of the famous London Eye) which is in fact 40 metres taller than the pommy equivalent at 175 metres! The ride cost only $SD29 each, lasted 37 minutes and was simply spectacular! We had an entire cabin (they carry 28 normally) to ourselves and the views were hard to take in. It was quite clear and we could see as far as Indonesia and Malaysia! I counted over 175 ships at anchor in the bay – Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world – and we could see all the famous landmarks and all the new building going on, with the biggest being the new casino development with 3 huge towers nearly completed, which is costing over $SD 5 billion! The towers will have a 1 hectare “shelf” built on top linking them together and will be set up as a landscaped park!After all the exploring we needed a bit of a rest so we headed back to our room for a shower and then had a couple beers in the hotel bar before finding a little Thai food place in one of the mall for a nice meal. All in all it was a sensational day – our first impressions of Singapore are very favourable – although some things, especially alcohol are very expensive. Food at any of the malls or hawker centres is cheap, but restaurants are pretty damned dear!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250518470/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250518470/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/2/1250518470/tpod.html Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:43:49 -0400 Dadsi and Mumsie's Singapore Sling

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Singapore, Singapore

After spending the night at Katie and Jason's we left for the airport and duly arrived in plenty of time to check-in and then have a coffee with Katie before she headed off to work.Had a browse through the Duty Free shop with a view to purchasing some stuff on the way back and then boarded our flight.The flight was excellent - nice lunch (with a couple of reds to wash it down) and then watched a good movie! Got into Singapore about 25 minutes early and met with our hostess (who was shorter than Mumsie-hell she was little) who got us through customs etc. and then directed us to our waiting Mercedes E200.... just a bit of Jones luxury!We were very impressed with the drive to our hotel. Such lovely gardens etc. and the place is so clean. Lots of new building going on and lots of street work setting up for the GP next month.The Pan Pacific Singapore is very swish - located on reclaimed land near the waterfront - and we were checked in and in our room in no time at all. The room is lovely, with a great view and a nice balcony which we only spent a moment on because it was so hot and humid. Our camera lens quickly fogged up, such is the humidity.We unpacked our gear and then took a walk through some of the huge shopping malls located here in Suntec City - they really are huge, stretching in every direction for a kilometre or more! Shops of all descriptions, from Maccas to the most trendy boutiques!  You name it, there was a shop selling it! We stopped for a beer ($s9.00 a stubbie) and then walked some more eventually stopping at one of the many food courts for some local cuisine.By this time it was about 9pm and the shops were all closing so we came back to the hotel and had a look at the fantastic pool, before a shower and bed.So that was our first look at Singapore! We are a bit over awed by the hustle and bustle and the number of shops and facilities - tomorrow we will catch the hop on hop off bus and have a good look around the city. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/1/1216963800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/1/1216963800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trevorrose/1/1216963800/tpod.html Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:13:12 -0400 WING DING 30 - USA 2008

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Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia

Well, here we are 40 days after leaving home, back again! We sat on the tarmac in Honolulu for an hour while Jetstar unloaded a pallet of freight - apparently the plane was too heavy - but our flight was good with the aircraft being a newish Airbus A330-200 which was very comfortable and had reasonable leg room.And surprise, surprise!!!! After being told we would have to take any food etc on with us, passengers who booked through Qantas were given full inflight service and so we wasted our money on food which we eventually had to put in the bin because it couldn't be brought into Autralia.Communication between Jetstar and Qantas is obviously non-existant.By the time we had cleared customs and quarantine and collected our luggage in Sydney we were too late for our connecting flight to Perth (Jetset Travel made a boo-boo there) and so we had to wait another two hours for the next flight, also having to ring home to alert those picking us up that we would be late.The flight home was uneventful and we duly lobbed in Perth at 10.50pm, very tired after being on the go for nearly 26 hours.TRIP SUMMARYOur trip was tremendous success, we crammed so much into the time we had, but we really only scratched the surface of America. I guess if I am to do some sort of summary of the trip the first thing I would mention would be that travel throughout the world has been made so much more difficult because of 9/11. So much time is wasted going through security and it is important that you allow plenty of time between connecting flights - we can attest to that!America itself was a real revelation to me! I have never been a big fan of all things American, but I went with an open mind and was rapt to find Americans warm, friendly and so helpful. People in the southern states were just amazing - ready to stop and talk and were genuinely interested in Australia and what our country is like even though they know very little about us. They are very religious and the number of churches in each and every town and all along the roads was amazing.The things that hit me most in the USA were:1) The sheer number of people and infrastructure that has been built to cope with so many people. The road system is simply enormous with the Interstates being 2 or 3 lanes each way and they are built straight and with a big buffer zone each side and speed limited at 65 or 70 miles per hour. There are no intersections - all other roads and railways are bridged - and all the exits are number by distance from a city so that it easy to read off maps. Secondary roads are usually 2 lanes each way and mirror the Interstates but don't have as much traffic and then there is a whole network of minor roads which are the most picturesque to travel. Most freight goes by road and the number of trucks is overwhelming! They are nearly all single trailer units with a much longer trailer than here and they fly along at way over the speed limit in all weather conditions! Initially we were a bit overawed by the amount of traffic but it did not take long to get the hang of driving on the right and before long we were sailing along at 80 or 90 mph just like all the others.There is an extensive rail network which copes with minerals and large bulk transport and of course the large rivers such as the Mississipi have huge barge traffic.The country consumes energy at a frightening rate and there are power stations everywhere including over a hundred nuclear reactors. No one seems to be worried about them and they are clean and very efficient - maybe Australia could have a closer look!!!!!!Communications are superb with the whole country having high speed internet access, which is carried by fibre optic cables strung along power lines. They reach everybody and for the Australian Government and Telstra to say it cannot be done here is simply a joke! Distances in the USA are just as big as here and yet their network has been up and running for years. The cables also carry cable TV and telephone and you can get a package of high speed internet, 100 cahnnels of cable TV and your home telephone for less than US$100 per month. Every hotel or motel we stayed at provided free wireless access to the internet at speeds about 6 times faster than mine at home!There are large modern schools everywhere and schooling up until 17 years of age is totally free, including books and everything. College is quite expensive but you need to go there to access any of the decent jobs.The hospital system is huge but privately run and beyond the reach of many. We spoke to many ordinary workers who simply could not afford to go to the doctor!!!! Health insurance is for the well off only.2) America has a very definitive class structure with there being a very wealthy (and I mean RICH!) upper class, lots of pretty well off middle class and a huge lower class that remain poorly educated, badly paid and generally they do all the menial work. Most of these poor buggers are either Hispanic or Negro and they work in the service industries for less than US$3 per hour and rely totally on tips to live. They live in ghetto like conditions and have no chance of bettering themselves. Working hours are very long and they work 6 or 7 days a week with maybe a weeks holiday a year - there doesn't seem to be any unions to fight for them. They have to work until they are well into their seventies and we saw many examples of this throughout the country. Social security is available, but is not enough to survive on, which means everyone needs a job of some sort (one benefit perhaps?) even if it is sweeping streets or cleaning toilets. 3) Americans are immensely proud of their nation and we were astonished to see how clean and tidy the roads and streets are, with no graffiti and no vandalism anywhere. Penalties for throwing rubbish out of a car window range from a US$5,000 fine to jail so no wonder it is clean. Police and firemen are treated with great respect - we were told to call any police "Sir" and not to speak unless you were spoken to! Maybe this is another area Australians could have a good look at! In many areas we saw prison inmates working on the road verges doing clean up and other work and when we asked about were told that all minimum security prisoners have to earn their keep!4) On the 4th of July America was 232 years old and we were just so impressed with the history of the place - not only the Civil war but pre and post that era. In cities like Savannah and Charlston we were very impressed by the way the old buildings have been kept in the original state and apparently any building that was built before a certain date must have the facade left as it was, although the interior can be modernised.There are so many monuments and memorials and the population places great importance on keeping them in top notch condition.So overall we were much impressed with the whole country - the only real annoying thing is the tipping, which is totally foreign to us but we didn't mind it so much when we discovered just how little they are paid.There were so many highlights it is hard to single out a few but for me the Wing-Ding was amazing with so many Goldwing riders (over 12,000) present and just how friendly they all were, was probably the best with Niagara Falls a close second followed by our tour over the BMW plant at Spartanburg which to me was awesome!So for someone who has never been a real fan of all things American, I can honestly say that I was won over by them well and truly, and I would thoroughly recommend the USA as a travel destintation.
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