Australia’s national tourism body recently launched the country’s newest slogan: “There’s nothing like Australia.” Its official website encourages people to submit their best photos that capture the imagery of the slogan.
http://nothinglikeaustralia.com/index.htm
Previous slogans have been “Come and say G’day” and “So where the bloody hell are you?” (not kidding).Of course, this being the internet age of anyone can do anything, there has been a spoof website launched with humorous images depicting that there truly is nothing like Australia.
Well, 29 hours, 10,000 miles, and one huge figure-7 across the world later, here I am in Australia – the edge of the world practically.For most people reading this, Australia isn’t any place new.Beautiful weather, sun-kissed beaches, natural wonders, and laid-back friendly folks logically lure travelers from all over.Colombia has a saying that “the only risk is wanting to stay.”But from what I have seen, that has been put much more to practice in Australia where it’s common for travelers to turn 2 week vacations into 3 years residencies.Despite its attraction Australia is a place where I never gave much thought in the world to coming to until about 4 weeks ago when the idea for a project was first pitched to me.Precisely because of the country’s lure, in the back of my mind I always knew that I’d get around to coming here someday; it was more of a priority for me to wander through South America and Asia first.But nevertheless, here I am and quite enjoying it at for that matter!
The journey here began at 5:30pm local time in Paris when a feisty South Asian shuttle driver was barking at Jessica and me for not coming down on time and delaying the other passengers in the van.A 10 hour Korean Air flight to Seoul with a four hour layover followed by a 9 hour flight to Sydney got us in at 6am local time.I was actually more anxious about missing the second leg of the Barcelona-Arsenal match which began literally as I was leaving Europe than I was about the long travel ahead of me.Miraculously, during our layover in Seoul I was wandering the terminal and just happened to find a plasma TV at one of the gates that was replaying the entire match.Lionel Messi, what a special guy.It was my first time stepping foot in Asia since 2006.The Korean airport is such a microcosm for contemporary Asian culture – eating and shopping.A restaurant every 10 feet followed by a retail store every 15 feet.
Honestly, I didn’t think that I would be jetlagged despite the distance traveled.We left Paris at night and arrived in Korea early afternoon; so that leg was like a long red-eye.The four hour layover was like a very very short day (much like a short Saturday after a wild Friday night).And then we again left at night to arrive in the morning.So the itinerary reasonably corresponded with the cycle of the day making me think I could avoid jetlag.Wrong.They say it takes your body one day to adjust for every time zone you cross.I kind of believe it.My excessive mid-afternoon fatigue has now been replaced by sleepless nights waking up at 3am, and I have been here nearly one week.I think I need another day or two before I am sleeping and waking up normally.
We are in Australia for the next several months working on a report on the country’s oil and gas sectors for one of our company’s media partner publications: Oil and Gas Financial Journal.We are based in Sydney for the next few weeks meeting with industry associations and government folks in Canberra only four hours away before moving on to Perth, where the bulk of the industry is based.
It is sort of a bizarre, surreal experience living here being either 8 or 14 hours ahead of the world that I know.I have to wait til 3 or 4pm to get a reply from the bosses in Paris to an email I sent at 9am my time.My day is over and done with before majority of my friends on the east coast log on to their computers at work to find out what the world has in store for them that day.My friends in Oregon and California, fuhgettaboutit!There’s a small window when we’re even awake at the same time.Time difference is nothing new of course and I have experienced an almost equal difference on previous trips to Asia.But first, the mentality for me is different living in, rather than just visiting, such a drastic difference.Second, Australia is sort of in its own little world to begin with.It marches to the beat of its own drum.Let me explain.
In the US when do you ever hear about Australia in the news?China reprimands France because Sarkozy meets with the Dalai Lama; Germany criticizes Iran’s decision to proceed with its nuclear program.But Australia?Shark attacks and beached whales occasionally make headlines.Probably the two biggest pieces of Australia-related news in the US in recent years were the deaths of Steve Irwin and Heath Ledger.I am by no means discounting the relevance of the country.Quite the contrary, I am very aware of its significance.It is a prosperous, resource-rich, free-market, OECD democracy.It is one, if not the, largest coal exporter in the world.1/3 of known uranium deposits on earth are in Australia.While Africa is a recently new supply haven for China for zinc and copper, Australia has long been in bed with the Chinese feeding them iron ore for steel production and billions and billions of dollars in long-term contracts for natural gas.Australia itself is booming.Projections are for 4-5% GDP growth and only 5% unemployment this year despite an interest rate rise last month and another one slotted for August-September-ish.All that while the US is battling 10% unemployment, is practically giving away money for free with near 0% interest rates, and is projected for minimal growth this year.So I say that in spite of all that it has going for it, Australia is relatively all quiet on the mainstream western news front.So the clandestine and “below the radar,” let’s call it, identity of Australia amplifies the drastic time difference to give it a weird feel to living here.
But man, the booming economy and far distance from anything it imports certainly has a noticeable impact on day-to-day life here: it is an expensive country mate!I can only speak for Sydney at the moment, but the prices here are insane.The Aussie dollar is pretty much equal to the US dollar so that doesn’t help much and on top of that things are priced at least 30% higher than the suburbs in the US and 25% higher than Manhattan, Boston, or DC.I’m talking $1 per minute for pre-paid cell phones calls, $3 RedBox DVD rentals, $16 restaurant hamburgers, $7 Corona bottles at normal blue-collared restaurants, and $6.99 per kilo for apples!!!! (do the kilo to pounds conversion and then compare the price next time you go to the grocery).Looks like someone is going to be shedding some pounds here!
On the upside, the weather so far has been gorgeous and the water is still swimmable.They say that in Sydney you can swim in the ocean no problem until June.For those familiar with Sydney I am staying in Bondi, only a ten minute walk from Bondi Junction and a 20 minute walk from the beach.I was at the beach this past Sunday and crushed my previous paranoia about stepping foot in Australian ocean waters because of sharks.There are definitely times when I think that this is what it must be like to live in LA – gorgeous people and fit bodies everywhere; a sushi restaurant at every corner; and tons and tons of Filipinos wherever I go.It is bit weird though to hear so many Asian people speaking with an Australian accent.Other than the Asians, the largest expat presences I have noticed are the French and Brazilians.My co-worker, Jessica, is French and is appalled by the number of hours around the world she traveled to still hear so much French.Just think how I feel with English girl!It is still a bit odd to be back in an English speaking country.I have to watch what I say out loud.And I have to be more mindful to NOT talk in repetitive circles which I sometimes had to do in Germany, Colombia, and Russia so non-English speakers could understand me.I tell myself that it’s like LA, but near Asia.Pretty cool.
Monday April 26 is a national holiday in Australia for their Veterans Day so I get a 3-day weekend.Sweet!I am trying to decide if I want to go to Singapore, Kuala Lampur, or Manila….or stay in the Sydney area and trail blaze cool stuff to do outside of the city.Ironically, a trip to Manila might be the first option ruled out.As much as I want to go to see friends and family a less than 3 day trip when factoring in travel time is just too short a time.I would go with a list of 10-12 things to do but the traffic and congestion alone limits you to 1-2 activities per day.My buddy Mike is in Singapore and another team from my company is in KL.But as I wrote in my previous entry, I believe in exploring the local scene first before jetsetting through the region.So I might end up staying around these parts and going to the countryside.It’s just that Asia is so tempting and fun!!! Thoughts anyone?
OK, long entry = see ya later and stay tuned for the next exciting episode!
Wow, time flies.I started writing this entry last week on Easter Sunday but never finished it.Then I caught up in the start of the week and crisscrossing continents making my way to Australia where I currently am.I realize only now that it’s been pushing a month since my last post.
So a little over two weeks in Paris marked my longest time there since I started this job.It was a bit chilly with on-and-off rain for most of my last 5 or 6 days in Paris…not the best combination when in a Western European city where ¾ of the best things to do are to walk around and get lost in its streets and neighborhoods.Sure enough, I still managed to get out of the apartment and do just that – wander the streets with my backpack and camera (one of my favorite free time activities).Luckily, I only really got caught in the rain once while standing outside on line to enter the Musée d’Orsay.
Last Sunday was of course Easter but probably far more important in touristic and secular Paris, it was the first Sunday of the month so most art museums are free.Who am I to pass up a free cultural opportunity so like the 3 million other tourists in this city I lined up (that is not a factual figure…I am convinced though that at any given time, tourists always outnumber native French in Paris).My plan was to go to the Orsay and then shoot on over to the Louvre just a few hundred yards away on the other side of the river.I’ve been to the Louvre a couple of times before but I think one needs to go there at least 50 times in order to truly experience the entire museum.That it was a rather foolish plan to try to squeeze several museums in came to light halfway through my hour and a half wait on line outside the Orsay.People were saying that it was a 3 hour wait to get inside the Louvre.The Orsay turned out to be a real jewel and one of my favorite museums.It is extremely small compared to Louvre or even Metropolitan Museum of Arts standards so therefore very manageable for one half of an afternoon.It had a sizeable collection of realist art (my favorite style) but is probably most famous for housing an extensive impressionist art collection.I’m not going to pretend to be an art guru and explain the intricacies or allegories of impressionist painters, but I was able to appreciate, enjoy, and mildly understand the beauty of impressionist art much more so than I have in the past.More so than just reveling in the fact of standing in front of Monet, Renoir, or Van Gogh’s most famous works I tried harder and better this time to look beyond the name and the historical significance of each work and focus with a keener eye on technique and style.It was a real pleasant appreciation for a new style of art for me.
Before the museum, I started my Easter off going to 12:30pm mass at an English-speaking church.Per usual with most English speaking ex-pat masses, the congregation was dominated by Filipinos.It reminded me of a cute 10 second cultural experience I had the week before.I was walking down the metro steps and noticed an elderly Asian couple walking up.The man first drew my attention because he was wearing the familiar blue and orange hat of my beloved New York Mets, quite an odd bit of fashion in the French capital.Then his demure wife drew my attention when she said to her husband in Filipino “it’s cold!”I turned to them and replied with a smile also in Filipino, “it IS cold, right?”They smiled back and that was it.Nothing special at face-value and the encounter lasted all of 10 seconds.But it was typical of what you can expect in Paris.Paris is diversity, Paris is cafes, Paris is people watching, and Paris is a sensory overload of a thriving modern metropolis mixed with historical façades and streets all filled with its colonial footprint and more of people.
New York and London typically get equated with diversity when thinking about western cities.“If you can’t find it in London/New York it doesn’t exist” as a saying, if not then certainly a mindset, goes.But Paris I would argue is right up there.Its colonial legacy has filled the city with immigrants from Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Vietnam, Laos, and a sprinkling of Caribbeans.All have set up their own enclaves and all have attracted immigrants from neighboring countries.The result is a convergence of colors, cultures, and ethnicities that, yes you do see in London or New York, but you don’t see to the same degree in Berlin, Frankfurt, Barcelona, or Madrid.Surely it is changing the dynamics of French society and redefining what it means to be French, but from a visitor’s perspective it gives the city an exciting feel to it; you always have the expectation of something new and different around the corner or what language the person getting on the metro next to you will speak and why.An Asian person boards the train next to you.Immigrant?Parents fled French Indochina and he was born and raised here?Newcomer who here to learn French?Another one of the billions of Chinese expanding their reach throughout the world?Colombia intrigued me because I have a flare for Latin America and its languages.Russia fascinated me because of its historical ties to the US and its current identity as an emerging enigma.Paris amazes me because its diversity always has a story of who is where and why.
Walk any street and you will run into dozens of cafes on a single street with outdoor seating set up in typical Parisian fashion – a circular cocktail table with two chairs set up next to, instead of facing, each other.It’s conducive for conversation sitting next to your friend but more so for people watching.The streets are the center of the show and observing their action is a prime activity.Sit around long enough at a café and a world of action, fashion, ethnicities, and languages will pass by.I definitely did a lot of café-ing during my two weeks there.Long walks with my camera throughout the city followed by a glass of wine or a cup of coffee taking it all in with my journal and my book next to me in the rare case that the people watching wasn’t entertaining enough.I sort of have a love-hate relationship with Paris.The language barrier and having to preface every conversation with a bashful “excuse me, I don’t speak French” is an obvious impediment.And like any city the crowds, noise, and urban pollution can get overbearing.But it’s a surprisingly small city for someone who digs city walks such as myself that has dozens of distinct neighborhoods to choose from for getting lost in.I thought about taking day trips to other parts of the country during my weekends.But being a firm believer when traveling to explore your host city before the rest of the country I chose to stay put in Paris, without regret.Every turn of the corner holds something worth seeing whether architecture, an urban park, an immigrant community carrying on business as usual, or an action packed bar full of locals watching you watching them.
