Driving in Australia

Well, as you may know, driving in Australia is not the same as back in the states. First, the driver side is on the other side of the car. (So the first few times you get in on the wrong side, you just pretend like you are getting something from the glove box, then get out and walk around to the correct driver side.)  Second, they drive on the other side of the road. Third, they make extensive use of roundabouts here. Speed limits and distances are in the metric system.

As far as driving goes, it took Paul about two weeks before he got the nerve to try and drive. Sherri chooses not to drive and has officially become the Navigator.  It takes some time to get comfortable driving but after a month Paul feels OK. It is still odd when he turns right and is constantly reminding himself to stay on the left.

Driving thru a roundabout can be quite challenging. If you are going straight thru, no worries! But if you are turning right, you have to make sure you signal or the Aussies may get a little upset and think you need a "P" sticker in your back window to indicate you are a beginning driver. After a few bad nasty stares and a review of the Driving Handbook, Paul has figured it out and is now adept at managing the roundabouts.

Of course the first time yo drive at night, it is a disconcerting feeling to have the kangaroos on the side of the road staring at you. It is also horrible to see your first roadkill emu or kangaroo on the side of the road.

We made our first extensive trip away from the Perth suburban area this week. Once you leave the suburbs, you truly enter the bush. Gas stations and restaurants are few and far between. For our first trip, we were a little paranoid about breaking down in the middle of nowhere. So, we packed extra water and food in our eskie (aka cooler). The "highways" in Western Australia are merely 2 lane roads and a rest area is simply a pull off area with no facilities save a rubbish bin (aka trash can). Road trains are the norm. A road train is a semi-truck with 2 or more trailers. It is certainly a little scary when you pass one with his trailers swerving in the oncoming lane. 

All in all, our trip away from Perth was interesting and Sherri has promised to download the pictures and post them on the blog. Lets see if she keeps her promise. 

A bit of drama

Well, as they say in Australia, we have had a bit of drama in our lives over the last few weeks. We moved into our new apartment on the 15th. Within a half hour of the movers arriving, the override key for the elevator got locked inside and a technician had to come restore access to the lift. Unfortunately, he did not arrive until 4 hours later. this was the worst move of our 9 moves in the Navy so far. 4 of the dining room chairs were smashed beyond repair and 2 of the oversized chairs were warped as well as a few broken pictures. It is just stuff and life goes on.

Kris finally arrived in Perth on Christmas Eve after 52 hours of travel and waiting in airports. She was delayed flying out of Atlanta and as a result missed her connection to Sydney. She was forced to wait 24 hours for the next flight. She made the best of her situation when she met an 18 year old Australian boy from Brisbane. They hung out at the USO and then went into San Francisco for the day. In any case, we were all together for Christmas Day!

Finally, we had an e-mail from our renters to report that a pipe in the bathroom had busted resulting in a TON of water in the master bedroom and den. Although we have to pay our deductible, it is covered by our insurance. Just a headache trying to call the insurance claims adjuster on Christmas Eve with the 14 hour time difference.

Despite the drama, we take solace in reminding ourselves that we are in Australia for the next two years. Best shore duty in the Navy as Paul has been reminded.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas! We are on our way to the beach to make this Christmas even more memorable and different.

Well, we have been here for  a few weeks now and are beginning to get established.  Paul has officially taken over in his new job and will have a week of work before they go on stand down for Christmas.  The Navy takes a month off for the holidays, because it is also their summer and the kids are out of school.  This is a little unimaginable to us, having a month off work, but we will be taking advantage of it and seeing as much of the area as we can.

Sherri has joined the Australian/American Womens Association and meeting lots of interesting people.  They get together weekly for outings such as tours and shows in the city, hiking in surrounding area parks, and their monthly LAW Review.  This last one sounded quite boring, until it was explained that LAW stood for lunch and wine!  We are surrounded by the wine country and it is a good opportunity to sample some of the local wines.

We have an interview at All Saints' College next week with Alex.  It is a private anglican school that we are hoping he will be able to attend when the new school year begins in February.  Since there is not an US military base here and no Department of Defense school, the military will pay to send dependents to a private school.  This works well for us, since the school district we will be living in is not one of the better districts.

Our household goods arrived earlier than planned and have cleared customs in what seems like record time.  We will be moving into our apartment on Monday, December 15th.  It will be great to celebrate Christmas in our new place.  Sherri is looking forward to having all of her kitchen ware back in order to cook for Christmas.  We have been eating out a lot due to the limited cookware in our apartment and the difficulty of planning meals without all the essentials.

The town we are living in is very relaxed and eclectic.  There are lots of interesting people, many of which we would call hippies, artist, and just plain weird.  It is not unusual to see people walking around town (or eating in a restaurant evidently) in their bare feet, or sleeping on the sidewalk if they please.  There are a number of backpacker hostels in the area, which seems to draw a large number of young people, and creates a lively night life.  Although all the shops and stores, including grocery store and target, close around five o'clock, the restaurants and pubs do a thriving business in the evenings.  In contrast to this, Australia has done very well in mining and there are a lot of people who have become very wealthy in the past few years.