Australia
Rest & Relaxation…
Travel to Air Force camp at 0700 – Get Dropped off in front of large white tent – Wrong white tent – Look for another white tent (there all over the fucking place) – Enter next white tent and congratulate self on accomplishment – Sit down and wait 75 minutes to begin a life changing and exhilarating Army Briefing – Quickly redefine life based on contents of the briefing and proceed to follow the herd – Enter next white tent and verify important pieces of information such as name, social security number and favorite color – Follow arrow to next tent - Herd is separated into two groups, one for slaughter and one for breeding or maybe it was one for stateside travelers and one for international travelers – Change out of uniform and into civilian clothes (for security on international flights) - Rejoin the breeders or rather the group for international travelers – Wait in line – Think about Australia – Still waiting – Enter mindless waiting in line banter – Waiting becomes harder – Get to front of line to receive flight plan and tickets – Before I get my flight plan I’m told I have to change my shirt (wearing plain white T-shirt) – “Sir, why do I have change my shirt?” “Because it’s CFLCC (SEE-Flick) policy, SEARRRGENT, and the Army wants to portray a professional appearance” “But I’m not suppose to look like I’m in the Army and I think this shirt is professional” “SEARGENT!! You’ll change your shirt if you want to leave” (Bite tongue and blink) “Just curious, thanks for the explanation” (blink) – Wait for transportation to another camp – Wait at “another camp” – Wait for transportation to Kuwaiti airport – Wait for flight - - - Board flight.
First Stop Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates. I take my seat in the exact middle of the plane. On my left is a very large and very old Pakistani, he smells like a plant. On my right is either a very curious Egyptian or an Egyptian with a dysfunctional eye condition that repeatedly slants left. Either way, the flight is approximately 110 minutes and words spoken by me is approximately four. That’s one word every 27 ½ minutes. Not bad. (Egyptian eye slants are approximately one every six minutes.)
Touchdown Dubai.
(Dubai 6 Sydney 0)
I reach Dubai at approximately 0100. I have a twelve hour layover but fortunately for me and my colored T-shirt, I have a hotel room waiting. By 0230 I’m in my room. By 0236 I’m downstairs having my first beer in ten months. I purchase the alcohol by way of Visa at the tune of 18 dhs per beer (dhs = U.A.E Currency). I have no idea how many dhs equal a dollar but I quickly determine the answer to be inconsequential. “Yes, I’ll have another. 18 more dhs you say, no problem, Visa will take care of it” I read, I jot mental notes, and I think about the changes my life is bound to take on the account of so many briefings. Satisfied with the amount dhs’s that I’ve either spent, given, or traded, I retire to my room and into the shower. I take a very long shower.
Wake up and Back to Dubai International Airport. I wander the airport and as I wait for my flight and I begin to get the impression that I’m not actually a human creature but in fact a fugitive zoo animal, or so my impression goes. In any case I board my flight and prepare for non-stop to Sydney! (My seat is a comfortable window location next to only one person, who easily passes for an acceptable travel mate. He quickly wins me over with simply a nod and by ordering a cocktail on the first pass of the stewardess.)
I reached Sydney at 0515 however the biological time is 2215. I catch a shuttle to my hostel on Pitt Street where I meet, who would eventually become, my gay friend Andy. He’s from Leeds (U.K). Now I didn’t know Andy was gay nor would I care one way or another, but for the first two days I knew him, he was simply Andy, my British friend who I would partner up with (Shud’up) and meet some girls. Eventually, he made his declaration to me and he became Andy, my British friend who I would just drink a beer with. I found this funny, but he was hesitant to disclose his preferences to me on the account of my being in the Army. In any case his moment of truth wasn’t worth me delaying my next round, so on it was to new subjects.
I didn’t stay in Sydney very long, just a few days before I booked a flight and headed to Queensland. The weather was shit and I was wasting too much time sleeping, drinking and hanging out with a gay guy. I did manage to do quite a lot of walking, and to check out the harbor as well as a couple of museums before I left. I flew straight to Cairns and made plans to stay at a pretty nice hostel, although it was a 30 minute walk from the center of town. I don’t mind walking, in fact I enjoy it very much, however I didn’t consider the impact alcohol has on my sense of direction. This would become a problem later on down the road.
(Will continue Tommorrow...)
Travel to Air Force camp at 0700 – Get Dropped off in front of large white tent – Wrong white tent – Look for another white tent (there all over the fucking place) – Enter next white tent and congratulate self on accomplishment – Sit down and wait 75 minutes to begin a life changing and exhilarating Army Briefing – Quickly redefine life based on contents of the briefing and proceed to follow the herd – Enter next white tent and verify important pieces of information such as name, social security number and favorite color – Follow arrow to next tent - Herd is separated into two groups, one for slaughter and one for breeding or maybe it was one for stateside travelers and one for international travelers – Change out of uniform and into civilian clothes (for security on international flights) - Rejoin the breeders or rather the group for international travelers – Wait in line – Think about Australia – Still waiting – Enter mindless waiting in line banter – Waiting becomes harder – Get to front of line to receive flight plan and tickets – Before I get my flight plan I’m told I have to change my shirt (wearing plain white T-shirt) – “Sir, why do I have change my shirt?” “Because it’s CFLCC (SEE-Flick) policy, SEARRRGENT, and the Army wants to portray a professional appearance” “But I’m not suppose to look like I’m in the Army and I think this shirt is professional” “SEARGENT!! You’ll change your shirt if you want to leave” (Bite tongue and blink) “Just curious, thanks for the explanation” (blink) – Wait for transportation to another camp – Wait at “another camp” – Wait for transportation to Kuwaiti airport – Wait for flight - - - Board flight.
First Stop Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates. I take my seat in the exact middle of the plane. On my left is a very large and very old Pakistani, he smells like a plant. On my right is either a very curious Egyptian or an Egyptian with a dysfunctional eye condition that repeatedly slants left. Either way, the flight is approximately 110 minutes and words spoken by me is approximately four. That’s one word every 27 ½ minutes. Not bad. (Egyptian eye slants are approximately one every six minutes.)
Touchdown Dubai.
(Dubai 6 Sydney 0)
I reach Dubai at approximately 0100. I have a twelve hour layover but fortunately for me and my colored T-shirt, I have a hotel room waiting. By 0230 I’m in my room. By 0236 I’m downstairs having my first beer in ten months. I purchase the alcohol by way of Visa at the tune of 18 dhs per beer (dhs = U.A.E Currency). I have no idea how many dhs equal a dollar but I quickly determine the answer to be inconsequential. “Yes, I’ll have another. 18 more dhs you say, no problem, Visa will take care of it” I read, I jot mental notes, and I think about the changes my life is bound to take on the account of so many briefings. Satisfied with the amount dhs’s that I’ve either spent, given, or traded, I retire to my room and into the shower. I take a very long shower.
Wake up and Back to Dubai International Airport. I wander the airport and as I wait for my flight and I begin to get the impression that I’m not actually a human creature but in fact a fugitive zoo animal, or so my impression goes. In any case I board my flight and prepare for non-stop to Sydney! (My seat is a comfortable window location next to only one person, who easily passes for an acceptable travel mate. He quickly wins me over with simply a nod and by ordering a cocktail on the first pass of the stewardess.)
I reached Sydney at 0515 however the biological time is 2215. I catch a shuttle to my hostel on Pitt Street where I meet, who would eventually become, my gay friend Andy. He’s from Leeds (U.K). Now I didn’t know Andy was gay nor would I care one way or another, but for the first two days I knew him, he was simply Andy, my British friend who I would partner up with (Shud’up) and meet some girls. Eventually, he made his declaration to me and he became Andy, my British friend who I would just drink a beer with. I found this funny, but he was hesitant to disclose his preferences to me on the account of my being in the Army. In any case his moment of truth wasn’t worth me delaying my next round, so on it was to new subjects.
I didn’t stay in Sydney very long, just a few days before I booked a flight and headed to Queensland. The weather was shit and I was wasting too much time sleeping, drinking and hanging out with a gay guy. I did manage to do quite a lot of walking, and to check out the harbor as well as a couple of museums before I left. I flew straight to Cairns and made plans to stay at a pretty nice hostel, although it was a 30 minute walk from the center of town. I don’t mind walking, in fact I enjoy it very much, however I didn’t consider the impact alcohol has on my sense of direction. This would become a problem later on down the road.
(Will continue Tommorrow...)
posted by Rolligun at 9:49 AM
4 Comments:
1 dhs= about 27 cents. so you were paying around $4.86 per beer. hope they were big beers.
anyhow bro, glad to hear you had some fun. keep the updates coming. or else...
Wha'd up Chud, do have a working knowledge of international exchange rates, or did google give you a little help?
working knowledge. i like to invest in foreign currency. so i have a program that updates constantly, it was no thang to just move the current exchange from euro to dhs.
Personally I think the exchange rate is irrelevant. In any case it's about .77 USD = 1 AUD although that changes daily.
I've only been to Sydney and Cairns and I wouldn't say our money bears any extra weight in Australia, everything is priced the same (sort of/comparable to city life)if anything I thought I was paying a bit more for things (alcohol for sure) than I would have in the states. Either way I wouldn't think exchange rates would be a factor in my moving to Australia, you would work and earn a living acording to their standard of living, so I'd look for growth in the feilds that interest you. Plus, I had an excellent time there, lot's to do, and if you're thinking of Australia, I'd say you're time isn't wasted.
Just visit for a bit, but make sure to get a travel visa and country clearence first!! Wander around and pick fruit for you daily expenses, make some friends and then go home and decide.
Good luck.
Chud,
Do you ever put your tie on and tell the ladies "Baby Yeah, I buy and sell money! Honey"
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