Finally, some sun! I’ve made it to a tropical island paradise without an actual beach. I’m in Cairns, Australia. And if you look really closely at the pictures below, you see why there is no way anyone would swim there. So the city spent a lot of money to create a lagoon near the waterfront and even put sand in it. I guess that’s a solution.
Some of you have noticed that I didn’t blog as much when I was in Sydney. I think that equates to the fact that I found Sydney to be kind of boring. Besides seeing the Opera House and not paying to climb on the Harbor Bridge, I didn’t see much point in being there. I won’t say I hate it because at least the people were nicer than the people in Lisbon (which still remains my least favorite place on the planet).
Australia on the whole, remains a very strange country to me. So strange that I took the time to document with empirical evidence why it is so weird. May I present:
What the @ustralia??!
- Airport security on the domestic flight from Sydney to Cairns was non-existent. I scanned my passport at the self-service check-in and completed the entire transaction without any other human interaction. So when I dropped my bags at the “baggage drop,” I expected the gate agent to check my ID and bag. He only scanned my boarding pass and said he didn’t need my ID. OK, fine, the gate agent was trusting. Then he directed me to the TSA line and no one checked my ID AND boarding pass. Nothing. I put my stuff into the bins and proceeded through. I thought, now this is strange since so far, no one has confirmed that I am who I say I am. I was. And at the boarding gate, only my boarding pass was needed. WTAustralia?
- People walk on the left hand side of the sidewalk. This follows car traffic logic. So, cool. However, some people also switch it up and walk on the right hand side of the sidewalk. I have bumped into so many people in Australia and I can’t tell who’s right/wrong as I still haven’t grasped the idea that they drive on the opposite side of the road. Even getting into an Uber weirds me out. Like which side of the car do I sit on?!
- Ketchup is called “tomato sauce.”
- Beer comes in varying sizes when ordering draught. A pint (what I’m used to) and a schooner (which is the lady-sized pour. I’m guessing but every bartender has offered it to me. They clearly don’t know I like beer).
- LOTS of man buns.
There She Goes... 