G-day - all things Aussie

Ballina, Australia 23/2/2010 (how they write the date here and in N.Z.)

All Things Aussie

G'day Mates,

Here we are in Aussie land. Our eskie (cooler) is filled with poppas (juice boxes); we've been eating meat pies (picture an apple pie, then shrink it to about 4" across, fill it with meat and that's lunch); bug spray keeps away the mossies (mosquitoes) and we've got thongs on our feet....which is not as odd as it sounds - thongs are what the Aussies call flip flops. (Did we tell you they call flip flops ' jandels' in New Zealand. The Aussies found it hysterical that the New Zealanders call their thongs jandels.)

When you ask for a bathroom they think you suddenly need a bathtub - so instead you just ask straight out for the toilets (which are marked and written that way everywhere. No euphemisms here.) When you want to pay with a credit card you see if they accept eftpos (which we are totally guessing means, 'electronic financial transfer point of sale').

We've been far enough south we haven't had to worry about 'salties' or 'freshies' - salt water and fresh water crocodiles that it.

When you say,"Thank you," to someone the response is usually, "No worries."

We are off, in our Skoda rental car (made in the Czech Republic I think) to who knows where - somewhere between here, Ballina, and Sydney for the night.

That's all from the land down under.

Jackie