Little things give you away

Yesterday and today have been somewhat slower than before as I have just gone out walking instead of taking day tours. Yesterday I spent walking around the city and today I went to the national park right in the outskirts to walk up a 325 m high mountain. All in all, probably around 15 km the first day and 25 in the second (with 5 being rough mountain terrain).

Small things I have noticed about Australia during the week here:

Traffic lights for pedestrians go green, then start blinking red (instead of blinking green). Seems a bit more effective, as people are reluctant to cross with red.

Most houses here are a specific type of two-storey building, with a garage and a cellar as the lower floor and entrance with a stairway and from the first floor (instead of ground floor). Im guessing because of the rain during the rainy season.

In shops, the by far cheapest drink you can buy is milk with 100% natural juice a close second. Coca-cola and even water are both roughly twice as expensive. Small exception at Woolworths with their house brand water, but otherwise this seems to be the case - thus, it is actually cheaper to drink healthy stuff here.

Sadly, same cannot be said for eating. Australians love chips (potato wedges, bit larger than freedom fries usually are). I went by an Italian fast food place today, and they had a special - chips for 2.95 . Pasta was 8 and Lasagne 15, by the way.

Like in Denmark, nearly every road has a bike lane on both sides. A bit thinner than in Denmark and a lot less used, but still.

However, unlike Denmark, most roads lack a pedestrian walkway on the sides, so one either has to walk on the bike lane or on the grass. Only the Central Business District (CBD) is fully equipped with walkways too.

The temperature is just perfect right now. If the sun does not shine, it is comfortable to both stand and walk around with a T-shirt. If it does, it is a bit hotter, but still quite ok. Unlike what is currently going on in Estonia, with 35 degrees.

By the way, I am currently living in a small nudist colony of 2 people (excluding me). Thankfully, they allow me to walk around in a loin cloth. Couch Surfing - it is meant to widen ones world view, after all. Strange to say this but I am actually getting quite used to having two nude people around. And Frank and Philip are both pretty good company.

I made Alu Gobi again this evening. 4-th batch, I think. Came out pretty good, like the previous ones.

Going out to the Reef tomorrow.. and then rafting again the day after. Then try to go up north to go climb yet another mountain and possibly do some other forms of sight-seeing. And then possibly hitchhike back to spend the last night in the airport. Time flies when you're having fun.