Last week you got to hear about all the craziness that went into just trying to get to Australia. (I mean it seemed like the entire universe did not want us to go!). If you have not already done so, read more or listen to more about the beginning of our 5 day trip (yes that is including fly time).
Now that we actually managed to set foot on Australian land, the craziness does not end. In fact, we have a whole different set of experiences that have made this trip feel so surreal. The first thing that really was a drastic difference from America was the rules of the road.
Yeah. Driving.
You would think that driving would be just that. Driving. And sure you might have to learn the exact rules that the new country may have, but shouldn’t it generally be the same across the board? We all have cars (or trucks, suvs, motorcycles… you get the idea) that function in the same way, just some countries prefer the driver on the left of the vehicle and some on the right. So prior to our trip, we had debated getting a rental car.
So glad we opted against it! Not only would getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road be a challenge, but we severely underestimated the extent of the differences between American and Australian driving. Listen to Episode 16: I’m American…Can You Tell? to hear more in depth about no yellow lines, turning right from the left lane, and very realistic signs. And take this as a fair warning about how drastically different driving can be across nations.
Another prominent difference was the appearance of Australia being more environmentally conscious. From biodegradable food containers to more than one type of recycling trash can (to the point where I hesitated when trying to determine the appropriate container for my recycling), it appeared that Australia had found a way to be more environmentally friendly and aware.
Don’t let that fool you as it did us. When I came back, I had been so impressed by what I saw in Australia that I began to do some more research. What I learned was that Australia has actually been in a recycling crisis! The crisis started when China banned importation of different types of recyclables (i.e. plastic) from Australia. And it turns out that most of the recycling ends up stockpiled in warehouses or sent to South East Asia to be illegally burned because Australia does not have the facilities to reprocess the plastic themselves. Read more about this from an ABC News article or an article about how 60 minutes exposed these practices.
Despite this terrifying reality (that I discovered was shrouded by the appearance of successfully recycling), there were more positive and interesting experiences that we had from visiting Australia for the first time. We talk more in depth about accents (and how we for the first time were told that we have an accent!), exploring Melbourne, and lots and lots of kangaroos!
Yes, you read right. We saw lots and lots of kangaroos. Two large groups of them… what is a group of kangaroos called? (Apparently either a troop, mob, or herd according to Google). From our experience, and the large amount that we encountered, I would call them a mob. Also, deer are considered to be a herd, and these kangaroos were nothing like the deer back home… so mob it is. The most exciting part about this was that these were wild kangaroos! Not ones in a zoo (which we saw, but they were all just lounging in the afternoon sun), but free-roaming (or hopping) kangaroos. This was in a park/reserve area and we followed the kangaroos over some hills…it was a truly amazing experience. We saw everything from joeys in their mother’s pockets to adolescents, to adults…and to one noticeably male kangaroo.
Did I mention that he was huge?
As we were slowly following the “mob” of kangaroos, I happened to turn to the left and in what turned into one of those dramatic slow scenes in a horror movie when the main character comes face to face with the scary monster, I locked eyes with the largest kangaroo I have ever seen (in person or otherwise). He was clearly the alpha-male, no doubt about it. I could clearly see the well-defined muscles from his biceps, to his chest and abs, to his powerful hind legs. One touch by this kangaroo and I would be out cold. All my excitement momentarily vanished as I froze in fear. Yes, there was a fence between us and the kangaroo, but I had a feeling that the fence was more to keep the humans out rather than the kangaroos in. At this point, we let the other kangaroos gain some distance before we slowly proceeded while keeping one eye on the alpha. This kangaroo was clearly the one in charge and seemed to stay behind to make sure that his group was able to get away safely and that we didn’t try anything. You don’t have to worry about me, mister Kangaroo sir. I just wanted to see you guys, and now I have…so I am going to…slowly…back…away…
One thing that I did not know about Australians was that they are apparently known for being rude… or maybe direct is a better word for it. Maybe it was because we stayed in more of the tourist-y areas and because we were there for a limited time, that we did not really encounter this. But out of all the friendly Australians that we did interact with we did meet one lady who held true to this sentiment (if it is true). You can hear about this air hostess in detail by listening to Episode 16!
Along with our time in Australia, as always, we talk about a variety of random topics, including saying “you’re welcome,” the sound that vehicles make when they reverse, and how commuting affects the driving skill of a driver.
Listen to Episode 16: I’m American…Can You Tell? now or in your favorite podcast app.
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