D78 -- The land down under

Before we left for the airport I decided to finally try Vegemite. Australians love the stuff, and from what they tell me, they are the only ones on the planet who do. It is “concentrated yeast extract,” whatever that means, and is used on crackers and bread. I tried just a bit, and it reminded me of when I was a child and used to lick beef bouillon cubes because I liked the flavor. Other unique stuff about Australians – they really do say g'day, no worries, and mate. And when they say "no worries" they mean it - they're so friendly. They like potato chips that are flavored like meat (e.g. lamb and mint). And Olivia Newton John is still kickin' it.


On the more serious side, we were surprised to learn that the minimum wage in Australia is a whopping US$11 an hour, and the unemployment rate is only 5% -- makes you question all of those in the US who say we can't raise our minimum wage (which is currently US$5.15) because it will cause unemployment to skyrocket. Finally, they have launched a huge social marketing campaign to decrease deaths due to automobile crashes. One sign we saw said, "A fififteen minute power nap could save your life." See, Manda, naps are good!


During our 8-hour flight to Hong Kong we read the accounts of Larry in the newspapers, watched several movies, and enjoyed the great food and service on Cathay Pacific during the flight. Man, I love that airline! We arrived into Hong Kong at 8:45 pm and debated whether we should stay at the airport's paid lounge (the one we stayed at before) or if we should take the train into town and stay at a hotel in Kowloon. I'd spent a lot on souvenirs earlier in the day, so I voted to stay at the airport lounge to save money and Thomas agreed. We sacked out in our adjoining cubicles around midnight.

-Elva