Just thought I’d send another brief update on Day 2 in Australia. Today was busy with getting the office setup, getting cell phones, and picking up the truck. The interesting part is the truck. The truck is a nice little white pickup, with shell on the back. It’s a 4-wheel drive, manual shift that takes diesel fuel.
I went for a drive this evening, after rush hour, to get the hang of driving in Australia, and I must say that I used every brain cell while driving on the left side of the road, shifting with my left hand, remembering that the rear view mirror is to my left, and trying not to turn on my turn signals using the wiper lever (the turn signal lever is on the right of the steering wheel, and the wiper lever is on the left). Several times I indicated my intention to turn by activating my wipers. And I had to remember to make sure my left turns were tight, and my right turns were wide. In addition, I found it mildly challenging to position the vehicle properly in the lane. I had a tendency to ease toward the left edge of the lane, since I felt like I was too far to the right in the lane when seated in the right side of the vehicle. Also, everybody here obeys the speed limit…exactly. The limit is just that, the limit. So it’s easy to keep from speeding. I’ve been told that the police will issue a ticket if you are just 2 kph over the limit. So, the driving thing will be a challenge for a little while.
In other photos, you can see the hotel, rowers on the river (I think I might join the Yarra Yarra Rowing Club--cleverly named after the Yarra River, twice), and a funky statue along the river (which I’ll have to investigate during a future walk along the river).
While walking along boathouse row on the river, I stopped in to the YYRC and talked to a guy named Colin. He quickly sized me up and invited me for a row on Wednesday. But I’ll be in Adelaide then, so he suggested I come down on Saturday morning. They row in eights, which will be fun, since I haven’t been in anything bigger than a four or quad in a decade or more.
As you may recall, I had decided to bring some office supplies along in my luggage, but only today realized that the US paper sizes are all wrong for Australia. Oops.
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| Andy's hotel/apartment building |
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| Rowers on the Yarra river |
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| Funky statue along the river |
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| Andy's new truck |
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