These were the piccies sent to me by Julianne back in May.
Saturday 11th Aug
Blimey, been here nearly month. Time for another installment.
General impressions?
Like Ireland really (for those who have been there). Some things are very different, some things incredibly similar. So the first week were spent doing all the tedious tasks like sorting out insurance, health insurance (which is a visa condition, although I’d still rather be in a public hospital as we end up sorting out everything that the private system can’t. Like home, really), broadband and mobile phone.
I’ve got a bike now, and it’s about 10-15 minutes cycle to work. In the daytime it’s across the parklands, including right across the race course and what looks like part of a formula one track (I think it’s used for a rally later in the year). Sadly, considering how flat Adelaide is, there don’t seem to be that many cyclists and I didn’t manage to find a second-hand bike. So I’ve got a mountain bike far better than what I have at home. Even Cash Converters, which seems to be a big thing here, only sells bike that are in the A$1000s range. A bit more upmarket than home.
I also spent a day working the street looking for a car. Incredibly (for a country that won’t let you take home a doggy bag from a restaurant in case you eat it and get food poisoning), SA doesn’t have any MOT on cars. So there are some real wrecks on the road. Then again, the cars don’t rust, so they probably do last longer. It’s also impossible to tell how old a car is by looking at the no. plate. On the whole second hand cars seem v expensive.
Anyway, I picked up a trevved up Mitubishi Lancer which had 25% off for (once the visa bill came through) just over £4000, complete with spoiler and fat-boy exhaust. It’s actually a good time to move to a new country – right in the middle of the winter sales. So I’ve got wheels and I can now explore properly.
Although I did cycle to Glenelg on the day after picking up the bike – about 10 miles down an urban dual carriageway. Anyway, that’s the nearest beach, although the weather wasn’t warm enough to sit still for long. Glenelg has a “heritage tramway” that you can ride for about 300 yards for free. OK, on Sundays there’s one old tram! But it’s quite cute and I imagine that there’s quite a buzz in the summer cos I think it’s pretty popular, and the beach is a decent size.
So the cycling’s good for me. So I keep telling myself.
The weather has warmed up, particularly in the evenings and it’s like April now. Including the rain. I thought I was coming over here to escape that. Or maybe it just always seems to be raining because it does when I’m cycling home from a late shift at 1 am. The flowers are gorgeous already, the blossom is out (which does look strange as some of the trees still have brown leaves on), and the birds are, well, loud.
Anyway, more about what actually I’ve been doing next time.
Blimey, been here nearly month. Time for another installment.
General impressions?
Like Ireland really (for those who have been there). Some things are very different, some things incredibly similar. So the first week were spent doing all the tedious tasks like sorting out insurance, health insurance (which is a visa condition, although I’d still rather be in a public hospital as we end up sorting out everything that the private system can’t. Like home, really), broadband and mobile phone.
I’ve got a bike now, and it’s about 10-15 minutes cycle to work. In the daytime it’s across the parklands, including right across the race course and what looks like part of a formula one track (I think it’s used for a rally later in the year). Sadly, considering how flat Adelaide is, there don’t seem to be that many cyclists and I didn’t manage to find a second-hand bike. So I’ve got a mountain bike far better than what I have at home. Even Cash Converters, which seems to be a big thing here, only sells bike that are in the A$1000s range. A bit more upmarket than home.
I also spent a day working the street looking for a car. Incredibly (for a country that won’t let you take home a doggy bag from a restaurant in case you eat it and get food poisoning), SA doesn’t have any MOT on cars. So there are some real wrecks on the road. Then again, the cars don’t rust, so they probably do last longer. It’s also impossible to tell how old a car is by looking at the no. plate. On the whole second hand cars seem v expensive.
Anyway, I picked up a trevved up Mitubishi Lancer which had 25% off for (once the visa bill came through) just over £4000, complete with spoiler and fat-boy exhaust. It’s actually a good time to move to a new country – right in the middle of the winter sales. So I’ve got wheels and I can now explore properly.
Although I did cycle to Glenelg on the day after picking up the bike – about 10 miles down an urban dual carriageway. Anyway, that’s the nearest beach, although the weather wasn’t warm enough to sit still for long. Glenelg has a “heritage tramway” that you can ride for about 300 yards for free. OK, on Sundays there’s one old tram! But it’s quite cute and I imagine that there’s quite a buzz in the summer cos I think it’s pretty popular, and the beach is a decent size.
So the cycling’s good for me. So I keep telling myself.
The weather has warmed up, particularly in the evenings and it’s like April now. Including the rain. I thought I was coming over here to escape that. Or maybe it just always seems to be raining because it does when I’m cycling home from a late shift at 1 am. The flowers are gorgeous already, the blossom is out (which does look strange as some of the trees still have brown leaves on), and the birds are, well, loud.
Anyway, more about what actually I’ve been doing next time.
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