Adelaide

Hello from Adelaide. Arrived yesterday by train - 10 hours, 828 km at a speed of 85 km/h - local trains in Italy go faster than that! The weather has been mild so far - in the mid 20s. I like Adelaide, it's like a very big country town, everything is central,, it doesn't  really have traffic, is organised in grids and its central area is surrounded by parkland. The highlight today was a tour of the Haig's Chocolate factory! A short tour but lots of samples!

But before I discuss more about my trip a few general observations....

Recently there was great uproar about some students' VCE results being issued early, without the appropriate "supports" being in place. Really, they need support? I would have thought they would  be glad to be put out of their misery. Also I read in the local newspaper the fire authorities reminding people leaving campfires to make sure they are cool to touch as a lot of fires start due to unattended fires. I think a more appropriate strategy to address the issue would be to publicly name and shame those knuckleheads that have been responsible for these fires in the first place.

Travelling to Melbourne 

Travelling to Melbourne on the train in first class, I noticed a lot if children. It was a convention in the past that only those over 50 would travel first class to give them a break from children. I don't know what their parents are thinking. Also on the train I thought it ironic that the wrinklies, some of who complain about the manners of younger people these days, were oblivious to other passengers closer to the exit trying to get off the train.

When I was in the city I noticed, on the footpaths, messages from the Red Cross, including this one: "Give blood, get a biscuit, save 3 lives". They are obviously aiming at two completely different types of people. I also noticed a splattered egg in the middle of a busy footpath.. One of the mysteries of the universe I guess. Also saw a cafe with a sign out front: "Sugarcane please order inside". A haunt of sugar addicts?

The Trip to Adelaide

It was a major battle getting to the city to catch the train (the Overland) from Southern Cross. It took an hour from hoppers crossing by taxi at 6am, a trip that takes 37 minutes by train. I don't know how people can tolerate making this trip everyday by car. It was also ironic that having made this trip to the city to get the train it came through hoppers crossing station on its way to Adelaide!

The trip on the train was a bit boring with 100s of kilometre of flat land and wheat fields until we got to the Murray river, at Murray Bridge, and the hills outside of Adelaide. But there was plenty to eat on the train - some of the wrinklies were certainly putting it away. I guess they might as well. Also at the start of the trip we were told that footwear had to be worn in the dining car and when moving around the train. I don't want to think what precipitated this rule.

Some things that I noticed when we got into SA were the number of train spotters taking photos of the train. Says a lot about the availability of recreational options in SA.  I also saw the biggest house number I have ever seen on a house fence - it was a black 8 on a yellow background about 2 x 2m. Not sure whether the owner has identity issues or is making a point to the postie. Also saw a lot of graffiti on rocks, near Adelaide, in the middle of nowhere - obviously a shortage of graffiti space in SA.

One of the places I noticed in Adelaide is a motel called Motel Adjacent Casino. I guess it's pretty obvious what their market is and looking at the state of it, it looks like a place someone who has lost all their life savings through gambling would be found in.

Anyway some photos of the trip to and of Adelaide... 

Culture Shock

Hello again,

I returned to Australia late October and it has been a bit of a cultural shock after being away from Australia for over 5 months:

• I had to learn to speak English again. I think I have picked it up now
• So much crime and violence here, feels like a battlefield and politicians seem much more angry now too.

The weather has been quite good here in Bright, most days being in the high 20s, without the humidity of Piran! Anyway some observations:

Interesting People
Bright attracts a number of visitors, sometimes for specific events, and its interesting that some groups of people have certain similarities:

• Males around 25 that wear baseball caps and sunglasses perched on top, singlets, baggy shorts and thongs. Facial hair and tatoos are optional
• Skinny, scrawny types wearing baseball caps that sound like they are talking through their noses
• Males 30+ that wear all black, long beards and always have a beer in their hand (these are typically associated with the annual hot rod run)
• Four wheel drive drivers. They usually are wearing some kind of cowboy hat and their vehicles are covered in mud. They look bedraggled like they haven't slept, washed or eaten for a couple of weeks
• Those that like wearing shorts, t-shirt in combination with a beanie regardless of weather conditions (also spotted in Melbourne) 

An interesting phenomenon that I have noticed on coming back and walking in the city is the rise of the phone zombie. I can't believe how many people these days walk around the city, not looking where they are going, staring into their phone screens and sending SMSs or checking their emails etc. While I was in the city also noticed a large bodied person selling the Big Issue outside The Body Shop. In his defence I think that was his spot before The Body Shop set up shop there.

Public Transport Tales 

I love the announcements at train stations in Melbourne now triumphantly declaring that the line is operating a good service. The announcer seems genuinely happy to be announcing the fact the trains are running on time. I don't think they have high expectations of the train system.

Increasingly it appears that there are more and more people travelling on public transport completely oblivious to the existence of other passengers. When I was catching the 6.10am bus to Wangaratta there were three people gossiping and carrying on at the front of the bus. so much so that two passengers moved right to the back of the bus. Its 6 o'clock in the morning! Then when I was catching the train into the city a person was on facetime, again just talking gossip. The fact that the train filled around her didn't stop her from having this important conversation that required face to face communication.

I have noticed in Melbourne, well in Hoppers Crossing anyway, little orange signs with the bus route numbers on them. I hope these have not be installed for bus drivers to tell them which way to go. 

Interesting Products and Marketing
While filling in time at an electronics store in Melbourne, I spotted an interesting product called "Toilet Slam Dunk". I didn't linger too long near this product as a shop attendant was heading my way but apparently it consists of a small basketball hoop which you stick on the back of the toilet door and you try to throw a small ball into the hoop. It's apparently aimed at banishing boredom in the toilet: Toliet Basketball Kit. I will not comment any further.

I got an email from an online company that sells garden watering products suggesting some Christmas gifts. In it was included what the staff etc. were going to give their families for Christmas. Apart from the fact that what their families were going to get was no longer going to be a surprise as they revealed this information to the public, all the gifts were the company's products. Maybe staff are getting a substantial discount but getting a hose reel, hose connector or sprinkler for Christmas seems to be a bit of a let down for their families (on two counts).

Also noticed a sign at Werribee Plaza (that's a shopping centre in Melbourne but it has changed its name now to something that sounds more like a tourist resort: Pacific Werribee) that indicated that the Bingo and the Library are co-located. I guess that's one way of attracting people to the Library.

Television
I note that a big story on Channel 7 news recently was a special investigative report on the exploitation of Mexican fruit pickers in Mexico. I'm not sure whether such an expose on Australian TV will make much difference to their plight. I don't think they would have been as enthusiastic about a trip to Mildura. Call me cynical but sounds like a junket to me.
 
An interesting story on the local news recently was a break in into a community house in Wodonga. Police had a piece of evidence they don't normally get: a butt print left by one of the offenders. In an apparent act of defiance (aka stupidity) the offender left his butt print on the door (well spotted by the fingerprint experts). He was subsequently arrested but I don't know whether the butt print was the crucial piece of evidence that led to the arrest. The story can be found here, complete with a photo of the evidence: Butt Print story

A intriguing program that I saw on community TV recently was the Personal Injury Law Show. As fascinating as three lawyers talking about traffic accident cases is, I don't think it will make commercial TV. I think the program was designed to promote their law firm but they never really mentioned the firm much. I think they just really liked going on TV talking about court cases. Catch up on all the latest action at The PI Show.

On a Positive Note
Despite all the negativity, one positive thing from the election of Donald Trump is that he has legitimised the comb over. In fact I noticed he has gone for the double comb over. It gives a lot of people enhanced self-esteem.

Off to Adelaide next week, more blogs to follow. Finally, some local photos...

Lake Buffalo (near Myrtleford)

Gorge Walk (near Mt Beauty)

 

 

Tronoh Lake (near Harrietville)

Ovens River, Bright

Morses Creek, Bright

Canyon Walk, Bright

Flood damage on the Ovens River near Bright. the river has moved 3m to the left washing away a road and part of the Cherry Walk track

The Trip Back

Hello, got back on Monday, getting some sleep but waking up at 5am (just like I did when working). Anyway, the trip back was eventful...

Fishing Tale
Before I left I saw my downstairs neighbour in Piran. He is a retired ex-sailor with plenty of stories (certainly better ones than mine). Well anyway he fishes regularly from his small boat. On this occasion he had his main rod for fishing and another pole out the side of the boat, just in case. Well something got caught on this pole and it disappeared underwater and didn't reappear. He figured that it probably got snagged on something and was dragged down. Shortly afterwards he had a bite on the main rod and eventually reeled in a fish almost a metre long. This fish had another hook and line in its mouth which he figured it had acquired during another encounter with a fisherman. Well he pulled in the line which seemed to go on and at the end of it was the pole that disappeared. He had caught the fish twice.

Public Transport on the Way
On my way to the airport came across a few interesting things. First there was the person walking down the footpath with a giant Slovenian Flag sticking out from his backpack. Maybe just patriotic. And why is it that women with long hair are oblivious to the existence of anyone else sharing public transport: they are always flicking it about and on the bus one was even brushing it. It didn't look like it needed urgent attention. On the bus to the airport a mother left her 10 and 6 year old to go to the airport themselves to meet someone. No mollycoddling there.

The Flights
After landing at Frankfurt airport, after flying from Ljubljana, we got on the bus to go to the main terminal. Well I think there was some sort of unofficial race between the bus and an A380 plane being towed to a gate. The plane won, cutting across us at one point (there probably is some airport road rule about that).  It turns out it was the actual plane that I caught from Frankfurt to Singapore. However, I think we actually landed at another airport outside of Frankfurt based on how long it took us to get to the main terminal on this bus.
Loading of the plane to Singapore was an utter farce with huge queues stacking up at the entrance to the plane, so much so that the escalator broke down due to the sheer numbers on it. Not much German organisation on display there. On this same plane luckily I had a very kind and considerate person sitting next to me who appeared to be a flight attendant. I was concerned though as she slept for about 9 hours without moving. At one stage I was worried she was dead. 

Next trip is in December to South Australia as part of my National Parks tour!

Finally, photos from my phone, not great quality but....

From the bus from Piran with views of the Italian Alps

From the bus, view towards Slovenian Alps above Trieste

View from Ljubljana Airport

View from the plane as we were flying across the Slovenian-Austrian border

The End Is Near

Hello,

Well that's the end of my time here in Slovenia for this year as summer has rapidly disappeared in the last few weeks - I leave tomorrow.  Did a few short trips recently but the main one was a visit to Ljubljana (the capital) to see the Slovenia - England World Cup Qualifying soccer match. A great atmosphere. Only 13,000 people but everyone was chanting throughout the whole match and the large contingent of English fans couldn't get a word in.  

But before I go some final observations...

Interesting TV Programmes
Thank goodness for the TV shopping advertisements which appear to be well ahead of the medical profession in promoting solutions to health problems: girdles to improve posture; electromagnetic pens for pain relief; and magnetic knee braces to stop back pain.
An interesting German TV programme I have seen recently involves a randomly generated number being displayed on a screen for a short time and then the contestant, in a test of memory, has to step on the correct numbers which are laid out on the floor, within a time limit. The number gets increasingly longer. To me it was entertaining for about 10 minutes. It must be a German thing.

Builders in Piran
Most buildings in Piran are old, made out of stone and about 4 stories high with limited space around them. There are always builders around working on these buildings. There are the ones that use scaffolding and lifts and then there are the builders that use 4 story high ladders. OH&S appears to be optional here.

Slovenian Stories
For a small place there is a lot of strange things that happen here. We had the 72 year old that drove his car into the sea, presumably by accident. It was a bit odd, it was 6am and it was in an area in which cars really don't go (a wharf). He was rescued by two policemen. You can see the pictures here
Then there's the story about France wanting its king back from Slovenia, Apparently the last French king died in Slovenia and is interred in a church here. Who would of thought a French king would be buried here? You can read the full story in English here
And there was the incident of a motorist intentionally running over the mayor of a local town, while he was riding his bike, who fled from the scene. Subsequently he handed himself into police. Maybe the rates are too high there. In other news somebody purchased a giant statute of Mother Teresa and offered it to a town near here (Postojna) to put up in its central square. The town council declined because she didn't really have a connection to the town and likened it to putting up a statute of Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley. Who would have thought?
However, the main things that dominate the news here appear to be corruption scandals. The latest is people paying money to jump the hospital waiting queues. In Australia we call this private health insurance.
Here, as in some other European countries, you can ride a scooter, speed limited to 25km without a licence or helmet and on roads or bike paths. Therefore kids tend to use them a lot. I am not sure whether these scooters are always limited to 25km by the speeds they have gone by me in the past but to me it just seems to encourage hoons. Perhaps the strategy is that the kids will learn to drive better or that the hoons will kill or injure themselves on scooters making driving car driving safer for everybody else. I am not sure whether that strategy is working as Slovenia has one of the highest road fatality rates in Europe.
 

Refugees
The crisis that unfolded last year did not occur this year but the method of departure has altered. Apparently, crime is well down in the the neigbouring country of Serbia because for the criminals people smuggling is more lucrative. There's always an upside.

Dodgy People
I observed a few people whose behaviour caused me concern. There was the kid with a white backpack who couldn't sit still on the bus. He made a big performance of getting his earphones out, bought out this big phone, listened to music for 5 minutes, then packed everything away with the same fanfare, sighing in between. Then there was the black base ball cap wearer wandering around with camouflage pants and jacket, and black backpack (and no he was not a member of the army). And finally there was the woman that came on to the bus with a permanent smile on her face, went to the middle of bus, looked around, then sat in the most uncomfortable and cramped seat available, wedging herself opposite some other people. I tried not to make eye contact with her when she was getting off the bus. I am sure a profiler would make something of all this.


Old People
We recently had the Golden Age Gym Festival here. I am not sure what golden age they were part of but participants couldn't walk very fast and spent a lot of time at cafes and restaurants.
Piran seems to be the headquarters of hip grandmothers. Saw another one on the bus with the backward baseball cap, jeans and runners with pink shoe laces.
And finally, it's interesting to note that in the Slovenian language "buried" and "cemetery" are very similar to the words for "pensioner" and "retired".

Public Transport Tales
The bus doesn't often stop at the last stop before Piran (as it's not very far to Piran itself). But on one occasion some tourists got on, got to Piran when they asked the driver when the next bus to Ljubljana left. Apart from the fact that they had just travelled in the opposite direction to which they were wanting to go and that such buses are infrequent.....Then there was the man that got off this same stop after apparently buying his bread in Piran. Well it is uphill.
But the highlight was the old couple that came on to the bus that then starting debating where they were going. The bus driver said to them that he can't help them with that and to stop holding up the bus. Another first was a couple that bought their car seat for their child to sit on the bus.I guess it's safer if buses had seat belts.
The funniest story that I overhead was when a bus driver was complaining that he was 4 minutes late and had not even had a break. He told one of the passengers that the way the timetable was worked out was that the manager got on his motorcycle to get the timings for the route. It gets better, apparently while doing this he got a speeding ticket but he still used the timings for the timetable.

What the...
When I was on the bus I was surprised to see on a side road a policeman wearing a helmet and black balaclava holding a machine gun apparently guarding the site of a raid on a car. All the car doors were open and there were police cars everywhere. You don't see that everyday. Apparently, this was part of an operation against organised crime dealing in illegal drugs, gun trafficking and people smuggling involving an Albanian fruit and vegetable seller (things aren't really different overseas).
While in Ljubljana I saw the biggest pram, buggy? I have ever seen. It had seating for 6 toddlers. Also in Ljubljana, there is a park where homeless people go. When I was walking through the park, this last visit, I saw somebody who had a shopping trolley with all their stuff: bedding, personal items and a large stuffed toy pony. I guess it might be a good pillow.


My Hotel
The Ljubljana hotel was comfortable but they seemed to be rationing tea bags. When I came there were two tea bags. On day three they boosted that up to 4. Also seemed to be important, rich and/or dodgy people staying at the hotel, at least on the 5th and 7th floors where I saw black clothed security guards.

Soccer Commentary
Slovenian TV Commentary continues to provide some gems. Talking about an injured player lying on the floor, the commentator said that he'll get the magic water and then he'll be running around in a few minutes like a wind up machine. About another game the commentator said it was like a cat playing with a mouse.

Shopping
Saw a shop that was promoting its "salty goodies". I'm not sure whether that's a selling point or a warning. Also when paying for a purchase I made at a hardware store I was invited to press a red button, as a result I won a 5% discount on my purchase. I suspect this is one of those promotions where everyone wins a prize.

Random Thoughts
Because of the heat and humidity here this past summer I have had to resort to wearing shorts (do not try to picture this). Previously my rule was I wear shorts only for sports (soccer and cycling). However, my legs appear to be impervious to the sun, they are still white as snow. My theory is that they are so white that they reflect the sun. This reflective effect may also explain why I am apparently invisible to some people (see previous blog: 11 September 2016).

Some final photos taken in the last few weeks mainly in and around Piran and nearby Ankaran....

This one is not from around Piran but is of Ljubljana. It was cold.