Don’t Worry, Tourists, It’s a Nice Thing

Sometimes the locals have to spell things out for the tourists so they don’t freak out about something they’ve never seen before. Squat toilets, intestines on a stick, mosquito nets–all presented without comment or explanation, just read your guidebook to figure it out (okay, except the nice vendor did steer me away from intestines toward a pork satay instead). Which works for me! You’re visiting a culture, after all, so learn a little about it. But I’m guessing the Luang Prabang airport received complaints about its bathroom air fresheners, because they’ve affixed quite the descriptive label to them.

It did smell good

It did smell good

Australia by the Numbers

Miles traveled: ~6,030

Kilometers traveled (after all, it’s the unit of measure here): ~9,800

Methods of transport used: 5

Times an Aussie actually said “G’day, mate”: 0

Times an Aussie called me “mate”: at least 10

Times I heard the unofficial anthem “Livin’ on a Prayer”: 16, or that’s as high as I counted before I started crying as a stress response to hearing it

Days spent in medical care: 15

Sweet treats purchased after visiting doctors: 6

Possessive wallabies admired: 1

Wild kangaroos spotted, ever so briefly: 1

Parrots permitted to perch on my head: 1

Wild koalas spotted: 3

Wild penguins spotted: 8

House pets befriended: 3

Total days spent in Australia: 69

Total money spent: $6,098

Average per day: $88

Total money spent, not including airfare: $4,573

Average daily cost, not including airfare: $66

Germans encountered: ~10,000

Brits encountered: ~8,000

Americans encountered: 3

Days spent feeling sorry for myself and my sick body: 6

Days spent enjoying myself and feeling very fortunate indeed: 63

Lifelong dreams achieved: 2

kangaroo sign

Australian License Plate Bingo

I didn’t quite get bingo (I’m missing South Australia and the Australia Capital Territory). But it was fun to play! Here are license plates for almost all the states and territories in Australia. Some of them have varying taglines, so there’s more than one photo.

New South Wales

New South Wales

Tasmania

Tasmania

Northern Territory

Northern Territory

Queensland

Queensland

Queensland

Queensland

Victoria

Victoria

Victoria

Victoria

Victoria

Victoria

 

Western Australia

Western Australia

Victoria thinks well of itself, eh?