On The Hunt...

Being unemployed is great up until your cash starts to run out, then as every day goes by you start seeing dollar figures on everything. Thankfully my budgeting worked as I was able to survive on about $50/day in this bloody expensive country (not including accommodation which is on average $30/night). Nonetheless once I got back to Melbourne at the start of January I realized that I needed to start looking for a job as my cash was starting to dry up. So the hunt began...

As a traveller, your best bet on getting a job is mostly through employment agencies or in the hospitality industry. I decided to go the hard route and apply directly with companies (through seek.com.au) for higher positions than your typical backpacker jobs. This was definitely a harder route to take, and one that was making me a little bitter as well. Being here on a working holidaymaker visa limits you to 6 months with any employer. This limitation as well as a lot of bad apples out there have closed the doors to many of the better jobs. The agency that assists me down here has job listings but many are waiter, kitchen hand, and barista jobs that don’t necessarily pay well. Every day I would get calls from employers about jobs I had applied for, but as soon as my accent came out the question: “What’s your situation?” would come up, and then a prompt rejection from the job. I also got TONS of rejection letters through e-mail.

The best way I can sum up my view of job hunting, is like going to a nightclub. Obviously I want to hit on all the hottest girls (best jobs) first, but they’re also the ones with the most guys hitting on them (choice of candidates). As the night goes on, if I’m unsuccessful, I’ll start hitting on the more regular girls (reg. jobs). If things get REALLY bad, well... there’s always that ONE girl who will go home with anybody (think fast food!). But you wouldn’t want to be caught going after her now would you...

It's all part of the game...

The key to being successful is persistence. Now nobody likes to strike out... but if you never swing for the ball you’ll never hit it. If you just stand there and hope to be walked onto base, you’ll never get anywhere good. Thankfully my persistence and confidence payed off with an interview invitation, where like a boss I was confident and smooth about my skills and experience.

Many of my friends here have found work in restaurants and cafes quite easily. If you put yourself out there and visit every restaurant and confidently talk with the manager, you just might score yourself a try. This is usually a one hour session where you’re given a shot to prove yourself, because c’mon really what would a boardroom interview accomplish in a job where more practical skills are involved. Just don’t act a fool and say you’re something you’re not...like a bartender or barista, you WILL get busted at some point if not on your try, when you screw up your customer’s martini or espresso.

While you’re out here in Australia, the key to getting a great job is to remain confident and to not get bitter after all the rejections you’ll get. I did manage to remain cool and confident in myself and therefore managed to score an amazing job. I also kept my cool in the interview, but I can tell you that I was shaky beforehand.  I now have an amazing opportunity to add international experience on my resume

50 Things I’ve Learned In Australia

1. Melbourne is pronounced Melburn and not Mel-boorne. You WILL be corrected on that!

2. Bogan is slang for white trash/hillbillies.

3. There are heaps of Irish here!

4. On that note there are a lot of French as well.

5. Tomato sauce is ketchup, so it’s ok if someone offers to put some on your fries.

6. Rice Krispies are referred to as Rice Bubbles here.

7. They have drive through bottle shops (liquor stores) here which kicks ass.

8. Thongs go on your feet and not on your privates.

The Australian breakfast of champions!

9. Vegemite is meant to be spread on toast, not eaten by itself.

10. Goon refers to a 4L box of wine you can purchase for $10 here in Australia. It tastes like ass and will give you a nasty hangover!

11. NOBODY drinks fosters here... The commercials we saw in North America were lies!

12. The national colours are green and gold.

13. JB HI-FI is the equivalent of Future Shop/Best Buy.

14. Nobody here eats kangaroo, but it’s a nice lean meat and pretty tasty. It can be a little tough so make sure you cook it right!

15. The sun here is STRONG! Always wear sunscreen and try to wear a hat.

16. Green peppers are referred to as capsicum here. So when you order your pizza or pasta and you’re expecting something new and exotic, don’t get your hopes up!

17. If you’re a guy and you like short-shorts, you’ll LOVE Australia!

18. Women here actually like to dress up to go out (and by dress up I mean an actual dress and heels). Sadly it’s getting quite rare to see this back home.

19. I’ve spoken French every day here in Melbourne due to the number of Frenchmen here. On that note they HATE our accent and some seem to have trouble understanding it.

20. Don’t use Greyhounds here in Oz, find out why in The Australian Toilet Experience.

21. Coolers (the ones we stick beer and food in) are referred to as eskis here.

22. Dick Smith Electronics is the equivalent of Radio Shack/The Source.

23. Tomato sauce does NOT go on pasta... PASTA sauce goes on pasta.

24. Rock melons are cantaloupe.

25. Pints in this country are overpriced sitting around the $10 range. Schooners (473mL) are your best bet.

26. On that same note there’s no standardized beer size names so a schooner can mean a different thing in a different state.

27. ALDI is a lifesaver if you’re on a shoestring budget, cheap groceries and beer!

28. Bars here are referred to as hotels. So you’ll see a LOT of hotels when walking about the city, but not all of them necessarily have accommodation.

29. Brothels are LEGAL in Australia. There’s actually one up for sale down the road where I live with a BIG sign “BROTHEL FOR SALE.”

30. Never ask for a “bathroom,” ask for a “toilet.” Restaurants and bars might tell you they don’t have a “bathroom” as they’ll think you’re looking to take a bath/shower.

31. There’s no such thing as a double-double here in Australia.

32. The meat pies here are amazing!

33. For some reason it seems that the smaller the coin here in Australia the more it’s worth. The $2 coin is the smallest whereas the 50c coin is massive!

34. Just like traffic drives on the left, everyone walks on the left, stands on the escalator to the left etc. After being here a while you will be able to point out the tourists.

35. VB is bogan beer, don’t be caught drinking it!

36. The flies here are annoying as hell, they go straight for your mouth, eyes, or nostrils. You will at some point slap yourself if you’re staying out in the bush.

37. Australia has some really weird TV shows. For example: Please Marry My Boy where mums go on national TV to try and find their beta sons a wife.

38. Holden cars = GM cars

39. Porterhouse steaks here are striploin steaks in North America. Regardless you can find some $12 porterhouse steak specials at certain bars which is still a great deal.

40. You will barely meet any Australians if you’re doing the hostelling thing down here.

41. Almost every industry here is regulated to death, and if not has some government agency sticking it’s nose into it. I would probably never open a business here.

42. You will sign A LOT of waivers here. I had to sign one to go on a pub crawl with a hostel here once.

43. The Axe line of men’s products is called Lynx here.

44. Melbourne loves its footy while Sydney tends to prefer rugby.

45. They do have a basketball league here in Oz (The NBL) and it’s still pretty big.

46. A lot of downtown restaurants and cafes won’t have a toilet in them, be warned!

47. People here refer to downtown as the CBD (Central Business District).

48. They don’t do 12-packs of beer here in Australia.

49. Subway here offers guacamole and pineapple as toppings!

Happy Australia Day mates!

50. Happy Australia Day, January 26!

Melburnian Tourist Gems

I think it’s about time that I write a little about the city that I live in, Melbourne. I’ve written plenty about the differences and quirks about Australia but I do need to give this city some credit as it is a great place to live despite my gripes! Melbourne unfortunately tends to fall off the tourist radar as it’s usually living in Sydney and the barrier reef’s shadow, but it does have some cool sights! Here are 3 different tourist activities that I’ve been to and can vouch are worth seeing.

Welcome to GAOL!

The Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail) is an interesting experience which offers both historical and entertainment value. To start off, if you are visiting this gem, be sure to add the watch-house tour. For a few dollars more you can experience what it was like to be arrested in the mid 90’s just before the jail closed. You start in front of the jail where you are arrested by a Victorian police officer and brought into the station for booking. Just before you’re booked, you’re given a card with your “name” and your crime, and other details which the officer will question you on. You’re then brought in for a search and locked in a cell. While at first I was a little skeptical as to why I’d pay to be arrested, the experience is quite fun! While you CAN get the experience for free, I highly recommend paying as you’re not forced into taking the criminal record and deportation experiences as add-ons to your tour.

The deathmask of Ned Kelly (a mould of his face after he died)

The other part of the museum is visiting the Old Gaol which holds an important place in Australian history. It’s here where you’ll learn a lot about Ned Kelly and his gang. Ned Kelly is a folk hero here in Australia where he and his gang took on the government and wanted to create a breakaway republic. The only sort of comparison I can give regarding Ned to a Canadian figure (and I do so loosely) is Louis Riel. Some love the guy, some hate what he stood for. Ned Kelly was held and later hung in the Gaol. For those who are interested there’s a whole exhibit on hanging, including actual ropes and gear that were used to hang inmates. Overall the jail is a great place where you can easily spend an afternoon, and at $23 dollars for both the jail and watch-house tour, it’s a pretty good deal.

Victorian Parliament Building

Next up we have a tour that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Being a politics major in Uni, obviously I’m going to be interested in government houses and learning how things work in the country politically. Being in Melbourne my next stop was naturally the Victorian State Parliament. This Parliament was also the original Australian Parliament before they moved the capital to Canberra. It’s a really nice building from the outside, but boy is it ever great on the inside as well. I would say that the best incentive to check this tour out is that it’s FREE. The only downside is you do have to go through security before being allowed into the building.

In the State Senate with our guide in the centre.

Our tour guide was quite fantastic and knowledgeable about the workings of government in Australia but knew a little bit about Canada as well which was quite cool. Being a tour group of varied nationalities our guide tried to get us all to describe a little bit about our countries. I got to learn about South Africa, England, Indonesia, and Austria. We got to visit the House of Commons (green chamber), the State Senate (red chamber) as well as the Parliamentary Library which is really nice. Overall this tour was well worth the cost (FREE) as well as it was a great learning experience. If you have any interest in the workings of government I do highly recommend this tour.

You have to understand that it really is hard to sum up everything in one article. On top of that, I haven’t necessarily found all the gems that Melbourne has to offer. That means that this will be an ongoing series and I will share with you all the gems as I find them. As for these two gems, if you are in town, I highly recommend you go take a peek and guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Matt The Conservation Volunteer?!?

Being unemployed has its perks. Every day is the weekend, I have next to no worries, and I get to taunt everyone back home where it’s -30C with pictures of the beach. Life is great, but we also need to take into account that I’m VERY far from home AND have no money coming in... I needed to find better ways of spending my days rather than be out and about spending money. Thankfully my good friends Nick and Heidi here in Melbourne were able to hook me up with Conservation Volunteers, an organization that works on important environmental and wildlife conservation projects. Looking for a more fulfilling way to spend my day, as well as a more economical way, I signed myself up.

Our transport to and from sites.

My first day with Conservation Volunteers I was up at 5:55am as I had to get ready and take the 6:45am tram halfway across town. Thankfully I was able to do it without pressing snooze a bunch of times. Made it to the CV office on time for 8am with my Starbucks morning coffee in hand. Signed a waiver (Here in Oz you sign waivers for everything... srsly EVERYTHING) and was then on my way to the La Trobe wildlife sanctuary. This sanctuary was previously farmland and since 1965 has grown from 6.5 hectares to 28.8 hectares of wetlands. On this day we were a small team of 3 volunteers, plus our team leader Deb. Upon arriving we got straight to work on some rubbish pickup. Funny enough, I picked up several bongs made out of coke bottles and garden hose... wow! Next up we were collecting seeds from certain plants. This particular task was interesting as the seeds were tiny and made your fingers red. After lunch we went around uprooting weeds. We got to see some kangaroos and emus as well. Unfortunately the kangaroos were shy out in the wild and getting a picture of them was really tough.

If you look closely, the black things in the trees are all bats...LOTS of them!

After  a hard days work, our team leader Deb had heard me make a comment about the flying foxes in Sydney and decided to take the group out to see some at Yarra Bend Park. Now in Sydney I had seen a few but there was waaaay more! Here in Yarra Bend park there is a colony of about 30 000. During the day time they’re all just hanging in the trees so they dominate all the trees around the river. The best allusion I can give to you is that when you go out onto the lookout point, you’ll feel like you’re on stage at a major concert with 30 000 spectators. Crazy!

The bandicoot reserve fence.

Day 2 of volunteering had me out to Woodlands Historic Park on the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Project. This project is to help add a new overhang to a fence that surrounds the habitat. Originally there was electric fencing at the top of the fenced however it’s proven ineffective at keeping predators out, especially foxes who kill for the thrill of the hunt alone. On this day we were a much larger team as we had a group from the Habitat HQ hostel where I was staying. Our day consisted of cutting the old electrical wire off and then rolling it up into small batches. Boy this really was hard work! As easy as it sounds, it can be quite difficult cutting down the wire. Also when I say “rolling it up into small batches” at some points it was more of a wrestling match. Our team leaders Travis and Matt were awesome and we got heaps done. At the end of the day I was completely exhausted and my clothes covered in rust residue. 

The Habitat HQ Volunteer Crew

My third and last day was probably one of the most difficult. Once again up before 6:00am and off to the CVA office. I knew this day was going to be a real test as the forecast had a nice and warm 35C in store for us and I’m wearing long sleeves and long pants! We were off once again to the La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary to water some recently planted vegetation. This involved filling up big buckets of water and then carrying them over and watering the plants. Later on in the afternoon we did a round of rubbish pickup. I got to meet a lot of the regular volunteers, some of whom had been helping for several years. Thankfully the day was cut early due to the very high temperatures. Since there were a few new volunteers, Deb took us once again to see the flying foxes at Yarra Bend Park. Today they were flying around and flapping their wings trying to keep cool. It was a pretty interesting sight!

 Me hard at work @ La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary.

Overall I had a lot of fun going out with Conservation Volunteers. They’re a great organization doing a lot of good work. It’s a great way to spend a day, meet some new people and see some cool wildlife. Never had I pictured myself doing volunteer work, especially while on vacation. It does have a fulfilling aspect to it and I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to go out with them again. Those who are interested can also do longer stints of volunteer work for a reasonable cost which covers your transportation and accomodation, otherwise day trips are free. It can be hard work but it’s definitely rewarding!



For those who want to get in touch and potentially volunteer, here's a link to their site: Conservation Volunteers

Australia - Quirky Things

So I’ve been here in the land of Oz for just over a month now, and so far my stay here’s been great. I have however managed to have plenty of “foreigner moments” (one of which was my coffee experience) where something as simple as a different word or way of doing things causes loads of confusion. At the time I usually get frustrated but usually a few hours later I look back on it and laugh. Here are a few of the funny things I’ve noticed here in Australia as well as a few of my “foreigner moments”.

Does this look like spaghetti to you?

Not what I was expecting...

I had an interesting time one afternoon in Sydney where me and my friend Rob ordered some fish and chips at a restaurant by the beach. My food came out and as I started to eat, the waiter comes by and asks me if I would like tomato sauce with my meal. The question made no sense so I just give the waiter a weird look and ask him to repeat himself. “Would you like some tomato sauce with your meal?” Still didn’t compute, even though I understood what he said. At the tip of my tongue I was gonna ask him “Does this look like spaghetti to you?” but thankfully Rob butted in. “Yes he’ll take some” and low and behold a bottle of ketchup shows up at our table. After arriving back in Melbourne I met a girl from Perth who was staying in my dorm. After telling her this story I couldn’t help but ask... “What do you put on your pasta then?” “Pasta sauce silly!” Wow...

Where do I look?

Can't miss it!

Us foreigners arriving from North America are definitely not used to traffic that drives on the left. Thankfully places like Sydney expect that and have painted signs at each crosswalk telling us where to look so that we don’t get killed. Trust me, they are doing us a favor as looking RIGHT first just seems completely wrong and takes weeks to fully get used to. In Sydney I got a sort of vacation where I would just follow the sign’s directions. Here in Melbourne on the other hand, instead of signs on the road there’s a much more high tech system in place to help pedestrians like me adjust to my new surroundings. As I go to cross the street, should I happen to look the wrong way, a progressively loud honking noise will alert me that I looked the wrong way. Thanks to this system (and a few close calls!), my brain is now well trained to look RIGHT first.

Huh? Why’s it called that?

Well...at least I still got a whopper!

Some stuff that we have all around the world, unfortunately due to copyright and naming issues goes under different names here in Australia. I remembered researching fast food chains to see if there was maybe anything original here in Oz. Ta-da! Hungry Jack’s came up. I was excited to try this exciting new Australian fast food experience. Well... I got a little confused when I got to Hungry Jack’s as the logo looked kinda familiar...but no...couldn’t be! I was still optimistic as maybe somebody had just got to it first. Well I went inside and they were serving whoppers so nope...same ol’ BK! (Do they refer to it as HJ here? *giggity*) You’ll notice that as well when you go to the supermarket and walk down the grocery aisle. To my shock and dismay, Snap Crackle and Pop were NOT on a box of Rice Krispies but on a box of “Rice Bubbles.” *Sigh*

As you can see I’ve had some interesting moments as an outsider here in Australia. A sense of humour is key in these situations as it can be quite frustrating. Thankfully I can look back on these moments and laugh as otherwise I’d be very angry and bitter. The old motto “It’s not wrong, just different” applies when you’re immersing yourself in a new culture. As similar as both our countries are, there are still some differences, and it’s the subtle differences that are the hardest to adapt to.

The Australian Toilet Experience

Everyone has seen the Simpsons episode where Bart visits Australia regarding the whole toilets flushing counter clockwise. I hate to say this but despite the massive amount of requests that I’ve received to film and post on Youtube a toilet flushing counter clockwise, it just won’t happen... But on that note, let’s talk about Australian toilets as they sure have been an experience for me since arriving here a month ago.

Your average plain Jane toilet here in Oz.

This my friends is your normal Aussie toilet. You’ll notice the two flush buttons on the top. Here in the land of Oz there’s a huge water conservation movement going on as this is the driest continent on the planet. One button is a half flush and the other is a full flush. The one thing about the toilets here is that they do not swirl. It’s basically as if somebody is dumping a bucket of water in the toilet to flush whatever it is you left in there down the drain. So when you do get here, don’t be expecting like the Simpsons and get a counterclockwise swirl.

Urinals here in Oz, it's just one big tub!

All right men, let’s talk urinals! Now I went through a lot of trouble to get this photo, as if anyone would have walked in I would have been on my way to the local hospital. This is actually a sort of luxury urinal as you’re not standing over a grill watching your urine go down the drain. You’ll also notice that unlike in North America, privacy is NOT guaranteed here. Back home we have individual urinals as the norm, in some cases we even place walls in between them, here they’re only in the fancy places. Those who have trouble going with others around might need to reconsider a trip here!

Flies everywhere!!!

Now let’s start talking about unconventional toilets here in Oz. Above we have a picture of my first outhouse toilet here in Australia which I had the pleasure of experiencing on my first weekend camping along the great ocean road. I really had to go the first time I visited this toilet, but as soon as I raised the lid I had an unpleasant surprise! All of a sudden all I heard was buzz buzz buzz which I thought was bees. I got laughed at when I asked about all the buzzing as I was terrified of getting stung. Turns out it was flies all along! The flies here are something else, but that’s a whole other blog post.

Ugh this was disgusting!

This my friends is the worst of the worst toilets I’ve ever been exposed to in my life. I had the pleasure of visiting this gem while on the greyhound bus from Melbourne to Sydney, which is a 12hr bus ride. This has to be the closest thing to a 3rd world toilet I’ve ever experienced. There is NO water to flush. The flush mechanism is basically a flap at the bottom that opens up. There was also no toilet paper for people to wipe themselves. I had a mixture of anger and pity for the girl who had explosive diarrhea 1 hr into the 12hr trip. While I was angry that she stank up the bus so early into the journey, she also couldn’t wipe herself till either Sydney or Canberra. This is by far the worst toilet I’ve ever visited...EVER!

As you can see, I’ve had some interesting experiences with the toilets down here in Oz. While my experience is nothing compared to the adventure in the Simpsons episode, it’s still pretty interesting. It can be a little bit of an adjustment from the luxurious North American toilets we’re almost all accustomed to, but easy enough it’s not that much work. Just be sure to remember that in the bush, that buzzing sound is probably flies, and avoid the greyhound toilet at all costs!

Stretch That Australian Dollar

By far the number one complaint from fellow travellers that I meet has been that everything here is bloody expensive! Most of the world’s economies and currencies have tanked in the last year yet Australia’s has soared. The days of things balancing themselves out with the exchange rate are over... You’re just going to have to face it that things here can cost an arm and a leg. So here are a few tips to help you stretch that dollar to help make ends meet:

DON’T SMOKE

It will bleed your wallet dry I tell you!

Anything here that’s vice related is expensive and taxed beyond imagination. I’m not your mother so we’ll spare the health issues, but financially you will suffer here. I used to joke about how expensive cigarettes were in Canada when they were $10/pack... Folks here you can pay between $14 to over $20 for a pack! Plenty of people here have resorted to rolling their own but even then it’s still fairly expensive (and time consuming). Funny enough there is no shortage of smokers here in Australia, patios are PACKED... Honestly I’m shocked! If you can’t beat the habit, ask around your hostel as there’s bound to be some entrepreneurs who are taking advantage of selling off their goodies purchased at the duty-free stores.

Plan your meals

Fast food (just like pretty much everything) here is expensive. One gimmick that will catch you off-guard here is the way the combos work. Here the price you’ll see on the menu is usually for a small combo, and who wants a small drink and fry with their burger? So you’ll need to clarify if you want a small, medium or large combo. Your average combo price will usually be around $10-$12, can be $7ish if you go when there’s a lunch or dinner special. Most places I’ve been to, people weren’t big on buying food at the grocery stores and cooking at the hostel. Well here it’s the thing to do! I purchased a meal, snack and 2L bottle of water to last me the day while out volunteering, cost me $12. Definitely beats any fast food combo. Doing this will definitely help you stretch that dollar.

Find that HAPPY HOUR!

Ugh, honestly do I ever wish for those Hooley’s $4.50 pints right now! Prices for alcohol can be pretty ridiculous out here (being a vice and all!). Here pints aren’t generally served in bars, and if they are they’ll be around $10-12. More often you’ll have pots (285mL) and schooners (425mL) available at lower prices. Also, pitchers here are referred to as jugs and are smaller at 1125mL of beer. Happy hours have some good deals, especially here in Melbourne where you can get $10 jugs. If you see pitchers on the menu, avoid the place at all costs! Once at dinner in Sydney we indulged in 2 normal size pitchers... at $35 each... that hurt the wallet for sure!

Accomodation

Hostels here in Melbourne usually hover around the $30 range, and can move up to a whopping $42/night during special events. You can forget about hotel rooms as the cheaper places range around the $150 range in the CBD. Hostels also offer private rooms which can range from $60-$120/night but you might need to sacrifice a private bathroom. You can also look at offering a hand around the hostel, in many cases for 3hrs of work you can get the night free. Also go directly on the hostel/hotels website as there might be better rates or even negotiable weekly rates available to you.

As you can see, things here are pretty pricey! It’s funny how people will warn you ahead of time, but it only ever hits you when you land in the country. I’ve already complained about the $4 medium coffees, but as well the $10 pints, $20 cigarettes and crazy hostel prices make this an incredibly expensive country. Had I not carefully planned ahead I would have been in serious trouble by now. Be warned, this is definitely not the land for penny pinchers!

Asiana Airlines Business Class Experience

The first half of my flight from Seoul to Melbourne was with Asiana Airlines. Funny enough, before this trip I've never heard of Asiana,  After flying with Air Canada all the way to Seoul, I thought that I had seen what business class is like...oh boy was I wrong. According to Skytrax rating agency Air Canada is only a 3 star airline, Asiana is a 5 star airline! This trip was bound to be an upgrade.

Maybe not a suite, but even better!

With Asiana there’s a clear separation between business/first and economy class including separate entrances to the plane. Upon boarding I’m greeted by the flight attendant offering me the usual glass of champagne and a copy of the Korea Herald which is a good but awkward newspaper in terms of its shape. Now unlike Air Canada, the seats aren’t “suites” but they do recline almost fully. I also preferred this over the suites as I don’t feel like I’m cramped in a cubicle. Also if you REALLY don’t like the person next to you, there’s a “privacy screen” you can pull out. However, like I said in the Air Canada review, you’re not just paying for the seat, it’s the food that makes the difference.

Duck anyone?

My appetizer started off with some roasted duck, garden salad and whatever that dark stuff is on the side of the plate. The duck had some sort of fruit topping and went down amazingly. As for the salad, well it’s really hard to screw up a salad now isn’t it! You’ll also notice the REAL silverware on the side of my plate. To drink I chose a Merlot wine. I don’t normally do red as it gives me terrible heartburn, but I do make a special exception when I have what I chose for my main course.

Mmmmm filet mignon!

The picture above is a pretty sight now isn’t it! Beef tenderloin served with asparagus wrapped in pork belly (bacon) and potato wedges. When I saw this on the menu, there was no way I could refuse. The steak was so tender and juicy, the complete opposite of what you’d expect on an airplane. I had also chosen the Merlot as I tend to prefer red wine when I have steak. It was also nice to have the pork belly/bacon as you don’t see that kind of bacon often in this part of the world.

The grapes had seeds in them, yuck!

After my wonderful dinner, we had a course of cheese, crackers, nuts, and fruit. The cheeses were great. It was a nice addition to my meal but unfortunately the grapes had seeds in them... yeah that’s my biggest/only complaint. It’s a tough life I live, thankfully the real dessert was up next and completely made up for the seeded grapes.

Nobody can say no to ice cream!

That’s right folks, Haagen Daaz and coffee, the best way to finish a four course meal! Someway somehow I enjoyed this quite a bit more than the pie that was served on Air Canada’s flight. Can’t say much else other than it was vanilla and amazing!

Overall the business class experience with Asiana was definitely an upgrade over the experience with Air Canada. There’s a very significant difference in the 3-star and 5-star treatment with the airlines. From the separate entrances to the plane, the upgrade in cutlery to the fantastic choice of wines and champagne on the plane, Asiana certainly makes rtheir business class a 5-star experience. I highly recommend if you can, try the business class with Asiana you won’t regret it...especially for the price I paid!

My Arrival in Australia (Lessons Learned)

My arrival into the country was pretty fast paced and through this I learned an important lesson regarding arriving in a new country (for more than just a holiday). Moving to another country is never just as easy as arriving and you’re set. Upon landing I decided that I was Superman and was going to get everything done ASAP. Boy did I ever pay for it! Here’s how my first few days went down:

Here I am!

My flight to Australia was somewhat of an oddity. The reason I say that is because I slept like a baby on the flight. This worked out great as it was an overnight flight as I left Singapore around 1:00am to arrive in Melbourne sometime after 10:00am. My arrival formalities were standard and uneventful, and I made my way over from the airport to the hostel and freshened myself up. Nothing beats a nice warm shower after a LONG flight!

I really hit the ground running after arriving. My next two days were full in terms of administrative duties and getting myself set up. After my shower I made my way to the CBD (downtown) to go to the bank and identify myself (show my passport) so that I can get access to my bank account. Everything went smoothly except I’d have to wait a week before getting my debit card, which was no problem as thankfully I had just enough money leftover on my travel debit to cover me until then. The banker joked that I didn’t waste time when looking at my passport as my stamp showed I just arrived the same day.

Once done at the bank, I crossed the street and got myself a SIM card for my phone. Optus here in Australia has a great pre-paid plan where for $2/day you get pretty much unlimited everything (including data). Free wi-fi is a rarity here in Australia, most places try to charge you a ridiculous fee such as $5.95 for 30min and 150MB bandwidth. The only place so far where I’ve found free access is McDonalds. Thankfully my phone functions as it’s own wi-fi hotspot and so I always have my own personal connection. That $2/day really does go a long way!

The next day I had a meeting and arrival seminar at the WorknHoliday agency office. Funny enough I had a Frenchman who was giving the seminar and I was the only attendee. One of us made a joke of doing the seminar in French, and why not? The seminar was great and all, but very long. In all it lasted about 4 hours with one break where I had my first experience ordering coffee. We covered how to use public transit, jobs, touristy stuff in Melbourne and Victoria, pretty much all the bases.

Didn't all this sound fun? All my administrative tasks were all done, but sadly I was completely spent. When you spend days sitting in waiting rooms waiting for your number to be called, or seminars on how to use the bus, you can’t help but feel a little frustrated. My best advice is to give yourself a little bit more time to arrive, adjust, and see the city (you’re on holiday anyways right?). Thankfully after a nice weekend camping with some local friends I got myself out of that rut and started being a tourist again and saw the city. So do yourself a favor and relax... Shouldn’t you be on holiday?