Over the last two weeks of roadtripping I’ve been brewing over many, many, blog posts, ideas (good and bad) and have resisted blogging many of them, so I’ll wrap them all up into one post. Here’s my list of things I learnt (and observations) from my 2 week roadtrip across West Australia.
- Country bees are different to city bees. City bees are out for your blood. Country bees are out for pollen (of which I have none)
- Dung beetles (or lack thereof) are the answer to bushfly problems.
- Telstra NextG is a freaking awesome telecommunications network. Pity the pricing scheme is based on 1994 principles and their customer service only gets good after you blog about them.
- When borrowing/buying an Esky (Ice box for the internationals) get one that keeps ice frozen for 5 days, not 5 minutes like the one I had.
- Weather reports are very fickle in nature and the actual conditions can change in a split second, or at the latest, overnight.
- Always be the first one to say hello to a camping/caravaning neighbour, unless they’re an axe murderer, only good can come from it. I’ve made so many new friends from all across the world in this 2 week trip.
- Take a percolator! You can make good coffee anywhere then offer it to all of your new friends along the way.
- You always need better pillows, underwear and shoes. Those three things should be your priority before leaving on a roadtrip.
- Breakfast is the most important meal – if you fill yourself up on breakfast the rest of the day is cheaper!
- Caravan drivers are called Grey Nomads. Caravan drivers with 1 or more drivers stuck behind them are Grey Noamd conga lines.
- Schedule staying with friends or in hotels evenly along your trip so you get to have a good shower and sleep in a good bed every so often.
- Generosity is the key to a great roadtrip – if you get caught up in the “who owes who” or the “you owe me $4.20″ scenarios it really wrecks the trip – don’t let money get in the way of a great roadtrip.
- You probably should have a spare tyre – I don’t and luckily I haven’t needed it thus far.
- Don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track – some of the most beautiful discoveries and the best photos have been taken when an intriguing sign pulled me off the highway down a long forgotten road.
- Share accomodation/food/sightseeing tips with fellow travellers, they’re worth much more than any tourist guide or brochure.
- The Visitor Centres are the saving grace of West Australia – the volunteers inside have saved me many hours.
- When tasting wine at wineries don’t act snobby or know-it-all.
- When planning your roadtrip schedule more time than you’ll need, take the watch off and burn your calendar.
- Canned baked beans and boxes of biscuits or chips are great to keep onboard incase you’re left with nothing else lol.
- Take a pack of cards, and play them with friends instead of searching for a TV
- In case you get lost and can’t find anyone to help you or if you’re in the middle of nowehere, get out of the car and start dealing out a game of solitaire. Within minutes someone will come and tell you to put the red jack on the black queen.
- It’s nice to take new friends on a road-trip but better to take close friends or loved ones – results in less awkward moments when trying to decide where to go or what to do.
- When you’re entering an attraction that has a fee, try find people that are leaving to find out if it was worth it. Don’t waste time or money on those that aren’t worth it.
- When in Fremantle only do the night tour of the Jail if you have guts (according to Roger and Slodja) but some sort of tour while you’re there.
- You’ll always want a bigger tent, but the bigger the tent the longer the setup time.
- Camping is way more fun and adventurous than staying in motels.
- Don’t be surprised when you find that under 5% of the people you meet are white caucasian Australians. That’s the beauty and diversity of Australia, especially West Australia.
- When talking to Germans it’s ok to talk about Germany’s past, probably not ok to ask if they have a gas chamber.
- When talking to Serbians they’ll often talk loudly and abusively as a joke, they’re quite nice people.
- When talking to the Irish, don’t mention it’s past and ask them how they like their potatoes.
- When talking to the South Africans remind them that last year’s Cricket performance was probably a one-off.
- When talking to Kiwis remind them where Wayne Bennett came from.
- When talking to Asians of most varieties ask to see their photos.
- When talking to Americans don’t mention politics or gun control.
- When talking to locals ask them why they love where they live.
- When talking to anyone remember that you’ve got two ears and one mouth, use proportionately.
- Take lots of photos and email them to your parents and grandparents. Even better is to make a photo book at the end, I’m sure they’d love it!
- Where and when you can, walk everywhere!
I’m sure I’ve missed some but that’s a good start. Remember that roadtrips and walking are two of the best ways to see this world!
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