Hello from Perth
Date:	3/25/99 2:15:37 AM Eastern Standard Time

Let me see if I can make this a more meaningful report.
First, I hope my hellos find you all doing well.

may have told you, I have allocated about 3 days to each
city for this travel, plus several tours to national parks
etc, some also for 3 days. At each stop, I usually devote a
day to a tour, the next day walking around the city for
8-10 hours, the evenings at a pub, and the third day to
shopping, post cards, and planning for my next destination.

Having already seen 4 Australian cities, with 4 to go, and
having examined them carefully for hours, I came to the
conclusion that the city zoning laws in USA are designed to
make land developers rich, at the expense of the
population. The Australian cities are simply gorgeous, a
combination of the best of Euro and American cities at the
center with America-like suburbs and commercial areas
outside. The difference is in the inner cities. Yes, there
are also a few imposing 5th Ave. like streets here, but
imagine them intersected and surrounded by the Bourbon and
Royal streets of New Orleans, Prospect street of La Jolla,
Alexandria and Georgetown of DC, French Village of
Columbus, Old Town and Gaslight District of San Diego,
Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier of LA, Fisherman's Wharf
of San Fran, Epcot Center of Orlando, with a few Inner
Harbors (of Baltimore) thrown in here and there, all
peppered by quaint small tree and vegetation arrangements,
tiny parks, pubs, park benches and people everywhere, like
the Disney World on a happy and crowded day.

Perth is the most liveable city I have seen to date
anywhere. Until now, I thought the train station in Kyoto
was the nicest public place I have seen for people to
congregate. Even it pales compared to the City Arcade in
Perth, that is like the Disney's Epcot Center erected a
level over the street and traffic, with steps and
escalators leading to park-like train, bus, and tram
stations at the ground level shops, pubs, etc. at the 1st
level, walkways, balconies, and terraces leading to every
direction, connecting to museums parks, etc. It is as if
our best shopping centers in the suburbia moved to inner
city, opened up, and interconnected. I have not seen one
boxy building like our Wal*Marts, etc. that occupy several
blocks, surrounded by more blocks of parking lots, followed
by ugly empty spaces and gas stations that all but forbid the
desire to walk and interact. It seems we have doomed our
population to spending a good part of their lives in cars,
then seeking escape at in front of TVs, under pressure at work.
One wonders how much this environment alone contributes to
alcoholism, drug addiction, unsociable behavior even hate
and crime also among the have's in USA.

The people here are laid back, but interact wry nicely
together in an aura of "live and let live." I have not felt
signals of danger, seen homeless people, rowdy behavior
anything adverse It is truly a fine Melting Pot of all
races. Oh, we think our small towns are also nice and laid
back. But compared to the buzz and interaction here, our
towns are more like cemeteries for the living, not to
mention the discrimination and hate, hidden or open, in
many of them. If you think I am being too harsh, you should
trawl to Perth and walk around the city at any hour, take a
few trains and busses in a few directions and see for
yourself. You might decide that perhaps I have even
understated our situation. You might also conclude that our
city designers should be required to visit Australian
cities before they are allowed to do anything about their
cities in USA.

For public transportation, they seem to flow continuously,
almost to one's doorstep wherever one might be living.
Indeed, in every city so far, there are free busses, 16 of
them in Perth, that circle all the important sites in inner
cities every 5 minutes. One get off to peruse any place,
get on the next bus and go for the next stop. Why Australia
can afford such treats for its citizens with only 18
million population base, when we, (monetarily) the richest
country, cannot with 271 million is beyond me. Then again,
everyone of the dozens of other nationals, including a few
Americans, I have interacted with during this trip so far,
have said they would gladly leave their countries and live
here, if they could get work. That is one problem also for
Australians and some of the youth here is getting hopeless
I am told.

I still have 3 more years of trawl (for 2-3 months each
time every 2-3 months) before I am done with. planet Earth.
But after that, I am seriously considering becoming a
resident of Australia, for it is really a treat to live
here. The climate is fine. I am told it snows only in high
mountains in Australia, not in the cities and land, not
even in Hobart. Sydney to Adelaide is like Southern Calif,
with generally warrn days and cool to cold nights, whereas
Perth is more like Florida. Of course, Darwin and Cairns
should be tropical. I do not know about Brisbane; will find
out and ask. 


Subj: Hello from Cairns
4/11/99 6:04:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time
========================================

Sending this from tropical (and rainy) Cairns, after I've
had my tours to Dainsville rain forest and river, Kuranda
village in the forest, my 44-meter bunjy jump, and day-long
dive in the Great Barrier Reef. I am on my way to Port
Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 2 hours. I dropped Palau,
Nauru, and New Caledonia from my trip for being
geographically similar to Fiji and somewhat also to
tropical Australia. I'll return to Cairns and continue my
bus tour to Brisbane, then to Sydney to complete my circle.
In case you are curious, the total distance I traveled in
Australia will be 17,595 km (10,782 miles) in 237 hours,
these from the bus brochure. (Australia is slightly smaller
than USA mainland.) Adding 2 hours waiting at the station
to check in, etc. these are lots of hours. But I came to
see Australia; so I saw the entire country, all cities,
almost all settlements. The distance and hours above do NOT
include the 12 tours I will have taken and my own
expedition in Tasmania. No wonder I lost 15 pounds so far,
probably more when I am done. I do not know how much I have
walked, but at 2-3 mph and about 10 hours per day-when not
on the bus-At must be quite a distance. It has been hectic,
purposeful, and wonderful so far.

Cairns is a party city. I would call it a social city. Even
on weekdays when it is not raining, people of all ages,
races and dress are outside walking the quarter-mile
Esplanade along the water (and several blocks inside)
eating at cafes and restaurants, chatting, strolling ... to
about 10 to 11 pm many to 3 am... I grew up in cities like
that in Turkey and was reminded of that past. There is TV
here too, but apparently most people, also families, only
watch the news and then go out to enjoy the balmy tropical
night, not at a specific place but at any of the many many
restaurants, shops, cafes, pubs that line the streets.

Roads. The Interstate routes-out of cities and city
traffic-here are all 2 lanes with oncoming traffic, at
times the roads are really narrow
and without shoulders, comparable to tertiary roads in USA.
Given the population here this seems more than adequate.
Speed limit is 80  km, though there are no limits in
Northern Territories (Alice Springs to Darwin). There are
places where "next service station is 113km,"  like we have
in the west. A unique feature are the "road trains" that
carry especially live cattle, camels, sheep, etc. for
import to foreign markets. These are (each) 20wheel
container trucks, up to 3 attached to a 22-wheel truck.
That 2 of these contraptions can pass each other
comfortably on these narrow roads is a bit amazing. By the
way, there open ranges here where cattle roam the highway
sometimes, like we have in parts of Idaho, Montana, and
elsewhere, not to mention the kangaroos etc. that rapidly
hop across... And in case I forgot to mention, whereas the
forests areas in USA are generally pine trees, pine trees
are rare here. The vegetation thus the panorama is quite
different here even though one may be looking at a forest
or woodsy area. I have seen most of the flowers of Southern
Calif and Florida here, incl. poinciana-also yellow
ones-and a many flowering plants that I have not seen
elsewhere. I thought we have all species of palm in
Florida, but here I saw several species I did not see home.
I took their names--like Pandanus Spiralis-and will inquire
about them at the Univ of Miami.

By the way, mail in Australian cutback is delivered by the
regular bus service, who pick up and leave mail bags along
various stops. There is also a time difference of 3 hours
here east to west. Melbourne is 1/2-hour earlier than
Sydney; Darwin 1. 5 hour later than Perth, etc.

2. Hostels. Imagine the mood in them as a coed
dormitory-sorority without time restrictions, etc. The
hostels have laundry rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, TV
rooms, smoking rooms, etc. Many cultures are represented,
mostly British, Northern Europeans, and Japanese. I was
told twice "we do not see many Americans, especially
backpackers." Indeed, I met only 2 USA backpackers in
Tasmania and heard American English spoken by about
halfa-dozen times. (Actually I met more Canadians.) The
travelers may be of any age but primarily young, wholesome
outdoor types. Considering that they might be carrying
1/3rd of their own weight on their backs for many hours
each day for weeks and months, these people ARE in shape,
without being formal athletes. Almost everyone speaks some
English, the intern. language of trawlers world-wide. These
travelers are also some of the worldliest people on earth,
but without elitist and jet-set ostentation. They are very
tolerant, spontaneous, open, adventurous, really daring.
Many have quit their dead-end jobs to allow themselves to
grow. I met many British girls--the British and Irish have
automatically 1 -year work visas others just visitor's
visa-who ran out of money and keeping 2 jobs to collect
enough money to return or continue. And many young
Australians, alone or with companions, traveling he working
a few months in a mine, she on a ranch, farm, etc. This is
often their honeymoon. Lovely.

3. Australian people. I have not met more civilized people
even in civilized Europe. They are polite, wry helpful,
casual, open, human, fun.

a) The women avoid all eye contact not to give the impression
of flirting, but approach them with any opening, they are the
most charming frank, direct, spontaneous women I met anywhere,
generous with smiles Somehow they learned to combine
European finesse with American casualness. I did not sense
nor encounter phoniness. Many responded readily even to
questions about their intimate and private lives after 5
minutes of ice braking chat. On the average the women seem
to be a little taller than the average in America. I have
not seen the obesity we see in USA, not even close, nor the
anorexic-like slim. Among the whites, obese here is shapely
Rubenesque, normally they are tall and outdoor with toned
legs and bodies. (Of course, there are almost all
nationalities represented here. The Chinese are like the
Chinese elsewhere.) One unique feature of seemingly all
Australian women is in that they wear almost NO makeup. I
mean none. I have not seen eye shadow, any color lipstick,
no unnatural blush lines, nothing. If they are using these,
they are done so lightly that to be noticeable-or Revlon,
et al. have not been able to con these women... Yet they
are some of the most attractive women I have seen anywhere,
especially given their refined and spontaneous
personalities.

b) The men, as people, obviously share many of the nice
qualities of women. I heard many "G'Day Mate" here which
they pronounce like "G'Day Mite." These are the more
Australian "male" types. Among these, it is a bit strange
to see bus drivers in short pants, cowboys in short pants
and a large hat. Otherwise the men are like men everywhere,
the business people looking their parts, the young the
same.

c) Overall, people do not seem to have hang-ups, certainly
not the criticism we encounter in USA. The word "melting pot"
is a concept implemented here, not just a goal we hope to
achieve in USA. This is also obvious from the blending of,
for example, smokers and non-smokers. Despite all warning
and athletic endeavors, seemingly the majority of
backpackers smoke, as also of European visitors and
Australians. On one occasion, when I was smoking at an
outside cafe, someone turned around and told me "I wish you
would brow your smoke in another direction," knowing it was
the wind, knowing many people around us smoked too. I
smiled and said "you must be an American." Not prepared for
a response in American accent, he said "ya, what difference
does that make?" Keeping my smile I replied "a lot. Since
you seem to be the only fanatic here disturbed by smoking,
I suggest you mow inside where there is no smoking, or
learn to enjoy my smoking." He stared; I returned it, plus
a smoke ring. He moved to another table. These kinds of
rude intolerance cannot happen anywhere but in USA...

Similarly, religion like televangelism does not exist here,
nor the concepts of sin and guilt-nor counseling and the
like-that are part of American daily life and psyche.
(These people enjoy life, not "suffer sins.") Indeed, I was
told that American missionaries are not allowed into native
villages here and are also openly shunned by the whites who
regard them as 'Weirdos," as one native admitted to me.) On
the one hand, American influence seems strong here, through
music and especially many TV shows; yet, I had the feeling
they serve also as open reminders to Australians as to how
NOT to be, how NOT to live.

I had intended to say something about the Aboriginates.
However, this report has been long enough. I'll send a
final one from Brisbane and include it then. Take care.