I arrived in Australia six days ago and had forgotten how to log into my blog, so a slight delay in posting. I am now a day ahead of all you laggards in the west, having crossed the dateline on the l-o-o-n-g flight from LA to Sydney. It really wasn’t that bad and we flew in an old 747, although I thought they might have put all those out to grass by now. Last time I flew in one of those I was actually up in the bubble and it was very comfortable, but they have put that area back for first class only. I had an aisle seat, but there really wasn’t a lot of leg room. Fortunately, the middle seat was empty so I could spread. The chap in the window seat slept for almost the entire flight – amazing. I did actually sleep myself for about two hours and then dozed and read and ate my own food for the rest of the journey.
I had to lug all my baggage out of the airport along to a bus that would take me to the Central train station. Fortunately, I had plenty of time and the sun was shining because it was about an hour wait. The bus driver loaded my bags on the bus, but once in the train station it was a long walk to the platform, where I waited another hour for the train. I could have booked my bags all the way through to Orange, except that they both exceed the weight limit! The bus driver had complained that someone might sue me if they hurt their back handling my bags – wimps! Actually, I get their point and have vowed never again to bring so much stuff. The train journey from Sydney to Orange went through the Blue Mountains which were really beautiful and when we got to Lithgow, I had to manhandl my bags off the train and into a lift (fortunately) up to the road to put them on another bus to Orange, where my childhood friend Ro picked me up. The cost of this whole journey, on Ro’s senior pass was $15 for the nearly four hour journey! If you just get the train from Lithgow to Sydney, about three hours, you pay only $2.50 for a senior fare. Boy, does it pay to be old over here!
The weather is pretty chilly in the mornings in Orange with frost on the ground and the car, but it warms up in the afternoon and the sun shines all day. Jet lag did not really bother me much, but I think it took time for my body to adjust to the time zone. No trouble sleeping though – thanks to Ionix Supreme!
Since arriving, I have manned a booth at a local Bridal show to ply our Isagenix products and got quite a bit of interest. However, ALL the bridal gowns they showcased in the fashion show were positively awful. Most of them were strapless dresses and the poor girls would turn one way and the iron framework of the bodice sticking out, would go the other way, leaving a huge gap and looking ridiculous. Orange is quite a big county town and the main employer is a gold mine, which is fuelling a bit of a boom. They are about to build (or dig, I suppose) another mine because there is a lot of gold in these hills, apparently.
Anyway, this Thursday Ro is hosting an evening party to tell more about the Isagenix products and see if we can take on some partners. This morning, Ro and I got up early to attend a Chamber of Commerce breakfast downtown and that was quite interesting. The sausages and eggs were delicious – the meat here is much healthier because it is local and they don’t use any growth hormones or antibiotics in their cattle. The cost of food is about the same and the US dollar and Aussie dollar are almost at par, within a few cents anyway.
I have to go downtown now and will be driving a spare car. I have to remember to drive on the left! Until next time, I say “Good on yer, mates!”
