Rhonda Bracey: At Random

I’d checked the info on the internet about long term parking at Perth Airport, and it clearly said no bookings were required. When I got there, the first sign for Long Term parking indicated that only 24 bays were available. So I dutifully followed the signs, only to go by three Long term parking lots all of which had the FULL signs out! So it was back to the Overflow parking lot way in the back of beyond to find parking. The good thing: It was only $25 for unlimited parking, compared to the $55 I was expecting for the time I needed to be there. And it was secure – well, there was a fence around the lot… A shuttle took me and another guy to the airport at no cost (that would’ve been rich!) but via a very circuitous route – first the driver stopped at his car to get his water bottle, then at one of the full parking lots he stopped to undo the chain and padlock to let a guy out, then finally we got to the terminals. Lucky the other guy and I weren’t in a hurry… Such a hick town approach, compared to airport shuttles in the US.

The parking situation at Perth Domestic Airport is atrocious and getting worse by the day. With so many fly in/fly out workers, there’s just no space for Long Term parkers. While many catch a cab to the airport or get a lift from their partners, not all of us can do that (especially when we live some 3.5 hours drive from the Airport!). I don’t know why Perth Airport has this ‘thing’ about wide-open spaces – it can be the only reason they’ve never put in a multi-storey carpark, which is sorely needed.

Someone on one of my lists wrote about eucalypts in Israel, then someone else from San Francisco compared their smell to cat pee… Here's my response:

********

If you've ever been to California, you've probably seen eucalypts. They're everywhere there… From southern California to areas north of San Francisco, you can't drive too far without seeing one of those big trees we call "gum trees". An Australian export that has now populated many parts of the world, including South Africa, the Middle East, and the US. And then there's eucalpytus oil which you can probably find in your supermarket or drug store – great for all manner of things, including clearing sinuses and getting scuff marks off shoes! (seriously)

Of course, if you've ever been to Australia, that's about all you see! I don't know how many varieties of eucalypts there are, but it's a lot! The blue of the "Blue Mountains" behind Sydney is a result of the massive amounts of eucalyptus oil given off by milions of trees – it creates the bluish haze. And that oil is what makes them burn so well.

The cat pee smell thing… Never thought of eucalypts like that, but then I've lived with the smell all my life without even knowing it's there. When I lived in Canada for a year, I took some vacation time and drove down the entire west coast of the USA. Somewhere in northern California I came across a stand of gum trees by the side of the highway. I stopped the car, got out, and just scrunched up a heap of leaves in my hands and sniffed long and hard – that smell was wonderful and reminded me so much of home. I ended up tearing off a small switch and keeping it in the rental car for days, having a sniff every so often. It'd been at least 6 months since I'd smelled a eucalypt. Then when I arrived in Sydney after 13 months away, the first thing I smelled as I came out of the airport was eucalypts! I'd never noticed the smell in the air before, but being away for so long without the smell, it really hit me on arrival… so much so I burst into tears! <sob>

More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus
********

Question: How come can I pay $40-$80 a night in a US motel and get FREE high-speed wireless connection, but I can't get the same from the thought police and rip-off merchants that masquerade as 4 or 5 star tourist hotels in Australia, even though I'm paying well over twice the price for the room?

I asked the check-in clerk at the Rydges Tradewinds hotel about internet connection and yet again felt that some of these places seem to thrive on ripping people off. We had been told there was wireless access from around the pool and the lobby (but NOT in the rooms). When I asked about getting access I was told that it was via a pre-paid card at – wait for it – $7.00 per HOUR!! Unbelievable. So I asked about local call charges thinking I'd do dial-up as I have a number that's a local number throughout Australia – and the hotel charges 95c per call. Standard Telstra charges for a local call anywhere in Australia is around 25c, so they are marking up this rate by close to 400%. Unbelievable. I know that hotels charge more for calls, and I know that they have to have monitoring systems in place to produce itemised call lists when a guest checks out, but 400%???? It's a bloody rip-off! And the $7 per hour charge for wireless? Even more of a rip-off as you have to lug your laptop and power down to the lobby or pool area (now there's a thought – let's encourage electrical equipment near a pool full of water!) and do your connection in a public place without the benefit of a desk. Thanks Rydges, but no thanks. Reluctantly I'll do dial-up and pay the 95c per call.