Cairns, Australia - Adapting to new Environments

Night time palm… with the occasional bat!

So far so good, I am surprised at how well and quickly I have adapted to this new tropical environment! In the past week, I got me a new set of wheels, bank account, groceries and got to know the general area pretty well. I figure all the sleep deprivation getting here did me a favor as I have experienced next to no jet lag since I got here.

Banking System – the ANZ Experience!
I must say, Australians have banking down to an art! You walk in, get a little ticket then sit on a comfy couch or chair till your number is called up. Sure beats waiting in endless lines with crazy little kids jumping around. Why this system isn’t adopted in North America is beyond me… it really make the environment so much more relaxing.. I felt like I was their only customer, they are nice, laughed at a few of my jokes and I was off in no time. There was absolutely no rush to get me out of the door ASAP – a very welcome change I must say, Australians are among the most welcoming and generous people I have met so far… they strike up a conversation just about anywhere!

Groceries
To my surprise and delight, they got an IGA here! Of all the stores I though I was saying good-bye to at the beginning of this trip, this one followed along with me. Not only that, I have 3 IGAs within a 2km radius from where I am staying! Layout is the same, my first experience there was nothing special but the next day I went for a few more supplies and what a change when going in the afternoon when everybody else is at work! They where blasting techno music on the intercoms, kids where dancing in the aisles and I told to myself… this is my kinda place! Fruits and vegetables are more expensive then in Canada but otherwise, the variety and pricing is pretty much the same. I figure the next thing I will be getting for myself is some Milo (chocolate drink) and another 5 lbs bag or carrots next time I go there

Out and About in the Rainy Season

BIG rain drops fall from these skies!

A couple days previous, I asked a local where my district was and he was very polite, sending me 4km in the wrong direction… this has to be the oldest joke us humans play on one another, it’s always funny until it happens to you I have found out that when you live in a tropical environment, you will get wet one way or another. The rain patterns seem completely random and you can bet on something falling from the sky at least once every hour or two… sometimes light, other times a torrential downfall (rendering umbrellas pretty useless) but the nice thing about rain here vs rain in Canada… it’s nice and warm so it feels like your taking a warm shower I am getting to know the area pretty well, most roads follow the direction of the coast and I am happy I don’t live downtown where all the tourist and backpackers roam free – I liken that place easily to a Niagara Falls. One more thing, get sandals, I wore sneakers for the first few days I was here and they where always soaked, things take forever to dry here due to the humidity as well. I was never a big fan of sandals but they won me over easily in this environment.

Kmart vs Big W: How to NOT treat a customer
Now this was a huge contrast in why one business is faltering while the other is thriving. I walked about 6 km to get to the local Kmart to get myself a bike, I found that distances seem pretty far when your walking at about 5km an hour in heavy rain. I found the bike I wanted, got myself a helmet and a chain then proceeded right to the checkout. To my amazement, they wouldn’t sell me the bike! They told me it was a demo model and they needed it to sell their other bikes, I had to buy the box or nothing at all. I went right to the store manager, I told him I was here on a walking holiday visa, had no other transport other then by foot and I was about 10km away from my place – how the hell am I suppose to carry a 50lbs box? To boot, I had no area to assemble a “boxed bike” nor any tools (not that anything beyond a wrench was needed). After hearing my concern, he laughed them off and said “you can’t take the bike”, so I asked him if he could give me a small corner in the store so I can buy and assemble a boxed bike then be on my way. He told me he cannot allow me to do that. Anyways, long story short, Kmart lost out on a 300AU sale because a stupid manager couldn’t get his head out of his ass. I was wondering why Kmart, at least in North America, is struggling, this is a case in point – if you hire second rate people to manage your store who lack creativity, don’t expect to be in business for too long without financial problems.

I then proceeded about 2km up the road to Big W, about the same size as a Walmart and this time, before grabbing a “demo model” that was already assembled – I asked one of their associates “can I have a demo model?”. His answer was absolutely no problem, he took the bike down, brought it to customer service and within 10 minutes I was out of the store pedaling my way back home. This wasn’t even the store manager mind you, just a guy counting inventory! What was even better is I saved 100AU on the whole deal too… Kmart has lost yet another customer for life and I won’t shed a tear when they go under. Being a business owner myself, the Kmart manager shouldn’t have any responsibilities above sweeping the floors and cleaning toilets.

Tropical Architecture

Nothing beats tropical architecture!

One of the fun things I like about visiting new environments is viewing how architectures changes with the landscape. For instance, unlike Canada, there is only one real season here, summer As such, there is no worries about the freezing / thawing cycles nor insulation. Homes here are far more open to their environment, I leave my window in my room open year round – sure I did this in Toronto as well, but here it’s actually quite peaceful listening to the rain forest bugs and birds all around me. No traffic, no smog, no crazy people drunk in the middle of the night screaming out… none of that! The architecture in the mountains reflects this attitude, open verandas, large patios for outdoor living and at many places, tiled driveways instead of loose gravel or pavement. The biggest problem here is the rain, as such, the sewer drains here are HUGE to capture the little rivers that form and the streets are accordingly very clean as a result. The humidity is very comfortable here as well, it may rain often but unless out outside getting drenched, staying dry is no problem and most of the houses here have aluminum roofing to withstand the almost hourly pressure washings. One thing I have seen is the mold is a problem but in more modern houses, they use paint and materials that resist this very well.

The Bottom Line

We are very adaptive creatures, now I see why we quickly took over this planet!