Our Three Cents: Interviews with People Luckier than Us, already on the Road

STM: Were you concerned about Burma’s human rights abuses and dictatorship before you went?
Bonnie: A little. I talked to a well-educated guy from Burma. I had all these ideas of what it was going to be like. I thought it was going to be a really militant state and that there would be guns everywhere and that they wouldn’t let me go anywhere.

STM: So was it like that?
Bonnie: It wasn’t as extreme as my ideas were, but of course nothing in travel really is. The nicest surprise was the people. Out of all of Asia, they were the nicest people I met. Since there are so few tourists they’re really nice to you.

STM: What caught you off-guard?
Bonnie: The hotels. I was going around Asia spending about $2 per room and then I got there and they were asking $10 to 20 per room.

STM: How long have you been in Sydney?
Jen: Just a few days now... but long enough to know that I’ll be back!

STM: Any language difficulties between Aussie and American English?
Jen: Not a difficulty, just worth a good giggle. It was always a laugh having a local explain a term like “fair dinkum,” which means “true” or “fair enough,” and even a bigger laugh for them when I tried using it in a sentence.

STM: So beyond the slang, any big surprises in Sydney?
Jen: Yes, the bats! It is so unexpected to see bats flying around the city at sunset. It was so exotic and strange. I tried to explain it to a local, but she just shrugged her shoulders and said how perfectly normal it was. All relative, I guess, but I thought it was fantastic.

STM: Does anyone eat kangaroo hamburgers? Or is that frowned upon?
Jen: I’ve heard rumors, but prefer to leave them as such.

STM: Does anyone actually go into the crazy looking opera house–or do people usually just photograph it?
Jen: So weird, the Sydney Opera House was playing host to the final night of Australian Idol the only day I went to see it. I can’t get away! Were it not for the makeshift stage and all the security, apparently, I could have gone in to check it out.

STM: That being your first trip to Sydney, do you have any advice to other first-timers?
Jen: Don’t forget your bug repellant! It may not keep those Aussie snakes or spiders off of you (I didn’t see any anyway), but it will help with those superpesky Australian flies. Those aren’t normal flies. Seeing as how my constant swatting didn’t bother them, I’m going back with industrial-strength bug spray.

STM: How long have you been on this trip?
Amish: Just about nine days now...

STM: What's the cheapest place you've stayed here?
Amish: I think it was about $1.25 per night, breakfast pancake included.

STM: Got a favorite spot in Bali?
Amish: Padangbai, here, is the best spot. Real-laid back feel with one of the few spots overlooking the clear aqua-blue water of the Blue Lagoon.

STM: Anything unexpected in Bali?
Amish: Well, I was near Lovina (north shore) and I came back just stoked! It was after my first dive in Bali and I saw black-tipped reef sharks, eels, coral fish, etc...It was a bit warm and muggy that day, so I was dreaming of a cold Bintang (Bali's finest beer) and a shower. I walked towards my cottage and noticed the innkeepers had a curious expression on their faces. They told me they wanted to "check" my room to see if everything was okay. I didn't understand. Their English wasn't so good, so I figured I'd just go along with the charade. I opened the door and stepped in with them. They seemed to be looking for something. I asked repeatedly what was going on but could never get a straight answer. Then, suddenly, one of them starts backing away from my inside window. I take one look and now we're all on red alert. There is a pencil-thin, four-foot-long snake! The innkeepers split, but not before handing me a broom, saying, "Bali snake no good, you good."

STM: Made any local friends?
Amish: All the Bali beach masseuses.

STM: What's the post-bombing vibe?
Amish: The lack of tourists has really soured the economy of the villages. They literally have nothing to do. Kuta still was crazy packed with tourists and cars on the main drag as if nothing happened.