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 in New Zealand?
Rich: About 30 hours.

STM: Have you seen any wanna-be hobbits wandering about looking for Frodo and scenes from The Lord of the Rings? Were you freaked out?
Rich: There are actually “Lord of the Rings” tours, I swear! You can go see where different scenes from the movie were shot. We’re going to pass on the outfits that are a little too serious about speaking Elvish and the battle between good and evil, and strike out on our own.

STM: Where is the coolest place you’ve found in your first day?
Rich: Karangahape Road, or “K” Road as it’s universally referred to by the locals. Last night it was jam-packed with the best ethnic restaurants: We found a Lebanese fast-food spot right next to an awesome Greek joint that offered fresh kebabs, and they were neighbors with this colorful Thai place. Vintage clothing stores lined the strip, as well as a few sweet chill-out bars.

STM: Sounds like a culinary dream come true. Hey, we hear that New Zealand attracts adrenaline junkies like mad – have you been sucked in yet?
Rich: Guilty as charged. I was up in a plane 12 hours after mine from the States landed. I went skydiving with some of the friendliest, most down-to-earth (literally) people I met in New Zealand (www.skydiveauckland.com).

STM: Does the adrenaline-addiction atmosphere make things other than falling out of airplanes pale in comparison?
Rich: Once you’ve done it–absolutely. There is nothing that compares. It’s like water after wine.