After something like 29 hours in transit and nearly missing my last plane (through no fault of my own) I arrived in Raleigh-Durham airport feeling surprisingly un-jetlagged. Sal was there to pick me up. I was extremely happy to see her face again.
The flights were fine, although I got stuck next to non-English speakers from Perth to Japan and from Japan to the USA, so the conversation wasn’t riveting. My luggage didn’t get lost, although I think the word ‘fragile’ means something different in the language of baggage handlers than it does for the rest of us. My bike bag was trashed and the bike frame was scratched has a dent in the top-tube that, although not serious, I am still hacked off about! The bike still works okay though.
What are my first impressions? They are mostly positive. It is green here! To the eyes of a West Aussie it looks something like the land around Balingup or Bridgetown. Lots of big trees – several oak species, pines, liquidambers and plane trees – with vines up their trunks. The neighbourhoods are all overgrown and leafy, nothing like the concrete jungles I experienced in California or Utah. It is also not as flat as I imagined it. It is more like Sydney in that respect.
The locals? It is a bit like being in a movie. The different ethnic mix and accents keep throwing me. The people here have generally been exceedingly friendly and helpful though.
What’s odd? Negotiating traffic on the wrong side of the road. Last time I was in the States I don’t recall it being as difficult as I am finding it now. Last time I was just walking around, this time I am trying to ride. (Who wants to start taking bets on how long it will be before I get hit by a car? Something that nearly happened quite regularly in Australia.) Other odd things? The light switches go the other way, meaning up for on and down for off. The power points don’t have switches either - to turn things off you unplug them. Toilet bowls are broad and flat, so the water it just below your bum – this is way more off-putting than it sounds. Squirrels! The little buggers are everywhere, I am trying to get a picture. We have a garbage disposal unit, although I have yet to play with it. And finally, the weather is messing with me. Fahrenheit! Begin by subtracting 32 from the Fahrenheit number, divide the answer by 9, then multiply that answer by 5. Up yours Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit and the donkey you rode in on!
Sal has given me a list of jobs to do which I really should be doing instead of blogging.
I've been attempting to post some pictures but Sal's damn computer want let me!
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