my travels in pixels

We all speak the same language or do we? Over the past few years I have put together some uniquely American words with the Australian equivalent or if we don't have one, with the meaning of what they are talking about. I have also included just some differences between the countries that you might find interesting, you really can turn against a red light! Some time I might do a list of Australian words that Americans find completely foreign. People often smile but have a blank look on their face, so you know, they either can't understand our accent or have no idea about what we are talking about, but are too polite to say anything. We have a terrible habit of shortening things - arvo just means afternoon. Can you add to my list? USA Aussie  # is called a  pound  key # is called a  hash  key 4 way stop signs, first person at intersection goes first, then second  etc Stop signs on only one road of cross road or T intersection 401k Sup...

Mexico - Take 2 Since I had my teeth cleaned in Mexico a few weeks ago, I’ve been having doubts. What I didn’t say in my previous post is that they told me I needed 5 fillings. Five! I only have one that I got in 1977, how could I possibly have gotten five in 12 months? My first reaction was that they were wrong, just trying to make money on unsuspecting tourists, so I did nothing. Then the more I thought about it, the more I started to worry. I know there is more sugar in food in the USA, you can really taste it in bread. Is this the price I’ve had to pay for wanting to travel? We had planned to come back in January but I didn’t want to spend the whole of next year worrying about it, so I made an appointment with the dentist we had been referred to by Bill and Michele, who hadn’t been available the first time we went. 220 miles back to Yuma we went. One of the assistants took 5-6 x-rays, then Erika came and checked my teeth. No cavities! And no bill, come again?  no bill. Even t...

OK RV Park 1576 Roadrunner Road, Holbrook AZ Site 15 yellow is under a tree Why we chose here? Closest RV park to the Ford dealer in Holbrook Location: East of Flagstaff, 5 mins east of Holbrook Sites: 79 long pull throughs, you need to park either at the end or front of your site (they will tell you) so that you are not alongside your neighbour Facilities: Restrooms with showers, laundry: $1.50 wash, $1.50 dry, free coffee and muffins every morning between 8-10am Groceries: Safeway is 2 miles away in town Reservations: Yes, but we didn't. They do get very busy in the snowbird migration season. Cell Coverage / WiFi: Good wifi most of the time, occasionally it stops, especially late afternoon Price Paid: $177 a week = $25.29 a night, normally $30 Good Sam park Date of visit: April 2015 Other: a popular stop for snowbirder’s returning home, most people only stay one night Would we come here again? Yes, but probably wouldn’t need to Place...

On Sunday we went up to an old mining town called Crown King for lunch, calling into the town of Cleator for a drink along the way. Blink and you would miss it. There is a general store, a pub with a Surf bar out the back, yes seriously. The rest of the town is a bit rundown with mobile homes, quaint but not somewhere I'd want to stay for very long. It's a long, narrow dusty drive about 10 miles off the bitumen. Lindsay, Michele and Bill outside the General Store The inside of the bar has dollar notes stapled all over the walls with comments from travellers from all around the world, a bit like the pub at William Creek in the South Australian outback. Cleator Pub Lindsay & Bill had to have a beer Make sure you fill up well before hand the road to Crown King Quad bikes are the main form of transport up here Up on the hill we had lunch at the Mill Bar & Grill, really the only place in town to eat. You can get some food at the Prospector, b...