Vietnam and Australia, Total Opposites

---

After two months in Southeast Asia and nearly two weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, we were ready to move on.  For many reasons, our memories and experiences of the region will last a lifetime.  First, it took us out of our comfort zone and exposed us to people, cultures and languages completely alien to our Western mindset.  Second, after blowing the budget in Southern Africa, we were able to save enough money during our stay in Southeast Asia to continue the trek.

The daily budget (all-inclusive) was $200 per day.  In Southern Africa, we exceeded that by almost 15-percent per day.  Aside from the overall costs being higher, the budget was further eroded due to the unexpected expense of the self-drive van, and an exchange rate 20-percent higher than anticipated.  The daily average in Southeast Asia was nearly 45-percent lower than budgeted.  As a result we were slightly ahead, but not by much.

The transition from chaotic Saigon to Darwin in the north of Australia was like going from listening to a heavy metal concert to a string quartet featuring the top-10 lullabies - it was profound!  We left Vietnam late at night and arrived in Darwin early the next day.  So early in fact that no one was at the rental car desk.

After completing the paper work, we gathered all of our gear and went to find the car.  As usual, the choice of transportation was dictated by budget, not practicality.  Somehow we managed to get our gear and the five of us in a two-door hatchback that resembled a large Tonka toy.  I am sure anyone who saw us crammed in like sardines thought the circus had come to town, and we were the main attraction driving away in our clown car.

Having just arrived from one of the most crowed cities in the world, Darwin was like a ghost town.   Even later in the day, there were practically no cars or people by comparison.  It was a Twilight Zone moment of epic proportions.  However, it was a welcome transition and one that we relished every minute.

Our abode for the next two days was an Australian Bates Motel franchise.  While in Vietnam, we searched the Internet for inexpensive hotels, which were non-existent.  For two rooms the average price was over $300 USD per night.  I found one for $125 USD per night, which could accommodate all five of us in one room.  Visions of the clown car episode came flooding back.

The hotel was a cross between a youth hostel and a flophouse, but lacked the amenities of either.  It was called the Air Raid Hotel and for good reason.  Unfortunately, it had survived the Japanese bombing of Darwin during the beginning of World War Two, and was served an array of characters and misfits.  The verdict is still out regarding which category we fit in.  It did have one redeeming feature; a manager who provided some of the best customer service we had ever experienced, which helped make the stay tolerable.

We arrived in Darwin on July 1, which was Australia's winter and also the high season.  It was painfully obvious when we realized the actual cost of goods and services.  Granted, Darwin was a long way from anywhere and virtually everything consumed was trucked in, but it was almost more than the shrinking bank account could handle.  For example, restaurants proudly advertised lunch specials for $24 Australian Dollars or about $20 USD per person.  Our idea of a lunch special was an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet for $8 USD back home.

We considered many options for getting around Australia.  Since it's a country roughly the same size as the United States, there were few cost-efficient choices.  Flying was out of the question based on ticket prices for five people, the buses were excellent, but expensive and offered limited scheduling, routes and flexibility, and trains impractical.  That only left driving.

After a lot of research and taking into account the remaining funds, or lack thereof, we chose a hippy van.  It was a small cargo van redesigned as a camper to accommodate two people with minimal gear.  Instead, we were about to cram five people in it with a lot of gear - not a good combination.  Visions of the clown car episode flashed before my eyes once again.  Fortunately, Australia has an excellent infrastructure for camping, which in many ways is superior to the U.S.  Although my wife and I personally hate camping, the hippy van would reduce costs significantly because it would provide a place to sleep (each of the boys had their own tent), a way to prepare meals and a means to get from point A to point B, which in most cases represented very, very, very long distances.  This convenient all-in-one travel package would cost about $70 USD per day, not including food or petrol.

We spent two months in Australia and exactly half of that time in the hippy van.  Camping included staying in campgrounds with superior amenities to no-frills, bare-bones-basic government maintained pull-offs to bush camping, which was our favorite.  After picking up the oversized tin can on wheels, we headed south into the heart of the Outback.  The word vast is defined as "of very great extent or quantity; immense", which still seems an inadequate depiction of the seemingly never-ending road and desert.  The middle of nowhere, is description of region also known as the Northern Territory.

And remember, "Travel is the ultimate education."

---