Status Check -

[kyburg]

The hotel has broadband access - capped at $25 Australian, a day. ($.50 a minute.) YAY. If work needs me, I can work from there. Starbucks, not a clue I can find from their website.

To the bad? The restaurant wants $17 a person for continental breakfast. Someone tell me this isn't a sign of how expensive this trip is going to be. We're going to be living on the food I can stuff in my luggage!

Or not go at all - and if that idea gets any more comfortable, woe to us.

dewhitton - don't know if he's close enough, davidh_aus - I think you are. deense is a given (and looking forward to it) - anyone else want to try to meet up while I'm down there?

Beginning to pack - and trying to get my territorial imperatives together. Hotel, car and one event already paid for - all I need to do is cover feeding us and getting us around.

*takes deep breaths*

..

AUUUUUUGH!

Comments

Those dollars...

[n6vfp.livejournal.com]

Austrailian Dollars? They are presently 1.35 aussie dollars to an american dollar.

[luscious-purple.livejournal.com]

In other words, one Aussie dollar = USD $0.73.

So AUS $25 = USD $18.33.
AUS $17 = USD $12.41.

Hope that helps. Have a fabulous trip!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

That's a cup of coffee, juice and a roll.

AUGH.

[foogod.livejournal.com]

As people have commented, Aussie dollars are cheaper than US dollars, but still, that $17 seems rather steep. I'm assuming that's an optional thing? If so, I'd opt out and go grab some breakfast at someplace cheaper nearby, which I'm fairly sure you'll be able to find. It sounds like they may just be trying to gouge the tourists..

When I was in Sydney, I actually found it was cheaper to live there because most of the prices for food and such appeared to be about the same (numerically) as over here, but they were in Australian dollars, so it came out being a lot cheaper.

Oh, and I've heard rumors that they have grocery stores over there too, so that's an option to keep in mind..

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wish this thing had a kitchen, like any other normal timeshare.

But it's a Radisson Hotel. Maybe it'll have a coffee-maker.

[foogod.livejournal.com]

With luck it will.. it's amazing what you can cook in a coffee maker if you have enough creativity :)

In any case, I was thinking mainly of all kinds of stuff you can buy which don't require cooking (muffins, sandwich makings, etc.. particularly if you're lucky enough to have a fridge, or you get yourself a little cooler and some ice), and can provide an easy way to keep from being hungry and stretch a food budget in between the dinners out, etc. That's what my family used to do all the time when travelling when I was younger, and it worked pretty well as I remember.

Oh, yeah, something it took me way too long to figure out when I was down there, BTW..

If you're going to eat out, don't bother with most of the restaurants (most of the ones I tried in Sydney were mediocre at best). Eat at the pubs instead. Much better food most of the time, and often cheaper to boot (I found one nice pub right next to where I worked at USyd which actually had an open view of the kitchen, with a real chef obviously running things, and some of the best food I've ever eaten. Sigh.. now I want to go back there..)

[pseudicide.livejournal.com]

FOR CONTINENTAL????

EEEP!

no way. That is awful. I was tlaking, bacon, eggs, tomato, toast, the whole shebang for 10-12!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Okay. I was envisioning living out of the 7-11 stores there for a moment.

But. REALLY. Is a $40 a day budget for eating out generous, skimpy or just right?

[pseudicide.livejournal.com]

I'd say about right. You'll go over some days, and under others. You can get great sandwiches for cheap for lunch, and pides, and cheap pub meals... It'll work!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

When were you thinking of coming up? 12th, we get in, 14th, we go be the classic American Tourists and go to Australia Zoo and we leave the 19th.

New Year's Resolution this year was to see as many of my LJ friends as possible - this is it, to the nines!

[(Anonymous)]

The issue is i'm now working monday to friday, and i have committments on the 12th.... Sigh. I'm thinking about the 13th-14th, not much time, but you do what you can. I'll go double check flight prices now! And i'd onlyu miss one day of work.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

13th works! 13th works!

[pseudicide.livejournal.com]

Guess who that was???

Kay, Options...

Arrive brisbane around 7:30 am on the 13th, leaving around 7:15 pm on the 14th, around $230, with all taxes, so cool, but you guys aren't staying in brisbane, so i'd have to work car rental (how far a drive are you from brissy???)

Otherwise, if i go for the end of the week....
Thursday the 17th, fly in at 6:55 pm, leaving the 19th around 2:15 pm (not sure what time you guys fly out, and i wouldn't want to be in the way, but could entertain myself for a couple of hours) would cost about 245, but would be much better for me, cause taking monday off of work is a bad bad thing. It's a city council, and monday is busy day!!! Again, there's the car thing, getting to the airport, and stuff, but nothing I can't handle.

Let me know what's better for you.

Love!!!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I vote for later - we have one tour planned, paid for a booked - and it's on the 14th and begins at 8:00 AY-EM, in Brissy - which is an hour and change drive from where we are in Carrara.

If you come in Thursday night, and we get you and we all leave on the 19th (we leave at noon, essentially) - that works. But - I can't vouch for crash space as we aren't there yet and have no idea (outside of it being a hotel room instead of a timeshare condo-like thingie) what accomodations are going to be like. That's something we can update once we get there (and baby, let's make sure we get phone numbers exchanged once we get on the ground....) - but if it looks like floor or roll-away, are you okay with that?

[pseudicide.livejournal.com]

Later seems like a good plan then.

As it is, even roll away or floor space would rock. I thnk mainly the visiting is the important bit, and if we can't work that out, then i'm sure i can find something cheapish!

[dhd1.livejournal.com]

Which parts of Australia are you coming to?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

YOURS. I'm going to be in Carrara (or Robina, depending-their mailing address is a PO Box in Robina) - but I fly into Brisbane the 12th. EARLY. Like, too early to drive down to Carrara and check in. Want to try to meet up for a meal?

[dhd1.livejournal.com]

Sounds good, yeah. :)

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Watch for an email from kyburg@gmail.com - if you can make a map run from the RACQ for me, I'd appreciate it deeply. Getting decent maps of where we have to drive (and we will be driving a lot, I see) from this side is nearly impossible.

We get in about 8:00 AM on a Saturday - think you might want to get an early lunch?

[dhd1.livejournal.com]

No worries. See you next week. ;)

[poetpaladin.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy for you! You'll get to see some AWESOME sights. :)

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Wish I could tuck you into a pocket just to take the pictures - I'll do my best, but you'd do better.

[poetpaladin.livejournal.com]

*hugs you*

You are too kind! :)