Rise Lord Vedar
As you understand from the title, I’ve seen StarWars episode III. Since I’m not a spoiler (and since I’m certain almost everybody who reads this post will see the movie), I’ll just sum it up by saying that there are many lightsword combats, and Anakeen does become Darth-Vedar, as you already know. Tell me after you’ve seen the movie and we’ll discuss more details. In the meantime, an interesting trivia thingy: when I studied at the Technion, we had this funny profesor (I think it was Baruch Fisher, who taught me basic electro-optics) who tried to invent an actual lightsword (the problem lies in the sharp edge at the end of the sword). I don’t know if he actually succeeded in doing so.
Besides this, this morning we had here some 17 or 18 degrees and the seashore was FULL of surfers and other half-naked people. I wonder how they don’t freeze.
And besides, I finally baught a car. It was a really nice bargain: I lowered the guys from 3000$ to 1950$. It’s a 1990 Ford Falcon st/wagon, cream color, and has full receipts three years back that it received all its services in garages and stuff. The guys were two engineers from England, who came here to travel and ended up working for 15 months, and now had to come back for a wedding so they needed to sell the car. The two owners before them were also not backpackers, so the car was really looked after - much better than the normal 20 years old rusted garbage they sell here for backpackers. It also has full 12 months rego (rego is like TEST here; they passed it two weeks ago) so it won’t be problem to sale. And the best part - because they came here to travel, they baught a *lot* of camping stuff, and almost didn’t get to use it! So I also own now two tents (one large and one small), a table, 4 chairs, a gas stove, a lamp, full kitchenwere (pots, plates, knives - everything! actually, more than I had when I was a student and probably more than Uri has in his house right now). They even gave me a bag full of spices, pasta, rice and stuff. It is so full, that I have no place on the back of the car - I may need to leave some behind me! The car has a radio+c.d. player (not that I have c.d’s), but the airconditioning doesn’t work. I won’t fix it now - When I get north I’ll see if I really need it.
I found the car in the backpacker car market at KingsCross, which is a neighbourhood in Sydney. I have the car and already paid them, but I will still need to wait in Sydney until Monday morning to finish all the registration thingys with the authorities here - these ignorant australians don’t work Sundays!
Tomorrow I will finish preparations to leave this city in Monday. If I have some time, maybe I’ll do some drive just to practice or get a dive here. In the meantime, I practiced driving it from the car market to my appartment, and found that a) the vinkers are in the wrong side, so I always turn on the vishers instead of the winkers (also, when you turn right you have to lower the winker, and when you turn left you have to raise it - the opposite than in Israel). and b) It’s quite hard to keep the lane, I always think I’m too much to the center of the road, while I’m actually located more left than I think. Apart from that - I’m a natural driver, as you all know.
May 21st, 2005 at 14:57
Congratulations.
What do you mean by registring with the Oz government? What form of registration?
– Arik
May 21st, 2005 at 18:19
Re: (a). Its actually exactly the same as in Israel - think about it a clockwise / anti-clockwise : see, it makes sense already
May 21st, 2005 at 19:03
Hi Elad
Good for you! How did you find this Kingscross place? Do you also have extra jericans for gas (benzine) and water? You’ll need them too. Is ther pne spare tyre or two and do you know - as a natural driver ofcourse- where the jack is and how to change a flat tyre?
Also buy a wheel locks so that when you leave your van going diving or whatever you’ll also find it when you come back!
INSURRENCE SHOULD COVER MORE THEN ONE DRIVER SO YOU CAN SHARE THE DRIVING
Buy yourself a few CD’s with folk Os songs (waltzing matilda- you remember?)
Some time the aircondition in the car needs only gas filling- specially if it stood long in the parking lot. Look for it because you might need it driving through the desert or warming yourself at nights
Try to find partners to your journey
Best wishes Dad and Mom
May 22nd, 2005 at 9:05
Here are a few things my car came with. Actually, I just finished spending half a day(!) finding out everything that is in there - they left me half of their appartment!
* Of course there is a wheel lock
* There is an extra petrol jerican. I filled it today. There are also extra tanks for engine oil, transmition and breaks fluid, engine water, etc.
* There are all materials for car wash and wax, including bucket.
* There is an inflating bed (MIZRON), with an automatic inflator pump that connects to the car’s cigarette lighter.
* There are bed sheets, including two pillows and a winter cover (SMIHAT PUCH!)
* There are two tents, one for four-people and one for two-people.
* There are four chairs+a table
* There is a gas-based lamp+stove, there is also a big gas tank.
* There is anti-sun umbrella (SHIMSHIYA)+a seashore chair
* There is full and very thorough kitchenwhere, including pots, plates, glasses, and everything there is in a normal kitchen - it actually looks like they just gave me the kitchen contents of their appartment.
* There is a full set of working tools, including all sorts of hammers, screws, knives (normal and japanese), and so forth.
* There are two(!) diving flashlights, probably a remaining of the owner prior to the english couple.
* There is a ZEIDANIT+KARHOMIM+thermus+another thermal bag
* There is an electrical distributor+long electrical cable.
* There is a laundry drying facility(to hang my laundry)+pegs
* There is road atlas+travel maps of all australia
* There is a box of brand new game cards.
* There are 10 different pens, in blue-red-black, all working, just to emphasize that this car belonged to engineers!
* There are three small puppets, of Kanguroos and Koalas.
* There is some food: rice, pasta, soup, and many spices.
I probably forgot some of the other things there.
May 22nd, 2005 at 12:32
Wow