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| New car: 4x4, Turbo Diesel, automatic 2000 Jackaroo |
I got a car! I am so excited. It has been such a long journey here. The trouble started with trying to unlock my phone. I needed a sim card to do this. The sim card I had bought required a telephone number. I did not yet have a number it was why I needed a phone. Then I get it unlocked and the data didn't seem to work. That was O.K. I didn't need the data quite yet. I finally had the phone number the bank requires to finish setting up an account.
Phone number in hand now I could get money to buy a car, right? Wrong! My bank in the States does not do international money transfers. This took me a few days to figure out. Thank goodness for my parents. They saved my ass and went to my bank in the States to ask them what I need to do to get my money transferred. They said just to put it on my debt card and have the AU bank take it from my card. Sounded easy enough. Well I had to convince the AU bank to even try it they didn't think it would work. Thank heavens that it did or I would be going home a bit early in my trip.
Money all taken care of now I could start the wonderful process of buying cars on Gumtree (AU version of Craig's list). That was great... not. There are so many people that are unreasonable and just want to yank you chain. It did not help that I sound like a 10 year old with a funny accent on the phone here so sellers didn't take me very seriously. I think that is where Geoff helped me the most. He was able to talk to them and get straight answers no problem.
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| A shop Dad could be jealous of. LOL his is just as messy. |
So my last day at Geoff's he took me to see a Holden Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper in the US). I liked it a lot. It was in my budget and had what I was looking for all except for a Roadworthy Certificate. That I had to wait a few days for to get then if it passed I could pick it up. Well it passed and the now previous owner is extremely nice. Fixing up old Jackaroos is his hobby. He talked me through everything he thought I would need to know about the car and extra tips. One day in and so far I am very happy I bought the Jackaroo.
Learning to drive on the wrong side of the road is pretty difficult. I keep reaching for things on the wrong side of the drivers seat out of muscle memory and there are so many natural habits I am having to break. It just takes a bit more concentration and my wipers go off instead of my indicators half the time but it is all part of the experience. Or so I tell myself.
"I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list" -Susan Sontag
And with a car it will be even easier to get there!
