The above photo was taken in a trendy little area near the ocean, called St. Kilda, and is not meant to be a metaphor related to the sudden crashing of Air Australia, which left hundreds of Aussie travelers stranded in Honolulu last week. I wasn't really surprised by the demise of that airline because we tried booking a flight with the company about six months ago when they were called Strategic Airlines. They were offering $500 one-way flights to Honolulu, so we went online to see if we could take advantage of the low introductory rates.

We immediately ran into problems. First, we couldn't complete the transaction because our Hawaiian Airlines Visa credit card (through Bank of America) flagged it as possibly a fraudulent charge because it was for a business outside the U.S. However, we didn't know that until after Strategic Airlines was already warned it might be fraud... then we got an automated call from BOA informing us we had to contact BOA before we attempted to use our card. On one hand I like BOA was taking a precaution. On the other, it bugged me they informed Strategic that we could be criminals without explaining this was how BOA routinely handles foreign transactions. (BTW, if you're traveling abroad, make sure you call your bank and credit card issuers before you go, or you could find that you will not be able to use your cards overseas without encountering major hassles.)

The bigger problem with Strategic became apparent when I called to see if BOA did or didn't put our transaction through, since we tried it a couple of times prior to getting the automated call explaining their policy. Although the Strategic reservation taker confirmed our transaction was aborted for suspected criminal activity, she could not tell us whether the special $500 one-way offer was available going from Honolulu to Sydney. She had absolutely no clue as to what was going on with the airline's Honolulu routes.  A couple of months later, they changed their name to Air Australia and did offer the same rate for flights departing Honolulu, but by then we had already booked the next lowest fare on JetStar, which is the flying bus division of Quantas. They charge you $7 for a blanket if you ask for one. And $4 for a bottle of water -- even after they make passengers wait a half hour or more due to delays caused by their own overbooking. As you can tell, I am not a fan of JetStar.

******

Before I return to regular programming and blogging on career-related stuff, I had some quick thoughts about biz opportunities in the Land Down Under. Compared to Hawaii and other visitor destinations that have been catering to tourists a long time, Australia still seems full of possibilities for entrepreneurs. For instance, when Americans travel, they like to pick up Christmas ornaments and picture frames that have the name of that place on it. Yet nary a store in Sydney, Melbourne or Cairns had any ornaments with those city names on them. There were some generic koalas and kangaroo things, but that's about all. Tons of refrigerator magnets and keychains though for some reason.

When we stopped to see the Aborigine dance performance at one visitor attraction, after we bought our staged photo with the troupe, I asked where their picture frames were -- you know, something with aboriginal art designs. When we went to Venice and took pictures on the island of Murano, famous for their glass art work, we bought a picture frame with hand-blown glass designs since it was the only thing we could afford. It made a nice keepsake -- us posing in Murano, framed by Murano glass work. However, the Aborigine in Charge, scratched his chin and said they didn't have any special frames for the photos they were selling. "I'll talk to the Boss about it," he said, cheerfully. I shook my head and said, "Don't talk to the Boss. Do it yourself and make some money!"

The other business I would like to launch over there if I had the time (and capital) would be manufacturing high quality t-shirts for women. My wife was frustrated because out of all the t-shirts with Australian designs or themes, she could not find a single one designed for females. They all had the same crew neck, same cut for guys. Why is that? It made us think of the original Crazy Shirts stores and designs too. In Oz, nearly all the stores carried the same stuff. Not much variety or sense of a true "local" style like we have on each island. Which is too bad, because when you get out of the major cities, you see the Aussies have a quirky, fun-loving nature... and plenty of odd or offbeat things that would look cool on a shirt. Take croc signage, for example.

The sign above was at a beach across from the timeshare resort near Cairns we stayed at. When I asked one of the resort housekeeping staff about the likelihood of seeing a hungry crocodile in those waters, she assured me that it was rare for them to climb over the plastic barrier and netting that surrounded the swimming area. But, yes, it did happen now and then. "We don't like to alarm the guests," she said, forcing a tight smile. We did not go swimming there.

For foodies, I'd suggest someone start a taco restaurant and/or taco food truck. Something like Camille's on Wheels (here's the video we did on her). I don't recall seeing any Mexican or Tex-Mex type food places in the cities we visited. And trust me, we saw a lot of restaurants for just about everything else -- plenty of Japanese, Chinese, other Asian cuisines. But with such a strong surf culture, you'd think there would be a few taco joints. They did have a lot of burger fast food places, such as Hungry Jacks.

My only regret is we didn't try any kangaroo or crocodile dishes. We were told fresh 'roo tastes sort of like venison. And of course, everyone knows crocodile tastes like chicken.

For daily viewing times of our Feb. episode of Career Changers TV on OC16, please visit our website. You can also watch low-res video segments on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo for watching!

Tell the truth: if you came upon a bin of dolls like the ones above in Hawaii at an open market, what would your reaction be? When my wife and I saw these at a visitor destination in Australia, we were a bit stunned. The sign above the dolls says they originated in the late 1800's when Egyptian laborers worked under British supervision. Children of the Egyptian workers played with black handmade dolls, and then British soldiers bought them or were given Golliwogs as gifts to bring home to England. What they have to do with Australia, I have no idea.

But it did bring to mind this image of an Aborigine man we met on our Blue Mountain bus tour...

It was a somewhat awkward encounter. To begin with, we had been told earlier that Aborigines used to forbid taking of photographs of them because they felt it was stealing their souls or something like that. I've heard of other native tribes in different cultures that had similar beliefs. But before this fellow hopped on our bus, the driver announced that we would be given a special opportunity to watch authentic Aborigine dance -- and we might be able to take pictures of them too. For a price. The fellow above in the white face paint was quite charming. He spoke in a perfect Aussie accent and told us how he danced for Queen Elizabeth at David Bowie's estate in England, and also performed for Justin Timberlake recently.

He asked if we had any questions before we stopped at the center where his troupe was going to perform for us. So I asked him why the Aborigine chose to live in the Outback when Australia had so many lush, beautiful lands near the ocean, where it seemed game and fish were plentiful. I thought he might talk about the genocide that occurred when British settlers arrived or how they moved further inland out of necessity. But he smiled and tactfully explained that where we see nothing but barren desert land, the Aborigine saw ample resources, which they knew through their songs. It reminded me of how Native Hawaiians talk about hula. So I asked if the British also tried to eliminate their language and songs, the way missionaries in Hawaii originally tried to put an end to hula. Again, he smiled -- a little sadder -- and said there were "misunderstandings," but the Aborigine were still here. Which is true, sort of... it depends on your definition of Aborigine. In Australia, in the late 1800's they passed the Half-Caste Act, which was meant to "assimilate" Aborigine of mixed races by forcing them to relocate or taking children with mixed blood from their natural parents.

It really was an effort to isolate full-blooded Aborigine with the idea that they would eventually die off, and mixed Aborigine would eventually just blend into modern Australian society. In the 1960's the Aborigine and progressive-minded whites pushed for equal rights, much the same way as African-Americans did during the civil rights movement in the U.S. With that came a resurgence of Aborigine pride -- similar to what happened in Hawaii, with more people who were part Hawaiian taking ownership of their heritage. Just as we have many Hawaiians who don't look like the idealized version of Native Hawaiians, there are many Aborigine who actually look white. Here's the photo we paid for (when I first saw the "No Photos" sign, I naively thought it was for cultural reasons):

Not quite the image you probably had in mind when you think of Aborigines, am I right?

As it turns out, there are increasing numbers of white-looking Aborigines who are staking claim to their bloodline. While we were there, on Australia Day I read a piece by a conservative newspaper columnist who asserted that they were doing it mainly because of the generous government benefits that are available to Aborigines. He felt Australia had already done enough to make up for the genocide, the deaths from diseases introduced by the settlers, and abject racism they were subjected to for decades, and the pendulum had swung too far to the left. While I disagree with his blanket assessment, I do think there are people with very little Aborigine blood who are cashing in on it for monetary gain. But so what? If they are keeping the culture alive and helping preserve Aborigine traditions or art/music, does it matter what their motive is? Isn't that what we do in Hawaii with our tourism marketing efforts?

*******

Eventually I'll get back to blogging about career stuff -- got some ideas for business opportunities in Australia I want to share in my next post! Until then, don't forget to tune in to see the February episode of Career Changers TV on OC16. For daily viewing times, please visit our website. You can also watch low res video segments from past and current shows on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

When I saw the poster above, which was displayed at nearly every tram or train stop in Sydney and Melbourne during my trip to Australia, it really moved me. I thought about Hawaii, and how we too are a place where people have come from all over the world. What I'm about to write, however, might offend Native Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese and just about any race or nationality you can think of. That's the problem about talking about race or ethnicity. You don't want to generalize or judge people based on stereotypes... yet, sometimes stereotypes exist because there's a kernel of truth in those slanted views. Maybe that's why Frank De Lima has been popular for so long here.

Mind you, these are just my personal impressions from a recent two-week visit. My wife and I talked to Aussies, other visitors, and people in Hawaii upon our return to compare notes. Being half-Japanese myself, I was subjected to teasing and taunts while growing up in New Jersey, so I'm especially sensitive to jokes or stereotypes about Asians in general. That said, I gotta tell you the elephant in the room when you visit Australia is the huge impact the Chinese are having on the big cities and tourism. It was amplified -- literally -- by the timing of Chinese New Years when we happened to be there. Someone told us about 16,000 Chinese had come for that one week, most on package tours. And it seemed like half of them were everywhere we went. Airplanes, airports, shops, stores, tours, boats, snorkeling, sightseeing.

Their presence wasn't just felt as visitors. Throughout Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns (the main city by the Great Barrier Reef) there were many people of Chinese descent working in retail, restaurants and hotels. A lot of them barely spoke English, indicating they were relatively new immigrants. But the Chinese have a long history in Australia, and sadly, it involves one of the uglier chapters from the early days of colonization: Chinese who came during the Australian Gold Rush were the victims of prejudice and violence. Despite all that, the Chinese (and other Asians) have established a strong foothold on the continent through hard work and perseverance. Appearances can be deceiving because you'll see someone who looks Chinese or Japanese, and when they start speaking with that Australian accent, it seems a bit incongruous.

In Hawaii, our tourism industry has been wooing China because they represent a potentially huge market. I don't know how else to put this, but having witnessed the flood of Chinese visitors in Australia during Chinese New Years, I'd say be careful what you wish for. The Australians were happy to take their money, but they were also pretty frank about how they perceive the Chinese tour groups. On our boat ride out to the Great Barrier Reef, the Aussie crew talked directly to non-Chinese guests on board and warned us: "They can be very pushy. So stand your ground when you get to the buffet line and don't let them shove you around. Better yet, go snorkel first and do the buffet later after they're done rushing for the food."

The crew person wasn't being nasty when she told us that. It's just the way it is, and that is exactly how things played out when we anchored near the outer reef. Other travelers we met in Australia -- and people in Hawaii -- were even more blunt about their experiences around large groups of Chinese travelers. "They're loud, and they're rude," is what we heard repeatedly. Yes, they were loud. Very loud. On airplanes, in airports, on boats. It bothered me they would talk when safety instructions were being issued -- apparently, since they couldn't understand what was being said, they didn't seem concerned if others heard the announcements. (To be fair, when we were traveling in Europe, the same "pushy, loud, rude" label was most often applied to Germans. I had to explain to my wife the concept of "boxing out" when we lined up to enter venues.)

Of course, not all Chinese travelers are like that. Just as the old image of timid Japanese tourists traveling in large groups, snapping photos of everything in sight is no longer valid. As Japan's economy became more prosperous, they became more experienced travelers and less dependent on tour guides. They became more sophisticated and independent. My guess is the same will probably hold true with the Chinese market.

Life has a funny way of slapping you upside the head though whenever you make snap judgments or brand people. We were on a bus tour to the Blue Mountains, which is about a two hour ride from Sydney. I'll be honest: we were praying there would be no large group of Chinese getting on board with us -- not because they're Chinese, but simply because we can't stand being around loud chatterboxes in movies, theaters, wherever. White, black, I don't care. If I pay to see or hear some form of entertainment, I do not want to listen to someone else giving a running commentary.

Anyhow, we were the first on, so we sat up front to hear the guided tour better. Sure enough, after we picked up a few other people, a Chinese couple got on and sat right next to us. I thought: Oh, no... they're gonna be translating whatever the guide says back and forth the entire time in Chinese! But no, they were quiet. And quite nice as it turned out. While we were stopped at a wildlife park, they saw me taking a picture of my wife with a koala. The husband smiled and asked me if I would like him to take a picture of us together. It's one of my favorite photos from our trip.

There's another racial element in Australia that I'll write about in my next post: the Aborigines. What's surprising is how many appear Caucasian... and according to some news commentary I read over there, there's a reason why many seemingly "white" Aussies are identifying themselves as Aborigine.

Some of what has happened in the past to them, and what's going on now, is reminiscent of the treatment of Native Hawaiians. History is a tricky thing... there are those who want to embrace and celebrate select episodes from the past. But with that comes the knowledge there were many wrongs done as well, which can never be undone.

*********

The new February episode of Career Changers TV was preempted by high school sports again this week, but as they would say Down Under (and say it frequently), "No worries, mate!" That's because there are plenty of other times during the day you can watch or DVR the show. Just check out your onscreen TV guide for OC16 or go to our website. You can also check out low res versions of segments from past and present episodes on the CCTV YouTube Channel.

For some reason, many Americans have trouble accepting that other countries may have some good ideas we should emulate. One of the side benefits of traveling is you get to see how people live elsewhere, and what works in different settings. It also makes you appreciate the things we do better. Travel can be a bridge between cultures and ideology.

Take tipping for example. In Australia, it's not expected -- and service sometimes reflects it. However, their minimum wage is over $15 per hour. Yep, you heard right. My wife and I were surprised just how expensive it is Down Under. The U.S. dollar is also trading at a lower value than their currency, making it harder on American tourists abroad. A cup of coffee in most cafes there will cost about $5 U.S. (no refills). A light breakfast runs $10-20. Lunch, $20 or more each. Dinner $30-50 apiece even at modest restaurants. Service is included though, so if you do happen to add a 5-10 percent tip, they're very appreciative. The downside is some servers didn't seem to care much about their customers since they weren't working for tips.

On the plus side, why is it that every country we travel to has better mass transit than we do? Sydney has ferries that run on time, trains, a monorail, buses. You don't need a car to get anywhere in that city. Melbourne had trams, including a free city circle line for visitors and residents with stops near all the major retail/shopping centers. Near almost every train/tram stop you find bustling shops and restaurants that take advantage of the synergy between public transportation and commerce, which seems a lot more sensible than getting in a car and driving to a shopping mall, where you drive around some more looking for a parking space.

What we also found in both Melbourne and Sydney is the compactness of the cities seems to foster creativity. The architecture and shop signage is bolder and more colorful than anything you see in Waikiki or Downtown Honolulu. It has to be -- in places where there's real competition to get attention, businesses and institutions have to do something to stand out. Yet both cities also protect their heritage and you can see plenty of beautiful old buildings that date back to the beginnings of colonization... which brings up some touchy subjects: aborigines and their place in modern Australia life (and tourism industry) and the impact that the latest wave of immigrants is having on the country. More on that in my next blog post.

Oh, the reason I posted the photo of a close up of the famous Sydney Opera House below is it ties into both the creative theme and money angle. The story behind the design of this iconic structure is really fascinating -- if you ever go to Australia, the opera house tour is a must (you can read more about it on my CCTV Squashed Gecko blog by clicking here). It was a controversial project that was going to cost a lot of money to build. Know how they paid for it? A lottery. Why couldn't we do something like that to help pay for rail or to finance the next Aloha Stadium?

BTW, both Melbourne and Sydney have casinos too. They were large, and near as we could tell, not a big problem for people who live there. I don't recall even seeing any ads or commercials for the casinos (plenty of public service posters about drinking though). As you might guess, when we visited them we saw mostly visitors -- largely Asians. We even won a little money in Sydney before we left. But when I tried to tip the blackjack dealer after coloring up our chips, he quickly told us tipping isn't allowed in casinos there. They also play blackjack a little different than in Vegas... what else would you expect in a country where they drive on the wrong side of the road?

Horse racing is big too. The buzz in Oz right now is about Black Caviar, who is their Secretariat and Man o' War, undefeated after 17 races. If that horse ever comes to America, I'd put money on Black Caviar to win the Triple Crown!

**********

The new February episode of Career Changers TV is now running on OC16. For daily viewing times, please visit our website. You can also watch videos from past and current shows on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo!

After a sleepless 10-hour return trip from Australia, which my wife and I will remember as "The Flight of the Screaming Babies," we arrived in Hawaii on Thursday morning -- odd, because we had left Sydney on Thursday afternoon around 6 pm. They're a day ahead of us, and with the time zone changes it can be confusing when you try to keep in touch with contacts across the ocean.

Unlike others who post their current whereabouts 24/7 via Facebook and Twitter, I like to keep our travel plans offline so prospective burglars won't know when we aren't home. Ergo, the lack of posts on this blog between Jan. 18 and Feb. 2. Plus, we basically cut the cord (metaphorically speaking since everything is wireless these days) on all social media except for logging in to check emails every two, three days. Our pay-as-you-go AT&T cell phones didn't work in Australia, so we couldn't make calls either... and that was fine for the two weeks we were gone. Actually, it was nice to take a break from the constant stream of news and trivia we are hooked on during our usual daily routines. But it was disconcerting to see so many Aussies and visitors with their eyes riveted on smart phones, while missing out on everything else around them, whether it was a trip to the Great Barrier Reef or events such as the Australian Tennis Open matches we went to.

As you can see, I took photos here and there. Yet I kept reminding myself to put the camera down so I could take things in through my eyes and ears instead of through a lens. In the process, we came away with many impressions of the Land Down Under -- mostly favorable. In a lot of ways, the multicultural aspects are quite similar to what we have in Hawaii. Yet there seems to be a growing backlash to immigrants (especially Asians) that reminded me more of anti-Mexican sentiment you'd find in California or the Southwestern U.S. states. Another big difference is their tourism industry is relatively young compared to ours -- and to me, that represents a real opportunity for entrepreneurs who are willing to go West to tap into their expanding Far East market. More on that in my next blog post... and how we found ourselves traveling among thousands of Chinese visitors during the time period around Chinese New Years.

Oh, yeah, we also got to see Rafa Nadal and Novac Djokovic play in the Australian Open, which was our primary reason for going in January (the summer season in Oz -- almost unbearably hot and humid up north around the Great Barrier Reef area). Except we saw them separately in their quarterfinal matches, not the epic final 5-setter they played against each other. However, both QF matches were outstanding, and even the "cheap" seats in Rod Laver Arena offer terrific views (unlike the U.S. Open Arthur Ashe Arena nosebleed sections for about the same cost).

Our trip happened to coincide with the celebration of Australia Day and filming of the American reality TV series, The Amazing Race, when we were sightseeing at the Old Gaol (Jail). I've joked that when Isabel and I travel, we sometimes bicker like couples on that TV show when they get lost or disagree on which way to go. So it was an amazing coincidence to stumble upon the television crew and contestants trying to answer questions in order to get out of their jail cells -- which harkens back to allusions of Australia originally being colonized by people with criminal pasts. There's much more irony and paradoxes in present day life there I want to share... but that will have to be in later posts!

PROGRAM ALERT: The new February episode of Career Changers TV has begun airing daily on OC16. However, due to high school sports, the next couple of weeks our evening time slots are being preempted or running at later times. If you want to record the show, the best options are during the morning and day times (click here for the viewing schedule). You can also watch video segments from the current episode on the CCTV YouTube Channel. Mahalo!