hey guys,

just wondering what life is like "down under" is there crime? is the coruption? are your datto's safe?
here in SA you dont dare park your car outside at night either the wheels are stolen or the whole car people dont care!!!
and our darker community dont know how to drive, no wonder our road deaths are so high. i mean these guys cram 16-20 people into a minbus and then ask "but why did i roll" or "why did my brakes fail"

the best was a "taxi" as we call them used cardboard for brake pads, but unfortanetly he killed 2-3 road runner when his "brakes" no longer worked, then again "but why????"

welcome to africa!!!!!
that's my take.
how's your country?

nicholas

g'day nicholas life is pretty good here i must admit but we have crime too ... i had a work mate who was from SA he told me about some of the going on's there in regaurd to the was they cram people into their car i aint laughed so hard in ages , one story he told me was how they take the steering wheel off and weld a spanner to the colum so they can fit more people in , i was ok once i picked myself up picked myself up off the floor hahhaha ..

I ride a Kangaroo to work.

Hey Wattage, thats amazing any pics of the roo, what modifications have you done?
Any pics of the pouch?

yeh i just fitted my drop bear with some new headers and he can now drop from 55ft in freefall


nah australia is great but it's not all dirt roads and skippy over here we also have electricity and running water, and no we don't bathe in rain water tanks.

but we do eat the animals on our nations crest, so hey we might as well be in the 1890's

oh and airconditioning has changed our lives in the past 3 years and the "ice box" or fridge as you might call it.

all jokes, come visit and see for yourself it's not suh a bad place

I dunno its not that good, all the kangaroos and koalas keep eating all my foster's beer can collection.

And its so hard trying to keep the dingoes away from your babies....

Actually I think I might make it down to Australia in December. I'm only waiting on my passport really, but I'll be down there with my work if I do go. So if you see 2 to 5 C-130's fliying over your houses 100-500 feet above ground dropping junk out the back, you can say you know one of those guys ;)

Australia is a good place generally. Like any place it's got it's pockets of "new arrivals" who are struggling to adjust, and spend too much time playing "I'm the man" games...
Unfortunately the NSW government shut down heaps of Mental Hospitals about 15 years ago, leaving us with reality-challenged people wandering about in the citys. But in general, people are nice, food is nice, car selection is ok (More expensive than the USA), Taxes are too high, housing costs are high. But if you know how to relax and enjoy the good weather, then all the bad things aren't so bad. There are plenty of good scenic adventures to be had in a datto.

If you are worried about your Datto being knocked off, then it's possible, but only if you leave it parked on the street. I've heard stories of people moving cars in front of garages while the owners are sleeping. But the chances of this are only heightened if you drive a late model turbo rocket, or you live in a dodgy suburb. Daily drivers are much more likely to be stolen, because the thieves can "case" the car, based on your daily habits.

Chris

From what i have heard

HEAPS BETTER THAN SA

i have met quite a few south africans in melbourne actually, and from chatting to them things are quite terrible over there

most have been here several years and their family moved here because basically someone they knew (while in SA) was killed for no reason and it scared the shiet out of em

yeah they all seem to be happy and enjoy melbourne at least, crime is nothing like what i have heard about over there thats for sure!, and the kind of people stealing a datsun are stupid kids trying to get into an "easy" car but really have no idea, so some a simple device to protect your car would suffice, anyone proffesionally stealing cars would not bother with a bloody datsun thats for sure. i guess the main thing which is hard to protect is a thumping stereo, they get stolen often enough but thats not too serious i guess.

[edit] oh yeah i worked as a labourer for a south african guy (builder) here for a short period and yeah i heard of some pretty dumb stories where people (the previously mentioned darker type) didnt understand what happend, i.e. walking along a plank to do paiting or something and walking past the end support onto the overhang of the plank, falling on there bloody head and having no idea why it happend