RHODES

Who dare say the Aussies do not have a sense of humor? This shop is located in a brand new Shopping Center in the next town, Rhodes, 1-stop away from my village Meadowbank. The City-Rail around metropolitan Sydney is quite well run, on time as well. What I fail to understand is; a roundtrip ticket to Rhodes - take 2 minutes - is A$4.4 while a 35-minute return to Town Hall, in the middle of Sydney, is $6.6? After a very stress filled week I needed ventilation, it could be anywhere. I dropped off my laundry, plus a few of my Florentines, at Kim's Laundry and took off for my neighborhood adventure, which is highly recommended by the motel staff.

Rhodes is a quaint little town, built around a serene bay with blocks of stylish new apartments. I had a leisurely walk along the water with a Hoya Petit Robusto, watching young families enjoy their Saturdays, complete with kids & dogs. Could that be 20 years ago when Dora & I led that life? 20 years ... my friends, when Jess was 2, Andrea 5 and Terri 9! Almost all the balconies face the water, almost everyone has a BBQ of course, this is Australia after all. This developer Mirca (I might have spelled it wrongly) must own most of the real estate as their signs are all over the place. The shopping center is named after them. It is not a mall by any standards but it is cozy, and it reflects the unmistaken life style here. To give an example; apart from a giant Ikea outlet there are 3 kitchen supplies stores, at different price levels. Things are not cheap either, and business must be good. BTW how can anyone not love that creative name for your slumber needs?

I watched Tom Hanks' latest - 'Angels & Demons' - and loved it. The best line : 'Do you believe in God?' His answer, 'I am an academic, faith is a gift I have yet to receive' .... brilliant! I do not recall when was the last time I watched a movie, alone. I thought the A$16 ticket is steep, only to find out Gold Lounge seats with large reclining sofas, little tables for your popcorn & soda etc are A$33! Those 20+ seats at a raised platform at the back of the house were all taken, while less well off folks like me were seated sparsely in the front. Snacks too are expensive, A$7 for popcorn & A$6 for M&Ms, Skittles & Maltezers. WOW!

I was going to come home for my ritual salad but since it is Saturday, and since I am closer to civilization, I might as well splurge. A quick tour around the Food Court ended in another Aussie experience, Oporto, a chicken sandwich joint. Having just learned to dissect a chook, I was still not able to identify where that slice of meat ... called 'fillet' ... comes from? One can have 1, 2 or even 3 fillets in a sandwich. What tops it all is the selection of sauces : Lemon Herb, Chili & Prego. What a name for mayo mixed with ketchup, as it was patiently explained to me by Karen, who must thought I am another migrant worker intruding Rhodes. I did not want to disappoint her so I played the Asian card & ordered chili, I almost choked from the first bite. The sauce is orange in color, sort of a murderous dose between Szechuen & Mexican peppers. Tobasco please step aside. If you do not believe me Oporto sells them for A$7 a bottle. By now it was passed 9pm, the cleaning crew from East Asia was a bit impatient as I sat down so I smiled, nodded and did them a favor. I took my a la carte dinner outside.

A single fillet burger plus a Diet Coke was A$7, watching Hanks play Harvard professor was A$16, train ticket A$4 ... now, for a lovely 5 hours of serenity, gourmet sauce, entertainment & absolute freedom the damage was A$27. Life does not get any better, does it?