Been a few days since the last update I'm afraid, I had a bit of an adventure.
I'm going to open with another complaint about the Australian Internet system. Over two weeks ago now I finally signed up for an (overpriced) Internet connection. The gentleman on the telephone was most helpful, "yes sir, we will get that underway ASAP, thank you for your business".
Well, we are still waiting. They have sent me two letters saying "welcome to Telstra" and "welcome to Bigpond" but as of yet, no sign of the phoneline actually being activated and as of yet no modem arriving in the post.
"Righto" Thought I. "I'll get onto the helpdesk". So. Finally locate a telephone number. So called "freephone". Rang it. It was answered by a Dalek. I re read the telephone book, and rang their "complaints" number, which as it turns out is also the "new connections" and "faults" number.
Telephone: "Please speak to tell me how I can help you today"
Me: "Internet"
Telephone: "You want help with your Internet, is this correct?"
Me: "Correct"
Telephone: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. Say yes or no"
Me: "Yes"
Telephone: "So we can help you better, please state your date of birth"
Me: "11 12 1987"
Telephone: "Thanks, I would like to put you though to our Internet consultant but the helpdesk is currently shut. Please ring back Monday to Friday 8:00 till 6:00"
Me: "You are no help at all"
Telephone: "beep. beep. beep."
"Righto" says I. I'll get smart. I'll ring again and make out it's a fault, surely that will work.
Telephone: "Please speak to tell me how I can help you today"
Me: "Telephone"
Telephone: "You require help with your telephone, is this correct?"
Me (Learning from previous encounter): "Yes"
Telephone: "Thanks, now to help me more please state your telephone number"
Me: "I don't have a telephone number because your useless tech's haven't connected it yet"
Telephone: "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Please use the keypad to enter your telephone number or say I don't have one"
Me: "I don't have one"
Telephone: "Please hold" *Music fading into white noise and back into music* "I'm sorry, our helpdesk is currently shut. Please ring back Monday to Friday 8:00 till 6:00"
Me: "You're useless"
Telephone: "Goodbye"
Now, as it turns out, this "freephone" number ended up costing me over $20 in the time it took for me to argue with a robot.
Needless to say, I am not best pleased. And the Internet still isn't connected. And I can't complain to anyone until Monday. Bring back NZ Internet I say... at least telecom talk to you, even if they are in India.
Anyhow, on a somewhat brighter note, I had my first experience of an Australian coal mine last week. Spent the week staying at Maura mine, one of the bigger coal mines here. There are many stories to be told about that week but I won't go into it now or I will be here all night. What I will say is it was a real eye opener, a totally different way of life to that of the real world. Both in good and bad ways. You have to just adjust and fit in, do your part, and forget about the rest.
I met some really huge machines out there, some huge Cat 797 dump trucks, D11 dozers, shovels, and largest of all, draglines. If you have never seen a dragline before, look it up. If I remember before hitting the "post" button I will attach a pic. These things are basically an office block that moves around digging huge holes in the ground. I think the smallest one here moves 40 cubic meters of ground per bucket load. You jump on board and then it's a bit like being on the sea, the thing swinging around. Good thing I don't get seasick. We had to do some work on the dragline in the photo below, this dragline is the smallest out of the 6 on site here. We had to replace some antennas on the top of the mast, and clean a camera on the boom. The mast on this one is over 60 meters tall. Once you have climbed it 5 or 6 times the novelty soon wears off let me tell you. Climbing up the boom is something else... it's like a giant stairway to heaven. Keeps on going... you think the top is miles away. Climb the Piazza at home about 8 times in a row and you might be getting close...
One thing you learn out there is no job is rushed. A 2 hour real world job would equal about 2 days probably more out there. But it would be a safe job. No chance of much happening to you, apart from perhaps getting caught up in all the safety gear and having to start again. Unbelievable stuff, it really is. You don't have a real appreciation for the culture in these places until you experience it first hand.
It was raining for the first few days, we have had a bit of rain over here the last week or so. The entire mine turned to 8" deep mud, and most of the main roads in and out were closed. The last thing you want is huge trucks sliding around out of control I guess.
One good thing about the rain, the crows all went away and were quite for a change. One bad thing about the rain, all the ruddy frogs came out. Now you are probably thinking of NZ frogs, nice quiet tree frogs with not a lot to sing about... well... these Australian frogs are about 10x the size and about 10x the loudness. Man they make a racket for a smallish animal. There were toads too, I think they were trying to out sing the frogs, but boy were they going for it. Trying to get to sleep that night was a waste of time... I kept thinking about how much I would swap my kingdom for a shotgun.
Anyhow driving around out there I came across some cockatoos. Not many, say.. about 500. All over the road, and side of road, and in trees, and everywhere you looked. All dozy as. Eventually at the last second just before we squashed them they took off into this giant cloud of white and yellow. Totally unbelievable, I have never seen so many birds in one place. Unfortunately I didn't get the camera out in time, but I will be on my guard in future.
Right, I think one of the guys from work is going to take us out on the town tonight, so we will get a chance to observe the Gladstone night life. Should be an interesting night by the sounds of things...
TTFN
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