Shopping:: Week 2

after having a ball of a time searching for houses in a completely new world, we figured we would settle down for a furnished apt with a fairly decent view. furnished apts are difficult to find in sydney. for one, people here prefer to stay in individual houses than apts; and as far as possible, they would want to use their own furniture, even if they are staying for a short time. furnished apts are not only very expensive but also very scarce, and usually rented out as temperary corporate housing. that should explain the ::totally-omg:: view from our balcony.

the week was busy as usual, and we unpacked during whatever little time we had in the late evenings (.. finally!!). almost all the shops here, including groceries, department, clothing, close at 5pm during the week days. and sunday is a holiday for everyone, even the shops; with the exception of the 'touristy' places. needless to say, saturday was our shopping day.

after we were done with the "necessary" shopping, we dared to venture into "lets look around for something interesting" shopping. general piece of advice:: if you are ever in sydney and you want to go shopping: make sure to carry a defibrillator with you. and believe me, you will need it in quite a few stores. because the prices here are Exorbitant:: thats right! with a capital E. i know some of you guys are thinking:: "it can't be that bad. maybe you walked into an expensive store". well.. maybe. but to give you a drift, here is a peice of conversation that actually occured in one of the stores::

PJ:: have you seen the price on the jeans pant?
me:: no, how much?
PJ:: $165!!
me:: no way!!
PJ:: check it out.. (shows me the price tag right about the time when a serviceman approached us. )
SM:: yes sir, can i help you?
me:: are these jeans $165 or is it a misprint? (our eyes are still as big as lemons.)
SM:: no sir, thats the right price.
me:: is there some kind of a deal for mother's day?
SM:: yes sir, they are on a deal.
me:: whats the original price?
SM:: $210.
me:: good for you. (our eyes normal now, we walked out.)

few shops down the isle, we entered a shoe store:: another place i could have used a CPR. i saw a pair of running shoes not unlike the ones i brought at nike in santa barbara for $80. rather inquisitive, i peeked in to take a glance at the price. $230. the glance turned into a stare:: are you kidding me!!! a serviceman sneeked up behind me::

SM:: that is a good shoe.
me:: i know. i have them.
SM:: do you want to look at other models?
me:: for what?
SM:: for running.
me:: no, thanks. i've stopped running.

during a lunch discussion with collegues the following week, we found out that the goods that are imported are expensive due to taxes and additional fees and whatnot. the funny thing is: australian clothing is expensive too. because they typically involve snake/croc skins, heavy hats, and high boots.

ok!! i think i'll stop with these niggling trivialities now. sydney so far has been good to us.