United States of America

In ten days Kája and I are going to the USA for three weeks.  I haven't been back since 2017.  I was supposed to go in 2020 but Covid prevented that one.  Kája hasn't been there before and he'll get to use his ESTA.  The plan is to fly to Atlanta to visit Steven and Michael for a week before flying to Arizona for another week.  Then it's a 7-ish hour drive with my parents to visit my sister in California.  So here's a bit about the USA.

The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states, plus the capital, Washing, D.C., which is the federal capital district.  In North America, there are 48 contiguous states, bordering Canada and Mexico, plus Alaska and Hawaii.  After Russia and Canada, the U.S. is the 3rd largest country by size, and with more than 340 million people it is also the 3rd largest by population after China and India.  

The USA is huge!!  Over 9 million km² (+3.5 million sq mi) kind of huge.  A direct flight from the east coast to the west coast is six hours.  A flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, is almost another six hours.  In comparison, a six hour flight from Portugal, on one side of Europe, would put you all the way over in the Caucasus.

About 12.000 years ago Paleo-Indians migrated from North Asia to North America and became the first inhabitants.  There were up to 1000 different native civilisations, in the area that would become the USA, before the Europeans arrive.  

The Spanish established a colony in South Florida in 1513, and the British established a the first of the 13 Colonies in Virginia in 1607.  The economy of the American Colonies was built on slave labour from Africa.  The Declaration of Independence was signed on 4 July 1776, and the American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783 which led to international recognition.  France was the first country to recognise an U.S. independence in 1778.  

Following a westward expansion, and the genocide of native peoples, more states joined the union.  

The North and South fought the American Civil War, from 1861 - 1865, over slavery when the Confederate States tried to secede from the Union.

The USA was a major world power by 1900.  During WWII, it became the world's first nuclear power and was one of two superpowers during the Cold War.  The U.S., with 42% of the world's nuclear weapons, has the 2nd largest stockpile after Russia.  A very short, abbreviated summary of U.S. history.  

The United States has the 3rd largest military and is made of of 5 branches of service - the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.    

The military has about 800 bases and facilities overseas, in roughly 85 different countries.  

The USA is a founding member of NATO, and holds a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

The USA is a presidential constitutional federal republic made up of three branches of government - legislative, executive and judicial.  The legislature is made of the House of Representatives, based on population, and the Senate, with 2 members per state.

I think the big problem with the two-party system is that no one, Republicans or Democrats, is willing to compromise on anything.  When there are only two parties, you're either a winner or a loser.  At least with parliamentary democracies, it is easier for multiple parties to find middle ground.

©One Minute Economics

The USA is a major economic power.  Of the 500 largest revenue companies, 136 have their headquarters in the U.S.  The U.S. dollar is the most used currency in international transactions and the world's largest reserve currency.

It is the world's largest importer and second-largest exporter.  It's also the world's largest exporter of services.  The largest trading partners are the European Union, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Vietnam, India, and Taiwan.

California is the country's economic powerhouse.  If California was independent it alone would be the 4th largest economy in the world.  California ends up subsidising other states because it pays more in to the U.S. federal system than it receives back.  As a Californian, it was always funny to listen to other states complain about California but while at the same time taking its money.

What's amazing to me is that the USA is the only advanced economy in the world that doesn't provide for paid vacation.  Also no federally mandated paid maternity or paternity leave.  l

California is the most populous state but New York City, in New York, is the biggest city.  

The metric system isn't used.  Except for in healthcare and you can buy 1 and 2 litre bottles of soda.  That's it.

©History Matters

The USA still has five territories.  In the Caribbean, there is Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  In the North Pacific Ocean, there is Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean.  Plus several uninhabited islands in Oceania and the Caribbean.

People from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands get U.S. citizenship at birth.  People born in American Samoa have U.S. nationality but not U.S. citizenship.  Each of these are self-governing territories.  They only get to elect a non-voting member to House of Representatives.  The can propose legislation but can't vote on it.

English is the de facto official language but some individual states have English as an official language.  There are many regional accents.  Here's a short video highlighting how each state's accent sounds.  Plus the usual greeting in each state.

©Condé Nast Traveler

©Condé Nast Traveler

I'm looking forward to introducing Kája to my family and showing him the USA.  I'm not sure who will experience more culture shock, him or me.  But we'll see.  There are a lot of good things about the USA but there are still many problems and most Americans are so filled with blind patriotism about being the "greatest country on earth" that they end up being pretty obnoxious.  Here's a clip from The Newsroom that hits home.

©HBO

Commonwealth of Nations

Today is the 5th of November which is Guy Fawkes night.  So Happy Bonfire night to all of my Commonwealth peeps.  

Here's a bit about the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Commonwealth of Nations is a political association of 56 countries, most of which, 52 of them, were once part of the British Empire either as colonies or dependencies.

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II's passing, Charles III immediately succeeded his mother as monarch of the Commonwealth realm even though he has not yet be crowned king.

Once Charles III will be king, he will be both monarch and head of state, of the 15 countries of the Commonwealth realm.

These 15 countries are the United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.

There are five countries that have other monarchs but are still a part of the Commonwealth.  These five are Brunei, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga.

The remaining 36 members of the Commonwealth are all republics.  They include Bangladesh, Barbados,  Botswana, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zambia.

The Commonwealth consists of 31,5 million km² (12.2 million square miles) which is about 21% of the world's total land area.  The Commonwealth countries are home to 2,4 billion people which is about ⅓ of the world's population with 94% living in Asia and Africa.

There's no requirement that a member has to have been a British colony.  Mozambique, Rwanda, and Gabon never were.  The Commonwealth Charter states that members have shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The human rights thing is a bit funny to me.  The UK left a legacy of anti-homosexuality laws, particularly during the 19th century, at the height of the British Empire.  Being gay is still a criminal offence in more than 30 Commonwealth countries.  There's a direct link between anti-gay law and increased rates of HIV.  While the Commonwealth accounts for about a ⅓ of the world's population it has more than 60% of the world's HIV cases.    

Membership in the Commonwealth isn't forever.  Ireland was the first country to leave.  It left when the country became a republic.  Prior to India becoming a republic the rules were changed so that India could remain a member.  Zimbabwe left in 2003 but it is now trying to rejoin.  Other potential members currently include Somaliland, South Sudan, Suriname, and Burundi.

The three Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man aren't happy with only being represented by the UK.  All three want to have direct representation with the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Games are held every four years.  They began in 1930 as the Empire Games.  They contain the usual Summer Olympic events plus "British" sports like bowls, netball and rugby sevens.  The next games take place in 2026 in Victoria, Australia.

Update August 2023:  Looks like it's getting too expensive for cities to host the Commonwealth Games.  Two cities have withdrawn their bids for upcoming games.  Here's a BBC report about it.

©BBC News

Australia-New Zealand-Hong Kong Trip Summary

We finally made it to Australia.  About 20 hours of travel but finally arrived in Sydney.

There is so much to see and do in Australia.  Another trip or two or three is definitely in order.  If only it wasn't so dang far away.  Starting in Sydney was brilliant.  Sydney is a modern, very gay friendly, European-ish city with a hip Asian vibe.  Loved it!

I really enjoyed the Blue Mountains and, of course, no visit Down Under is complete without seeing a Koala.  Marcus is now working in Sydney so it was good to catch up with him over dinner.



Most people take photos the Sydney Opera House but few actually go inside.  We were lucky to have tickets to the premier performance of Spartacus.

The performance was absolutely brilliant.

Here's the commercial from the Australian Ballet that I found out on YouTube.

©The Australian Ballet

From Sydney, it's possible to do a day trip to Canberra to see the capital.  In a perfect world, I would have preferred one full day there but when cramped for time then the four or five hours there on tour is enough.

Then it was on to Queensland to visit Cairns.  Nice little town but I could have done without the bats.  The best parts though of visiting Cairns were going to the rainforest in Kuranda and seeing the Great Barrier Reef.

The final stop in Australia was Melbourne in Victoria.  Melbourne definitely has a European feel to it.  One of the coolest things was the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel and seeing kangaroos going full blast in the wild.

The Great Ocean Road is a must do activity in Melbourne.  The Miss Fischer's Tour was interesting but probably only for fans of the show.

Cristine moved to Adelaide almost two years ago.  Since I flew to Australia she flew to Melbourne for a weekend and it was fun to catch up.

Australia was awesome!  I can't wait for next time, well except for the long flight there.

Then it was off to Kiwiland.  Back in Wellington for a couple of days with Natalie and her family.  Fortunately there was no earthquake this time.

Then it was off to Hong Kong via Sydney.  Natalie was on her way back to Vanuatu and we happened to be on the same flight.  Yeah!

It was fun being back in Hong Kong even just for a couple of days. One of the biggest highlights was lunch at Tim Ho Wan.  I still have yet to see the Bruce Lee statue but I did have an interesting Thanksgiving dinner.

Another great adventure but I wasn't ready to give up the 24℃ (75℉) in Hong Kong for the 4℃ (39℉) in Brno.  Now to start getting ready for the 10th anniversary Czechsgiving fiesta.  How has it already been 10 years?

Back in Wellington, New Zealand

On Monday it was time to leave Australia and head to New Zealand.  I was definitely ready for some Nat time in Wellington.

Tünde make a piggy bank in kindergarten for her godmother and tasked me with hand delivering it.  I'd been carrying this thing in my suitcase all across Australia but the package made it safe and sound.

Fortunately there was no earthquake this time so we had the opportunity to do some of the sightseeing we missed out on the last time including a tour of the parliament.  Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside.

The National Library has a new exhibition called He Tohu which is made of three parts - a declaration, a treaty, and a petition.

The Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand, He Whakaputanga was signed in 1835.  It is the country's first constitutional document declaring New Zealand as an independent Māori nation.

The Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is the country's founding document which was supposed to be a partnership between the Māori and the British Crown.



A 274-metre (899 foot) long petition, with 25,521 signatures, was delivered to parliament in 1893 demanding universal suffrage.

It's been 125 years since New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant all women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.  It's incredible that the Kiwis did it in 1893 but women in the USA and the UK couldn't vote until after WWI.

We only had a couple of days in Kiwiland but it was great to spend time with Nat and her parents.  If only Wellington wasn't on the other side of the world.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery Tour, Australia

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is an Australian television series that debuted in 2012.  It's about a glamorous female private detective who solves crimes in Melbourne in the 1920s and based on the novels of Kerry Greenwood.

Three seasons were produced and all 34 episodes are available on Netflix.  The show is popular and the show has been aired in more than 100 countries.

©Australian Broadcast Corporation

On Saturday, we took a walking tour of Melbourne that highlighted areas of the central business district where the series was filmed.

A lot of filming took place at Rippon Lea House and Gardens about 7 km (4,25 miles) which we didn't visit.  Following an afternoon tea, we covered about a six-block area of Melbourne.  Apparently the show was filmed on a shoestring budget.  Filming usually took place early on Sunday mornings when fewer people were out and about.  The National Trust allowed filming at the town hall, parliament buildings and the treasury, among other places.  As we walked around, we were shown video clips from the show.  

At the end of the tour we were treated to a Phryne Fisher inspired cocktail at the Gin Palace.  I'm not a gin drinker as I don't care for the taste of juniper.  The drink was made with a local gin, vermouth, apple liqueur and pear cider.  It was pretty tasty.

The tour was pretty interesting and not just for the references to the show.  We got the inside scoop on several of Melbourne's heritage buildings which blend with contemporary architecture.  

The thing that really stands out to me is that the city is home to many funky buildings.  There's nothing "cookie cutter" about the local architecture.  

Great Ocean Road Tour, Australia

On Saturday, we did a tour of the Great Ocean Road.  It's a must do trip when in Melbourne and it's Australia's version of Route 66.  The route is 540 km (336 miles) which is about eight hours worth of driving.

We booked Melbourne Small Group Tours and I'm so glad that we did.  I'm not a big fan of big motor coach tours so a small van with only seven passengers was perfect.  Our guide Travis was fantastic!  Highly recommended.

The two-lane road is 243 km (151 miles) runs between Torquay and Allansford.  It was built from 1919 to 1932 by servicemen and it is dedicated to the soldiers who died in WWI.  The Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial.

Our first stop was about 1,5 hours southwest of Melbourne at a popular surf beach where we had tea and cake.  Then it was on to take some photos at the Memorial Arch.




A stop at Teddy's Lookout gave awesome views of the coastline and the Southern Ocean.

At another stop we spotted some koalas in the trees.  The were doing what koalas do best...sleep.

At Apollo Bay we had an hour to walk around and grab a quick lunch.  Then it was back in the van as we continued our trip.  

Our next stop was at the Great Otway National Park where we had a 45-minute rainforest walk. 

 At Port Campbell National Park we got to see the Twelve Apostles, a collection of limestone stacks.  Although it is called the Twelve Apostles,  there were only ever eight.  Now seven as one collapsed back in 2005.

Another rock stack is the Razorback.  It used to extend further out in to the ocean but erosion has taken its toll.

About 3,5 km (2 miles) northwest of the Twelve Apostles is the Loch Ard Gorge.

On our way back to Melbourne we stopped in a small town called Colac where we had dinner at an Aussie pub.  It was well after 10 pm by the time we made it back to Melbourne but what an awesome day.