At some dumpy internet store, George street, Sydney, NSW, .au

At the risk of seeming a little too much like a character out of “The Beach”, I am at a Web-basement in the Civic Center area of Sydney.

My trip went remarkably well. The row I was in (one of the 3 seat ones) had no other passengers so I got to curl up and sleep for the first 8 hours of the trip After that I intermittently napped, ate, and read magazines.

I landed in Sydney and then went through the customs process unaccosted. I took a cab to the Sheraton on the Park. It’s very impressive and the overlook of the park is very nice. Regrettably, they hadn’t time yet to prepare my room so I had to kill some time on my own - I’ve been wandering about.

It appears that the American corporations and doing a fantastic job of colonizing .au. I have seen Burger King (“Hungry Jack,” same logo), Subway, and a gazillion McDonald’s as well as the PepsiCo triumvirate of (KFC, PizzaHut, and a, thus far, absent Taco Bell).

I liked it better when it was called Kentucky Fried Chicken.

So this Web basement is dimly lit and I see the usual collection of web chess adolescents, LAN gamers, and hotmail girls.

I’m dying for a shower. I’ve not had any luck syncing up with my buddy, Alex. The arrivals section was a disaster and I’ve not succeeded in reaching him on his mobile. Pity that.