For those who don't know, gambling and brothels are legal in Australia. Perth has a huge casino just across the river from downtown. The lead news story last week was the revelation that numerous business reward their best employees, clients, and vendors by buying them an evening at the local high-end cat house. This is apparently a time-honored way of doing business around here and no on seems to mind except at Christmas. According to Trish, this uproar happens every Christmas as bonuses are handed out and the married men get ticked off about their gift (or perhaps it is their wives who get ticked). The big news this year was that the management of one large appliance company here hired a charter boat and an entire cathouse crew to have a year-end party off the coast. Wives were not invited. The press is having a field day making fun of them for that party.
It is funny how no one has mentioned what female employees get. I guess when there are none in upper management it doesn't matter.
When researching my Christmas road trip in the travel guides, I found this funny bit about Kalgoorie. West Australia, like the states in the US, have areas and features that interest tourist. The Margaret River area features wine tasting. Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the principal mining town east of here out in the desert. It has a wild-west reputation, a bit like old Virginia City in Nevada, except this goes on today. One tourist attraction of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are the brothels. The tour guides, even those issued by their chamber of commerce, proudly mention the red-light quarter of town. That guide mentions that the brothels offer a gaudy guided tour for $20. It sounds so funny. I can't image it is anything like the wine tasting tours offered further south. I promise if I am in the neighborhood I'll check the $20 tour out. It must be hilarious.
Another funny thing, the local casino decided to go upscale and require their patrons to wear better clothes. They will not allow people in who are barefoot, in cut offs, tank tops, and sandals any more. To me this is really stupid. They simple aren't going to get any business because most Aussies don't even own a jacket. And they sure has hell aren't going to put on a pair of long pants (if they can find some) just to be allowed to gamble. I expect this policy will last a month before the casino comes to their senses. Jeeze. They must think this place is Monte Carlo or something.
Needless to say, IBM took us to a wonderful Christmas lunch at a nice winery in the Avon River Valley. That is the extent of their vice.
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