POH-WT. Australia

Post # 2
The happy land down under

  We arrived in Sydney Australia about 26 hours..plus one day.. after heading out the door in Windsor CT.. About 10,000 miles away.

   Our quest is to set foot in all of the top 10 happiest countries in the world..and have as many conversations as we can with the happy natives of those countries and maybe do a bit of social, economic and cultural research to add to the color commentary..

Why do this?  It's silly, but my country doesn't seem happy these days..and appears to be trending more frown-ward. There are happier countries out there..and our goal is to visit them find and bring home some of the secret magic pixie dust that seems to be floating about making them happier than US..

   For the sake of full disclosure.. we are happy to travel, explore, stimulate all senses in places we've never been..and our lives and careers have landed us in a spot where we are fortunate enough to do stuff like this..

  We have stepped in 6 happy countries over 3 months..4 more of the top 10 will be visited before the pixie dust is shared in the US of A... Maybe around March 20.. The International Day of Happiness 2019

http://www.dayofhappiness.net

Our second Pursuit trip .. Part Deux.. Brings us in a loop around Australia and New Zealand..# 10 and #8 happy countries.

  Sydney is a magnificent city..way more vibrant, texture-rich and interesting than my perception had been. Seeing, smelling, hearing, touching and feeling the good vibes impresses my observations way more than reading about it..

  There are a million interesting components to Sydney..we only realized a few.. Aussies are friendly. It was always easy to get information. The transit was brilliantly designed to connect air-rail-bus-boat in sleek comfy commuting. The city is booming - construction everywhere and lots of crowds in the restaurants. Amazing views, rich architecture, lovely flora and natural texture abound.

My only beef is that my live views of the famous Sydney Opera house didn't match the breathtaking photos that drew me there.

Aside from the visually obvious, there are some base elements that I seem to be detecting that help comprise happiness pixie dust.. It's wrapped around the family economy...
  Here's a few dull points just to keep in mind while we try to compare fruits of labor in the happiest countries...

In Australia - #10 happiest country..the "people" enjoy...
  * A minimum wage rate of  $18.93 AU per hour..among the highest in the developed world..( US  min wage is $10.08 in AU Dollars- almost 60% lower.)
A typical annual family living wage is $38,800AU...min wage provides $39,400AU.
* National health care plans covering everyone with a combo of public and private components with some mandates/options based on income.
* Pension guarantees after age 65 providing means tested and conditional max of $35,000AU per couple annual income, some conditions apply.
*A median individual net worth that ranks 3rd in the world..

  Those are not bad stats when it comes to the possibility, un proven so far.. that some element of happiness can be extracted from higher levels of health and financial security..(secret code word - wealth-sharing)
Hhmmmmmm..

  As we toured about Sydney, we saw, heard, and researched its rich history.. over only a couple hundred years of real growth.. that seemingly steered it in more practical and modern developmental directions.. physically and humanely..than a lot of the world inheriting medieval tendencies.

  I'd visit Sydney again... any time...even after I return there in 2 weeks.

  Off to the cruise.. New Zealand is next.. As soon as I can find a hot spot...More on Australia after our visits to 2 more Aussie ports..