Sleepy coast not in carnival mood yet

 GOLD COAST : Sunshine, drizzle, cool breeze, surfing, sunbathing and loads and loads of fun. Nestled between the tropical rainforests in the west and the South Pacific in the east, Gold Coast is all the above and much more. Like most Australian cities, it’s sleepy and quiet. At times, there’s an eerie silence on the streets, more so during nights (barring weekends maybe) — a strange feeling if you are hosting a mega event like the Commonwealth Games. There are more cars than people. For someone accustomed to seeing millions on the streets, it’s bewildering.

Officially the city’s population is tipped to be a shade over 5.76 lakh (2016), but somehow they are not there. Even the Surfers Paradise, the city’s iconic landmark, is not packed. Unsold tickets — more than 140,000 until Tuesday morning — too point towards something more intriguing. After a chat with a few Goldies (as they are lovingly called), you gather that some of the locals have fled the city fearing traffic congestion and lots of people descending on the city. Even though there is some traffic — as regular roads have been squeezed by dedicated lanes meant for the Games — it’s not even remotely terrible. It’s still easier to navigate than your typical Chennai Sunday. If this is a traffic jam, than there’s no pollution in Delhi!

Hotels are running at around 72% occupancy. A tourism consultant says this is normal during this period. The rates that surged a month ago have dropped. Perhaps the novelty of the Games has diminished or people don’t seem to be embracing it. It’s perhaps not the right time to hold these Games as cyclones are common during this season. The real season starts two weeks later.

Even during the media briefing a day ahead of the opening ceremony, the Chief Executive of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation, Mark Peters and his team were urging Goldies to throng the stadiums. “May be after the opening ceremony, the interest of the people will pick up,” Peters said. The real motive behind hosting the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and not in Brisbane (capital of the State of Queensland) is to improve the infrastructure and show the world that even they can. Though not the top sporting destination, their infrastructure is among the best.

Good day or Jingerri?
The organising committee’s primary thrust was on etiquette during their orientation programme. Each of the 15,000 volunteers have been given hand books on the same. One word they were confused about is the usage of ‘good day’ or ‘hello’ in Aboriginal language. Jingerri is the word they were pondering. Whether to greet with a jingerri or a good day! Aboriginal art adorn city landmarks, hotels,  and even pavements.
During orientation programmes volunteers were asked to avoid words that hurt persons with disabilities. Words like super human efforts are not to be used. No able bodied either.  Next 11 days, the volunteers will be the face of the Games. Three cheers!