Tag Archives: Travel preparation

Travel Planning, the Schengen area, and Coronavirus

01 Sunday Mar 2020

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We begin planning our travels for the coming year just after we land in the US at the end of September. By the time we’ve hashed out where exactly we’d like to spend the following April-September, it’s some time in October and Jonathan begins scouring the Airbnb listings.

The Schengen area

This year we ran into a problem before Coronavirus spread into our consciousness. When we left Sicily at the end of September, 2017, we had been in Italy for five and a half months. When we went to make our European plans for 2020 we found the rules have changed! The Schengen area, 26 countries that include most of Europe apart from Ireland, the UK, and some of the former Yugoslavia have made it nearly impossible for US citizens, among others, to stay longer than 90 days. Though visitors are still allowed to stay for 180 days per year, each 90 day visit must be followed by 90 days outside the region. Should we want to spend more than three months in Europe, we would have to visit in two rounds separated by three months. While that would allow us to visit during lovely times of year, say March-May and September-November, skipping the hot and crowded months of June-August, it would require us to make two round trips to Europe rather than one. If you tack on the question of where we would live June-August, when our Peru house is in the depths of cold, misty, humid winter, you begin to see that the new rules have struck at the heart of our travel strategy.

Winter on the coast of Peru, gray skies, mist, cold (no central heating).

The rule is so new that our travel agent wasn’t aware of it, and sold us tickets for five months stay in the Schengen Zone. When we discovered the tourist visa problem and complained, she countered that a discussion of the Schengen rules came up at almost every weekly meeting in her office. They are still feeling their way. She rearranged our flights and waived her fee.

Phase 1 of packing–throw things on bed.

What we decided to do was to explore more of the UK after our three months in Europe are up, giving us time to spend the month of July near Penzance in Cornwall, way down near Land’s End. There are gorgeous walks and lots to see. It’s hardly a sacrifice to give up Denmark for England. The following month we’ll be in Wales, another green and lovely region that probably will not be roasting during August. We would have liked to visit Sweden, but that will have to wait.

In September, we’ll try Croatia, a country that is trying to get into the Schengen group but won’t succeed until at least 2021 because of political infighting with member countries. That means we are eligible to stay in Croatia for 90 days without regard to where else we’ve been all summer. We reserved properties for each month, made our travel arrangements, rented cars and booked flights. Everything was in order.

Until Coronavirus.

Every day we hear of new infections, there are new cases in more countries, and the culmination was last week’s huge drop in the US stock market. We went out and bought paper masks and a bottle of hand santizer, having read that stores in the US and Amazon are already out. Peru isn’t worried and we got both.

Now we’re ready.

We aren’t changing any of our plans. Jonathan has been tracking the number of new cases of the virus, the total number of cases, and the death rates rather closely. What the graphs show as of today is that the Coronavirus is spreading much more slowly than it was a week ago. New cases world wide may level off this week and even start to decline. Though he has to track a few more days to see where the trends are going, unless something changes drastically, the outbreak is not a pandemic and won’t become one. By the time the virus has been tracked for six weeks, it will be tapering off. We are keeping all our plans in place, reasonably confident that by the date of our planned departure for Athens on April 1, 2020, air travel and tourism will be largely back to normal. Jonathan’s close following of the statistics has made the difference for us. Though the data is pretty scanty and models of disease transmission are surprisingly scarce (have these been supressed?) the trends right now suggest the virus is on its way out.

Let’s hope we’re right.

Good to Know About Australia

12 Friday Jul 2019

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Impossible to sum up Australia, but some things worked for us and others didn’t. Here are a few tips based on our experience over six months.

All my $ figures in this post refer to Australian dollars, currently about US$.70=AU$1

New Brighton, NSW

Airbnb: We stayed in eight different Airbnb properties in Australia that ranged from passable to extremely lovely and comfortable. Most were on the excellent end of the range. Airbnb is increasingly commercial, meaning that you do not meet the host, just let yourself in with a keycode. Properties are often very clean, which is nice, but they sometimes lack personality, and the wall decoration consists of beige/white paint and mirrors. We try hard to stay in places that are owned and operated by the same person, preferably their only Airbnb property. That seems to yield the best results in terms of atmosphere. Still, in two cases we found the owner started with a single rental and was busy adding others. All our rentals were legal, though it is becoming necessary to check the rules for major cities, as property owners aren’t always forthcoming about the legality of their rental if there is a gray area.

Car Rental: We rented a car in each place we stayed. Cars can only be rented for 28 days so occasionally we had to call in toward the end of the month and add a day or two. We never found an agency that made us come in to the office for this. We rented from a wide variety of companies, Avis, Hertz, Budget, and others. We don’t have an auto rental loyalty card of any kind. Most of the time it did not cost extra, or very little, to add me as the second driver. When it cost hundreds of dollars, I didn’t drive.

Drive on the left: I’d still recommend that you do what we did and take a driving lesson before your first time driving on the left. We found it useful, and though we have driven on the left most of the past two years, we still have to pay attention.

Driving in Australia: Perhaps it is greater use of speed cameras, or the effects of aging on reaction time, or the difficulty of remembering how much parking time we paid for, but we got the occasional traffic ticket in Australia. These come by mail about three months after the fact, so it is impossible to contest them, or even to remember the circumstances. Traffic fines are big business, too. Fines are high, and visitors who plan to drive should budget about $200/month for possible traffic tickets. Generally, drivers in Australia don’t speed, and don’t often pass unless there is a dedicated passing lane. Driving takes time and patience.

People tell jokes about the need to avoid hitting slow-moving koalas and echidnas, or faster moving wallabies and kangaroos. And look out for the gasket-chewing parrots and cockatoos! We avoided driving at nightfall after seeing many, many dead animals on the side of the road in Tasmania during January, our first month in Australia. We never saw as much roadkill again, but the thought of hitting a biggish wallaby was enough to keep us indoors at sunrise and sunset when they are most active.

Food: Coffee is brewed to be strong in Australia. Even if you order a latte, you may have to go back and ask for extra milk.

Zentveld’s coffee farm, NSW

We ate lots and lots of Australian lamb, and it was delicious.

Did you know Australia grows cacao and coffee in the tropical areas? Try locally grown coffee and chocolate if you see it. Northern markets also carry locally grown macadamia nuts. Try some of the native fruits and herbs, like finger limes, bush lemons, lilly-pilly, and lemon myrtle. We tried to shop at local farmers markets as often as possible. It was easy to find when and where online.

Health/Travel Insurance: We purchased travel insurance for each of our flights to/from/in Australia. Fortunately, we never had to use it. We did not purchase any additional health insurance because most policies do not cover pre-existing conditions and that’s usually what needs treating while on the road. Jonathan saw a physician to renew his prescriptions that we could not get easily from the US. The office did not charge him for phone follow-ups when one medication became unavailable and he needed a prescription for a replacement. He was able to get his prescriptions filled anywhere in the country for about the same cost as his copay for medications in the US. I saw the “rock stars” of Australian retina specialists by getting referrals from each doctor to the next. My treatment was excellent and paying “full price” in Australia was about 1/3 more than my copay after insurance in the US. (see my other blog: Macular DegenerationontheRoad.wordpress.com)

People: We found Australians to be the most friendly people on earth. It was easy to strike up a conversation or ask directions. In situations that might be uncomfortable in the US, like finding people living in your backyard (see Sydney), we ended up with new friends.

Quokkas at the bus stop

Public transportation/Parking costs: Public transport is available in the large cities. We used it effectively in Melbourne, where we were close to both train and tram lines. In Sydney, we were on a bus line, and the buses were much slower and usually behind schedule. Fares ran about $6 each way. Driving into the city center anywhere in Australia usually involves heavy traffic. Downtown parking in Melbourne and Sydney is expensive ($16/hr). There is often a fee to park at public beaches, up to $4/hour, though the fee is usually capped after four hours.

Shopping: We found lots of markets in Australia. The big cities all have large downtown market areas, though many of these are focused on tourist shopping, not household shopping. Others mix food with craft items. Farmers markets, where food is the central theme, tend to fall on weekday mornings (see Food, above). Though prices are usually higher than those of grocery stores, they make an enjoyable visit.

Telephone: We used Optus. A $10 SIM card and a $30 per month plan (Epic Data plan) gave us lots of data and all the phone minutes and messages we could use. By setting up automatic recharge we were given a few minutes of “extras” which included international minutes to make an occasional call back to the US. This was handy for contacting places that wouldn’t respond to email, like doctors offices.

 

Australia: Looking Back

09 Tuesday Jul 2019

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At the end of six months in Australia there is a lot to look back on. Our experiences here have been excellent. We’ve met lovely people, had all kinds of adventures, and saw beautiful land and sea. I have such mixed feelings. There’s a pain in my heart for all that we are leaving behind, while I know that this isn’t a permanent place for me.

We did an excellent job of following the seasons in Australia. Starting in Tasmania in January and working our way north through the summer, we ended up in northern Australia in May and June as Darwin and Cairns started to cool down from the intense heat of northern summers. We’ve been rewarded with fine weather everywhere. It was hot in Melbourne, but we lived near the beach and I got to swim often–just what I like. Six months later, New Brighton has cooled off over the past two weeks and the solstice. We are leaving just before I run out of enough layers to keep warm.

Though we stayed six months and saw a lot, would I do anything differently if I were to visit again? Hmmm… I don’t think I’d do anything differently if I were making my first visit all over again, but if I were to return to Australia, here are a few things I would try and include in my further travels.

Our schedule kept us in good weather, but that doesn’t seem to match up with some of Australia’s best known festivals. I might try harder to catch at least one of these on another trip:

  • Tasmania: MONA FOMA, Launceston, January; or Dark MOFO, Hobart June 14-23, 2019  These are two festivals put on by MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art. Always controversial, each festival includes quirky and interesting displays.
  • Brisbane Art and Design Festival, May 10-26, 2019
  • Sydney Vivid Festival, May 24-June 15, 2019  Remarkable here is that images are projected on the “sails” that make up the roof of the Opera House, and on structures all over the city
  • Opal festival in either Coober Pedy, June 21-22, 2019; or Lightning Ridge, July 24-27, 2019  There are so many quirks to the world of opal hunting that three days among the miners and purveyors should yield some crazy good people-watching.
  • Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, July 10-14, 2019
  • Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney (Bondi) Oct.24-Nov. 10, 2019; Perth (Cottesloe) Mar. 6-23, 2020

I’d also like to take about six months and drive the length of western Australia from Albany on the south to Arnhem Land on the north. Every inch of the coast has interesting rock formations, reefs, fish, towns, and wineries, too. I’d like to see more.

The far north would be on my list for another visit. I’d take a tour into Kakadu National Park and then on to Tiwi Island, and into Arnhem Land. There is aboriginal rock art from millennia past in some of these places alongside the homes of aboriginal people who still live in a unique way trying to maintain their culture in the face of the contemporary world.

The far north on the east end of Australia would also make my list. I’d visit the Cape York Peninsula and the islands of the Torres Strait that are in the process of being swamped by rising sea level. Near the tip of Cape York I’d like to see palm cockatoos before they die out like so many other exotic species.

My wish list includes extreme points of the Australian continent. Otherwise, there aren’t any must-see destinations left on my list. I enjoyed all the places we went, and I recognize there are many more places that we missed. We drove by only a few of Australia’s “Big Things,” and there are many, many more.

Australia’s Big Things (Wikipedia)

That pretty much sums up Australia. No matter where you’ve been, there’s more to see. You can stay in one place and find everything you want, or you can keep moving and see something new around every corner. Whether I return to Australia in the future or this is my one visit, it has been super fabulous wonderful and I will always be happy we were here.

Good to know about Darwin, Australia

30 Tuesday Apr 2019

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We enjoyed Darwin very much, and were there for a very short time by our standards (10 days).

Airbnb: Our place was excellent, with a large roofed outdoor patio and a small pool. We used both often.

Air Conditioning: Is a must for Darwin, at least in the bedroom. The temperature is normally over 90°F. during the day and doesn’t cool too much overnight.

Do you get swollen feet?: The heat and equally high humidity has a big impact on travel. Between 10 am and 6 pm your clothes start sticking to you after a minute or so outdoors. You may not want to walk very far. If you visit a national park to hike, you need to consider how hot it is likely to be when you arrive, and how long a hike you intend to take. We tried to do most of our walking 6-10 am, and it worked very well, even though we are not morning people. If your ankles/feet swell in hot weather, or you develop heat rash easily, this may not be the place for you. The tropical setting is lovely and there are lots of birds, but it won’t be fun if the heat and humidity make you miserable. We would have stayed longer despite the conditions.

Hazards: During “The Wet,” between November and May, crocodiles spread from estuaries across coastal waterways and into the ocean. The difference between fresh water and salt water crocodiles? The freshies just bite you, while the salties drown you and then eat you. Ready to go swimming? Neither am I. There are a few beaches with nets that make it possible to swim. The nets also keep out box jellyfish, or stingers, that are around during the same season. By June, both menaces retreat and it is safe to swim in most places. It’s never absolutely safe to walk the remote beaches.

Good to Know About Perth, Australia

15 Monday Apr 2019

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Though we were only in Perth for two weeks, we saw a lot of wonderful places. It would be easy to spend six months traveling from the far south corner of Australia around Albany, moving along the coast until you reached Darwin. That’s about 5000 km, and part of the reason that we didn’t see more of Western Australia than we did. This is a really, really big place. Here are a few thoughts about our visit.

AirBnB: We stayed in Yanchep, north of Perth, in a house that overlooks the ocean. There is a drop to the beach of 5-10 m so we looked out over the water, not on the breaking waves, but we could hear them. Our house was comfortable and well furnished for a good-sized group. We had more than enough dishes, linens, etc. The TV was simple to work.

Attractions: We liked a number of tourist attractions that we might not have visited without the initiative of Lyra during her visit.

  • Guidebooks all recommend a visit to Rottnest Island, and now we do, too. It is a lovely vacation spot, with beaches for swimming and snorkeling around every corner. There are miles and miles of beaches along the coast, too, and lots have rocky reefs for snorkeling. Rent a bicycle, or ride the hop on-hop off bus like we did.
  • The Pinnacles, near Cervantes, is a geological marvel. If your group is young, stop to sand board at Lancelin on the way.
  • I was skeptical of the Yanchep Crystal Caves, which turned out to be impressive caves with an interesting story.
  • Fremantle Markets is a touristy area, but fun, with lots to look at.
  • We saw a comedy revue, Senior Moments, at the Heath Ledger theater at the State Theater Center. It was lots of fun–the Theater Center has a busy program.
  • Perth Botanical Garden and King’s Park is particularly nice to walk in. There are lots of paths, some raised so you don’t need to think about snakes. There are beautiful views over downtown Perth.
  • Yanchep National Park is home to a large flock of Carnaby’s cockatoos, an endangered species. We saw lots and lots of them near the Visitor’s Center!
  • We went on an outing with Bird Life Western Australia, and had a lovely time.

    Lyra rides a tortoise at Perth Zoo

    Everyone was friendly and we saw interesting birds at Tomato Lake.

  • Our visit to Perth Zoo was unforgettable due to Michele Cavanagh, docent extraordinaire. We met Michele on our Galapagos trip, and had a wonderful reunion in Perth. The zoo has many animals that are unique to Western Australia. (Do you know what a numbat is? Now I do.)

Driving: Roads are generally good in this area. Despite the distance (about an hour’s drive), we went in to Perth and Fremantle several times. The traffic was slow during rush hour, but it was easy to find parking in the city. The cost ranged from free to about $5.50 an hour. We saw signs announcing speed cameras, but we won’t know for about three months whether we got any speeding tickets. It doesn’t seem likely, but that’s what we thought in other places. There are no toll roads in this area.

Shopping: We found the best place to shop thus far in Australia, Mokoh Designs. They make interesting items with humorous Australian themes. We liked everything they sell.

Mokoh Designs, Perth Australia

We recommend Perth to everyone!

Good to Know About Sydney

04 Thursday Apr 2019

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We said farewell to Sydney at the end of the month after a very good visit. The city is justly famous for its opera house. The surroundings are gorgeous, there are cafes to stop at for a drink or a meal, and the view over the Harbor Bridge is unmatched. Once you’ve seen that iconic spot, however, the tourist part of the city is not as well known. Beyond the opera house and the adjacent Botanical Gardens there are remnants of the old city hidden in many places. These require a bit of searching. Sydney’s “Big Dig” preserves archaeological excavations in the area of downtown called The Rocks, where there are renovated old homes and warehouses, even a funnel-like alley called “The Suez Canal.”

From the coast around Botany Bay and into Sydney Harbor, there are miles and miles of riverbank, bays, points, ocean beaches, and wonderful salt water pools. You can spend weeks exploring the coast and every walk is rewarding. We went beach combing and found star-shaped shells, cowries, and beach glass below strange rock formations carved by the waves and wind. Sydney may be a hub of industry and culture, but nature takes the spotlight, and for that reason, living in Sydney wouldn’t be my choice. Too much traffic into the center of town and houses tightly packed right to the edge of the beach.

Airbnb: We had lots of places to choose from and were very happy with our location in Eastgardens, a five minute drive from Maroubra Beach and Mahon pool, yet on a bus line into the city (but see my Public transportation comments). As in Melbourne, our rental was half a house, yet we heard only a few footsteps from our neighbors through the wall. We were surprised to find a tiny studio apartment in our backyard shared the parking, entryway, and yard–this wasn’t mentioned in the Airbnb description. Fortunately, the tenants proved to be charming new friends.

Art and Culture: Our favorite museums were the National Gallery of New South Wales and the National Library collection of art. We also enjoyed the Museum of Contemporary Art, including its collection of aboriginal art. We thought about going to Canberra to see the museums but we didn’t. Our opera at the Sydney Opera House was excellent, we sat in the last row of the orchestra for about $100 per person. Expensive, but it was a rare treat.

Cost of Living: Sydney has become one of the world’s more expensive cities.  A wide selection of goods is available, with few bargains. Housing is expensive, transport is relatively expensive, food is a bit higher than average, restaurants are expensive….you get the idea.

National Parks: Sydney has large national parks to the North, West, and South of the central city. Entry fees are determined by the regional government, and can differ from place to place. We found that purchasing a parks pass would cost more than paying for each visit, $8-$12 per day depending on the park.  We spent a day hiking near Wattamolla Beach in Royal National Park, another day visiting the Jibbon Aboriginal rock art site near Bundeena, part of the same park. We went to the extreme southern point of Botany Bay in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, beyond the marker to where Captain Cook came ashore. We also drove out to Cape Solander.

North of Sydney Harbor, we visited Lane Cove National Park, where we did some bird watching and strolled the pathways along the water. Each visit required a park fee. There is parking, along with toilets, picnic areas, and some visitor information.

Phone Service: We continued to use our Optus SIM cards. For $30 per month we get more data than we can use as well as phone calls and messages. This works well for us.

Public transportation: Sydney has a unified public transport system that includes trains, ferries, and buses. A new tram system is about to start up in 2019, though it was not open during our visit. Travelers need an Opal card, which is free, You add money (a top-up), then you hold your card to a scanner when you board and depart the vehicle to deduct the fare. Buses do not sell single ride tickets. The full price is $4.71 per ride. Occasionally the fare is less but it is impossible to find out what a fare will be in advance unless it is the full fare. Because the minimum recharge is $10, you can be short a dollar or two for your last fare before leaving, but you can’t pay cash, and you can’t use your card unless you put $10 on it. Lots of money gets left on cards that way. Train and ferry prices vary. Riding a ferry can be an alternative to a harbor cruise, though we didn’t get around to it. People recommend taking the ferry from downtown (Circular Quay) to Manly. You see the sights without the high price or the commentary.

The buses were frustrating, they didn’t run on time and followed neither the printed schedule posted at the bus stop nor the Opal app run by the transport authorities. All you know is that the bus runs at least twice an hour. Next time I might skip public transport and use Uber to go downtown.

Sydney Tower: We didn’t intend to have dinner in the tower, in fact I thought it didn’t have a restaurant, but when we were marooned in town on our day of departure due to train breakdown (see my post on the Indian Pacific), we were taken there for an early dinner. The view is spectacular as the restaurant revolves over the center of the city, and the buffet was fine. I recommend it for the great views.

The sunset over Sydney Harbor with North Head in the distance. It’s a beautiful place.

 

Good to Know About Melbourne

01 Friday Mar 2019

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Melbourne proved easy to live in, another testament to Jonathan’s Airbnb research skills. We were walking distance from the beach, very handy on hot days, and also close to public transport. We drove into the center of the city on our first day to go to my eye doctor appointment and it was as nightmarish as in any big city. So was the price of parking. We learned the bus, tram, train system immediately, and had no trouble getting around in the city subsequently. In fact, there is virtually no down side to Melbourne apart from the big issue–it is difficult to emigrate. We met lots of young people from all around the world in Australia for a year or two, including a woman who arrived from England the day before, and a young man returning to France next month after two years working and traveling here. None knew of a legal way to emigrate apart from marrying an Australian. The young Frenchman said, “Yes, I could, but I am here with my girlfriend and she would object.”…..

Our half of a duplex.

Airbnb: Airbnb is legal here despite the scarcity of housing across Australia. We found lots of choice, though it was not inexpensive. The neighborhood we lived in, Elwood, was a good balance of proximity to the city and also the beach. Our Aribnb was a duplex that shared a wall with neighbors, though we rarely heard them. I liked having the chance to live in one of these older houses. Ours had been thoroughly renovated, so none of the Edwardian inconveniences remained.

Bus, tram, train: Melbourne has an integrated transit system that allows you to use one pass (Myki card, $6) to get around. A genius policy decision provides free transit in the heart of downtown for everyone, card or not. The system is not inexpensive, but there is a cap on the fare you pay each day at $8.80, a full fare round trip. When we went to the Botanical Garden in the evening to see a play, my tram ride was free because I’d been in and out of the city during the day. To pay, you scan your card on a device in the station or onboard, and you scan again when you get off. In the month of our visit, only one time did a conductor pass along the aisle of the train double-checking tickets. These checks are random and the fines are high, so people pay up.

Markets: So much shopping, so little time! The Queen Victoria market is probably the best known of the Melbourne markets, and it was full of delicious goods, but so is the South Melbourne market, which we hadn’t even heard of. There’s an equally large market in Footscray, just across from the railroad station. We are visiting during the summer and that means there are weekend markets in many neighborhoods. We went to a good sized spread at the Elwood elementary school, just two blocks from our house. There are more specialized markets that lean toward artisan items on Saturdays, Sundays (St. Kilda), monthly dates, and special events including the St. Kilda Festival, the Bright’n Sandy Festival (Brighton), and many others.

Parking: This is one reason people travel by public transport. We paid $16/hour in the city center, comparable to any other world city (and less than Chicago). Parking at the beach was $5.70/hour and the price per day is capped at the three hour price, so it isn’t bad for a full day outing. Beach-hopping is a bit pricey–not that it stopped us. It is always possible to look for free parking in the neighborhoods across from the beach, but some of these areas are now posted for residents-only parking.

People: We found people in and around Melbourne to be friendly and helpful. People were easy to talk to and we often ended up in conversation on the beach, in the store, anywhere we happened to be. We got our recommendations on where to stop along the Great Ocean Road from a couple we sat next to at Mozart by Moonlight. We felt very comfortable here.

Phone: We use the Optus phone service we began in Tasmania, and renew automatically every 28 days ($30). The pay as you go service is heavy on data. Apparently people who use this tend to watch video on their phone. The good news is this means we’ll never run out of data and can look up directions constantly. The phone battery runs down long before the data runs out.

Weather: Welcome to global warming. Some days it was 95, others topped out in the high 60s. I don’t think this is unusual anymore–call it the new normal. It can be difficult to have the right clothes at the right time. Dress for something between sunbathing and cross-country skiing. We tried, and mostly succeeded.

Places we visited and recommend:

Food/Shopping

  • Lune Croissanterie, Fitzroy
  • South Melbourne Market
  • Queen Victoria Market
  • Wineries, Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley
  • St. Kilda farmer’s market
  • Elwood school weekend market
  • Melbourne arcades and laneways

Outdoors–

  • Any beach around Melbourne Bay (St. Kilda, Elwood, Frankston, Hampton, Mentone, Mornington, Mt. Eliza, Rye, Sandringham)
  • Beaches on the ocean: St. Andrews, Torquay, Bell’s Beach
  • Royal Botanical Garden–see an evening performance in the garden
  • Walking the laneways and shopping arcades of downtown Melbourne
  • Walking in any older neighborhood
  • Brighton Bathing Boxes
  • Healesville Sanctuary
  • Great Ocean Road, Koala cafe stop is a short bird/koala walk
  • Yarra Bend Park
  • Lake Connewarra

Indoor–

  • Federation Square, Australian Center for the Moving Image
  • Melbourne Museum
  • Heide Museum
  • The National Opal Collection (store/museum, with a very pleasant, informative salesman who didn’t push us to buy)

 

 

Good to Know About Tasmania

02 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by in Australia, Tasmania

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We always learn as we go, and Tasmania was no exception.

Airbnb: Our Airbnb in Tea Tree was different. We enjoyed the view out over a vineyard, but it was a bit more rustic than we like. I didn’t mind the geese, but we did have to watch our steps.

Car: We rented a Kia Rio through Budget and though we had no problems, the car was underpowered. It’s a good thing there aren’t any real mountain passes in Tasmania.

Cost of Living: A recent TV report put Tasmania as the fourth most active economy of the Australian states. Tourism is climbing and the cost of housing is not falling as it is elsewhere in Australia. Food costs are comparable to Chicago and food purchased at a farmer’s market usually costs more than the grocery store. Most of the seafood that is consumed is farmed locally. Fresh oysters, shrimp, lobster, and salmon are available and delicious. We found few other choices and almost no whole fresh fish. Having lived in Peru for a while, we are used to looking at the eyes and gills of a fish to asses freshness–you can’t do that with a plastic wrapped fillet.

National Parks: Every state in Australia make their own rules for National Parks, so you can’t buy a pass to use all around Australia. If you are staying in the Hobart area for a few weeks, you can purchase a $40 month long pass and use it to visit three beautiful places, Fortescue Bay in Tasman National Park; Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park; and Mount Field National Park. Though each of these parks merits a longer visit they can be reached by car as a day trip from Hobart. Individually, they cost $24 per car (up to 8 passengers), thus the month long pass is economical.

In the summer, these parks are very popular. The road in to Fortescue Bay is 14 km of bumpy dirt. There is a sign 2 km in letting visitors know if there are already no vacant campsites, so that visitors don’t bump all the way in just to find out there is no space to stay overnight. When we arrived, the ranger asked us why we weren’t staying for five days! She really likes it there. We met two couples who had just emerged from a hike they called both short and family friendly, the new Three Capes trail–a four day three night hike. (Australians are outdoorsy.)

People: Everyone has been friendly and helpful. We’ve chatted with people who have visited many places in the US, though mostly California. I’ve been promoting Chicago as a tourist destination–just not in the winter.

Phone: We bought Optus SIM cards and service that costs between $20 and $30 per month per phone. This plan has worked well and we had enough data to find directions and look up random facts all month. We’ll keep these the entire six months of our visit.

Weather: I cannot recall any place we’ve visited where the weather changed so dramatically from one day to the next. Several times the temperature has soared to well over 90°, and the next day the high has been closer to 60°. Occasionally it’s been even more extreme. We have clothing for all weathers, and have used it all in a single week. It takes some getting used to.

Wine: We learned a lot about Tasmanian wines by visiting the “cellar door” at wineries and tasting wine, lots of tasty whites and pinot noirs. Most tastings cost $5, waived if you purchase a bottle. We found that few producers export wine beyond the Australian mainland, though they can ship cases of wine to the US. Tasmanian wine is not produced on a massive scale yet, and a number of wineries don’t own their own wine-making equipment. Frogmore Creek Vineyards makes wine for several labels. Inexpensive wine comes from Australia. Most Tasmanian wine starts at about $20 (AU) per bottle. Not expensive, but there is no Two Buck Chuck.

I Love New Zealand (and here’s why)…

07 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by in New Zealand

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We have just spent two months in New Zealand, a truly wonderful place. People are interested in nature and the outdoors, conservation is important, and kids are taught to carry their trash home from the beach at the same time they are taught to surf. I like the balance. Our interests are the outdoor variety and we leave happy. As always, we could have spent more time everywhere we were and we could have spent all our time in other equally wonderful places. No one place is really a must-see.  As our daughter Lyra says, there’s no need to take the Hobbiton tour, the entire country is a movie set for Lord of the Rings.

Places we really wanted to see were beaches, the bush (forest), which is amazingly dense and different, birds, and Milford Sound.

We saw what was on our list, but also ended up with favorites that we hadn’t known about, like the round boulders on the coast near Shag Point, not far from the better known Moeraki boulders.

We were amazed at the number of unique, endemic birds we managed to see. New Zealand has a remarkably large native pigeon, a giant purple chicken (gallinule), and a bell-bird that has a song much larger than its size. And others. We saw a kiwi!!

Efforts to tame nature result in hedges at least 12 feet high that encircle–empty fields. Others surround houses with only a driveway opening. I liked the one with a “window” cut into it. Some hedges were so high that they couldn’t be trimmed into shape. Imagine large trees growing out of the top of your hedge.

I like New Zealand because I felt welcome. People were friendly, and took time to chat. The eye doctors I visited (!) I would like them as my friends. Their advice was excellent, too.

We had some fun with language, finding that we didn’t always understand people. There are entertaining names for things:

  • Biscuit—Cookie
  • Caravan—RV
  • Eftpos—Payment by credit card. The first time someone looks at you and says “Eftpos?” can be confusing. (The technical name for a credit card payment made by a machine in a store is: Electronic Financial Transaction at Point of Sale: Eftpos!)
  • Forecourt Concierge—Gas station attendant
  • Panelbeaters—Auto body shop
  • Trolley—Shopping cart

Good to Know About New Zealand

They know we’re coming! The roadside is regularly punctuated with billboards of advice for visiting drivers: you’ll need extra time getting anywhere in New Zealand. They are correct. Take your time, rest if you feel sleepy, don’t use your phone. There was a billboard telling us not to drink coffee while driving, What!!!!!????

My version of Afghan biscuits.

Biscuits (Cookies): There are crazy and beloved sweets like lolly cake (broken up meringue-like neon colored candy in a paste of sweetened condensed milk and vanilla wafers. Other cookies harken back to the early 20th century wars that New Zealand took part in, the Boer War, and WWI & II. Women sent sweets to soldiers, including Afghans and Anzac biscuits, durable concoctions of corn flakes, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate and such.

Cafes: Our favorite cafe was the Bus Stop Cafe in Te Horo. Say hello to Kirsty for me when you are there. We also liked the corner store in Piha on weekends when they have delicious pastry.

Coffee: New Zealanders (do I have to call people Kiwis?) drink their coffee very, very strong. Order a flat white, but remember, it only looks white.

Driving: Drivers were rational, if generally opposed to passing. That’s not a bad thing, just don’t be in a hurry. We did not find any speed cameras or meet any of the local constabulary. On the other hand, we were never in a hurry. Some roads are narrow and lack shoulders, like places in Ireland and Scotland. You get used to it, sortof.

Sheep vs. Cows: Dairy products are uniformly delicious, from butter and cream to yogurt, cheese and anything else they make. I believe the dairy industry is creeping up on the famous woolen/lamb industry. We didn’t see as many sheep as we expected based on the statistic that there are 23 sheep for every person in New Zealand. All the merino wool products we saw for sale were blended with possum fur in a conservation theme for tourists. (Possums are an invasive pest with very soft fur. I bought gloves.)

Restaurants: We don’t eat out often, but Fleur’s Restaurant in Moeraki is very much worth a visit.

Shopping: Even the grocery store was friendly. The New World chain offers their discount card in visitor form, no local address required, yet it gives you shopping and gas discounts. Thanks, NW.

Weather: We timed our visit to be in the North Island in their Spring season (Nov.) and South Island in their Spring (Dec.), and both proved mostly cool and regularly rainy. People said that “Last Year”….it was much warmer in the spring. If I visit again, I guess I’d wait until January or maybe even February. New Zealand is never hot, it’s a bit like Ireland. People wear heavy wet suits to go in the water in the summer. Children and adults alike swim in wet suits with ear-covering caps. We admired their enthusiasm and did 99% more beach-walking than swimming.

Wine: We did not select a favorite wine since the country is wall to wall wine, but we did like the pink Pinot Gris from Weaver Estate. We visited a number of “cellar doors” (tasting rooms). Tasting is inexpensive compared to California, though wine prices are comparable.

Visa: No visa is required if you stay less than 90 days. That makes life easy. Contrast this with my post on trying to getting a six-month tourist visa for Australia. Stick to 90 days if you can.

I leave you with sunset over Kapiti Island.

Australian Tourist Visas

27 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Australia, Travel General

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Australia offers same-day, on-line free visas for stays up to 90 days. We wanted to stay for six months, and found the 600 visa, for stays up to a year. This takes longer and costs a minimum of $140. We decided to go for it. The complication seemed minor, your passport must be valid for six months after the end of your planned stay.  Jonathan’s passport was set to expire in February 2019, so he needed a new one before we could begin the visa application process, but he did not arrive in the US until Oct. 1.

On Oct. 2, he ordered a new passport with expedited delivery. I waited to file our visa paperwork until the new passport arrived on the 13th. I needed his new passport number. Since each application asks about your traveling companions, it seemed impractical to apply before we were both ready. Here’s what we did for the first step.

Quick Summary

A 600 visa allows you to visit Australia for 6 to 12 months continuously. You may not work at all, or study for more than three months on this visa.

What you need:

You must get a (free to set up) Australian ImmiAccount https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/trav/visa/immi

You can only apply for the Australian visa valid for six to twelve months from the ImmiAccount site.

Your US passport must be valid for at least six months after you plan to leave Australia, and you need a digital copy of your passport.

You must show income sufficient to support yourself.

You may not be planning a hospital stay or medical treatment.

A list of all countries outside your home base where you have spent more than three months continuously during the past five years.

There are other questions about whether you have applied for or hold a visa for Australia.

The on-line form is long but not difficult, and the questions are basic. How is your health, what are your finances, when do you plan to arrive and leave? It took a us a few minutes to fill in the page that asks you to name countries where you have spent more than three consecutive months annually going back five years, because we have traveled a lot, but the only place we’ve stayed more than three months continuously is Peru. I had to upload a photo of each of our passports. It was relatively painless apart from the $140 per person, though the fee can be higher. The immigration web page suggest that 80% of applications for this visa are processed within 20 days. I submitted the forms on Oct. 15 and late on Oct. 19, we each received a note requiring us to have a physical exam and chest xray because we have spent more than three months a year in Peru, a country with high risk of tuberculosis.

Really? The odds of either of us getting TB in Peru is around zero, as we don’t live in a rural area, or around animals, or where it is damp, or where our neighbors have TB. This was a bit of a setback because of the fine print. The exam must be done by a doctor that is empaneled by the Australian authority, a group called Emed. There are three offices in California, and a call to LA got us appointments at 11 am on Oct. 23. After the exam, the office uploads the results directly to the Australian immigration authority. We thought that would do it. The physical exam was cursory in the extreme and the chest xray was unnecessary. I’d asked the price and was told $125 a person. We got to the end of the process and were charged $325 each. The receptionist apologized for the “confusion,” and couldn’t think why we were misquoted the cost.

Still reeling a bit from sticker shock, we hoped that the process would move quickly, and sure enough, I received my visa four days later, via email. Jonathan did not. We waited over the weekend, and he finally received an email the following Monday, but the news was terrible! His chest xray showed some streaks of abnormality and he was required to see a specialist to have his xray assessed. Now we had two dilemmas, one worse than the next. Did Jonathan have a previously undiagnosed lung ailment? He does cough and has asthma. Next was the fact that we might not get visas to visit Australia. At this point it was Oct. 29, we were due to leave for New Zealand in two days, and it was impossible to get an appointment with a lung specialist before leaving the US. We decided to go ahead with our visit to New Zealand, find a doctor there, and connect with the Australian immigration system electronically. If we had to return to the US after two months, we would.

When we arrived in Auckland, Jonathan had to find a doctor affiliated with the Australian immigration system. Then he found that his xray couldn’t be transferred from Los Angeles, he’d need another. We went into Auckland where the doctor at the Emed clinic was very nice, but not qualified to write the needed opinion. He called around Auckland to try and get Jonathan an appointment with a lung specialist, but he couldn’t find anyone who would see him while we were there. We tried not to panic, and Jonathan began calling clinics in Wellington, to see whether he could get an appointment during the end of November. He did finally get an appointment for the day after we arrived in Wellington, and we waited for that day.

Jonathan went in for his new chest xray and then saw the specialist in Wellington. This took a bit more than an hour, and after all the tension of waiting for the appointment and getting to it, waiting, etc. and the additional cost, the results were truly surprising. The doctor couldn’t understand why the xray had been flagged. He described the “abnormalities” in the first report as trivial, and sat down and wrote a letter to that effect. He gave Jonathan a copy of his xray on his jump drive and promised to convey the xray and his results to the Emed office in Auckland that is our official contact point for the visa process.

Following up by phone on the Monday that followed, all the information was uploaded to the Australian visa system as promised. By Wednesday, Jonathan had his visa. Our six month visas shouldn’t have been such an irritation, and the extra exams and xrays ended up costing about $1000. It did all work out in the end.

Here we come Australia!

Rather than take the time to get a six-month visa, we could have flown to New Zealand and spent a month, then spent three months in Australia, another month in New Zealand and three more months in Australia. We could have done this for less than $1,000 (not flying business class).

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert on Australian 600 visas, and I cannot guarantee the absolute accuracy of my description of the visa process for everyone. I am sharing my personal experience as a US citizen, presently located outside Australia. lf you plan to apply for a visa, double check everything at  https://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/immigration-and-visas