31. The 1-Month Mark, a Half-Day in Sydney, Another Travel Glitch (10/30/2024)

Confession and Milestone: We are focused making sure we know when our next flight is, and often lose track of which day of the week it is. Today we remembered that it was Wednesday, meaning that we have been gone for a full four weeks! Another 10 days to go, if we survive it!

The Royal Botanic Garden Site Map

       Our flight to Wellington, New Zealand, was not scheduled until 6:45 in the evening. Mom nixed my idea of spending the day at one of Sydney's finest day spas (for >$600 per person), so we went to Plan B - a walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens en route to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. 

       The gardens were a tranquil oasis with really well-done garden exhibits, some huge trees that must have been planted a hundred years ago, and views of of the Sydney Harbor. We are coming into spring in the southern hemisphere, so everything was in bloom and people were out enjoying the morning.  As noon approached, we started seeing joggers and office workers bringing the lunch to the park for a short picnic. 

       I enjoyed the ferrn garden and the Chinese garden and the biggeset ferns and the biggest bamboo plants that I have ever seen. We spent at least 30 minutes around Main Pond taking pictures of the multiple bird species that had congregated for some water and a nap, searching for the eels that mysteriously appeared in the pond even after it has been drained and refilled, and getting another vantage point of the Sydney Harbor skyline. 

Mom and white ibis both eyeing the fountain at the entrance of the Royal Botanic Gardens

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Me engaged in "fern envy" - a natural, instinctive behavior of obsessive gardeners

Anteater! (see the ants?)

Mom engaged in her own natural, instinctive behavior

Noisy miner bird 

Bamboo stand - how do they get it not to break through the sidewalk?

Entrance to Chinese Garden

Syndey Harbor Bridge

ANOTHER TRAVEL GLITCH

       The relaxing morning, as well as the plan to see the art gallery, came to an abrupt end after the third email I received from Air Chathams. The plan had been to fly to Wellington tonight so that we could take the Thursday afternoon flight to Chatham Island. On Friday, we would leave Chatham Island for  Nadi, French Polynesia through Auckland on Friday. Mom needs to be on Nadi on Saturday in time for her flight to Wallis Island at midday. 

       Air Chathams changed the Thursday flight to Chatham Island to Friday morning and bumped back the Friday departure from Chatham Island to Auckland from the morning to midday. The small consequence of this change was that we would have a full day to spend in Wellington and would spend only an hour (not and overnight) on Chatham Island before turning around and leaving again. The huge negative consequence of this change was that we would miss our connecting flight in Auckland to Nadi. 

       We tried to sort some of it out while sitting on a park bench in the Botanic Gardens, but I needed a computer and a power cord to really understand the implications and start looking at solutions. We returned to the hotel to set up a "war room" for emailing, calling, and searching flights in the lobby bar.  We had food, documents, luggage, and our electronic apparati spread out over four tables. 

       I spoke with Air Chathams. I spoke with Fiji Airways. I frustratedly sent emails into the void of the AirTreks customer support inbox. Unbelievably, they do not have after hours staff or a phone number where they can be reached, even during office hours. In the end, even if we had identified a solution ourselves, we couldn't execute them. Each airline would only make changes originating from the AirTreks and not from us, the passengers.  I took a quick walk downtown and then, with some confusion and frustration regarding where Uber detected our location, we left downtown for the Sydney airport. 

Sydney Town Hall viewed during afternoon stroll

TRANSFER TO WELLINGTON, NZ

       There were two nice things that happened after that: 1. We had access to the Air New Zealand lounge before the flight because of mom's United Elite status. 2. Rydges Wellington Airport was able to get us a room with two beds instead of just AND to extend our stay by one night. 

Feeling fancy in the Air New Zealand lounge

       These two benefits partially offset the additional one and a half hours of frustration with the travel agent, current airline booking practices, mom's distraction, and my own inability to "just let it go"! We were up until 2 am.

          In the end, I shared the information that I had learned from the very nice woman at Fiji Airways about what would happen if we missed our Friday flight and passed that information on to Mom. She had to make the decision about how to instruct AirTreks to deal with it.  We both went to bed frustrated with  each other and with the situation, but at least we each were in our own beds. :) Tomorrow will be another day, and an opportunity to catch the "vibe" of a city that was not originally in our plans.

30b. Alla's Free Day in Lord Howe Island -TCC #296

My next island was Lord Howe Island, one of the Admiralty Group of Islands in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. It is an Australian state of New South Wales. The population is about 400. Due to its rich diversity of plant and animal life, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once a threat to the island’s biodiversity, invasive animals such as cats, goats and pigs have been eradicated. The island is rodent-free due to the Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication Project, the largest eradication attempt to be undertaken on a permanently populated island. Also an ambitious Weed Eradication Program has reduced priority weeds across the island by 80%. The island has very strong procedures to ensure the island maintains its biodiversity.

Airport

Checking all bags

I was up at 4:30, Uber to airport at 5:15 and arrived in Lord Howe at 9:10. There were 17 people in the plane. There was no cell service and WiFi was spotty whenever it is found and I never found it. There are no taxis or public transportation. Earlier we had tried to find a small tour for the short time I was to be there, but there is no such thing.

I walked up the road from the airport for a little while, but it started to sprinkle, so I went back to the airport. I began taking to a lady about being stuck at the airport. She was waiting for the next flight out and had been to Lord Howe many times. She immediately got on the airport phone to find me transportation to town. She arranged for a lady who had a travel agency come get me. Another local who was working at the airport suggested I rent a bicycle, use it for several hours and ride it back to the airport. She would return it to the bike shop later. She was familiar with TCC because many members come to LHI.

I was dropped off at Wilson’s Hire and rented a bike. Fortunately it had easy gears. I went to Ned’s Beach where you could buy food to feed the fish. I did not do that, but I enjoyed sitting there for awhile for the view. Along the road I saw a trail, so I parked the bike and walked to the beginning of the trail to Malabar Hill. Before starting up the mountain, I had to clean my shoes and dip them in a solution there. It was a pretty tough hike across a meadow and then up to the first peak. What a beautiful view! I could see almost 360 around the island. Ned’s Beach on one side and the old settlement area on the other. It was blissful sitting there with the view. It was quite windy, though. It sure was easier going down than going up the mountain.

It was time for lunch so I went back to the small town where there were several restaurants. I wasn’t really hungry and there wasn’t any place that had light food. I finally settled on The Crooked Post where the lunch choice was a burger and fries. I got the burger with no fries and sat on the open front porch to eat. This part of town had just a few shops, restaurants, post office and welcome center. There are stands everywhere to park your bike. There are some cars and trucks around, too, but mostly bikes. 

UNESCO World Heritage Site  

Australian Swamphen

  

Landscape

Blinky Beach

Park your bike and go for a hike

Ned's Beach

Sooty Tern

Lord Howe Woodhen

Morton Bay Fig or Strangler fig

Protecting the Island

Trail to Malabar Hill

Panorama at top of Malabar Hill with Ned's Beach at left

Buff Banded Rail

White Terns

Main Street

Thompson Memorial Park

I stopped at another beach near Thompson Memorial Park where snorkelers and divers were coming in from the water. I then rode the bike back to Wilson’s and turned it in. A few minutes later Wilson came by and we went to the airport. What nice people live on Lord Howe Island!

There is always a lot to see and do even if you are in a place just a short time.

30a. Chris's Free Day in Sydney (10/29/2024)

A view of the Tasman Sea from Hunter Park

        It was another day of going our separate ways, although this time we reunited at the end of the day. Mom left the hotel at 5 am for the airport for her 7 am flight to Lord Howe Island. I would love to see its spectacular vistas and rare cloudforest, but was not the hassle of airflight for less than 4 hours on the ground.

        I stayed in the room in my pajamas until after noon, mentally deriding myself for not getting it together sooner to go out. On the other hand, it was a priority to catch up on the blog and chat a little bit with Beth on WhatsApp while she was still awake so I had to keep reminding myself that there were no wrong answers on how to spend my time. 

        Around 1 pm I left the hotel and started walking east towards Bondi Beach. Had I continued walking, it would have been a 3-hr, 6+ mile walk. Fortunately for me, Lime and HelloRide bicycles were all over the downtown area and I realized that I could easily combine a trip to the east coast of Syndey with fresh air and inexpensive transportation. Aside from making an account and understanding how to unlock the helmet contained in the front basket, the most difficult part of the ride was dealing with the roads when bike lanes ended and staying on the left after turning.

Cycling to Bondi Beach Using Lime

Lime e-bikes, complete with unlockable helmet in basket

En route

Hyde Park, downtown

Ponytail holes in hoodies

Rocking Lime's green helmet

My cycling route

        My route took me around Hyde Park, past the gay bars of Oxford St., alongside Centential Park and its 45,000 capacity Allianz Stadium, and through the commercial area of Bondi Junction. Sydney has blackout areas where e-bikes cannot go, so I said goodbye to the bike and helmet, and first started walking south along the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk. It was surprisingly busy on a Tuesday afternoon. I shared the cliffside trail with young Australians weaving in and out while trying to jog, groups of Asian tourists stopping frequently to take photos, and families with children exploring the outdoor art installations between Mackenzie's Point Lookout and Tahamarama Bay. I was impressed with myself that I found a spot to duck behind some shrubs for a "confort stop". With the crowds, the public facilities would be at least a 45-minute walk.     

        After stopping at the reef along Tahamarama to watch a few surfers in wetsuits mostly waiting for a good wave to come along, I left the trail to walk to north to Bondi Beach along the roadside rather than dealing with the congestion along the coastal trail. Without a clear destination or plan other than "see Bondi Beach", my mind started looping through several storylines. The most prominent was trying to come to terms with my age and my recent physical changes, especially in contrast to the dozens of people on the beach running, playing volleyball, doing a beachside fitness circuit. It was as if Chris Hemsworth had a hundred cousins, and they all were at the beach this afternoon. Seeing so many people out on the beach with families, dogs, surfboards, also make me wonder if I have been spending the last 51 years to the fullest. Based on how much we have crammed in during the last 28 days of traveling, I say "yes". But then I think, I never learned to surf...I haven't lifted weights for a while...I don't have a job right now, does this mean I have missed the boat for a satistfying career forever?  Self-reflection had its moments, but I also spent time wondering about the hundreds of people at the beach. How did they have time to be at the beach on a Tuesday afternoon? Have the other people of similar age figured out their lives yet or do we share a similar perplexity about the passage of time. Do they own the gorgous houses and condos here and how do they afford it? 

       Things continued this way for almost an hour as I walked along the beach, taking a few wrong turns to try and see aboriginal rock drawings at a site that was ultimately closed for renovation. I stopped along the way to take pictures of unusual birds and flowers, and thought about how amazing it was that people here in Australia can look out their windows to see rainbow lorikeets, crested pigeons, cockatoos, and laughing kookaburas. What birdfeeder species are foreigners excited to see when they visit the United States?

        My meandering self-reflection came to an abrupt stop when I decided that I needed to start heading back to the hotel. All focus needed to be on finding an unlocking a Lime bicycle, and navigating in and out of bike lanes at the same time that more cars were entering the roads at the beginning of rush hour. A strategy that generally worked was just to get behind another cyclist and follow them until it was clear that we were not going to the same location. Then I would stop and rereview my map and hope another cyclist would pass by along the direction that I needed to go. 

       Mom beat me back to the hotel, since I stopped at a nearby H&M to buy some leggings to go with my dress for tonight's evening out. I won't steal her thunder, but it was remarkable how neither of us had solid plans for the day and yet ended up doing very similar things. 

Bondi Beach Area

Rainbow lorikeet in Hunter Park at coast

One of several spray-painted murals celebrating the location

View of Mark's Park and Mackenie's Park Lookout from my "rest stop"

The first of many art installations along the coastal walk

"Big Heart"

Tamarama Bay from the lookout

Art installation in foreground, surfers in background

Surfer ending his run at Bondi Beach

Kiddie pool alongside Bondi Beach

They even have a doggie pool!

Crested pigeons near Williams Park at the coast

Laughing kookabura enjoying the afternoon sun on the rail of house on Hastings Road

Six, the Musical, at The Royal Theatre

        When I was researching the trip, I looked for cultural activities in each location as well as opportunities to see wildlife or unique features of the landscape. A short run of Six, the Musical, at the Theatre Royal Sydney coincided with our stay and without either of us having heard about the show, Mom purchased tickets. 

        The show was FABULOUS. Described as a "modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a singing competition." During the show, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr all take turns sharing the "herstory" of their suffering during their marriages with their shared husband, and in the end decide to reclaim their own identities rather than just as "wives" in a glam pop finale. The audience was really energetic and included a lot of young professional women. All four musicians were also women, and the six primary performers were fire! Costumes: hot AF. Choreography: banging. 

        We both came out of the show smiling and full of giddy energy. I know what I'm going to be reading about tomorrow on the plane - the six wives of Henry the 8th and how the musical was created by two undergraduate students at Cambridge University.

Our "fancy" outfits

Encore performance in which the audience was invited to stand up and record

Post-show

On the walk back to the hotel

Additional birds spotted today

White ibis in Hyde Park

Australian magpie at Tamarama Point

Today's Plants of Interest

So this is what it is supposed to look like when established!

Banksia varieties are all over Australia. This tree was being visited by the rainbow lorikeets.