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  • Day 61

    Some thoughts

    March 8, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    I can describe this whirlwind trip as spontaneous, plan-as-you-go, slightly stressful at times, but overwhelmingly a wonderful experience. I packed a lot into the daylight hours as I wasn’t comfortable exploring the night life. I flip-flopped from taking a cruise to then a land-based trip but wasn’t prepared for the high cost of organized tours. In Tasmania the state-wide tours are geared towards the 18-35 year olds and they sure don’t want their mother along! I was surprised that both AU and NZ cater to backpackers, unchanged from 39 years ago. There are backpacker hostels in every major town and city for about $25/night, as well as other businesses that cater to backpackers. I preferred the apartment hotels which are centrally located, had cooking facilities and laundry. I met a woman my age from Toronto whose agent had booked her into YHA hostels for less than $100/night so that might have been an option with advance planning. In the last two weeks I met 3 women my age travelling solo...this one from Toronto, another from the UK, and a third from the US. I was surprised how common this was and that I didn’t encounter any older male solo travellers.

    Some things I noted that were different than at home.....very poor selection of TV channels and programs so most subscribe to Netflix or similar; game show contestants are so much more reserved than those on US game shows of the same name; credit card fees are charged to the customer if you chose to pay by credit (I exchanged $50 USD for AUD but in NZ I had no cash and used Visa only); and in NZ the weather forecast includes “# of layers” and “degree of wind proof” so that you can dress appropriately. I never tired of the Aussie and Kiwi accents, especially with the cute children.

    In all of the places I stayed there was a wide variety of restaurants to chose from. I made all my breakfasts and lunches but occasionally had take-away from ethnic restaurants.....Malaysian, Turkish, Indian, and Tunisian....and all were excellent. Restaurant delivery is available but not common as most picked up their food for take-away as I did, sometimes at a reduced price.

    A big thank you to my Aunt Evelyn, Johnny’s Mom, for funding this adventure. She was a world traveller so I think she would have approved my use of the money she bequeathed to me.
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