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Hawai’i 2020

tammikuuta - maaliskuuta 2020
71-päiväinen seikkaillu — Betty Lue lisää
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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 32

    Chinese New Year

    8. helmikuuta 2020, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    At the Royal Hawaiian Centre there was a special Chinese New Year celebration with a very entertaining show by a local club of young people performing both martial arts and the lion dance. It was an hour long and very well done given the young ages of the performers. At the end the lions, which are supposed to bring good luck and fortune, walked amongst the audience opening their large mouths to receive donations. The Asian tourists in the audience knew what to do and the rest of us just followed.Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 35

    More Waikiki

    11. helmikuuta 2020, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    It always takes me a couple of days to readjust to being alone. I had planned to travel to Maui or the Big Island and although there were condos available I couldn’t get excited about the effort it would take to do the inter-island flight. Car rentals were also expensive, at least $450/week. So I decided to stay at the same place in Waikiki where I wouldn’t have to rent a car. The one bedroom condo at the Royal Kuhio was only $85/night so it was affordable and centrally located. What I hated about it was the creepy crawlers! Every night I would kill a bug or two, from tiny sugar ants to the fastest moving species that were likely cockroaches. I kept the kitchen spotless and all food in the fridge but I still found bugs on the counters, the floor and in the dishwasher (which I stopped using). I got maintenance to spray but it didn’t help so I kept the broom at my side ready for my attack!

    I didn’t enjoy Waikiki as much as on previous visits. It was very crowded, crime was up, and the sidewalks on some streets were in disrepair (a hazard for one who has a tripping history). The nightly news reported that crime was up 48% over last year, mainly with armed muggings of tourists and purse snatching from the elderly. On my walks I only carried ID and my cellphone in my pocket, no purse.

    Waikiki is spread along the coastline so there was a large area to choose a different route for my daily walks. A walk at sunset was my favourite time of day. My goal is to get rid of the excess belly fat that has mysteriously appeared over the last few months. Walking is the part I enjoy most on our winter breaks, especially when it is so scenic. My longest walk this week was 17,911 steps, or 12.5 km!    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 36

    Plan B

    12. helmikuuta 2020, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Since I had no preplanned accommodation reservations and was taking advantage of last-minute bookings, I always had in the back of my mind the need for a Plan B. During week 3 of our holiday I tired of the endless hours on the computer hoping to catch a deal for the next week, which were dwindling. I was also getting restless and bored. The predominant attraction of Hawaii is the beach and it doesn’t have the appeal that it once did. I used to be very naive about the ocean but this week a group of tiger sharks had been spotted near shore and a 20 year old Swedish tourist got swept out to sea while she was just standing at the water’s edge. Her body has never been found.

    So I started looking at other options for my remaining time in Hawaii. If I had to pay top dollar for accommodation in Hawaii then I wanted more bang for my buck. I decided I was going to take a 2 week cruise of New Zealand and booked a flight to Sydney, returning from Auckland. I asked JS if he was interested in joining me. He thought about it for one minute and then declined. It was 39 years ago that JS and I took our first trip together to AU and NZ but he still didn’t take the bait. Plan B didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. Since I had to pay the full fare for 2 passengers on the cruise (no discounts for solo travellers), I waited to see if there would be a drop in price, which never materialized. Then there was the daily news of the deadly Coronavirus and how it was impacting the cruise industry. The final straw was weather reports of a cyclone that was expected to make landfall near Sydney with warnings of high seas on the day the cruise would be departing. My gut was telling me not to go on the cruise although this was the simplest plan. Back to the drawing board....it was time for Plan C and time was running out!    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 37

    Plan C

    13. helmikuuta 2020, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    My flight to Sydney was just 2 days away and I still hadn’t come up with a game plan. Although our dollar is stronger than the AU $ I quickly learned that Sydney was an expensive city. I spent hours searching for a reasonably priced hotel in a safe, convenient neighbourhood. With just hours to go I was able to find a studio apartment through AirBnB. Then I learned that when I applied for my NZ travel visa I made the stupid mistake of using a fake website that linked me to a third party site. I got billed $144 for what should have cost $44 (a $100 processing fee)!! I consider myself a pretty savvy traveller and I had read about this scam but it all looked so official. At least I did receive the visa while apparently some don’t. I now have to worry about the security of my credit card information and passport as I have no idea who this third party is. Not a smart move on my part :(

    When I arrived at the Honolulu airport Hawaiian Airlines refused to check me in for the flight because the Australian government requires that you have proof that you are leaving the country. I didn’t have a definite plan so I had to get on the wifi and figure out when and where I was going. Fortunately Virgin Australia had a seat sale and I had arrived at the airport 3 1/2 hours early just in case there were issues. JS will be shocked by that! While in the security lineup an attractive Hawaiian woman in her mid-30’s came up behind me, said she was having an anxiety attack and collapsed on the floor, which was unusual behaviour for someone having a panic attack. I was glad that security personnel came to assess her only to discover that she was as drunk as a skunk! When she couldn’t stand up independently in the body scanner they determined her unfit to fly.

    I am writing this enroute to Sydney, a 10 hour flight. The 2 passengers across from me have been coughing constantly. There is an empty seat beside me so that has been helpful. I watched the movie Parasite. I highly recommend it but don’t nod off like I did because I had to rewind a couple of times in order to read the subtitles I had missed!

    Time for another movie.    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 38

    Sydney....a rocky start

    14. helmikuuta 2020, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    On arrival in Sydney the flight attendants had to use insecticidal spray in all of the overhead bins, a requirement of the Australian Department of Agriculture. The immigration process was very streamlined as it was all self-serve and everyone was processed quickly. I bought an Opal card at one of the shops as I had read that these could be used for all forms of transportation in Sydney....bus, light rail and ferry. I found my way to the light rail service and figured out which train I had to take and got off at the right station. Then my troubles began. The AirBnB host had given me instructions to find a lock box he had attached to a street pole. I found the pole but couldn’t see anything but a bicycle chained to said pole. I also realized I didn’t copy down the code to open the box that contained the condo key. So I walked down the block and found a young security guard sitting at a desk in the lobby of a very nice building. I explained my problem and asked if there was anyplace where I could access wifi to review the host’s instructions. After some thought he offered to share his data from his iPhone. While I was waiting for him to do this, I realized I was in the Church of Scientology! I was able to confirm the instructions and get the lockbox code. On my second attempt I did find the grey steel lockbox at the base of the pole behind the bicycle but it was difficult to find it as it was now dark out. This was a very unusual procedure for getting the keys. I was pretty exhausted but relieved to be in the comfort of the condo. The rental was $135 CAD/night which is nearly half the cost of most hotels here.

    My home for the next few days is a studio on the 27th floor of what was once the tallest building in Sydney with 45 floors. I hope the fire alarm doesn’t go off, real or otherwise! Although it’s older, it is immaculate and furnished with modern IKEA-type items. It’s very small at about 500 sq ft but I think this is typical for downtown Sydney. The view is amazing.    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 39

    Ready for adventure I

    15. helmikuuta 2020, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    I woke up this morning and started getting ready for the day. Then I realized it was only 6 am Sydney time and promptly went back to bed for another two hours. Alyssa figured out that I am 17 hours ahead of Winnipeg. The condo host left a binder of information about his favourite places in Sydney as well as useful bits of information about the immediate community. So my first task was to buy some food. The nearest grocery store is 2 blocks away and is called Woolworths but locals call it Woolies. This is a full service grocery store, not like the Woolworths chain at home that I remember from many years ago. Food shopping is always interesting in a different country because of the different products available. Prices were comparable to home for some things but more for others. For example, a decent loaf of bread is $5, a litre of milk $1.29 and a locally grown mango $2.50. They don’t sell wine at the food stores but I did find a private bottle shop later and wine is expensive, even the good locally produced wines.

    After breakfast I got out the map and plotted a walking route for the day. This condo is centrally located and downtown sites are very walkable. Signage is excellent because at most corners are signposts pointing out the direction to different attractions and how many minutes it would take to walk there. I always felt safe and made it back before dark.

    I started with a walk through Hyde Park, a tranquil green space with fountains, wide walkways, and huge trees. There are warning signs to avoid the park after heavy rainfall or strong winds because of the risk of falling trees. From here I went to the Royal Botanic Garden, a beautiful 72 acre park with a variety of gardens.....a Fernery, Succulent Garden, Tropical Garden, as well as the usual rose and traditional gardens. There were two special events, a Tomato Festival and an exhibit of carnivorous plants. The only negative was that many of the plants weren’t in bloom.

    From here I went back through Hyde Park to the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Memorial. It is a tribute to their service and sacrifice and is very well done. As if that wasn’t enough I walked through China Town and Paddy’s Market (rows of booths selling cheap Made in China products). In Honolulu the news had reported that businesses in China Town were having to close early because of lack of business related to Coronavirus fears. Here that doesn’t seem to be an issue as it was fairly busy.

    At the end of the day my fitness monitor indicated 15,517 steps (or 10.6 km). That explains why I fell asleep sitting up on the sofa when I got back to the condo!    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 40

    Sunday in Sydney

    16. helmikuuta 2020, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I got an early start today because I decided I was going to church (yes, you read that correctly!), as it would be the best way to see St. Mary’s Cathedral, just two blocks away. St. Mary’s is Australia’s largest cathedral and is English-style gothic. It was very impressive inside and out. The choir was all-male from prepubescent boys to 60ish year old men. They sang the hymns beautifully in Latin, something I hadn’t experienced since I was a child attending Sacre Coeur in Winnipeg! The Arch Bishop was in town and led the service along with his squad. The homily was surprisingly good but the service was 1 1/2 hours long. Afterwards I wandered around admiring the church and made a comment to who I thought was one of the ushers. When he said he was an atheist I was puzzled until he explained that he was the security guard! We had an interesting conversation about a variety of topics. I rushed back to the apartment as JS was having a family dinner and wanted to FaceTime me. It was a very hectic household with the three little ones but it was good to see and talk with everyone.

    After lunch I headed to the touristy historic area called The Rocks. Every weekend they have a large artisans market which was very nice to admire but not buy as everything was pretty pricey. From here I walked to Circular Quay where the tour boats, ferries and cruise ships dock. It’s a popular place for weddings and wedding photos as I saw one wedding ceremony and 4 wedding parties having their photos taken. The Sydney Opera House looms in the background so this is what draws them to this location. The whole area was really busy with locals and tourists enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

    I watched the Maasdam leave port. This was the cruise I had considered taking. It’s a smaller ship with a port-intensive itinerary. It appealed to me because Holland America was introducing a new format with this ship where they had lecturers on board to teach the culture and history of Tasmania and New Zealand. They would also be bringing on local entertainers from each port. I felt a little sad that I wouldn’t be sailing but so far I am happy with my decision to do a land-based vacation. I read that all the passengers had to be screened for the Coronavirus before boarding so I hope they don’t encounter any problems like the other two ships that have been in the news daily. The cyclone that had been in the forecast moved in a different direction but large swells were still expected.

    I did a lot of steps again today (10 km) and was pretty exhausted by the time I got back to the apartment. Evenings are for relaxing with some TV (poor selection of channels), my iPad, and a glass of Australian Pinot 🥂    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 41

    An artsy day

    17. helmikuuta 2020, Australia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Today I visited the Art Gallery which is free. They had a special display of indigenous artwork, all of which was created with dots of paint. It looked like it would be very painstaking and monotonous. The most interesting display was submissions by Australian high school students. Some of the artwork was very creative and made me think of Veronica.

    After that I visited the State Library. It filled a whole city block. There was also one gallery floor here as well but some of the exhibits were closed for the day. The building was impressive.

    I hit rush hour on my way home and was swarmed by hundreds of office workers rushing to the underground stations to find their way home. The downtown areas in AU and NZ are referred to as the CBD, Central Business District. In addition to the office towers there are restaurants, shops and more shops, the majority being expensive designer stores. Some of the larger stores have several floors which extend two stories underground. The supermarket I went to was also two stories underground. The tunnels to the underground trains are lined with shops and restaurants and I was told the whole CBD is a series of tunnels. One thing I noticed was that the escalators, like the roadways, are opposite to ours with the down escalator on the left. When I cross the streets I’m frantically looking in all directions!    Lue lisää

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  • MatkaajaHawai’i 2020
    Päivä 42

    More neighbourhoods

    18. helmikuuta 2020, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The host of my AirBnB provided a list of his favourite places in Sydney and I have been to most of them. One favourite is Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, named after a spot that was also the favourite of the Governor’s wife in 1810 as it has great views of the city. One of his favourite suburbs is Potts Point and I took a long, roundabout route to get there passing through an underprivileged neighbourhood and a homeless camp under one of the bridge spans. I did eventually get to Potts Point which was an upscale, gentrified neighbourhood. Adjacent to this area was Kings Cross so I walked through that neighbourhood also. It was once the red-light district but in 2014 the government introduced “lockout laws” meaning bars had to close at 1:30 am to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence. As a result many bars closed shop but the area still has a roughness to it. There is a safe injection site here but also some art galleries and a theatre thrown into the mix. Chinatown actually had a more red-light feel to it with massage parlours and a hotel that offered one-hour reservations! It was the hottest day at 29 as well as the most humid day of the week and I was exhausted by the end of my walk.

    At 11 o’clock a fierce storm blew through Sydney and the surrounding area. Being on the 27th floor it looked like the intense lightning was at the same level as I was. I wanted to take photos but the wind was so strong that the single-pane glass windows were rattling and I know to stay away from windows during a storm. I swear the 45 story building was swaying. The heavy rainfall was horizontal and I could hear things below being tossed about. I later learned that there were wind gusts of 110 kmh and 74,000 lightning strikes were recorded! Sadly, a 37 year old businessman coming out of a pub in The Rocks area was hit in the chest by a large propane cylinder that was blown off of an apartment balcony. He later died. How freaky is that?! I was glad that the storm only lasted 15 minutes and the power failure didn’t affect this building but did affect 80,000 homes.    Lue lisää

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