The wild times and travels of Ermago

It's been almost two weeks since I posted as I didn't really have time on the ship to get on the computer. We actually got between my mom and myself 60 minutes of internet usage and we didn't use it all...probably because at each port we still had coverage on our phones.

So we went on the Rhapsody of the Seas and here was the schedule
Day 1 Board
Day 2 Newcastle, Australia
Day 3 At Sea
Day 4 At Sea
Day 5 Cairns
Day 6 Cairns
Day 7 At Sea
Day 8 Airlie Beach
Day 9 At Sea
Day 10 Brisbane
Day 11 At Sea
Day 12 Sydney

Prior to getting on the ship we booked excursions for each port but ended up cancelling all but one. The cruise was done for two different reasons...first to have some relax time between all the running around we were doing and also because it was over Easter and supposedly everything closed between Friday and Monday.

In Newcastle and Brisbane, we actually had to be shuttled because they were "working ports" meaning that where like freight deliveries came in and what not....they weren't glamorous or like some of the ports in the Caribbean where they have shops right at the dock. Basically, we cancelled our excursions so my mom could rest or because we had already done it. The only excursion I did was to go to the Great Barrier Reef..more on that later.

Newcastle is a small quiet town and the area a little further out was known for it's wineries...well we don't do that because don't drink...so we stayed on the ship and relaxed.

In Cairns we woke up late but still got a ferry to Green Island....we were only there for like 2 hours...mom had a lot of trouble trying to snorkel so she just sat on a bench and let me go snorkel...what seemed like an eternity in the water turned out to be 15 minutes...I guess because I was worried about getting back to the boat in time for it to take us back. While waiting for the Catamaran, it started pouring and we got soaked. Once back on the boat they had the air conditioning blasting. By the next morning my mom was sick as a dog....fever, shivers, nausea and vomiting. We went to the medical facility and she said she was feeling a little better so we went back to the room and I put her to bed. I went out around Cairns to explore...I got a phone call to come back and by the time I got there, there was someone with a wheelchair coming to get her....we went to the medical facility again and she was running like a 102 fever. They ended up giving her an IV of antibiotics, anti-nausea medicine and something else to keep her hydrated. By the next day we had to go back to the doctor..he put her on oral antibiotics and wrote her a note to excuse her from the Barrier Reef excursion so she could get a refund. She is doing better now.

In Brisbane, we were supposed to do Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary with the ship, but we had already done it and I remember it being extremely hilly...so my mom's friend Jan came down from Toowomba and took us to the Gold Coast....It's known for it's beaches and surfing...it reminded me a lot of Miami with the beaches and the high rises. I really wish that we would have taken a few days to go there and spend some time....but with everything we did, I guess it gives us something to possibly look into doing if we come back.

In Airlie Beach my mom stayed on the ship and I went to the Barrier Reef. This was the one port where we anchored out in the Ocean. I had to get up real early...like 7am for the excursion....What was cool was that the catamaran that took us, pulled up right next to the boat and off we went. It was an all day excursion to Knuckle Reef. Unfortunately...I inadvertently deleted all my pictures from my camera that I took. I sorta felt like it was a rip off because it was an all day excursion...but was 2 hours there and back and it only gave us 3 hours at the Reef.
The reef was beautiful....they had a pontoon anchored there and they had things roped off of where we could go snorkeling. I was going to pay a little extra and do beginner scuba...I figured since I'm at the Great Barrier Reef why not....but they wouldn't let me because I have asthma...oh well. So we got there...put on the wet suit, the mask and the fins and in I went. They actually had partially submerged platforms so you could just plop in from a sitting position. I went snorkeling for about an hour....and went through the whole area we could snorkel...the only issue was we could only snorkel around the peripheral of the reef, not over it...I did incidentally and they told me to go back...although what I was looking at was beautiful...I saw all different kinds of coral and marine life. From what I was told this reef was more for the coral.

I snorkeled for about an hour and then got out and had lunch....I was really tired after doing it...I didn't realize how strenuous it was, it really wears you out.

I made several new friends who all are Aussies. I actually enjoyed the fact that I was the foreigner on the ship....I had several people tell me I sounded Canadian...I don't know how but apparently I do....Everyone I was hanging out with that I am much younger than I am, which is a good thing. The earliest I went to bed any night was the night before we got to Airlie Beach..I was in bed by 12am...I think.....2nd earliest was the last night of the cruise at 130...other than that I was going to bed at 230. There were 4 different people that I became close with....Jo and Darren, who are married with a young boy and Laura and Emily who are cousins.

I got to play the Quest, the adult scavenger hunt, the thing I love playing on RCL. I told my friends about it and they came to play with us...I actually got there 30 minutes early to get a seat....what I found out is that Australians love to sit and wait....when I have cruised before I would go to music trivia 5 minutes before hand and people would just be getting there...this time...there were no seats so we would have to get there early. Oh...played disco trivia and won...got all 15 songs...go me...I ended up with some kind of magnet thingy....anyway....getting back to the Quest.....I asked the cruise staff if many Aussies knew what was going on and they said no.....I then asked them which way there were going to play it.....apparently the way I like to play it they don't do anymore where they have a gazillion teams....they just had sections...so Laura and I were our team captains.....when they asked how many people had played before I think there was maybe 3 of us who had. Long story short, I FINALLY won the Quest...I was so happy....I got a gold medal and a baseball cap...but that's fine...I just wanted to win it once.....
As quickly as the cruise started, it ended...when we were packing to get off the ship, I was just in shock...I felt like we had just gotten on the ship. That night it was really quiet in the night club and my friends were a bit disappointed, but I told them...most people don't go out on the last night because they have to get their luggage out and be off the ship early and that's exactly what happened...my mother and I were walking off the ship at 730 in the morning.

After getting the taxi, we realized it was a miserable day out....we are staying at the Sydney Harbour Marriott...unfortunately we don't have a view of the Harbor, but it's a really nice room...I'm really grateful that they let us check in early in the morning. We actually slept for a little bit and had an afternoon tour that took us throughout Sydney, Kings Cross, Bondi Beach and then through Paddington and Darlinghurst. I got to see Oxford Street...basically gay mecca of Australia...it was pretty cool...I'm planning on going there tomorrow night to just explore.

Today we went to Taronga Zoo and did a Wild Australia Experience and got to see all kinds of animals, Koalas, wombats, Tazzies. We took the ferry back which was nice, short but nice...we got to see yet another perspective of the Opera House.

So after being on the cruise for almost 2 weeks we had to do laundry again...we have done it a total of 3 times since we have been here...this time was the most expensive, but I actually took it to a wash and fold place. I have to tell you Aussies are so nice...I was walking to the place and I got a little lost so asked this guy who was delivering bread if he knew were it was...he said no, but he offered me a ride to it....OMG....that would totally not happen in the states. He was so nice...I couldn't believe it. After I got to the cleaners I walked back to the hotel.

When we got back from the tour at Taronga, our clothes were in bags folded in our room.....So I had to repack all the suitcases...I don't think we will have to do it again before we leave.

Tomorrow I'm doing the Sydney Bridge Climb and I'm praying for good weather.

It's a crappy night out tonight in Sydney, it's drizzling and icky...I can't believe I have already been in Australia for a month....and I'm leaving in 8 days...insane. I'm ready to come home...I miss my pookie and the dog and my bed....but I don't want to come back to reality, work, and my commute.

I'm just grateful that I can have this experience....that my partner is ok with it and that my work is allowing me to do this...I'm also grateful that my mom was able to do this and fulfill her lifelong dream of being up close and personal with a koala. She is still trying to figure out how to smuggle one out of the country but that's not a happening thing. I'm really glad that she is able to have this experience...it's really taken a toll on her as I can see that her mobility issues are starting to get worse. :(

After we leave Sydney we head to Hamilton Island for 4 days up in Queensland for R&R...it's a beach resort...we have no schedule there....we know we went to take a helicopter ride over the reef....and possibly get a fair back to Airlie Beach to walk around since we didn't get to go on the cruise...and hopefully we can get a reef tour in so my mom can experience the natural beauty it would be a shame for her not too...she wants to actually get in the water, but I don't know if that's going to happen, she may have to settle on a semi-submersible or a glass bottom boat.

Anyway I have written waaaay to much...plus it's time for dinner.

We got to Brisbane, and checked in the hotel...and it was so nice compared to a few of the other hotels we have been in...we stayed at the Stamford Plaza at the corner of Margaret and Edward streets. We ended up getting a corner hotel room so we have a view from two sides.

When we got here...we checked in the hotel and the staff there told me that we left a phone on the plane. Basically what happened, was the plane staff found it, turned it into baggage services, they then called one of the Australian numbers and they gave Qantas our details. So the hotel staff told us this...so after we checked in, I had to go back to the airport. It cost roughly $50 for a cab each way.

On Sunday, my mom's friend Jan drove down from Toowomba and took us around sightseeing....it was really nice, we had lunch with her and it was nice seeing Brisbane from a locals perspective. Although it was freakin hot...probably in the mid 90s

On Monday, we went to Steve Irwin's, Australia Zoo, which was really cool....we got to cuddle koalas, see crocs and all types of cool wildlife....it was really nice. Luckily enough the weather broke and it was in the high 70s.

On Tuesday, we went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary...that was awesome as we took a specialized tour where we got to go into some of the enclosures. I got to pet/play with the dingos, feed the platypus, go into the koala enclosures and get really close up with....chat with the keepers and get answers to questions.

Today is Wednesday and we are flying to Sydney today.

Melbourne was beautiful for us old architecture, where as Brisbane is very contemporary and cosmopolitan.

Anyway time to get ready to check out and head to the airport....next stop Sydney

Wednes

Today we flew from Adelaide to Alice Springs and then from Alice Springs to Ayers Rock.

We are staying at the Desert Garden Hotel, which is nice. Oh my god desolate...truly in the outback.

Now I see why everyone needs the netting for their hats....the flies here are ridonkulous.

After getting settled in we went to the Sounds of Silence dinner, where they took us onto a dune to watch the sun set overlooking Uluru and Kata Tjuta where we had had drinks and canapés...while someone played the didgeridoo. After the sun set they took us down to the dining area....because there was a hill to get to the dune and then down to the dining area, they took my mom in a wheel chair.....when we were almost done getting to the area, they hit a bump and my mom got knocked out of the chair. It was not fun...and she had a lot of difficulty getting back in the chair...so this was like the 3rd incident that she had whilst on this trip. In any event, it was on soft sand so she is just sore from getting back in the chair.

I got to try kanagaroo, which wasn't bad....after dinner they dimmed all the lights and we star gazed. It was truly amazing. After that we came back to the hotel.

We have an excursion tomorrow to go around the base of Uluru, but my mom isn't going to do it. I tried calling the tour company earlier today to see if I could cancel hers and they said no because it was too short of notice. After the incident tonight, she is definitely not going...so I talked to someone at the front desk of my hotel and they were going to leave a message for the manager. I'm still going, but she isn't...I'm hoping that they will refund the money for her.

In any event, it is absolutely beautiful out here and I would highly recommend the dinner.

So for our last day in Melbourne we spent it with my mom's friend Maralyn...she drove us around...I got to meet her daughter Tiana and to see her house. Maralyn then took us down to St. Kilda, which is the beach in Melbourne. We had a nice lunch and then coffee....let's just say that even though we speak the same language there is still a barrier. After coffee, Maralyn took us back to the hotel we said our goodbyes and then mom rested since her feet were pretty swollen from all the running around.

I repacked the suitcases and then headed over to the Casino...it was mobbed, but I made $40...which is a good thing.

The trip from Melbourne to the airport was $68...I guess I shouldn't complain. Oh my god, security for domestic flights is a joke within Australia, it's like what it used to be like in the states. You don't need to take off your shoes..the liquids don't have a restriction...you don't even need to show them your ID. It's wild.

In any event we are sitting at the gate...of course we got here like 2.5 hours early for the flight, thinking that security was going to be like it is in the states...apparently not...no wonder there is no line to get through security.

Otherwise, I'm learning new vocabulary, the following is Australian terms and then there American counterparts

Toilets Bathroom/Restroom
Rubbish Trash
Rubbish Bin Trash Can
Car Park Parking Lot
Chips Fries
Trolley cart, like a smart cart for your luggage
buggy cart for you to ride to your gate in
taxi rank taxi stand
bugger Damn!!!

Additionally we have changed one of our excursions in Adelaide...we originally were going to do it on Monday but now we are doing it on Tuesday and I'm going to see about renting a car to go to the wild life sanctuary.

That's it for now...more later.

Everything went off without a hitch last night and the flight was uneventful to Vegas. all our luggage made it and we actually arrived an hour early.

 

I was up until 4am playing. I then got up at 730 got ready and am now getting ready to go play bingo.

 

This part of the trip is familiar. After we leave Vegas tomorrow; that's when the real adventure starts.

Everything is lined up for us to now leave Friday March 1st versus Sunday March 3rd.

When I called United this morning I got an offshore agent who told me that because I booked one way tickets I couldn't deviate my travel plans...it can only be done on a roundtrip purchase.  I hung up and called back and spoke with someone in the US...and explained the situation that because of the length of the trip, I had to book two separate one way tickets, but it was a roundtrip.  So she worked her magic and got us out to Vegas.  On top of all of that she didn't charge us the change fee...typically on an award if it's within 21 days of date of travel they charge $75 a ticket...It was just meant to be.

So we fly out Friday from Dulles at 10pm and arrive in Vegas at 1230am....we leave Vegas at 130 on Sunday and arrive at 3pm in SF....we will be hanging out in the United Club for several hours it looks like which is fine with us.  It just worked out.

The hotel room in Vegas is free...thank you to my playing at the hotel....we will only be responsible for taxes.

I also rented a vehicle...that way we weren't tied to the hotel....got it through Hotwire...got a mini SUV to handle all the luggage....so it works out well.

So I have told mum that we need to have her completely packed tonight...so that maybe all 4 of us can do dinner as a family tomorrow night since Friday will be pretty rushed.

This truly is a whirlwind trip.  First slot machines and bingo and then kanagaroos and koalas.

The drama that was occuring with the customs issues has been averted.  Mom had put all her pills in weekly planners for 8 weeks...and then we found out that the pills need to be in their original bottles...she took care of that last night thank god...considering I didn't want to miss our connecting flight to Melbourne from Sydney.

I just called the airline and found out that unfortunately, our flight will not have wifi on it...pooo.

It's been almost 2 years to the day that I have posted something on here....on the recommendation of eurodancemixI am dusting it off to post about the trip of a lifetime coming up....I am heading down under on March 3rd. I will be there for 6 weeks. It is just my mother and I going on the trip, my father and Claude are staying behind. We initially were supposed to do this trip about 3 years ago, but had to back out because of some surgery that my dad needed. Intially we were just going to do a cruise from Perth to Sydney...but alas we had to cancel it.
So back in January of 2012 we decided to reboot the trip...but this time, we decided that we were going to fly everywhere. So we cracked open a bunch of different books and started the process of booking the trip.

First we looked at all the different cities and made lists of what we wanted to do in each city. Then we figured out how much time we would need in each city. Then we had to determine when we wanted to go...we wanted to go after the holiday season and Mardi Gras...so we figured sometime in late February early March. We then had to wait until the flights started becoming available. Oh, I forgot to mention, we were using miles to fly there. My mother is with American who partners with Qantas, and I'm with United. We called American and the flights they had were crap. So I checked on United and found good flights. I ended up having to buy up about 80,000 miles, because we wanted to fly first class. We used my miles to fly too and from Australia and my mothers within Australia, because Qantas does give away first class seats across the water.
So our flight to Australia, is from IAD>SFO>SYD>MEL....we decided we wanted to go in a clockwise tour. Keep in mind, I am booking everything myself...flights, hotels, tours. We couldn't book the return flight because it was too far out. So now that we had the flight out there...we needed to figure out how much time we needed at each place. While we were figuring that out, one of my friends said that if you are going to be there during Easter, make sure you have something to do because everything closes down between Friday and Monday. So I figured we would go on a cruise from Sydney up to Queensland for jumping off points to the Great Barrier Reef. Initially we had booked on a Celebrity cruise, but then changed it to Royal Carribbean.

In any event, after checking out the activities we wanted to do we started looking at dates for each location. Basically this was an iterative process trying to figure out how much time we needed for activities....and then we added an extra day or two just to be on the safe side. Whilst reading through the books we realized that middle of March is the rainy season for Queensland so we were going to bounce around...we were debating on where to stay in Queensland....Cairns, Port Douglas, Gold Coast...but then just finally decided the cruise would be perfect. My mother fought me on going on the cruise, but then later came around because she can relax.

Once we figured out the dates at each location, we started booking hotel rooms...most of them were booked on Hotwire....there were about 3 of them that we booked directly because we had points or they just weren't on Priceline or Hotwire. Now that the dates were set in stone we had to look at the things we wanted to do and how we would get to them. My biggest concern was getting to activites where we needed transportation since we are not renting a car...we are doing public transit...I refused to drive in a country where not only they drive on the other side of the road, the steering column is on the right side of the car...I have driven on the other side of the road in St. Thomas, but it's a small island and the speed limit is only 35 mph max....I didn't want to tempt fate. so I found by happenstance Viator.com and noticed they offered tours so we have combed that for the different trips.....

Next...where we are going and what we are doing....

I guess I will use this for the next month or so to document the trip of a lifetime.