There are certain learning curves that come with traveling.  Of course, many things are lost in translation when visiting a country that does not speak your native tongue.  HOWEVER, things can still be ‘lost in translation’ when English is being spoken.  This was something Julia and I discovered pretty quickly in Australia (but perhaps not quickly enough.)  The dilemma: ordering coffee.  I know, I know my life is so demanding.  The struggle is real.  But, coffee IS a big deal.  Not only am I a more friendly and kind person after my morning cup of coffee, but I can experience physical withdraw if I don’t have it.  Headaches, shakes, nausea, weird thoughts . . .  Basically just think of all the side affects you hear about on prescription medication commercials and that is essentially me without coffee.

My ‘go to Joe ‘ is a large iced coffee.  No cream. No sugar.  For this past year, it’s been difficult to find my favorite cup and that’s quite okay.  In Spain, I indulged in café con leche; in Italy, tiny little espresso, and in Argentina delicious café cortado.  I love coffee and as a result, enjoy trying it around the world.

Being in Australia is so similar to the states I figured I could easily order an iced coffee with no problems. Nope. Not the case. Think again.  Iced coffee in Australia is essentially a coffee flavored milkshake.  Coffee with ice cream, heavy cream and whipped cream.  It may sound delectable, but in the morning it’s a diabetic shock waiting to happen.  After a couple of errors, we finally got it down.  Mystery solved=A ‘long black.’  A long black is two shots of espresso with water, similar to an Americano My order typically sounded like this: ‘Hi! I’d love an iced long black, lots of ice, no sugar, no cream, sorry for being difficult, thanks so much’.  Sometimes I got hot coffee with a couple of cubes of ice, other times I got a heaping glass of ice with wonderful coffee poured over it. Either way, the sweet, sweet caffeine was worth the effort.  And on some days we just had to forget where we were, go ‘full American’ and hit up the local Starbucks.

Port Douglas is a short car ride from Cairns.  People say Port Douglas was what can was like 20 years ago.  It is a quiet little beach side town where we visited a place called Mossman Gorge, Daintree and Cape Tribulation.

 

The next day we flew from Brisbane to Cairns.  This was my view out the window of the plane.  Rough life I know!

Upon arrival in Cairns we went into the town to pick up a rental car.  While we were waiting for the details to be figured out we heard constant high-pitched screeching.  We couldn’t figure out what it was until we looked into the trees and saw these beauties roosting for the night.  BATS!

We spent the night in Cairns, regrouping, cooking dinner and relaxing in the 3 pools our villa hotel had to offer.  The next morning we were up and headed to Kuranda World Heritage Site.  This is an interesting town, sitting on top of a mountain in between Cairns and Port Douglas. A train ride takes you up to the top of the mountain and then there is a gondola ride down.  The train ride up was beautiful-winding through the lush rainforest, curving next to the mountain and waterfalls.

We spent a few hours on top of the mountain exploring the little town.

The gondola was a 45 minute ride, which stopped every 15 minutes at various platforms through the rainforest. Anyone who knows me, knows this is NOT my cup of tea.  Train rides? Sure.  Gondolas rides? Not so much.  I am just not a fan of being super high up and in an enclosed capsule slowly moving its way through space, with the possibility of it breaking down at any given point.  I don’t even really love ski lifts.  I’m mostly okay if the lift keeps moving, but as soon as it stops mid-air perched high above the land, my heart does a little panicked mummer.

Yet, like I’ve said in previous posts, I cannot NOT do things just because I am a little uncomfortable.  That only makes the fear stronger and more relevant in my life.  So, with some deep breathing, moral support from the group, and a couple of closed eyes moments, I made it through the ride.

After leaving Byron Bay,  we stopped at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with a sweet gal named Pearl.  I loved this little snuggle bug and wished I could have spent more time with her.  She reminded me of a cat.  Furry, cuddling and apparently sleeping 19-21 hours per day. Basically she has the life-other than tourists waking her from her beauty sleep a couple of times a day.

We continued up the Gold Coast to Surfer’s Paradise.  This place is rooted in surfer history in similar fashion to California’s surfer culture.   I thought Byron Bay would be more like Surfer’s Paradise and vice versa. Surfer’s Paradise seemed like it would be this hippy, not very developed kind of place but instead it was a city filled with high-rise vacation homes and apartments.  I love when your expectations (for better or worse) are nothing like you first anticipated.

After leaving Surfer’s Paradise we finally arrived in Brisbane.  This city is quite familiar to me. Not because I had ever been there but because I have many friends who studied abroad here during college.  The first time I had heard of it was in college when a best friend of mine told me she was moving there for 6 months school.  I would Skype with her and hear all about the details of the city.  It was so great to be there years later after hearing all her stories.  I really loved the place.  Naturally, it has a very college feel to it.  It sits right on a river and there are free ferry rides that run back and forth all day and night.  We walked along the banks of the river, visiting the carousel, strolling through a man-made beach, and mingling with college students.  All in all, it’s a great town.

The next morning we met up with Jackie and Jamie.  They had rented a car and were driving up the eastern coast of OZ.  We were lucky enough to join them!

As we traveled up the coast,  I was struck by the beauty of Australia. I knew it would a sight to behold but I was surprised by the familiarity of the land.  It seemed like a combination of my two homes!  Pennsylvania with the rolling hills, farms and grazing wildlife. California with the beaches and seaside towns.  It is best of both worlds.

The first day we travel about 4-5 hours to our first stop: Port Macquerie.  We relaxed in this seaside town; swimming in our pool, eating fish and chips by the water, and overall enjoying the sights.

The next day we continued traveling up the coast to Dorrigo National Park.  It offered views of the land from an amazing skywalk and nature walk down to a cascading waterfall.

Our next stop was Bryron Bay and my what a sight to behold.  So many of my friends who lived, studied, visited Australia said to me “Byron Bay is one of my favorite places.”   I can see why.  Another seaside town but with a totally eclectic and hippy feel it was nothing like I had envisioned.  Upon arrival we walked on the beach and a found this pick up musical group.  We spent the next few days walking through the town, hiking up to the Cape Bryon light house
and even sitting at a bar with a bunch of locals watching the Superbowl.

We finally made it to OZ!!  After a 15 hour flight we landed in Sydney.  I was a tad bit concerned that the flight was going to be tough but all in all it was a non issue. I have made about three of these long-haul flights (Madrid-Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires-Baltimore, San Francisco-Sydney) and to be quite honest I sometimes think they are easier than my typical San Diego-Philadelphia flight.  All my flights have been through United Airlines (Thank you Mileage Explorer credit card.  If you haven’t signed up for a credit card that gives you points and you’re a traveler do this ASAP!!) and I have found them to be very reasonable. United Airlines domestic may be a little rough around the edges but United International-downright pleasant. The airline keeps one pretty well entertained and comfortable for the entire flight.

We made it to Sydney airport and went through the ‘fast-past’ version of customs.  If there is a handy microchip in one’s passport, it it allows the person to go through ‘automated customs’ rather than interact with an actual person. Who doesn’t love this at 7am?! Less human interaction and more coffee please! This is also amazing because we didn’t have to wait in the 45 minute ‘in-person’ line.  The only bummer? No Australia stamp in the passport. We inserted our passports under a scanner, got our picture taken and that was it.

No stamp! Not okay!!

You better be darn sure I want the stamp.  I love those stamps! I get bummed if they aren’t in order or if the ink is wearing out a bit.  “Oh I’m getting a stamp.” I sassily confirm to Julia.

And so the search was on. . .

I found a random counter by the baggage claim with a customs man sitting behind it.  “Hi there!” I say to him in my cheeriest of American accents.  “I know this is super ridiculous and a bit superficial but I would love if I could get one of those little stamps you have there for my passport.”  I nod my head towards the stamp and ink pad sitting beside him.  He gives me a “You have got to be kidding me, it’s 7:30 in the morning and this is what you are asking me,” look.  I smile and give him my best “Yup, that’s what I just said. Please and thank you,” look.

“Are you going to look at this stamp every day and think about  how much you love Australia?” he asks Julia and I.  “Probably, most likely, yes.” I respond.  He looks at me with his best “Yeah right” look.  “Okay then.”  He stamps our passports.

“Cheers mate!” I call over my shoulder while dragging my luggage to the taxi line.

Bypassing the hour customs line, getting a stamp in the passport and mastering the art of Australian lingo!?

Brilliant!

Score one for the Wetherhold girls.

My little sister is traveling with me for the next 3 months! Yet, she almost didn’t make it through the first leg of the trip.  Ladies and gentlemen, Julia Wetherhold made it to San Francisco!  We were lucky enough to be on the same flight heading to Australia.

Julia flew Harrisburg Washington DC-San Francisco to Sydney. I flew San Diego-San Francisco-Sydney. Meeting in San Fransisco was ideal.  But did I think she was going to make it out of the east coast to meet me in San Fransisco?  Nope.  There was a huge nor-eastern predicted for the entire eastern seaboard.  I was talking to her a couple of days before she flew out. ‘Are you worried about making it out here with the whole weather situation?’ I asked her.  ‘Meh, I’m not really concerned,’ she responded.  Okay then.  I would be complete the opposite.  Pacing around the house, snapping at any poor sap who may ask me if I’m okay and ready to for the trip.

Well Julia was fine.  She had good reason not to be concerned because the storm was a near bust.  What she should have been concerned with was acquiring a “visa” to enter Australia.  She called me in a panic 2 hours before her flight was set to board, telling me that the agent at gate wouldn’t let her through because she didn’t have the proper visa.  WHAAAATTTT?!!! Still being in San Diego, I was able to quickly google “Australia Visa.”  Let me tell the Australian government does not exactly make it super clear that US citizens need to pay a fee to enter the country. Luckily, the ‘visa’ is very quick and easy to process.  We both acquired ours in less than 15 minutes and Julia was able to board the flight.

I felt so ill-prepared not knowing that I needed this until hours before boarding my flight in San Fran I got an email from my friend Jackie who we were meeting in Australia.  She was flying in from New Zealand to meet us in Australia and the email said “Theresa!!  I am in the Auckland (New Zealand) airport and we were just told we need a visa to enter into Australia.  We had to buy it just now at the airport!  Do you have this?!’  Okay if Jackie didn’t realize we needed a visa, and she has everything planned out, I’m not going to beat myself up about not knowing of it!

Despite a Nor-eastern and a visa snafu, Julia Wetherhold made it to San Francisco.

A question I typically get is “What has been your favorite part so far?”  It’s such a difficult answer to decide upon! I have really loved all of my travels to this point.  I’m not screaming with joy from the rooftops all day,everyday but even during the tougher times I try to appreciate the lulls. I have to consistently remind myself that I’m not really on a trip. A trip is shorter and more planned out.  Right now this year of traveling is my life.  Sort of like when you hear people talk about diet and exercise the tag line that follows is: It’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle!!  That is essentially my motto for this year. It’s not a trip it’s a lifestyle!  Just like there are ups and downs in life, no different is my life this very moment.

I was out to dinner with a friend in San Diego and she posed an interesting thought to me.  I was anticipating her to say “What’s been your favorite part so far?” But instead she said “What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?”  Wow!  I love that.  Quite thought-provoking for me. I needed a couple of minutes to think about that one. I finally determined that the biggest take away thus far has been that everyone in the world is equipped with a certain set of skills in their life.  The key is to spread your skills to others who need it in that moment.  One’s skills obviously changed throughout life and therefore so does their ability to give these gifts to others.

The help towards others can be small-scale or large-scale.  For instance, I was in small town Argentina when in a fit of frustration to speed up my computer functioning I began deleting random programs off my laptop.  McAfee Security System-You’re garbage, Yahoo Search app-It’s not 2003. Goodbye.  Bluetooth connector-Never head of you.  Beat it. Little did I know this blue tooth connector was actually my wi-fi connector.  Gah! I emailed my brother from my iPhone and he told me I needed to find an ethernet cable to hook into a modem so I could download the program back on to my laptop. Where in the world was I going to find this?  My language skills were still developing and there wasn’t exactly a Wal-Mart around the corner. (Side note: I’m not the biggest fan of ‘the wholesale store.’ I love the little speciality shops you find in other countries.  Somewhere different for bread, cheese, wine, pharmacy needs etc.  But good God sometimes it is so convenient to have
all those things under one roof.  I’m looking at you  Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club.)

I wandered around the town looking for a computer store until I finally found a little video game shop that I thought may have sold ethernet cables.  I tried to explain to the man working there in my best Spanish what exactly I had done. My Spanish skills were around a 1st grade level so imagine me trying to explain my problem in half-Spanish half-Sign Language.  It would have been hilarious I’m sure if I wasn’t so annoyed with myself.  I eventually got my point across and he cut me a piece of  cord.  Before leaving he told me we should test it to make sure it works.  This guy plugged the Ethernet cable into his wi-fi, found out a way to re-download- the program, and installed it on my computer.  It was a Sunday, his shop was closing mid-day, and he stayed an extra 45 minutes to figure this whole situation out for me. As I profusely thanked him, I asked how much for the cable and the help.  “Oh no nada, nada.”  I couldn’t believe it.  And yet I kinda could.  This was a relatively simple task for him, (and maybe could have been for me if I was not so far out of my element) but at that moment in time in meant so much to me.

I have seen this countless times from so many people.  My friends in Sicily who carted me around for a week, a friend in San Diego letting me borrow their car for a few days, a person going out of his/her way to offer me directions and make sure I am on the right path.  I am acutely aware of these ‘random act of kindness’ and try to ‘pay it forward’ as much as I can.

On my way back to the states (via Toronto!) I sat next to a very sweet elderly Chilean woman who was visiting her daughter in Canada.  She spoke as much English as I did Spanish but we were able to put together a little conversation during our short time together.  She had an adorable little dog with her tucked under the seat. When we landed in Toronto she started assembling all of her carry-on bags.  It was intense to say the least. Between her bags plus the pup, trying to carrying it all would have been a tough feat for even the most strapping of young chaps. I had a short connection between flights but I knew I had to help my new friend. I grabbed a couple of her bags and we headed off the plane. She needed a ride to baggage claim because it would be too difficult for her to carry everything. Her English wasn’t great, so I asked the desk agent where we
could get her a ride on one of those handy airport golf carts.  The agent pointed across the way to the other side of the terminal.  My new friend, the pup and myself carried her bags a short way until we found her a ride.  I asked the driver if she could hop on the back and to take her to baggage claim.  We said our goodbyes as she was driving off.  “Ohh muchas gracias Teresa!  Muy amable.”  I responded with “No por favor. Esta nada.” (I use this Spanish phrase any chance I can because love
it! ‘Oh nooo please! It’s nothing.”) And it was nothing.  It was nothing to me in the moment but it meant a lot to her at that time.  Something like that was easily in my skill set but it was outside hers in that place and time.

That’s how I feel traveling around.  I am quite outside my comfort zone and need to rely on others.  Good directions from a stranger on the street, tips from the front desk staff where I am staying, kindness from people I met along the way.  These may all seem small to the person imparting them on me but for my experience it is immeasurable.  As I continue my journey I hope to pay it forward when I can and receive other’s blessings when I am open to it.