The pains and pleasures of post-Covid travel

 Ahhhh... my Aussie passport is no longer empty. It has a beautiful stamp from Vietnam! We finally got brave and took an international trip, although it took SO much more planning. The flights were easy, as Aussies are still getting used to being able to leave the country so they weren't full and there were lots of hotels to choose from because Vietnam just re-opened to tourists in March. But then there were all the Covid related things. Proof of vaccinations. Travel insurance that covers Covid delays. Pre-flight PCR tests. A plentiful supply of masks.

But it was all worth it, as we had a fabulous couple of weeks in Ho Chi Minh City and Hue'.  Being us, we pretty much ate our way through all the street markets and sidewalk stands, trying anything that looked interesting. We found the Google Translate App to be fairly useful in helping us decipher food terms, especially after we added a Vietnamese keyboard to our phones. There are so many different variations on the different letters, and it can change the meaning quite drastically.

We had seen this sign multiple places but had no idea what it was (didn't translate!) until someone explained it was a dessert. You can choose what items you want, or you can ask for everything, which we did. It was delicious!

 

There were so many street stands, many offering a version of Bun Bo which is a variation on Pho.

 

This last picture is a stand where they grilled a dry rice pancake over hot coals, added all sorts of toppings, then folded it like a taco. This was probably our favorite snack.

Getting back into the habit of travel - maybe.

 So I think I may have forgotten how to travel. These last two years have been confusing, restrictive, and just all around depressing and I - like the rest of the world - would like things to be easier. Remember when you could just decide to take a trip and all you had to worry about was if you needed a visa? Now there is so much more... Covid-19 vaccination certificate. PCR tests, or Rapid Antigen tests. Covid restrictions in the country you want to visit. Mask requirements. Travel insurance in case you catch Covid. And then after all those considerations, you might be able to get down to the business of planning what you actually want to on said trip. It is enough to make me want to curl up on the couch and stay home! But I must plan a trip, and soon. You see, I have a new passport, all nice and shiny and EMPTY. I cannot leave it in this state, it must be used!

Tasmania, part 2 - into civilization?

As I mentioned in my last post, Queenstown, TAS is nothing like Queenstown, NZ. Or Queenstown, Maryland either. It was mined for gold and copper and the trees in the surrounding hills were all cut for lumber. It doesn't look very pretty, but it is a convenient stopping place when you are driving the west side of the island. And they have a good Pub there, as a beer was much needed after my prolonged driving "practice".  Had we planned this better, we would probably have headed a little to the west and stayed in Strahan, (pronounced STRAWN) a pretty town on a protected harbor. But no.
Hoping for better scenery out of Queenstown we turned east, climbing through some impressive hills and cresting along a gorgeous plateau with this view:

From there it was all downhill to Derwent Bridge and Lake St. Clair, the southern terminus of the Overland Track. This is not just some day hike, but a serious 7-10 day trek through the heart of Tasmania. My cousin (who leads treks in the Himalayas) had recently completed it and said it was "challenging".  Not for us!

From here it got increasingly less wild and more farmed, and we assumed more populated by wildlife as we saw these signs often -

We were now on the outskirts of Hobart, the largest city in Tasmania. It has an incredible history: of a penal colony, a trading post, and a jumping-off point for Antarctic exploration. We however were there for the wine, the cider, and the farm-to-table food.There are many "farm gate" produce stalls and eateries in the Huon Valley, south-west of Hobart, well worth the one hour drive. Well, it would be one hour, if we didn't stop at almost every stand...

Tasmania - not QUITE the edge of the known world

Since I now live in Australia, I thought I better explore this massive country/continent some more. Next stop? Tasmania! It sounds so exotic, and no one I know has ever been there, including my Aussie husband. Since it is an island there are of course only 2 ways to get there. Airplanes, or car ferry, which we chose. "We can drive around the island!" I said. "We'll see a lot, I can get more practice driving and it will be an adventure!"
What I failed to take into account was that a lot of the roads - especially on the wild west side - were, shall we say, rustic. And we had a 'city' car; white, low riding, no 4 wheel drive.  It was an adventure, all right.
It started out quite pleasantly with a smooth sailing on the Spirit of Tasmania across Bass Straight, which is on the edge of the "Roaring 40s", a maritime region known for its fierce winds. But not that day!

As soon as we disembarked in Devonport, I started searching for places where I could get up close and personal with a real live Tasmanian Devil. I knew they really weren't like the cartoon character but they still have an awesomely ferocious reputation. There are several wildlife parks and rehab centers on the island, fortunately one was just a few kilometers down the road. With my trusty Aussie navigator in the passenger seat, I pointed the car towards Wings Wildlife Park. After several detours down tiny winding roads, and a bit of time stuck behind cattle that were being herded to a pasture across the road, we arrived and found that we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. It was fabulous! They had Emus! They had Wombats! They had kangaroos that I could hand-feed! And they had Devils!!! We got there in time for feeding so got to see their incredibly powerful jaws at work. They looked a lot cuter than I expected...

After staying overnight in the quaint town of Wynyard we set out west, along the coast. Near Arthur River is a plaque on the coastal rocks that tells you there is nothing between you and South America but open ocean. It really made us realize how remote this was! Things really started to feel even more remote as we drove inland from that tiny town; the road was no longer paved, it had narrowed down to one-plus-a-bit lanes wide, and there were no signs at all. Fortunately it is the only road through this region so we weren't going to get lost, we hoped... 
After what seemed like days and days on this road (did I mention that I was driving, to get "practice"?) we arrived in the settlement of Corinna, on the banks of the Pieman River. There were two signs, one that pointed up a road saying that the bridge was 30+ kilometers away. The second sign looked more promising as it said there was a car ferry from that point. Just go into the Pub and inquire at the bar; if the bartender is not busy he will take you across. That's what I call service! And this was the ferry -

The road improved on the other side of the river and soon we arrived in Queenstown, which sadly is nothing like the place with the same name in New Zealand. We probably should have spent a little more time there though, as the history of mining in the area is quite interesting.
Next post - On to Civilization!

Riding a camel to see the sunrise on Uluru!

I can now cross TWO items off my bucket list! Although, as that list is continually being added to, I haven't really made a dent in it. But two - in one trip! We had some friends visit from the States and being excellent travelers they planned to see various sites across the country. And, being excellent friends, they invited us to join them on their jaunt to Uluru. Yes please! My Aussie husband had been there once, long long ago on a school trip, but I had never been. Plus, this was a new State for me - Northwest Territories!
And so we went, and it was incredible. We stayed in an apartment at the Ayers Rock Resort which is about the only civilization for miles and miles. They actually do a good job there, really emphasizing the Aboriginal reverence for Uluru, and offering tours that seem to be sensitive to their culture. We were only there for 3 nights so that kind of limited our options, as we didn't want to just run from one thing to the next. So that is how I came to sign up for the "Camel Tour to Sunrise". Fortunately we were there in the beginning of May (late Fall) so sunrise was at a somewhat reasonable time, a little before 7. The shuttle picked us up at Zero Dark Thirty and took us ("us" being one of my friends and I, we couldn't talk the other two into it) even further out into the bush to a camel ranch. And this is what was waiting for us!



 A bit of history - camels were brought to Australia in the 1840s for use in exploring the Outback, some escaped into the wild and they have been quite happy, breeding to pest-like numbers. So this camel ranch rounded up some and tamed them, and now we were going to ride them through the desert to see the sun rise and illuminate the massive iconic rock that is Uluru. If you have never been on a camel, I highly recommend it. They have a swaying almost hypnotic gate, and their height gives you quite a good view across the land. And what a view it was!

Season(al) Disorder

So today is officially the first day of Autumn in Australia. But it is not yet the equinox, you say. No it most certainly is not! However like so many other things, Australia assigns the season a little differently than everyone else - they start their seasons on the first of the month which is the Meteorological way of doing things. I had never heard of this as I have lived all my life believing that the seasons changed on the Solstices and Equinoxes. This I have learned is the Astronomical reckoning of the seasonal changes. This has been very educational because I have also learned that there are MANY other ways of assigning the seasons:
Ireland uses an ancient Celtic calendar system to determine the seasons, so spring begins on St Brigid's Day on February 1. Some cultures, especially those in South Asia have calendars that divide the year into six seasons, instead of the four that most of us are familiar with.
In Finland and Sweden, the dates of the seasons are not based on the calendar at all, but on temperatures. Here, spring officially begins when the average temperature rises above 0 °C (32 °F). This means that the seasons within each county start and end on different dates, depending on the regions and their climate.

It still feels like Summer, so I am holding out until March 21st to admit to Fall. 

Driving Lessons

I have now driven in 3 countries. The U.S. (of course) Canada, and now Australia. Canada almost doesn't count as a separate country as it is just like driving in the States except with that kilometer thing.  My Aussie husband has driven in lots more countries, Italy being his "favorite". He says that any non-Italian who drives there has to be crazy as there are so many unwritten rules of the road.
As he was born in Australia and learned to drive here, he has become my driving instructor. Australia being it's own land mass can make up whatever rules it wants to for driving, so they drive on the left (British) side of the road. In Melbourne there are all sorts of rules about how to drive with trams, as they use the same lanes as cars and the tracks run down the middle of the streets. They have stops every other block it seems, and you are not allowed to pass them while they are letting passengers on or off. Your only chance is to pull up next to them at an intersection and beat them out of the gate when the light turns green. I love the tram system, when I am riding on one. Driving behind one? Not so much. 
Back to my instruction. My husband, not wanting to add to his grey hair suggests that Sunday mornings would be a good time for me to get behind the wheel and work on my driving skills. Not too much traffic, and people aren't quite in as much of a hurry to get places, he says. Sounds good to me! So we set off, following streets that are near and familiar to me. My confidence building, I head for a main street with a tram line. Of course I time it perfectly and turn in right after a tram has passed. What should have been a quick 10 minute drive now stretches into an eternity, with me anxiously looking for an opportunity to pass the tram, and my husband sweating in the passenger seat, praying that the tram does not make any stops for the next 10 kilometers. Fortunately for all involved we arrived at the road that goes to our place, I turn left off the tram line, and my husband can breathe again. Strangely, he has not suggested another driving lesson for me...