myrainasia

Having spent the past week in Tasmania I am happy to report that I am feeling much better now. Most of the credit goes to Vicki and Richard (and Elizabeth, Olivia and Charlotte) who welcomed me to Hobart, picked me up at the airport, fed me homecooked meals, drove me around to all of the big tourist sites, the list goes on, and gave me some needed TLC after my Melbourne debacle. Immense thanks!!!! (For those who are wondering, we met Vicki and Richard on our cruise in Russia)

After the irritation of Jetstar and the misery of Melbourne, Tasmania has been a delight. Much more laid back, no Australian Open in town, really lovely downtown, excellent weather (except for a crummy first day), and my funky little hotel which has a lot of character.

I have seen the big tourist sights, most important of which was Port Arthur, the second strike prison which was in operation from the 1830s to 1870s (I think I got that right) and has been (and continues to be) lovingly restored. Aside from leaving your loved ones and everything you knew, I’m not convinced that deportation to Australia was the worst punishment in the world for a prisoner in the 19th century. I don’t think prisons in the 19th century were great for anyone, and many people can trace their ancestors through significantly worse forms of immigration. But that’s enough controversy for this blog.

Vicki and I huffed and puffed our way (well, at least I did) to the lookout point over Wineglass Bay at Freycinet National Park (it was about 45 minutes up the mountain and I don’t care how many little kids ran right by us) but it was worth the view, as were the other views in Freycinet that were accessed by a 5 minute flat hike on a wooden path. You can actually see these photos pretty quickly if you go into Flickr. I am caught up with my downloading of photos so everything I talk about today is already viewable. Is everybody impressed?

On my first full day here, after going for a stroll in historic Richmond, I happened to mention that I did not realize Tasmanian Devils were real animals. Next thing I knew I was whisked off to a zoo/petting zoo/animal shelter where I saw real Tasmanian Devils (they’re dog-sized and very cute but I’m told they’re really nasty evil brutes when they fight), along with kangaroos, wallabys, emus, wombats (my favorites- really adorable), koalas, etc. etc. I got to feed the wallabys which I thoroughly enjoyed. (See pictures.)

Now you have gotten some of the high points of Tasmania. I leave on Sunday for Melbourne. The Open ends on Saturday and I already have my hotel booked, so keep your fingers crossed that this will be a happier experience. I have also read enough of Lonely Planet to realize that I will probably land in Sydney smack in time for Gay Mardi Gras. I think I will book my hotel in advance this time in order to avoid having to blog another “I hate” entry.

Final question- I can see that lots of people are looking at this blog. Don’t you people have any comments???

I presume this is going to get better, but my introduction to Australia has not been the best. I intend to bitch and moan on this entry, so for those of you who want to read only good stuff, skip today’s post. For those suffering the pangs of jealousy over my travels, this should make you feel better.

The problems began weeks ago. When I booked my ticket I thought it would be cool to fly from NZ into Melbourne because I will be flying out from Sydney. I picked a random date 1 month after my arrival in NZ. Who knew that this would land me in Melbourne smack in the middle of the Australian Open, in the height of the summer holidays? I have searched every single internet hotel site and could not find a room for Saturday night for under $400. I booked a room for $200 for my Friday arrival and found a room for Sunday and Monday for an ultracheap $165/night. I thought I might get lucky wandering from hotel to hotel on Friday night and that one might have a cancellation. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Plus, it was raining. So I gave up, changed my plane ticket to Tasmania, paid the higher fee, along with the penalty for changing (still ends up loads cheaper than a hotel room for $400) and I’m blogging from the airport.

Then there was the flight from Christchurch to Melbourne on Jetstar. As per my usual, I used up my last NZ currency in the airport in Christchurch. I entered the airplane carrying $20 US and my credit card. Jetstar is a no frills carrier and they don’t serve anything for free- not food, not beverages, not headphones- nothing. Unfortunately, nowhere do they give you advance warning that purchases on board can only be made using NZ or Australian currency- no other currencies and no credit cards.

One of the flight attendants graciously (that’s facetious) got me a cup of tap water and pointed out, with what sounded like a touch of sarcasm, that I could have gotten Australian currency before I left NZ?! The New Yorker in me was screaming out to whack her in the nose, but I thought that might make for a hairy arrival in Australia so I restrained myself.

The last indignity thus far was when I went to pick up my suitcase from my hotel in order to go to the airport. I needed to use a bathroom but the desk clerk advised me that they were only for guests and told me there were toilets at the train station. Again, I managed to avoid whacking her, and the strongest 4-letter word I used was “rude” although numerous others were on the tip of my tongue!

The good news is, this can only get better. Stay tuned for cheerier posts.

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