Category: Lessons Learnt

The Tyranny of Distance

Four weeks from today we will be on our way to our next adventure, cruising on the Queen Mary 2 from Santiago to Sydney. Thanks to Clean Cruising we scored an amazing bargain that was quite frankly too good to refuse; a 22 night cruise in a balcony cabin with US$1000 on board credit and a bottle of champagne each!

One of those deals that seems too good to be true and there must be a catch.

The catch is that it is going to take our party of four a total of 42 hours to travel from Perth to Santiago, via Abu Dhabi and Sao Paulo, with 29 hours flying time. Yes there is a faster way to get there, but given this was a last-minute purchase it was agreed that a day or two of travel stress, in theory, would be palatable given the cruise starts with four days at sea.

Unless we embark on a cruise in our home port of Fremantle it is a given that there will be at least one plane flight involved with exploring horizons beyond one of the most isolated cities on Earth. Interesting that our cruise also includes Auckland, considered the most remote city with a population in excess of one million, from another city of at least that population.

Maybe that is why it felt so much last home last time we were there, on our Christmas cruise from Sydney?

This photo was taken by me when the Queen Mary 2 was in Fremantle on her Maiden visit on March 2010, when thousands of locals lined the harbour to wave flags at and admire the majesty of such a beautiful vessel. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would one day be sailing on her! Just goes to show that you should never let the Tyranny of Distance prevent you from going off exploring.

My 25 Days Dry

Elton John on Instagram last week:

“25 years of sobriety today. One day at a time. #Gratitude #Happiness #Blessed #ShareTheLove”

Today is the third day of August, and three days ago I celebrated the end of my Dry July with a champagne toast.

In total I was officially ‘dry’ for 25 July days, received Golden Tickets to account for the other six and raised more than $300 for the Cancer Council WA.

Along the way I learnt some lessons about planning for and managing my alcohol consumption, and that I don’t need to have a few drinks to feel confident in social settings.

Unfortunately my plan to also lose excess kilos didn’t pan out; I need to overcome the urge to reward myself with food and drinks or find other ways to that won’t add to my calorie consumption.

Interesting to consider how insignificant my 25 days are when compared to the impressive 25 years by Elton John; imagine how hard it has been for him over the years in his social circle!

One day at a time is my plan from now one, but as for Dry July:

Let the records show, I took the blows, and did it My Way!

Know Before You Go

Thinking of feeding pigeons in San Francisco or carrying your shopping in a plastic bag in Rwanda? Think again.

I can get arrested for that? Some acts that could get you in hot water overseas

Of the many advantages of a cruise holiday, for me the information that is provided in advance of arriving at destinations is priceless. Taking time to review the literature or watch the presentation on board means that travellers can step onto foreign soil without fear of causing offense to local residents or even worse breaking local laws.

I was well prepared with suitably modest clothing and a scarf for the tour of Abu Dhabi on our recent cruise which included the local mosque, yet despite the warnings on board the ship and the tour coach others were not which resulted in public humiliation and no doubt reinforcement of negative attitudes towards foreign cultures and customs for some.

You would think that someone planning an extended stay overseas would want to be especially well informed and wary of the culture,
customs and laws; apparently not if the recent media coverage of the Australian arrested in Abu Dhabi for a Social Media post is any indication.

In the age of Social Media it pays to think twice before publicly broadcasting your personal opinion on foreign soil, and do your research if you are steering your own ship overseas.

For me the opportunity to see and experience another way of life, even if ever so briefly, is the whole point of travel; along with some chill time for relaxation and reflection of course.

Don’t let a negative encounter influence or worse still determine your travel experience.

Hello Sunday Morning – My wish for a Dry July

Several years ago Chris Raine, a young Brisbane man who worked in advertising, was asked to come up with a proposal for a youth-oriented campaign against binge drinking.

Hello Sunday Morning: Chris Raine’s year off alcohol | Executive Living | The Australian

No I am not considering removing alcohol from my life altogether, but for a number of reasons I have decided to step up to the challenge of a Dry July.

Given I am at the tail-end of the demographic discussed in this story, as some of you already know I have more than enough ‘Stories of Me’ to share but instead of looking back with regret I have decided to make a positive step forward.

I’m kissing the booze goodbye for 31 days and raising money for Cancer Council WA to help them improve the wellbeing of adults
living with cancer.

Wish me luck!

#dryjuly
@dryjuly

Travel scams: Twelve tourist traps to look out for

Scam artists use numerous techniques on tourists.
Here are 12 scams that travellers should look out for.

Source: Travel scams: Twelve tourist traps to look out for

Among the many benefits of a cruise holiday is the opportunity to learn new skills, from dance moves to crafting I’m happy to give anything a go.
On our recent Arcadia cruise the guest entertainment included Bob Arno, apparently the world’s fastest pick-pocket and an expert on street crime.
Along with being highly entertaining, his presentations certainly opened my eyes to how skilled street criminals are and reinforced the need to be alert at all times when away from familiar surroundings.

Watching my husband up on stage, nervously protecting his watch while his tie was removed from his neck without his knowledge was an
enlightening experience, demonstrating how easily the unsuspecting can be ‘relieved’ of personal belongings.

Touch wood, to date I have not personally been the victim of street crime while exploring new horizons, but it still pays to remind myself of the need to be alert in unfamiliar settings.

My personal tip?
Never ever wear a bum bag!
Those things just scream ‘hello I am a tourist!‘

Skinny jeans left woman paralysed in Adelaide park | The Advertiser

A MUST-have fashion trend designed to make legs look great has left a woman unable to walk, in an Adelaide medical emergency caused by skin-tight jeans.

Source: Skinny jeans left woman paralysed in Adelaide park | The Advertiser

When the alarm went off this chilly morning, my brain immediately switched on when I heard this news headline so I just had to follow it up.

File this one under ‘lessons learnt’ my friends, there is now a medical reason to avoid wearing skinny jeans along with the fact that for those of us born without the supermodel gene, skinny jeans just look wrong unless you wear heels to make your legs longer.

Unless you are hoping to meet ‘Mr Right’ while helping your friend pack up and move home, who in their right mind would choose
skinny jeans over something old, baggy and stained to wear anyway?

Of course that is just my opinion, but it’s hard to argue with the facts in this case.

America Just Saved Your Carry-On Bag | Money.com

A proposal that would try to shrink the size of carry on-luggage is getting “a comprehensive reassessment” after American backlash.

Source: America Just Saved Your Carry-On Bag | Money.com

Headlines about travel always catch my eye, and I have been following this story with a lot of interest over the past few weeks.
For people like me who plan for and embark on a big trip on average once every two years, the prospect of further restricting the amount of carry on luggage to a specific size smacked of yet another way for the ‘fat cats’ to maximize their profits and minimize our comfort on board a plane.

Until recently the guidelines were more about weight than size, and yes I agree it is a big fat pain to have to wait in line while everyone crams their hand luggage into the overhead lockers.
According to my research online, we only started to be charged for our checked in luggage relatively recently too, which is apparently how the problem with cramming the overhead lockers came to pass.

I guess the ‘fat cats’ aren’t really fussed if their checked in baggage goes AWOL, easy enough to get what you need at the other end with your trusty credit card.
But those of us who scrimp and save and plan for their holiday obviously can’t afford to be so complacent, hence the desire to carry my most
treasured possessions with me onto and off the plane personally.

If the airlines are looking for new ways to maximize their profit, why is it that we have to pay more for our luggage and not our seat based on weight?
Anyone who has had the misfortune to sit next to, behind or in front of an ‘oversized’ person knows what I mean.

In the meantime, my tip for anyone planning their next big trip is to keep an eye on the headlines.

A Milestone Celebration

My baby girl celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday, inviting her closest friends and family to our home for a champagne brunch.

For me it provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a family over this time, and also on the meaning of this milestone in the modern world.

Given that the age of consent is 16, and a person is legally considered an adult at 18, what is it about turning 21 that is worth celebrating?

In Australia it was not until 1973 that the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18, so perhaps the acknowledgment of turning 21 is a hangover from another generation, representing the traditional age of maturity?

Or is it that by 21 most young adults have settled into a clear path into their future, determined by their immininent graduation from University, experience in the workplace or traveling, depending on their family background and circumstances.

In my case I was mother to an 18 month old by the time I turned 21, yet invited a cast of thousands to join me in marking this rite of passage. And everyone who I invited was happy to be there to celebrate with me, most likely because of the free flowing alcohol but still it was nice to be the centre of attention for the night.

The sad thing about the brunch for my daughter was that less than half of those who accepted the invitation actually made it to the gathering.

Not that she was bothered, those who did make it were inspiringly authentic and genuine in their friendship, and happily left with delicious treats leftover from the hoards I mistakenly catered for.

My opinion of those who didn’t attend is that chances are they got a better offer, weren’t enticed to attend by our comparatively low key celebration, or perhaps were too hungover from celebrating the end of Semester but at the very least common courtesy would have them send their apologies.

But of course that would have been the mature thing to do.

The Fog of Fatigue

Today is the day I am meant to have returned to work, but I have been forced to admit defeat and call in sick.

Admitting weakness is not a strength of mine, my usual approach is to soldier on no matter what, but today I simply could not face the day with focus and can guarantee I would have been a waste of space at my workplace.

The long journey home from Lisbon to Dubai, Dubai to Singapore, Singapore to Perth, in combination with the sad news immediately prior to our departure, was simply too much for my ‘middle aged’ mind to manage.

Amongst the many benefits of cruising is the fact that time is adjusted in increments by half an hour to an hour at most overnight, meaning that by the time we had cruised from Singapore to Southampton our body clocks were already adjusted to the local time when we arrived.

Flying from London to Porto was also cruisey as they are in the same timezone and the flight is short and sweet. Thankfully we also managed to avoid the stress and chaos caused by the pilot strikes so I have nothing but praise for the crew of the TAP Portugal flight we caught, and likewise the Alpha train from Porto to Aveiro.

Emirates were wonderfully accommodating, allowing our party of four to be seated together in an exit row on our first flight home and even to lay across a whole row each on our second. Sorry to say that never ever again will I settle for a cheap flight on Jetstar,our final flight home; definitely cattle class conditions in comparison.

I have received mixed advice from fellow Travellers about how best to overcome the fatigue fog that is overwhelming my brain right now. All I want to do is sleep and right now it feels like it will be at least a week before the fog lifts.

A Little Too Ironic

Like rain on your wedding day, ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife, nurturing a souvenir in your hand luggage only to break it at home.

Yes, really.

The Legend of the Cock, about a man from Galacia who appeared in Barcelos on his way to Santiago De Compostela in Spain to fulfill a vow, condemned to death by hanging despite protesting his innocence to committing a crime, pointed to a roasted cockerel and exclaimed:

“As sure as I am innocent that cockerel will crow if I am hanged!”

You can see where this is going, and why the rooster is so embelic of Portugal, and how it was so special to buy one from Barcelos, the home of the legend, and not any number of tourist shops and even a service station when we were there.

In my haste to tidy up after sharing my suitcase stories and souvenirs I managed to drop this little cock, straight onto our tiled floor, also ironic given the status of tiling to Portugal as well.

A little too ironic.
Not happy Jan.