So far, so good

We have been in Sydney since Tuesday night, local time. I think that would be around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning at home. We have been busy learning how to get around, where to find food, and how to get our laundry done. We also needed a different place to stay. We like Bondi Beach, our current neighborhood, but it’s an area right off the beach that’s kind of off the beaten path and really expensive. So, here are some random observations and thoughts on what we’ve been up to so far.

The flight from Honolulu was 10 hours and crowded, with lots of babies and toddlers aboard. Overall, they behaved pretty well. The isles were just big enough for one little guy to do laps, with his dad trying to keep up behind. They were both pretty happy to be up and moving around. We had a few small meals on the plane, not included in the ticket price, and they were all expensive. They tasted pretty good, though, as far as airline food goes.

Getting through customs was pretty easy. Jack got stopped because he had microwave popcorn in his backpack. It was confiscated for some reason. Popped popcorn would have been okay, but not un-popped.

I called our hotel/apartment to let them know we would probably arrive after 6:00pm, after the office closes (Thanks for making my phone work in AU, HA.) The provided really good instructions to get here.

Take the Airport Train to Central Station.
Switch to the Bondi Junction train.
At Bondi Junction, get off the train and catch the 389 bus to Bondi Beach.
Get off the bus just past the 3rd round about on O’Brien Street.

We managed to buy train tickets, get on the train, switch trains, get to the bus station, buy bus tickets, get on the bus, and get off the bus at the right place. And there we were, right in front of our place, at 5:55. All of this during rush hour and dragging suitcases along. This is not a testament to our super travel powers, but rather a testament to how organized and thought-out the mass transit system is here. The train stations and bus stations are in the same building. Everything runs on time. Our bus, the 389, runs every 10 minutes all day, every day. Very convenient and reliable. At least half of the population use mass transit, so the busses and trains always have lots of riders. No empty busses or trains here.

It’s a little bit cooler here than we expected. One of the first items on the agenda was to get Jack something warm to wear, as he didn’t have anything with long sleeves. So, he borrowed my black sweater, put a shirt on over it to cover up the lace on the front, and off we went in search of breakfast and warm clothes. We managed both. Then we went to the local IGEA grocery store and bought milk, eggs, bread, and cookies, and a few vegetables to make salad. They sell lettuce here with the roots and dirt still on. Different from what we’re used to.


Jack in his new jacket

Everyone here has been really helpful and nice. All ask us where we’re from. We think the prices are really high. But, Bondi Beach is a beach tourist area and everything is priced accordingly. There are some things about prices that are really different. The price on a menu is the final price. No taxes added in, they are included. No tipping. We really like that part. So, the final tab often is lower than we expect because there are no added charges to surprise you at the end.

Even though it’s late fall/early winter here, the beach is still beautiful. And popular. There are many surfers in wetsuits out every day. We have seen one fellow several times, no shoes, no shirt, chest covered in colorful tattoos, running down the sidewalk, carrying his surfboard. Sometimes he’s headed toward the beach, sometimes he’s coming from the beach, still dripping wet. He seems very cheerful although I would imagine he’s cold. Temperatures are between about 45 degrees to 60 degrees F, which seems pretty cold to me.

We are moving in the morning to a hotel/apartment in Potts Point. Our new place has a wonderful view of Sydney harbor, and is a one bedroom instead of an efficiency. There’s also a grocery store right across the street, so that will be convenient. We are making the move on the bus, so it will probably take more than one trip to get our stuff there. The adventures never end.

We're in A U S T R A I L A !

We finally made it! It's been a loooooooooooooooong day! Over 10 hour flight, full of little children and babies, then running to the train, chaning trains, running for the bus to get to the little apartment we rented online (for only a week, TYJ). We made it here just before the lady who runs the place was due to leave. So, she let us in and directed us to the most expensive cafe in the universe for supper. So, we will have to find a grocery store tomorrow first thing so we don't run out of money and starve to death. Everyone is really nice so far, and have been helping us get off the plains, trains and busses at the right place.

We are falling asleep as I type, so will write more tomorrow!

Getting to Hawaii

Jack and I are in Wakiki now. It's 6:00 in the morning and we are still trying to adjust to the jet lag, as we have been awake for more than an hour. We have a little hotel room a few blocks from the beach in what Jack refers to as the hotel ghetto. The weather is nice and cool this morning and we have all the windows and doors open.

Yesterday was a day to get used to the time change. We are five hours ahead here and are working to adjust to local time. So, when our stomaches say feed me lunch and it's only 9:30 in the morning, we have to wait, wait, wait.

The journey here the day before took a long, long time and we learned a lot. The first leg took us to LAX, where we had to change terminals. We decided to walk since it was just across two parking lots to the next one. So, the first thing we learned was that our backpacks were too heavy. We are working that out now.

The second leg took us to Seattle. Why? Because I booked the least expensive ticket through Priceline. Why the best price would take us many, many miles out of the way, I don't know. But the second lesson of the day was to analyze the itenerary more carefully. Sometimes saving a few dollars is not worth the extra hours it will take to make connections.

The final leg finally brought us to Honolulu. There were many, many lessons learned there. Pick different seats. Front seats are not the best because the arm rests won't go up between them. Maybe pick a different airline. Our plane seemed a little old, and the little video screens didn't show the movie very well. So, although I heard the movie "Valentine's Day," I really didn't see it. However, we did arrive safely and on time.

We made it through security several times just fine. No surprises and no searches. All in all, a good way to begin.

Begin

Last Sunday, June 13th, our new paster started what hopes to be a long tenure at our church, St. John's UMC in Austin, Texas. June is moving month for pastors in the United Methodist Church. I have observed that about every six or seven years, the current pastor leaves us and a new pastor arrives. The transition can be hard for a congregation and for the new pastor. The congregation is mourning losing a beloved old pastor and often makes it tough for a new pastor to come in. My family and I have been through some transitions that have been really hard. On the other hand, the transition can be fairly smooth. While the congregation loves and holds the outgoing pastor in the highest esteem, they can, at the same time, embrace the new pastor with anticipation and excitement, looking forward and being open to the blessings that will come. I believe THAT is what has happened and is happening right now at St. John's. It is truly a blessing to behold.

The title of the first sermon by the new pastor last week was "Begin." The pastor's new beginning at St. John's, our new beginnings with him, the beginning of the new relationships among us all. You understand. It was really good.

So, why am I writing about this in my blog today? The travel blog? Because, like our community at St. John's, this is the week when Jack and I also BEGIN the new phase of our life, The Big Retirement Adventure! And, like our SJ's community, we also said a lot of hard good-byes and have a lot of anticipation for the blessings to come. We said good-bye to our children, my dad, our friends, and our dogs. We sold our cars, moved out of our house, gave away most of our furniture, and packed up and stored the rest of our junk. We carefully chose what clothes to bring, which shoes would work the best, and what liquids and lotions we needed to put into the quart size zip bag. We packed, and re-packed, and re-packed it yet again to fit into one suitcase each that would go in the overhead bin and one backpack each that would go underneath the seat in front of us.

We've only just begun. But it seems like we've been working on the beginning for a while now. And, anticipating what's to come is keeping me breathless.


Last "donation" trip for the truck with the last of the furniture.

Where we're going first!

The Husband put this together telling about the start of our adventure:

Retirement is good but it's been busy emptying this house to make it ready for my daughter to move in the day we leave. June 16th we will be in Honolulu, Hawaii, then Sidney, Australia the 23rd of June. Then a road trip south and west along the coast to Adelade. From there a train ride across the outback through the interior to Darwin on the northern coast. Then another road trip to Cairns,and the Great Barrier Reef. That sounds like a couple of months doesn't it?

We've got four shots for exotic deseases, visas, plane tickets and International drivers licenses. And we've already spent a ton of money but I can hardly wait to get started.

I thought this sounded pretty good and he said I could post it!

Packing, packing, packing

The packing is well underway. We cleaned out the shed - with help from the Daughter. The husband took some of the metal junk to American Recycle right up the road - got $125 for it, too! Took some of it to the land fill where he had to pay them to take it, burned most the rest in the burn pile (we live waaaaay out in the country, where burning trash is okay)and, finally, he took all the toxic stuff (paint, etc.) to the place where you're supposed to take it for disposal. In otherwords, didn't burn it and didn't take it into the landfill.

I've been going through everything and getting rid of lots of stuff. I took massive amounts of clothes and other household items to the church rummage sale. I have some books for the local library that are ready, and the old livingroom furniture is going to the Salvation Army next week! Yea!

However, even after all the cleaning out and throwing out, there's still an incredible amount of stuff that must be delt with! It's unbelievable how many dishes I thought I needed to take care of two people. How many towels, sets of sheets, pairs of shoes, bottles of shampoo, boxes of herbal tea, bags of frozen spinish does it take? Probably not as many as have turned up in my house!