Category: Travel

Cairns: Kuranda

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

Kuranda is a small town that sits on the tablelands above Cairns. Tara arranged an all-day activity that started near the Tjapukai Aboriginal Center for us. We caught a tram and rode a cable just above the jungle canopy. In truth, we caught 3-4 trams as one wouldn’t have been long enough to take us to the top. At each transition between trams, there was a small boardwalk and a few informational signs, so we were able to learn a little bit about the rainforest during our journey. As our glass bubble skimmed above the treetops, we tried to get a few photos of the jungle. At one point, there was a very large waterfall with a rainbow appearing in the mist. It was a nice view, but I was more thankful for the open windows at the top of our pod. The breeze that came through our plastic bubble cooled us down just enough to make it pleasant.

Jungle Tram

At the end of the gondola, we were deposited in the town of Kuranda where we could explore three different markets, have a meal, get up close and personal with koalas and wallabies, hang out in a butterfly garden, enter a bird exhibit, or take a riverboat cruise (we had selected the river cruise, but the recent rains had caused them to cancel the river cruise). We opted to add exchange it for the bird exhibit, which made for an excellent addition to our koala and wallaby experience.

The part of Kuranda that had the koalas and wallabies is almost like a small zoo. We arrived just in time to have a photo taken with one of the koalas (Paul), so Tara held Paul while I stood close and had our photo taken by a staff member. Then they put Paul down for a nap. (These koalas only work 30 minutes a day, for a maximum of 3 days in a row, before getting a couple days off. On top of that, they get 20 hours of rest a day. Where can I sign up for that gig?)

One of Paul’s gal pals.

From there we turned the corner and grabbed a handful of wallaby feed (some sort of pressed pellet). The pathway led us past a wombat napping in a hallowed out log to several wallabies lounging and resting in various parts of their enclosure. Some weren’t that interested in people or the food that we had to give them. A couple came up and slobbered all over me while I held my hand out to feed them (don’t worry, Tara got some photos). They were cute animals, but since they are mostly nocturnal, they were pretty out of it during the middle of the day (Tara still swears they were drunk).

Then we checked out the birds. We were warned before we went in that we should keep all shiny objects put away and secured. (Some of the birds are ornery and have collected an impressive amount of booty, which the staff use as a cautionary tale.) Then, just before we opened the door to enter, a white cockatoo named Henry verbally assaulted us and threw his food dish to the ground with a loud crash. He was a cheeky little jerk.

Pretty Bird

Inside, we wandered around and took photos of the birds (and even a turtle or three). I tried out my creepster lens on a couple of them and got some decent results. I am a little jealous of Tara’s relationship with Jimmy the cassowary. She talked nicely to him, and he actually posed for her.  I didn’t get that kind of reaction from him. Maybe it was her feminine wiles at work.

Turtles on a log

When we finished playing with the birds, we wandered through the markets and checked out all the trinkets. Tara picked up some gifts, and we proceeded to the café (we are both very food motivated). The food was ok, and really shouldn’t be a part of this story, but the ginger beer was amazing. It was delightfully refreshing. It was sweet without being cloying. It had enough of the ginger bite to let you know what you were drinking, but not so much that it punched you in the back of the throat. Tara and I still reminisce about that ginger beer more than two weeks later.

The trip to Kuranda ended with a nearly 2 hour train ride back down to Cairns. The train had historic rail cars and the announcer gave us a short history lesson on why the rail line was important to the region and Australia, especially in the war effort for WWI and WWII. They made a couple stops along the way for people to get out and take photos of a waterfall or the valley. It was a nice ride, but I preferred the tram.

 

To see a gallery of Cairns photos, Click here.

 

Cairns: Fire Making

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

One of the activities that Tara arranged for us in Cairns was a dinner and activity at Tjapukai, an aboriginal center. We got to the center a little before it started, and had some time to explore. We saw some aboriginal artwork, which also included descriptions about the symbolism in the art and history of the people. We walked into one room that had photographs of some more well-known aboriginals with videos and a brief history of the natives. Tara and I could only get through one or two of the videos. They were heart wrenching in the same way that the story of the Europeans and Native Americans is heart wrenching (and as we later found out, the Maori in New Zealand as well).

When the event started, all the guests were asked to gather around a small stage and a man came out to talk about the Tjapukai people and provide some history. He then proceeded to play a didgeridoo for us while explaining the four separate components that are required to play the instrument (buzzing the lips, percussion with the tongue, tone form the voice box, and circular breathing). As a former trombone player, it was very interesting and some of the sounds he made were quite fun. He imitated a number of animals then asked, ”What sound does a kangaroo make?” One woman in the crowd correctly answered. Kangaroos don’t make sounds. This got a chuckle, but when he put the didgeridoo to his lips and made a cartoon springing sound, everybody laughed out loud.

Our didgeridoo player finished his performance and led us all down a pathway and across a foot bridge to a small theatre. There, we all sat down in front of him and three other people who were dressed in traditional garb (with the small addition of undergarments to cover their personal bits). They sang a couple songs, and then got us involved. (They even painted our faces with traditional colors of the wet tribes and the dry tribes). They had us clap along with them and repeat some words that they sang. We followed that up by singing a couple verses with them. Once we achieved some semblance of unity, they asked for a couple volunteers to help them start a fire with a traditional fire stick.

The volunteers went up for some verbal instruction. Then one of the performers started singing the song they had taught us, so we all sang encouragement to them to start the fire. It was a little funny to watch a couple guys trying to start fire by spinning a stick between their hands, and driving it into a board braced on a log. They were uncoordinated. Since they had only received verbal instructions, they looked a bit confused. After a couple minutes, two performers showed them how to do it, but they were still unable to get the fire started. Then the performers took over and had the volunteers help by holding things steady. In just a couple minutes, one of them had everybody stop. He inspected the fire board. There was a coal in the bottom, which he transferred it into some coconut fibers. Then, with some patient blowing, the fire caught and we all cheered.

We all marched back to the main building and had a buffet dinner, which included kangaroo and crocodile ribs. Both were quite tasty. The performers did a few additional dances and songs on a stage. When everything was complete, they stuck around for photo opportunities. Tara made sure we got a couple. We strolled through the souvenir shop gauntlet on our way out and marveled at some of the local artwork, but didn’t end up making a purchase. Then it was back to Kookas to rest up for our next adventure.

 

To see a gallery of Cairns photos, Click here.

Cairns: The Great Barrier Reef

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

Tara did an amazing job in planning for this trip (and it’s true that I don’t tell her enough how amazing she is). She scheduled a full day trip that was going to be a first for both of us in many ways. Alas, even the best laid plans rarely withstand first contact with the enemy. For this excursion, our enemy was unyielding. The weather, she is a harsh mistress.

Tara had us scheduled to meet a catamaran at the waterfront, so that is what we did. The morning started out ok, hot, but not much rain. After checking in and boarding the boat, we checked in at a second desk. This was the optional line for helicopter tours. You read that correctly, we were going to take a boat out to the Great Barrier Reef, do reef-y things all day and then catch a helicopter back with all of the views and excitement that come with such a ride. After our check in at the helicopter desk, we were adorned with fashionable bright orange wrist bands.

The boat was crammed with banks of couch seats, many of which had people or placeholders on them. Tara and I found some room on the second level in the back near an older couple we met during check in. So, we sat down, started up a conversation and waited until it was time to depart for the reef. You know those obligatory safety announcements on airplanes where the flight staff does the mime routine with prop seatbelts, and life jackets? Well, the crew on this boat did a similar demonstration and announcement routine on our boat. It was all a bit comical and unexpected, but what can you do?

This tour company had a pontoon anchored out at the reef, and we were going to dock up to it and do all of our activities from there. The options available to everyone included scuba, snorkeling, a semi-submersible, and a glass bottom boat tour. There was also lunch provided on our boat . So, we set off with everyone else excited for the sights and experiences to come, and then we hit the open sea.

Part of the crew briefing included what to do if you got motion sick. Little did I know at the time, but they had a good reason for this part of the briefing. Shortly after we got under way, there were a few waves and the boat rocked a little bit. It wasn’t too bad (from my perspective), but a few people started to look a little green around the gills. Once we got out a little farther, things really got rockin’ and rollin’. Each member of the crew was holding a stack of sick bags and scanning the passengers to see who might urgently need one. On our trip out to the pontoon, they used quite a number as more and more people succumbed to the pitching and rolling of the deck. Tara and I (as well as our new friends) faired well and didn’t get sick. None of us really enjoyed the ride, but we were able to keep our breakfast down.

When we finally docked with the anchored pontoon, things settled down quickly. Even the passengers most troubled by the motion on the ride seemed to perk up. Everyone scrambled off of our catamaran and onto the pontoon to split up for various activities.

Tara and I started with a ride on the semi-submersible. If you don’t know what that is, don’t feel ashamed. I didn’t either. Apparently, it is little more than a boat with a deep hull. You climb down into this deep hull section and the sides of the hull are Plexiglas windows. The thing about reefs in general, which also applies to the Great Barrier Reef, is that the best time to view them is not during or immediately after a storm. The wind and rain churn everything up and make the water cloudy, which therefore limits visibility. It just so happens that Cairn’s has been experiencing one of the wettest years on record. While the weather was pretty good on shore, the ocean had chopped things up for the prior few days. So, basically, we had a front row seat to blue colored pea soup. Ok, it wasn’t quite that bad, but it certainly wasn’t the clearest water.

Coral from the semi-submersible

After we got back to the pontoon, we opted for the glass bottom boat ride. Very similar overall to the semi-submersible, but you don’t climb down below the water line. Not surprisingly, this had just about the same result with the viewing problems through cloudy water with the added fun of glare from the sky also impeding visibility. All of us on that boat felt some wind come up and the pilot casually mentioned that wind like that often precedes a squall. Before any of us could even look around, the rain started to come down in sheets. We had a cover on the boat, but that doesn’t do you any good when the wind us also up and is pushing the rain sideways.

Glass Bottom Boat

He cut our little trip short and brought us right back to the pontoon. Many folks were already soaked and amazed at how quickly it came upon us. This was about the time that one of the red shirts (indicating that they were part of the helicopter company, not like Star Trek where they are expendable and likely to die on the new planet) came up to inform us that they were very sorry, but the helicopter flight was cancelled due to weather. How did they find us you might ask? Well, remember those fashionable custom bracelets we got? Those also function as short distance visual homing beacons.

This meant we had the pleasure of riding back on the ship that made so many people sick. We would get a second chance to be sick ourselves. It also meant that we would not get back at the time we were originally scheduled. This would not usually be a big deal while on holiday (that’s what they call vacation down under and in many other parts of the world), but we had an evening activity also planned. Read more about our aboriginal fire making ritual here.

There was a good ending. We had a great time, neither one of us got sick, and we made it back in time for our next activity. It made for a heck of a long day, but fun was had by all.

To see a gallery of Cairns photos, Click here.

Cairns: Paul and the no Daintree, very wet day

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

While planning this crazy adventure, Tara did a lot of research. (Sure she’s a planner, but this attention to detail is also an important aspect of her professional life.) I don’t think that I could overestimate the amount of research and number of itineraries that she created. She bought and read several travel guides, found internet sources and read reviews, and spoke with people that have lived in or been to Australia and/or New Zealand. There were many nights when I would be doing homework and she was busy scribbling notes into a spiral notebook about her findings.

One of the things that got her really excited was the Daintree Rainforest. This is one of the oldest rainforests in the world and accessible from Cairns. She had an entire day planned with a local photographer (Paul) to drive to Daintree, Mossman Gorge, Cape Tribulation and some other picturesque locations that Paul was sure to share with us. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not get the memo (or simply ignored the request) to keep the rain to a minimum.

When Paul picked us up at Kookas and introduced himself, he started talking right away about the weather. He had done some checking and while the weather that day wasn’t expected to be especially terrible, the rains had been relentless the past couple days and many of the creeks and rivers were overflowing and some of the roads were flooded. Specifically, a ferry that would get us up to Daintree and Mossman was closed. He kindly offered to postpone a few days, but that was a non-starter as we had another activity booked the next day and a flight to Tasmania the following. So, we did what any reasonable people would do, we improvised.

Paul was not native to Cairns, but had lived there going on 30 years. He already had a contingency plan in the works, so we jumped in his car and headed south out of Cairns instead of north toward Daintree. He played the consummate tour guide as he drove and gave us history of the area, asked about where we were from, and learned about our skills as photographers and interests. He used that information to craft a little tour out of the city, up to the tablelands, around a big loop, and finally back to our B&B.

Paul took us to a number of waterfalls and short hikes in, around, and through rainforests. At one of our stops, Tara had the bad luck to drop her lens cap from her camera into the river. We were on a deck at a waterfall viewpoint and we all heard the distinctive sound of the lens cap on wood and then a couple other sounds. It bounced off the deck, down 6-8 feet and into some large rocks. Paul made a valiant effort to try to retrieve the lost accessory, but ultimately was unable to find it (don’t worry, we bought a new lens cap the next day and felt really bad about littering).

A snake I named Frank

Paul had just about everything covered. He even brought a couple extra umbrellas. This was certainly a good thing, because off and on through the day the rain came down – hard. We seemed to have really lucky timing, because there were several times where the rain stopped just as we pulled up to one of our photo stops, did our hike and took our pictures, and the rain started back up just as soon as we got back into the car. It didn’t happen every time, and sometimes we got really wet, but what can you do? (No rain, no rainforest.)

Our last stop of the day was to a very large tree named the cathedral fig tree. It was a monstrosity. It had roots growing out from branches that eventually merged back into the trunk over time. It was even large enough to support the colonies of ferns that appeared in its upper branches. At Paul’s recommendation, Tara and I climbed into part of the trunk that looked like it encircled us for some photos as Paul worked the camera for us.

Cathedral Fig Tree

After that, Paul deposited us back at Kookas nearly 11 hours after we met. A long day for sure, but well worth the experience.

To see a gallery of Cairns photos, Click here.

 

Cairns: Kookas and the city

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

Our fun in Cairns (pronounced like cans, don’t ask me why they refuse to acknowledge the “i” and the “r” in the word) began at the same place it ended, at a delightful bed and breakfast called “Kookas B&B”. Our trip to the B&B was a mostly uneventful taxi drive through the Cairns Botanical Gardens, which was full of paths through tropical plants. I say mostly uneventful, because the exception was the last 30-40 unnerving meters. Kookas is located at the edge of the city in a suburb appropriately named Edge Hill. It turns out that Kookas was in fact on the edge of a hill and backed up against the rainforest. The driveway climbed 10-15 meters, complete with switchbacks and grooved pavement. Even with these traction aides, our taxi spun its tires at least once, and was nearly unable to take us to the top. We found out later that Marlies and Bruno (the owners of Kookas) have regular fights with taxi and Uber drivers, on behalf of their guests, to get the drivers to drive to the top of the driveway. They don’t win every fight. We had to walk that steep climb several times during our stay.

Marlies and Bruno were fantastic hosts with many fun and interesting suggestions about what to do in the city. They made sure we started each morning off right with a delicious breakfast that they prepared and set out for us, which included fresh fruits (dragon, pineapple, mango, banana, blueberry, etc), breads, jams, ham, cheese, yogurt, granola, and juice. It was quite the spread and while we were eating, they chatted with us about our plans for the day and offered a few suggestions. Marlies even sent us off to the airport on our early flight with a couple of homemade sandwiches. She didn’t need to do this, but it was amazing.

Part of our Kookas Breakfast spread

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the name “Kookas” is an abbreviation of kookaburra. They had images of kookaburras all around the B&B from the mailbox to the garage door to some of the artwork that decorated the walls of the house. Even though Marlies told us that a family of kookaburras lived in the neighborhood, we didn’t give it much thought until our last full day in Cairns. That morning during breakfast, one of the kookaburra birds landed on the railing of the deck near our breakfast table. It just sat there looking slightly top heavy with an overly large beak. Then Marlies brought out a Tupperware container with meaty bits in it and fed the bird. This got him excited and he made a loud noise like a heckling laugh or a gibbering chimpanzee. Loud and a bit obnoxious, but not the most terrible bird noise we heard from that deck. (The white cockatoos win the Oscar for most horrible noise to come from an avian in Cairns. While they are fun birds to look at, Tara described their call as “painfully horrible” and “the stuff of nightmares”. She is, of course, correct on both points.)

Kookaburra on rail at breakfast

We spent a little time in the city for meals, and to explore the shops between activities, but always left thankful that we were staying outside of town. The commercial part of the city basically consists of the waterfront (where reef and fishing tours depart from, as well as where some of the better dining establishments can be found), the main drag (where other restaurants, souvenir shops, and other stores are), and the night markets (ignore the name, they are also open during the day) that connect the waterfront to the main drag. The main drag had a camera shop and this became very important when Tara lost her lens cap during a photo tour (read more in the “Paul and the no Daintree, very wet day” installment of our journey). Some of the restaurants on the water offered “Australian” food like kangaroo and wallaby, but Tara and I both skipped the offerings (we both tried kangaroo and crocodile later at a fire making ceremony at the aboriginal center, but it wasn’t anything to write home about).

My overall rating for Kookas and the city of Cairns: 8.5. Kookas was fantastic and even though we had to do a bit of hiking to get back to our rooms a couple nights, the facilities and friendliness of Marlies and Bruno more than made up for it. The city was laid back. There wasn’t a lot of traffic or hustle and bustle. The main economic driver is tourism and it shows. My biggest complaint was the heat and rain. It was an unrelenting combination a couple of days we were there and I found it stifling and uncomfortable. Tara was less bothered by it than I was, and even professed to enjoy it (crazy, I tell you).

To see a gallery of Cairns photos, Click here.

 

Sydney Day 2

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

Day 2: Terry and chasing the light

The second day of our Syndey adventure began with breakfast and a bit of exploring in “The Rocks” area of the city. Tara did some research, and found a lovely café that served brekkie al fresco. We also got our first taste of the Australian delicacy, Vegemite. It is not nearly as bad as some people might lead you to believe. It is plenty salty, and a little goes a long way. We both enjoyed it, and I look forward to trying it again.

First taste of Vegemite

After brekkie, I talked Tara into walking down the street, so I could buy a new filter for my camera. Along the way, we passed many fancy schmancy designer shops (think Louis Viton and the like). Tara took a detour to the Nike store to see if there was anything that she couldn’t get back home. Spoiler alert: it was the same shoes and clothes, but with higher price tags.

After food and window shopping, we went to our rendezvous point for our photography tour. The location was in “The Rocks” and under a clock tower. We got there a few minutes early and had an exquisite time watching fellow travelers. The highlight was probably when a small group of teenagers decided to cram themselves into a small red phone booth. Fun Fact, Australia still has pay telephones and phone booths. And, they’re all begging to be crammed full of hormonal teenagers. Honestly, they might as well have large neon signs stating as much.

Right on time, a gentleman came up to Tara and introduced himself as Terry. Terry was our local photographer and tour guide for the day. We shook hands, jumped into his van, and headed off to the Blue Mountains. Terry started by letting us know that the other couple scheduled to take the tour had cancelled, and Tara and I had him all to ourselves. What luck! As he was driving, Terry filled us in on a little trivia and history factoids while taking back roads through the city to avoid traffic.

Terry was kind enough to keep us entertained, and had plenty of stories to fill the hour and a half drive from Sydney to the Blue Mountains. I suspect he had enough stories to fill at least a six hour monologue. Terry took us to a few different locations and at each stop, we had a short hike and a view of a waterfall or a new perspective of the Blue Mountain valley. We were lucky enough to catch these large, majestic vistas with some clouds for interest, and Terry was kind enough to provide suggestions with regard to composition and camera settings to make the most of it.

Lincoln’s Rock lookout

The thing about clouds is that they add texture and interest to many landscape scenes making for creative compositions and beautiful photographs. The other thing about clouds is that they are full of water, are constantly growing, shrinking, or moving. There were just enough clouds at the first few stops to really punch up some of the wide angle photos, and to lend depth and scale to the scene. As the day went on, more clouds until the sky was one large grey mass.

Blue Mountains

By the time we arrived at our last viewpoint of the day, Cahill’s Lookout, the sky was a mess. It was raining off and on, and the temperature had started to drop. This was supposed to be our money shot – the sunset casting warm glows over the Blue Mountains. We risked it, walked down to the lookout point to wait, and hoped for a small break in the clouds that would paint the vista with the warm pink and orange hues of a tranquil sunset. The closer it got, the less hopeful we became. The rain started to pick up, and the direction the weather was coming from seemed even darker and more ominous.

Cahill’s Lookout

Suddenly, the sun broke free and the sunset was upon us. We scrambled to get the angles and composition just right. It was a good thing that our tripods were already up and we had been waiting at the lookout for 20 minutes, because we had precious moments from the time we saw the sun start to poke through the clouds until it had gone down and the last vestiges of the warm glow was swallowed by the rain pregnant clouds. Terry’s insistence that we stay vigilant paid off. Tara and I have some great memories of the day and also some vibrant sunset photos to memorialize our last full day in Sydney.

Boar’s Head Lookout

To see a gallery of Sydney photos, Click here

 

 

 

Sydney Day 1

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

Our time in Sydney has been jam packed, and well spent. We managed to cram in a number of experiences, and even made time to do a load of laundry. Not a terribly exciting way to spend part of a vacation, but a necessary evil unless you are willing to bring TONS of luggage or can afford to buy all new clothes (in case you were wondering, no, we haven’t won the lottery).

Day 1: Photos and ferries and beaches, Oh My!

Tara and I made the jet lag work in our favor. When we finally arrived in Sydney, we had an early dinner. Since we were both exhausted, we were in bed by 8pm. (Of course, this isn’t anything new for Tara. She turns into a pumpkin by 7pm most nights.) This meant that we were well rested for the short walk from our hotel to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. This is a fantastic viewpoint of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. I managed to convince her to rise early enough that we got to the viewpoint before the sunrise and had a few minutes to explore before the good light hit. (Of course, if you ask her, we came to this decision around 3am when she woke me up with the glowing light from her cell phone. And, then we took a leisurely nap until 5am when it was time to wake up.)

Harbor Bridge and Opera House at Sunrise

Once the sun had well and truly risen, we took a stroll along the water around the opera house and to Circular Quay. This afforded us a number of photo opportunities and different perspectives of the city, harbor, bridge, and the opera house itself. It really puts the Portland waterfront to shame and I highly recommend that the “Running in the Buff” shoggling club considers relocating to Sydney for our training runs. Perhaps when one of us wins the lottery, they can make this happen for the group. (I’m counting on you Glenn or Shannon!)

Stairs leading to the Sydney Opera House

Not wanting to risk an appearance from the Hangry Tara Monster, the next logical step was to hunt down a meal in the wild lands of downtown Sydney. Avoiding the fried tourist food offered at Circular Quay (pronounced “Circular Key”), we meandered through the Royal Botanical Gardens back toward our hotel. To call the gardens beautiful is an understatement, similar to calling water wet. It certainly is, but the word alone doesn’t do it justice. Along with the plants, we saw some interesting birds and one heck of a spider. He definitely wasn’t as cute as the kookaburra birds we chased after with our cameras.

Some denizens of Australia just want you dead

We eventually found a delightful café on the water and had breakfast (or “brekkie” as the natives call it). With full bellies and almost a full day ahead of us, we moseyed (ok, waddled) back to the hotel. After a short break and some research, we had he next stage of our adventure planned. We headed out the door to catch a cab back to Circular Quay.

Long Black Coffee

Our plan was to catch a ferry out to one of the Sydney beaches. There wasn’t a direct water rout to Bondi Beach, so we jumped on a ferry to Manly Beach and that left 2 minutes after we strolled up to the ticket counter. A quick scamper down the dock and onto the gangplank had us safely aboard and excited about the beach fun to be had. The ferry started underway and the harbor was a complexly choreographed ballet of vessels large and small, motorized and wind borne, darting across the water. Each leaving behind a fading echo as the only proof of their ephemeral existence upon the water.

Sailboat on Sydney Harbor

The hypnotizing and tranquil ferry ride didn’t last long, and we were deposited at Manly Beach where we opted to take the 3-4 block walk from the ferry terminal to the main beach. Being from a predominantly sunless climate, I didn’t want to stay out in the sun too long. Sure, the Aussie approved SPF 50 barrier was liberally applied, so we could have gawked at the other beach goers from the silky smooth sand. But, we limited ourselves to a short walk down to and along the beach. The sand was warm and much less course than the Oregon coast. The water was cool, but not cold. It was a spectacular day at the beach, if I might be so bold. A little encouragement was all it took to get Tara to join me at a table under the shade of a tree overlooking the beach to relax. There are few things in this world better than sitting on (or very near) a beach with the love of your life, listening to an audiobook, and not having a care or commitment in the world. In that moment, I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.

When it was time to head back to the ferry, we were both very surprised to see some folks playing volleyball in the sand. Ok, so that wasn’t terribly unexpected. One of the gals, however, was playing in a very small two piece bathing suit and rocking a 7-8 month baby bump (Fine, I didn’t ask, and I am no expert on the subject, but let’s just say that I am 95% confident that she was between 2 and 10 months. And, she looked much closer to the 10 month mark).

The return trip on the ferry provided us with some new angles of the opera house, and we took every advantage. After we disembarked from the ferry and caught a cab back to the hotel, we were just in time to take some sunset photos. One of the front desk clerks at the hotel had seen our camera gear, and let us know that we were welcome to head up to the roof if we wanted to take photos at sunset. Once we were up there, we had time to check out the views, setup tripods, and enjoy each other’s company for a few minutes. But, as soon as the colors in the sky got interesting, it was each photographer for him/her self. Kinda like Thunderdome, but with less gore and no midgets. (Tara was totally hoping for midgets….)

Harbor Bridge and Opera House at Sunset

Being close to total exhaustion at this point, we had a quick dinner and hit the sack. We had a plan for the next day and needed our beauty sleep.

To see a gallery of Sydney photos, Click here

 

 

Prelude to Oceania 2019

Posted on by Steve Lowrance

 

In the beginning…

So… This trip which we were so excited to go on has started with a dull wet thud. We had everything packed and excitement was setting in. Then, an odd thing happened. While we had booked the flight through Alaska Airlines using miles, most of the flights were through a partner carrier, Qantas. Tara got a text message from Qantas (because she is amazing and took the time to register our Qantas legs so we could pick seats and get notices) that our flight from LAX to SYD was cancelled. 

We received this message while still in PDX. So, we did what any reasonable person would do and we called someone to check the information and assess the next steps. Since we booked through Alaska, we gave them a call to check on things and were assured that everything was in order, no worries. So, we boarded our first class flight to LAX, had a couple drinks and shared a nice conversation with the flight attendant about the length of the flight to Australia, the low quality of the limes on the plane, and the unfortunate lack of Kahlua preventing Tara from getting a White Russian.

When reality punches you in the face

Once we landed here in LAX, we took a lovely half mile stroll through tunnels below the airport to get from our inbound terminal to the international terminal. We emerged into a brightly lit glass ceiling shrine to capitalism and luxury brands. Through the hustle and bustle and background noise, we began to look around for where our gate might be. We did not receive boarding passes from Alaska in PDX, and were told we needed to get them from the Qantas counter in LAX. Looking around, it was not immediately clear where the Qantas gates were and a glance up showed a very large reader board with departure information.

That is when we saw it. QF56……….Cancelled. This confirmed the text that Tara had received earlier. The text that she had called Alaska about, and they had assured her that everything was in order. This got my blood pumping. We desperately searched for a gate agent to confirm our fears and help us through this emergency. The person at the Norwegian Airlines counter was no help, he wasn’t even able to point us in the direction of where Qantas has gates (it turns out that in the LAX international terminal, nobody has regular gates). We bumped into a couple of LAX police officers on bikes who told us where to find the Qantas lounge. We needed information not drinks and Fox News, and we kept looking around.

Any port in the storm

So, I called Alaska for some help. Sadly, I wasn’t able to get the support and guidance I needed. Their systems still showed that the flight was scheduled and on time. Also, because this was a partner flight, they could do nothing on my behalf, I needed to speak with an agent. When I inquired where I might find one, they again had nothing useful to share with me. I did ask what good a partner airline is if the information is wrong and there is nothing that Alaska could help me with. It had all the effect of shouting into a hurricane except the shouting would at least be cathartic. Once again, we were alone, frustrated, and worried that our amazing vacation plans were going up in smoke.

At this point Tara and I both muttered a few phrases that might make a sailor blush, and flopped around the Tom Bradley international terminal desperate for help and for someone to tell us that everything was going to be ok and that we would make it to Sydney and were actually going to be able to take this vacation. The only support Alaska was able to offer was an 800 number for Qantas. I called that number while walking around the terminal, and Tara jumped on the phone with Alaska. I was notified by an automated attendant that Qantas was having abnormally high call volumes and I could be expected to wait 43-52 minutes. However, if I had an Australian or New Zealand mobile number, then I could leave my number and they would call me when I reached the front of the queue.

Raise your hand if you have a mobile number from Australia or New Zealand. Yeah… we couldn’t raise our hands either. Without any other options, we decided to take the policy officer’s advice.  We walked in the direction of the Qantas lounge to see if someone there could help us find a gate agent.

We found the lounge one level up. I was still on hold with Qantas, and Alaska was talking Tara off the ledge. We found an elevator, jumped on, and I realized as the doors were closing that I had just entered a Faraday cage. Within 5 seconds, our calls with both Qantas and Alaska were dropped. At least the top of the elevator revealed the Qantas lounge. The attendants were pleasant and full of smiles. When we inquired about talking to a gate agent, we were directed to leave the secure area and talk to the ticketing counter. At least we had a direction now.

Misery loves company

It seems that Qantas was having a bad day as well. In addition to our cancelled flight to BNE and then on to SYD, the direct flight to SYD was also delayed. After what felt like an eternity, the ticketing agent was able to confirm that we had seats on the delayed direct flight to SYD that would depart at 10am the next day. I was a little amazed that it could take 21 hours in this day and age to get from PDX to LAX and back out again?

We would still be in premium economy and our actual arrival into SYD would only be about 9 hours later than our original itinerary. Not terrible. They were also putting us up at the Hilton LAX with meal vouchers. We left our luggage in their care, planned to eat, sleep, and come back early and refreshed. Oh plans.

Second verse, same as the first

I woke around 4 or 4:30am to an f-bomb and the cold glow of an iPhone screen in a dark room. Tara was on her phone and had a grimace where her smile should be. She got a text indicating that our flight to SYD had an issue and the 10:30pm flight was cancelled.

Apparently, we hadn’t actually been booked on the morning flight. But, that’s a whole different story.

The good news is that we had learned one lesson. Rather than call Alaska, we started with Qantas. After calling them, we were informed that the agent was looking into it. A few long minutes later, the agent let us know that their reservation system was down and they would continue to look into it and call us back. Once again we were worried, powerless, and without direction.

Expecting that Alaska could do nothing to help, Tara encouraged me to call them anyway. What did we have to lose? We were just waiting in limbo for Qantas anyway. I called the MVP customer service line for Alaska and explained my situation to the customer service representative. True to form, the first response was that there was nothing they could do because I had taken the first leg of the trip and now everything was in Qantas hands. This was a little more than I could take after one cancellation, short sleep, and anger at the whole situation. It is entirely possible that my response was more pointed, snippy, and curt than was absolutely necessary.

A new direction

After a few rounds of “What can you do for me?”, “The only reason I started the itinerary was because Alaska assured me the flight was still scheduled” and “What about other options?” mixed in with a healthy bit of time spent brainstorming with Tara while we were on hold, because she was speaking with a supervisor, we had an option. Alaska was willing and able to book us on a Cathay Pacific flight in business class for 16 hours to Hong Kong departing at noon followed up by a coach seat for the 9 hour journey to SYD.

Hallelujah!

We finally had an option to get us out of this wicked merry go round of soul crushing, vacation destroying, horribleness. (At least that’s how Tara refers to LA…)

After a quick discussion, we took it. A few more minutes on hold and we had a confirmation number as well as a pleasant surprise. They were able to upgrade our second leg to premium economy. So, time to get to the airport, bail our luggage out of Qantas lockup, and get ready for our more scenic journey to Australia.

All over, but the waiting

Getting the luggage out of hock was a long process, but not complicated. The most interesting part of it was that nobody at the ticket counter knew that the flight was cancelled. Tara got a text and called up Qantas, but the ticketing folks assured everyone else around us that the flight was still going out at 10am. Which information is correct? At this point, Tara and I were over it, and didn’t care. With our new itinerary, we would end up in SYD about 26 hours behind original schedule and we didn’t have anything planned right away.

So, here we sit. I just heard that QF12 to SYD just boarded (30-40 minutes late). I have a mimosa and the love of my life. We have time off work and some exciting plans. I also get to show her international business class. (Poor lady had never even experienced First Class before yesterday. Her mind is about to be blown…)

What did we learn?

  • If you get a notification from an airline, follow up on it right away. Even if it is not the airline you booked with. It turns out that even partner airlines are not quite as integrated as you might hope for.
  • Stand up for your wants and needs. It isn’t always in your best interest to simply take the first statement that comes your way. Ask follow up questions. Offer alternative suggestions. Ask the agent if they can get you booked on another carrier or out of another city.
  • Keep an extra pair of underoos in your carry on. I know that many people already know this. This was the first trip I have done so, and I am glad I did. Although, maybe that was the action that jinxed us.
  • Those baggage receipt barcodes that they give you when you check a bag… Don’t throw those away. Because we had our flight re-booked on a different carrier, Qantas lost the reference to our baggage ID and needed our copy to find our bags. I am sure there are other reasons to keep it, but this was our reason.
  • Keep your cool. Righteous indignation and outrage are not behaviors that are likely to get you what you want in a time of need. Cooler heads prevail.

Anyway, Tara’s about to get our third round of mimosas. And, if anyone was wondering, she’s still waiting on a call back from Qantas…