Travelling companions

I've had a few queries about my travelling alone and I whilst I don't have a human travelling companion I will not be alone.

Some of you may remember Kevin.... He has travelled all over the place with me ......Australia.....USA.......Hawaii.......Iceland......England.  He is always with me and we have formed a very close attachment.  He is particularly ugly and decidedly tatty looking and was purchased from the railway platform in Broken Hill in 2011. He sleeps with me at night and I get quite panicky if he is not nearby.

Kevin

 Also travelling with me is Jerome McGnome. He was born and bred in Arkansas and some of you may remember him from my previous travels - he has also been everywhere but generally disgraces himself.   I rest my case - New York Times Square New Years Eve 2011-2012 A picture says a thousand words.

Times Square

Being cool in the Big Apple

This was the result of his "celebrations"

Big sleep in next morning with his eye mask on -  refused to get up

 In Iceland he fell over drunk and broke his hip - full hip replacement was required

Broken Hip

Zimmer Frame

At the start of the Olympics he tried to enter the pole vaulting but once again came to grief

Sporting injury - he ended up in traction after this one.

I have my doubts that Gordon will survive another trip but I'm sure he will make his presence felt.

So as you see... i'm not alone and with Gordon around I will have have my hands full.

USA 2016-17 - all getting very real......kind of exciting......kind of scared.......!

Well! In 11 days I'll be off to the USA for just under 6 months. In 2011 I spent approximately 6 months travelling through every mainland state of USA and 4 provinces of Canada and my aim this time is to spend more time in the places I loved the most and with the people I love to bits :)

I want to be able to learn more about  my favourite places and have the time to enjoy what they have to offer.

Did I say it was 11 days till I go?  FFS....I've been planning this for 5 years and it just doesn't seem real that it is almost upon me.

My plans are very loose because I don't want to miss any opportunities or experiences or people by having a tight schedule.

Bloody hell.......11 days!!

My plan is a week in LA (a place I'm not keen on but I know well enough to chill and get in the right mindset). Then 3 days in Anaheim to meet up with friends from UK. I met Jo  on the internet many years ago and we finally get to meet in person. I will also do the Disneyland/Universal Studios again - because I can.

From then its north to Monterey, San Francisco, Crescent City, Portland, Seattle and other places in between, then fly to Little Rock Arkansas to visit dear friends Ang & Kae and Omaha to visit Robby and Karen.  Cant wait to see you all again. I have friends to visit in Missouri ;) and Iowa. I have booked a week in Chicago over Christmas for several reasons but mainly because I love Chicago......I know I will probably be snowed in but thats fine.......I want a final White Christmas and I think I can guarantee it will snow.

11 days....good grief!

I also have friends to visit in San Diego and Arizona so have many ports of calls if I get lost or lonely or need a hug.

Other than this my plans are non existent....just play it by ear.

Most of my travels will be by train and bus.......last time I drove everywhere and I missed a lot of the scenery just trying to stay on the right side of the road!

Everything that can be done by way of preparation bar packing has been done so I just need to relax and enjoy.

Please sign up on my blog to follow my travels and adventures....or misadventures.....and you can also see the ups and downs of my last trip.

I must say I feel a lot more mentally and emotionally prepared this time and am a lot wiser starting out than the previous trip. I will admit that on some occasions during the previous trip ignorance was bliss.  Look out bears and serial  killers......I'm on to you!

11 days....how can that be..?

Retirement Day

Friday 26th August was officially my last day at work.....I am a retired person now. :)

They threw a morning tea for me an I gave a very teary speech and then the day dragged on and on.

Just before the 4:30 finish the boss turned the phones off....music started playing ....."Up where we belong"......think end of the movie "An Officer an a Gentleman" when the girl gets carried off by the Officer.   Then the gentleman in the cap below appeared and picked me up and carried me out. What a way to go lol.  I was amazed that not only could he lift me off the ground he actually carried me without dropping me or putting his back out. Thank you Lee (my daughter) for organising this. A memorable day!

Retirement Day

Ok...time to get serious

After much deliberation I've moved my retirement date forward. Cant really afford the loss of wages between now and the original retirement date but there are...I have found......some things more important than money. Like sanity....health...peace of mind.....lack of stress....shall i go on? I want to start my 6 months in USA in a peaceful, restful state of mind and as fit as I can get in the short time before I fly out (October 15th). To that end I finish work next Friday 26th August (4 working days as a while ago I dropped Wednesdays)

Not me but it soon will be

Everything is more or less in place. Just need to finalise my pension and I will be ready to go. All else is either sold or stored with Lee. I've decided to keep my car while I am away as I will need it on my return to go hunting for a camper van for my Australian travels.

Since I made the decision to finish earlier my stress levels have nose dived, I am sleeping like the proverbial log and feel....dare I say it....happy!!!! So looking forward to catching up with my friends around USA......been 5 years since I saw them last.

As I am currently homeless I am living with Lee and Michael until my departure.  They recently acquired Derek P Newton....an Aussie Bulldog puppy that just melts your heart with his cross little face. I am totally in love with him.

Derek P Newton

Me and the Grand dog

 I've had a few people make comments about my my upcoming USA trip and my planned lifestyle (on the  road) when I return. Comments of "weird" and "eccentric" and "scary" and just a general "I don't understand". I saw this meme and it sums it up completely. I'm just so looking forward to the rest of my life...whether it be long or short....I know in my heart it's going to be the best time I ever had.

Sydney Day Three

I was so anxious not to sleep in and miss my 8:15  appointment that I hardly slept all night. At 3 am I gave up and had some cereal and a cup of tea and watched some TV. I'm getting the feeling that once I retire I'm just going to get right into the groove lol. 

I was up at 5 and left at 7 for my appointment. I bought a coffee and sat staring at the building, just in case it tried to slip away again. A man came up and tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I knew where the US Consulate was. WTF!! I looked for the hidden cameras. After all my dramas finding it (and then keeping it in sight) over the last couple of days it was just a ridiculous twist to be asked if I knew where it was.

All went well with the visa with a bonus. For a 5 year extension on the visa using my Aussie passport it would cost $160. But because I have a British passport I get it for ten years....and for free!.. I felt they owed me something after all the stress and there it was :)

Had a second breakfast at the Lindt Cafe and then came across some of the Channel 7 Breakfast Show hosts doing a bit of a meet and greet in  Martin Place outside the studios.

Natalie Barr - she is soooo skinny

Beretts

Martin Place....if I never see you again it will be too soon.....you confuse me.

My feet were a bit sore after all my traipsing the last couple of days so I hopped on to a Hop on Hop off bus. Was a perfect day and I travelled for 4 hours all over Sydney - Bondi Beach, Rose Bay, Point Piper, Vaucluse....and yes...we came remarkably close to Martin Pl but veered off just in time. It was great to see all these places I've only heard about. It was a very pleasant day and I topped it off with another pub special early dinner.

The steak was cooked to perfection

On the way back I just HAD to stop in at this Apple shop. THREE floors...crazy....and no...I didn't buy anything....this time.

Apple Shop

 The shuttle picks me up at 6.55 am tomorrow to head to the airport for the return trip. I've had fun in Sydney....mostly.......I can mark it down as yet another city I've been lost in,

Sydney - Day two

The planned sleep in never happened - building works next door at a very early hour put an end to that so I made a cup of tea and some cereal and got back into bed and watched a bit of Crime Channel - for two hours lol.

I've decided a lie in while awake drinking tea and watching TV is much more enjoyable than a sleep in when you are in zzzzz land.

I got up determined to fulfil Mr Google's claim to 8 minutes to the Consulate. I blitzed it till I realised it was ten minutes and I'd walked past it again ....WTF - how can such a massive building remain so elusive.

US Consulate - the elusive destination

Martin Place is proving to be an enigma. The whole US  Consulate thing faded into the background (where it seems to continually be) when I tried to bank a cheque.  In all my Martin Pl wanderings I had noticed the beautiful old Commonwealth Bank Building and i was content that I knew where it was when I needed it. However - after my ten minute test run this morning I went to the bank. What a huge beautiful old building. Unfortunately it is now a dress shop. A mistake anyone could make - please see photo below.

Its big and that writing to the right of the flag says Commonwealth Bank.
Nowhere does it say dress shop!

The real bank was on the other side - right opposite - you guessed it -the bloody US Consulate. Sigh.

I wonder if having no sense of direction is a registered disability. Maybe I need a "Guide" dog with a little GPS on his collar.

I went for an enormous walk to Circular Quay and did a round of Sydney Harbour on a ferry. Beautiful warm balmy day. Then I did the obligatory Opera House visit. Looks quite different up close.

Sydney Harbour Bridge (a very literal name - I'm going to call it Syd)

Opera House

I was starving by the time I made my way back into the city so i found yet another Irish pub and did three rounds with this bucket of lamb shanks.

Lamb Shanks

I also came across this picture of PM Malcolm Turnbull hehehe

I walked over 10 km today and again yesterday so a bit of rest time in order - got to be up early to go find that bloody building by 8:15.  I think i better aim for 7:15 and if by luck I find it I'll have breakfast at the Lindt Cafe - I can see it from there :)

Sydney Anzac Day 2016

Today I flew from Brisbane to Sydney for my interview in a couple of days at the US Consulate so I can obtain my 6 month Visa. Major stress out last night as I realised I had one vital piece of paper missing. When I went to the Consulate in 2011 for my last visa they were so strict. If there was anything not right you had to make another appointment - can be a month or so down the track. This would mean another flight to Sydney. Anyway - to cut a long story short - I had a panic attack and Lee located the form I needed and saved the day. Phew. Its just all been a bit much - selling all my stuff and half  moved out of my flat  and muscle pain in my arm at work again. Yikes.

Anyway today is Anzac Day and due to my early flight I missed the dawn service but we did have an Anzac treat on board.

Anzac Biscuit - yum

The flight was extremely bumpy and it was only my iron will and clenched butt that kept the bird in the sky. Was glad to land safely - although it felt like we had square wheels. Maybe it was being flown by a P Plater.

My plan was to locate the Consulate so I would know where to go on Wednesday - easier said than done. I chose my hotel as - according to Mr Google - it is an 8 minute walk to the Consulate and my appointment is at 8.15 in the morning.   Well if you add into the mix that roads were closed off for the Anzac Day Parade and the fact there were 12 million or so sailors, airmen and soldiers marching up and down everywhere and I have no sense of direction at the best of times and I know nothing of Sydney........! Two hours later I found the building I was looking for. Yes Mr Google, it IS in Martin Place but it is set back behind a plaza and cafe area and it looks like its on the next street Grrr.  Anyhoo....I now know - I think - how to get there but will try the 8 minute walk option tomorrow just in case :)

Wreaths In Martin Place Sydney

I stopped for lunch at the Lindt Cafe which is across the road from the Consulate. For my overseas friends, this was the site a year ago of a terrorist seige by a man who should have been already locked up years ago. The end result was a l6 hour seige with 18 hostages, the SWAT team finally went in and 2 hostages and the gunman died. All very sad and it was quite eerie seeing it today.

The Lindt Cafe

Gorgeous chocolates at the Lindt Cafe

I did sooo much walking finding the Consulate and wading shoulder deep in military personnel and was sleep deprived from late nights and early flight that I just  needed a nap and my room was now available at the hotel so had a few zzzz's

Struggled awake and went out in search of food and had  fish and chips in an Irish Pub around the corner. Again...yum!

Fish & Chips - didn't last long :)

I gave in to temptation and purchased a 12" Apple Mac for travelling and I am just loving it. It is an extravagance because less than a yer ago I got a Mac Pro but this little one is so light and so easy to travel with and I got it at a great price so the temptation was too strong. :)

My Mini Mac xx

Some of you know Jerome and he has joined me on this trip - here he is with his back pack. He is totally recovered from the broken hip he suffered in Iceland and tells me he is looking forward to his trip to the US - the land of his origin

Jerome