The 7 most annoying things in hotel rooms and how to fix them!
I have had a tough week - I admit it. It has left me tired, grumpy and irritable. For a long time I have had a list swirling around in my brain of all the advice I would like to give to all the hotel managers of all the hotels we have, or will in the future, ever stay in. Over three decades of travel, David and I have stayed in hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand, hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages. They have ranged from 1-star, budget accommodation to 5-star luxury retreats. Some could only be described as rat-infested, flea pits. Others were so lovely I had to be pried out the door when it came time to leave.
13 tips to make flying easier - or how to survive a long haul flight without going nuts!
David and I live in Australia and David loves to travel. Australia is that big island at the bottom of the globe which is literally thousands of miles from everywhere. As a result we spend a lot of time on aeroplanes. Even on domestic trips we can easily spend five hours on a plane - and don't get me started about how long it takes to get to Europe, America or Asia. If time sitting in a tin can in the sky can make you an expert, then we are world experts on flying.
A Cyclist's Lament: Welcome to New Zealand!
Sometimes David and I make things difficult for ourselves. When it comes to great countries to ride a bicycle in, New Zealand is right up there close to the top of the list. The whole country is criss-crossed by rail trails and cycle paths. We have come here to cycle. We are going to start out in Auckland, head north for a few days and then spend a week near Napier in Hawkes Bay.
Auckland is a city of 1.5 million people. You would think it would be a simple thing to organise bike hire for a two week trip in a city that size. Not for us, the easy option. David doesn’t hire bikes. He dislikes the way they are never as comfortable as his own bike and he hates the extortionate cost - often more than renting a car. He much prefers to subject himself, and me, to the enormous hassle and precision planning required to fly our bikes with us across the Tasman Sea from Australia.
Auckland is a city of 1.5 million people. You would think it would be a simple thing to organise bike hire for a two week trip in a city that size. Not for us, the easy option. David doesn’t hire bikes. He dislikes the way they are never as comfortable as his own bike and he hates the extortionate cost - often more than renting a car. He much prefers to subject himself, and me, to the enormous hassle and precision planning required to fly our bikes with us across the Tasman Sea from Australia.
A Ghost Tour at Q Station, Manly
Do you believe in ghosts? I do - now! A ghost tour at Q Station, the old quarantine station at Manly in Sydney's north, will shake the scepticism out of the most ardent non-believer.
It is well after dark. We have had a long, enjoyable dinner at the Boilerhouse Restaurant where, under the guidance of chef Matt Kemp, the food is nothing short of spectacular. Bob, our ghost hunting guide, meets us below the giant stairway which leads to the upper levels of Q Station. Earlier today we were told contestants on The Biggest Loser run up and down these stairs as part of their weight-loss regimes. I wonder how many don't make it - no wonder they say the place is haunted.
It is well after dark. We have had a long, enjoyable dinner at the Boilerhouse Restaurant where, under the guidance of chef Matt Kemp, the food is nothing short of spectacular. Bob, our ghost hunting guide, meets us below the giant stairway which leads to the upper levels of Q Station. Earlier today we were told contestants on The Biggest Loser run up and down these stairs as part of their weight-loss regimes. I wonder how many don't make it - no wonder they say the place is haunted.
Life in the slow lane: Welcome to New Zealand!
We are standing in the slow queue at Auckland airport. We inch forward and stop.
Kiwis are lovely people but can't they count? Six customs officers are checking quarantine declaration forms. There are four for the line to our left and two for us!
Kiwis are lovely people but can't they count? Six customs officers are checking quarantine declaration forms. There are four for the line to our left and two for us!
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The Otago Rail Trail and A Universal Truth.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a rail trail should be cycled in one direction - or the other - only the truly psychotic cycle both.
The Central Otago Rail Trail runs for 150 kilometres from Clyde to Middlemarch in the South Island of New Zealand. It takes about four days to cycle. Lots of discussion can be found on the internet about whether it is best to ride the trail west to east or east to west. With the highest point roughly in the middle, neither direction has more downhill sections - the disagreement is all about the quality of the views. Whether you begin from Clyde or Middlemarch however the generally accepted plan of attack is to cycle the trail one way. There are a plethora of package tours available which enable you to do this by providing bikes, accommodation, luggage transfer, back-up and return transport.
The Central Otago Rail Trail runs for 150 kilometres from Clyde to Middlemarch in the South Island of New Zealand. It takes about four days to cycle. Lots of discussion can be found on the internet about whether it is best to ride the trail west to east or east to west. With the highest point roughly in the middle, neither direction has more downhill sections - the disagreement is all about the quality of the views. Whether you begin from Clyde or Middlemarch however the generally accepted plan of attack is to cycle the trail one way. There are a plethora of package tours available which enable you to do this by providing bikes, accommodation, luggage transfer, back-up and return transport.
Queenstown and the flying bicycles.
Turning up to an airline check-in counter with a couple of bicycles is one of those experiences which seemed like a good idea when we planned it, but really fell apart in the execution - what a hassle!
Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't had far too much luggage to begin with, but David is incapable of travelling light. We once went half way round the world with a kiddies ride-on-tractor, complete with separate trailer section, purchased on a whim from a roadside stall in Holland for our then 3 year old son. He would ride it up to airline check-in counters much to the amusement of other travellers.
Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't had far too much luggage to begin with, but David is incapable of travelling light. We once went half way round the world with a kiddies ride-on-tractor, complete with separate trailer section, purchased on a whim from a roadside stall in Holland for our then 3 year old son. He would ride it up to airline check-in counters much to the amusement of other travellers.
Mackinac Island - A land without cars.
Imagine an island where the automobile was banned in the late 1800s. There are no cars, trucks or motorbikes of any kind. You would imagine, as I did, an atmosphere of tranquil, unhurried peace where the moment you disembark from the ferry you have stepped back in history to a time before the internal combustion engine.
Now make that island easily accessible to a zillion tourists. The result is an immense culture shock. One which will soon having you begging to return to a land where the car is king. At least then there are rules of the road.
Now make that island easily accessible to a zillion tourists. The result is an immense culture shock. One which will soon having you begging to return to a land where the car is king. At least then there are rules of the road.
Lima, Peru - But is it safe?
'Don't take a cab from the airport.
Don't flag a taxi in the street.
Don't walk anywhere after dark.
Don't wander into the wrong neighbourhood.
Drive a car in Peru! Are you insane?'
Don't flag a taxi in the street.
Don't walk anywhere after dark.
Don't wander into the wrong neighbourhood.
Drive a car in Peru! Are you insane?'
10 am Wednesday morning - I think - somewhere in the world at least!
We are on QF28 approaching Santiago, Chile. At 1:15 pm this afternoon we left Sydney. We flew for more than 12 hours and arrived half way across the world three hours before we left home.
We have a five hour layover before we connect to Córdoba, Argentina - what a waste of those extra hours. AND there is trouble brewing over our bags. In Sydney, the QANTAS check-in lady would not check them through to Cordoba, notwithstanding that our flight to Cordoba is with LAN, a partner airline to QANTAS - something about the bookings not being together in her system. Is it just us or does anyone else get the feeling these rules are made up on the spot. She was polite but adamant - we should collect our bags in Santiago and re-check them with LAN ourselves.
Welcome to Cordoba - we have lost your bags.
It is not that I have anything against the back row of aeroplanes. We have spent a lot of time in them. Up the back, on bumpy flights, I tend to get airsick. I've only actually thrown-up a couple of times - usually over David - but I can get pretty distressed and that tends to make the people around me nervous. I accept that everyone should take their turn in the cheap seats. The problem is; David and I have had far too many turns. We have done our time and paid our dues. Let somebody else sit in the crappy seats for a while.
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Cycling The Rambla in Montevideo, Uruguay
The Rambla in Montevideo, Uruguay, looks like it is made for cycling. It winds around the shore of the River Plate, overlooked on one side by the city skyline and on the other by the vast expanse of the South Atlantic. Technically the Plate may be a river but the delta at Montevideo is so wide it is more ocean than river.
Be careful what you wish for!
The kids and I learnt long ago that you have to be careful what you wish for in the Lindfields' household. An unguarded moment spent musing about - say - ' we've never been to Uruguay' - and next thing you know you can find yourself sitting on an aeroplane wishing you'd had more time to brush up on your spanish.
Five - 'you have got to be kidding' - tourist attractions
Let me preface this post by saying that the tourist sites on this list may be a little wacky but that doesn't make them boring. You won't find them on the 'highly recommended' lists in the main stream guidebooks, but on the upside, none of them will be crowded when you get there. The fact that they made the list means we thought them worth a visit.
Into the abyss!
We did it! We skied three days in a row.
Quite an achievement for a couple of fifty-somethings who aren't really that fit. By day three we found aches where we didn't know we had muscles. More of an issue was that we started to fall. When I start to fall it's time to go in - a broken shoulder many years ago drove home the fact that you don't necessarily just get up again. I'd like to say that I have been a cautious skier ever since but in truth I think I was always cautious.
How did this happen? What were we thinking?
We are at Thredbo again!
David is not an enthusiastic skier. He has only two topics of conversation while we are on the slopes - 'What time should we stop for lunch/morning tea/afternoon tea?' and 'How early should we call it a day and head back to the lodge?'. For us to go skiing twice in one season is almost unheard of. I don't know how it happened. I think it has something to do with the fact that No. 1 son bought a yearly lift ticket for at the end of last year. In between trips to the snow with his mates he needed some extra ski-buddies and we are at the age when we accept time with the boys whenever we can get it.
David is not an enthusiastic skier. He has only two topics of conversation while we are on the slopes - 'What time should we stop for lunch/morning tea/afternoon tea?' and 'How early should we call it a day and head back to the lodge?'. For us to go skiing twice in one season is almost unheard of. I don't know how it happened. I think it has something to do with the fact that No. 1 son bought a yearly lift ticket for at the end of last year. In between trips to the snow with his mates he needed some extra ski-buddies and we are at the age when we accept time with the boys whenever we can get it.
Thredbo NSW: Skiing not cycling
Ride - Skiing, not cycling
Where - Thredbo Village, Australia
Terrain - All downhill
Difficulty - Variable - not so easy when you fall and have to get up again.
Highlights - Having lunch in the sunshine, clocking up some easy 'on-snow' time.
Where - Thredbo Village, Australia
Terrain - All downhill
Difficulty - Variable - not so easy when you fall and have to get up again.
Highlights - Having lunch in the sunshine, clocking up some easy 'on-snow' time.
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Would you ignore this sign?
One of my greatest failings as a world traveller is a serious and persistent law-abiding streak.
This is our fourth trip to Queenstown. On each occasion we have driven out to the remote Kinloch Lodge, past Glenorchy at the far end of Lake Wakatipu. This is serious Lord of the Rings Country - empty, isolated and with beautiful scenery. The tarmac turns to gravel just after Glenorchy. At Kinloch there is a sign and the sign says -
This is our fourth trip to Queenstown. On each occasion we have driven out to the remote Kinloch Lodge, past Glenorchy at the far end of Lake Wakatipu. This is serious Lord of the Rings Country - empty, isolated and with beautiful scenery. The tarmac turns to gravel just after Glenorchy. At Kinloch there is a sign and the sign says -