ALTE COCKER TRAVELS
  • Welcome to My Website
    • How To Do a Home Exchange >
      • Doing the Logistics of a Back to Back Home Exchange Trip
      • Preparing for a Home Exchange >
        • Home Exchange Problems >
          • The Ticket Dance
          • Homeexchange.com: Too Much Hype, Poor Management
          • The Nasty Side of Home Exchanging
          • Why Home Exchangers Can Drive You Nuts
        • Going Crazy Before A Home Exchange--Tossing Stuff
        • Last Minute Departure on a Home Exchange
        • Shit Hits the Fan before Home Exchanges
      • Retirement the AlteCocker Way
      • Trip Drill for AlteCockers
      • When You Want to Home Exchange for a Long Time
      • Home Exchange vs. House Sitting
  • Europe Summer 2019
    • Prague July 20-30
    • Paris July 31-August 3, 2019
    • Brittany August 4-23, 2018
    • London August 23-August 30, 2019
  • Australia-New Zealand 2018
    • Perth Australia June 15-July 27, 2018
    • Broome Australia Outback Tour
    • Darwin Australia August 2018
    • Great Barrier Reef Australia August 2018
    • Melbourne Australia August 2018
    • Wellington New Zealand September 2018
  • Asia
    • Taiwan October-November 2015
    • Southeast Asia 2015-2016 >
      • Chiang Mai Thailand January-February 2016
      • Surin Elephant Round Up, Surin, Thailand, November 2015
      • Bangkok February 2016
      • 12 Days in Malaysia January 2016 >
        • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 2016
        • Borneo, Malaysia, January 2016
      • Singapore: December 12-17
  • AlteCocker in Southeast Asia November 2014-January 2015
    • Chiang Mai >
      • Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai
      • Farang Lantern Release Chiang Mai
      • Puppet Festival Chiang Mai
      • Day Trips Outside Chiang Mai >
        • Whitewater Rafting on the Mae Taeng with Siam River Adventures
        • Chiang Rai and Mekong Day Trip
        • Baan Chang Elephant Park
        • Lampang Elephant Conservation Center and FAE Elephant Hospital
        • Bhuphing Palace
        • Queen Sirikit Botanical Gardens
        • Royal Park Rajapruek
      • Living the Expat Life in Chiang Mai
    • January 1-6, 2015: Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • AlteCocker in Bangkok, Thailand
    • Photos from Thailand November 2014-January 2015 >
      • Bangkok >
        • Jim Thompson House Bangkok
        • Grand Palace Bangkok
        • Kanchanaburi/Bridge on the River Kwai Day Trip
        • Flower Market Bangkok
        • The Lowdown on Mobile Passport
        • Evening Chao Praya Cruise Bangkok
        • Other Bangkok Sightseeing
    • Kayak Trip to the Andaman Sea
    • AlteCocker in Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia >
      • Photos from Cambodia December 2014 >
        • Angkor Wat
        • Ta Prohm
        • Banteay Srei
        • Beng Mealea
        • Floating Village Outside Siem Reap, Cambodia
        • Other Non Temple Sites Siem Riep, Cambodia
    • AlteCocker in Yangon, Burma >
      • How to Get a Myanmar (Burmese) Visa from Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • Photos from Myanmar (Burma) January 2015 >
        • Shewdagon Pagoda Yangon
        • Karaweik Evening Entertainment Yangon
    • Final Thoughts on Planning a Trip to Southeast Asia
    • AlteCocker in Phuket, Thailand (Kayak Trip)
  • You Are What? Going to Australia Again?
    • Fiji to Sleep? 3 days 2008 (with photos)
    • Sydney, Australia, 2008
    • Kawana Waters Queensland, Australia, 2008
    • Brisbane 2008
  • Europe
    • 2014 Grand European Haj: Poland, Belarus, Turkey, Sweden >
      • Part 1: Poland and Belarus >
        • Krakow Home Hospitality Returned 2014
        • Warsaw Home Exchange 2014
        • Belarus--Brest & Minsk--A Visit to the Ancestors 2014 >
          • Getting a Visa for Belarus
    • France >
      • Bordeaux France 2013 >
        • Photos from Bordeaux 2013 >
          • St. Emilion
          • La Bataille de Castillon
          • Sightseeing Bordeaux City
          • Touring Vineyards Outside Bordeaux
      • Martinique Home Exchange May-June 2015 >
        • May 25-27, 2015: Two Days in Dominica
      • Paris France >
        • How to Eat at the Pre Catalan in Paris
      • Paris for a Week July-August 2015 >
        • Paris 2015 Photos
        • Pere Lachaise Cemetery
      • Toulouse France 2013
      • Scandinavian Adventures >
        • Photos from Toulouse Home Exchange >
          • Cordes sur Ciel Medieval Festival
          • Albi
          • Grotte de Niaux
          • Carcassonne
          • Day Trip to Greenland July 31, 2016
          • D'Artagnan's Home Town: Auch >
            • Loire Valley France >
              • Amboise: Leonardo da Vinci & a Mass Beheading
              • Chenonceau: A Mistress, A Queen, A Transvestite Ball
              • No Baguettes Here: Eating Whole Grain Bread in Tours, France
          • Colomiers France Home Exchange July 2013
    • Germany >
      • Total Eclipse? Well, Not Exactly
      • A Day out from Hamburg: Wedel and the Blankenese
    • Great Britain >
      • Museum of London: Not for History Nuts Only
      • Leicester Square Ticket Booth London--Nah!
      • Westminster Abbey--Do Not Miss Evensong!
      • Bergen, Norway
      • From Bergen to Oslo by Boat and Train
      • The Palpable Presence of Death: Verdun
      • Fredrikstad, Norway, 2012
      • A Day out in Yorkshire: Rieveaulx Abbey
      • Edinburgh: Doin' The Fringe
      • Doin' The Tattoo in Edinburgh
    • Iceland and Italy Summer 2016 >
      • Iceland July 12,-August 2, 2016
      • Lake Como August 3-August 30, 2016 >
        • Verona Opera Festival August 8-10, 2016
        • Corsica
      • Venice August 30-September 2, 2016
      • Florence September 2-11, 2016
    • Spain >
      • Barcelona August 2015 >
        • Bella Italia >
          • The Shopping Tour to Italy: Oops!
          • When a Vacation Turns Into a Disaster
        • Photos from Barcelona August 2015 >
          • Sagrada Familia August 2015
          • Park Guell August 2015
          • Casa Batllo August 2015
          • Casa Pedrera (Casa Mila) August 2015
          • A Short Exchange in New Orleans
          • Girona and Dali Museum
      • Salamanca Spain 2013 >
        • Salamanca Sightseeing >
          • Salamanca Cathedral
          • Plaza Mayor Salamanca Spain
        • El Corazon de las arribes
        • Ciudad Rodriego and Siega Verde
        • Through Portugal to Santiago de Compostella
        • Pena de Francia
      • Madrid Spain 2013 >
        • Art Galleries Madrid
        • Ambling around Madrid
        • Madrid Bullfight Ventas
        • Escorial and Aranjuez
        • Segovia
      • Salou, Spain, Home Exchange August 2015 >
        • Cistercian Route, Catalonia, 2015
        • Photos from Salou, Spain, Home Exchange, August 2015 >
          • Tarragona, Spain 2015 >
            • Castels (Human Towers) in Tarragona
            • Sant Magi Heads
          • Valencia Day Trip
          • Montserrat Catalonia 2015
    • Part 3: A Second Home Exchange in Stockholm 2014 >
      • Sweden Photos 2014
      • Mariehamn, Åland Islands, Finland >
        • Photos Mariehamn, Aland Islands, 2014
  • Costa Rica November-December 2013
    • Costa Rica Begins. AlteCocker Makes New Friends
    • Capuchin Monkeys on Kayak Trip Quepos
    • Sloth Sanctuary Near Limon
    • Costa Rican Hummingbirds Savegre
    • A Vist to Famous Matt & Jen in Puerto Viejo
    • Tortuguero, Costa Rica
    • Costa Rican Flowers/Lankester Gardens (Cartago)
  • Turkey: The Best Home Exchange Ever!
    • Off the Coast of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara: The Princes' Islands
    • To Eat in Istanbul Try "Istanbul Eats"
    • A Day at the Topkapi Palace with Photos
    • My Home Exchange Neighborhood in Istanbul, Cevezli
    • Cappadocia, Turkey, the Adventure Begins >
      • Alte Cocker in Cappadocia, July 2011 (Photo Gallery)
    • Why Edirne? >
      • Alte Cocker in Edirne, July 2011 (Photo Gallery)
    • Part 2: A Second Home Exchange in Istanbul 2014 >
      • Canakkale, Gallipoli and Troy
      • Three Days in Selcuk (Ephesus, Pamukkale) >
        • Istanbul Photos 2014
        • Photos from Selcuk Turkey 2014 >
          • Ephesus: Photos
          • Pamukkale and Hierapolis: Photos
          • Selcuk: Photos
      • Some Final Thoughts on Turkey
  • New Zealand North Island 2008
    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • Rotorura, Waitomo Caves, Lake Taupo, Tongariro Volcano
    • Cape Reinga
    • Bay of Islands
    • Kamo, NI, NZ Home Exchange
  • Miscellaneous Pearls of Wisdom from AlteCocker
    • So You Don't Speak the Language, Get Pimsleur!
    • Be Careful Whom You Travel With
    • Jewish Mormons? Only in America
    • Driving in Europe
  • Drumheller, Alberta: Land of the Dinosaurs
  • How to Get the Most out of Your European Trip Part 1
    • How to Get the Most out of Your European Trip, Part 2
    • A Modest Proposal to Solve Museum Overcrowding in Europe
    • Washington DC >
      • The 4th of July Fireworks in DC: NO!
      • How to Do the Smithsonian without Killing Yourself
      • How Not To Do a Tour of Washington DC >
        • A Short Exchange in New Orleans
    • How the Other Half Lives: The Hilton Waikaloa on the Big Island
    • Salzburg Marionette Theater: Not to Be Missed!
  • Theme Parks in Europe
  • United States
    • Sonora California March 17-April 2, 2017
    • Wolf Trap Farm Park: Theater under the Stars
    • Kalispell, Montana, Home Exchange October-November 2017 >
      • Dog Sledding at Base Camp, Big Fork, MT
    • Eclipse 2017
    • Mardi Gras 2019

You Are What? Going to Australia Again?

Picture
Sunshine Coast, OZ, 2008
The title of this piece is what Alte Cocker's friends say when she announces another Australian trip.  I've been 3 times in the last 5 years.  I am no longer stating "This is my last trip to Australia" because I never know if it is or it isn't anymore.  Australia is one huge country.  In fact, it's larger than the US, but, unlike the US, almost no one lives in most of it.  The current population is about 23 million.  The population lives around the edges because, for the most part, in the middle, there is no water.  The aboriginal population is very small and concentrated for the most part in remote areas.

Warning: You should now get out a map of Australia and New Zealand before reading the rest of this piece if you want to know where all the places are.

So, how did all my trips to Australia get started.  It was maybe 2007 when I heard from a couple in Kawana Waters, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.  Did I want to swap?  I wasn't sure.  It was the usual American response: "It's so far."  Of course, it's just as far for Australians to come to the US, but they come.  What I did is something that I had never done before.  I organized a trip with multiple exchanges.  I got a second exchange in an apartment in Brisbane--the apartment that will be forever remembered as "the one with the ants".  Ugh!  Then I got a 3rd exchange in Kamo, on the North Island of New Zealand and the trip began to take shape.  Airline tickets for something as complicated as this are always bought virtually simultaneously.  That way everyone locks in together and no one worries about, well, getting screwed, if someone pulls out.  After thinking about how I was going to do this, I decided to stop over in Fiji and stay in Nadi for a few days before flying on to Sydney for 5 nights and then onto my home exchange in Kawana Waters.  Brisbane is only a little over an hour from Kawana Waters, so that transfer was by bus.  From Sydney I flew to Auckland and met my New Zealand home exchangers at the Auckland Airport before their flight to the US.  I picked up their car there and drove approximately 3 hours to their home in Kamo.  Kamo, for those of you who know New Zealand (and those of you who do not) is in the Northland district of the North Island.  It is just Northwest of Whangerai and between Whangerai and the Bay of Islands.  Kamo itself has nothing to recommend it as a tourist destination.  It was a bed.

I returned home from Auckland.  It was supposed to be Qantas (aka "air delay"), but I was rebooked on Air New Zealand when Qantas got delayed.  I was still practicing law in those days before retiring into AlteCockerhood.  I remember staggering into the courthouse without sleep and having the judge say to me, "You're late Ms. Kahn."  My response was "You are lucky I am here at all."  When you fly home from Asia or Down Under and your flight is delayed, getting home can involve huge delays because there are not 75 flights on which they can rebook you.  If a flight gets cancelled in Europe, it's easy to get to the US East Coast.  From New Zealand, no.

So I figured I was done with Australia after that.  It it so expensive there it makes Norway look like a bargain.  Two years later, however, an offer came in from Melbourne and the deal was done.  I tacked on a deal in Christchurch onto it and that really was the last trip to Down Under, right?  The international itinerary was booked through Air New Zealand and the Melbourne-Tasmania-Melbourne flights were on the Aussie discount carrier Jetstar.

Wrong.

On my exchange in Melbourne, I did a side trip to Hobart, Tasmania for 3 nights--or "Tassie", as the Aussies like to call it.  I loved Tassie.  I wanted to stay for a long time there.  I wanted an exchange there.  Well, my home exchanger in Melbourne had exchanged with someone in Tasmania.  I think you already know where this is going.   A deal was struck and I tacked a deal in Canberra onto it.  Deals agreed to way in advance have a way of not happening.  Tasmania backed out due to illness and I was looking at a deal in Canberra--a town that has a deserved reputation for being boring (albeit with a lot of museums)--and nothing else.  The couple in Canberra was so excited about coming to my place (They had been to the area once before and couldn't get enough of it) that I just did not want to disappoint them by cancelling the whole damn thing.  So, I had the deal in Canberra and was forced into totally redoing the trip.  Up my information went on my home exchange pages again and I ended up with a deal in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, then Canberra, and finally central Sydney.  I never did get Tasmania because there were not a lot of homes listed there.  I thought I would have to go there on a hotel stay or bag it entirely.  As luck would have it, however, someone from Tassie wanted to exchange hospitality for 3 nights chez moi.  I ended up with a 3 night free stay in Hobart in return and spent the other 4 nights in rural Tasmania in hotels.  I took the Tasmania week out of the Canberra exchange.  And so the third trip was put together.  The international flights were via Qantas (no delays this time) and Sydney-Hobart-Sydney was done via Jetstar.  To get from the Sydney Airport to Canberra (and return to Sydney in the city) was done via Murray's Bus. 

I am not announcing for a 3rd time that "This is my last trip to Australia," because it probably isn't.  However, for a 4th trip I really want Cairns because I have not (yet) been to the Great Barrier Reef.  Then there is this guy from Perth who contacted me while I was in Sydney.  When I phoned him, he nearly fell over when I said I was in Australia and not calling from the US (I had minutes left on my Aussie cellphone, so what the heck?).  Who knows?  Cairns and Perth do not go together very well, but, again, who knows? (For the geographically impaired, Cairns is in the NE of Australia while Perth is in the SW--as far away as one Aussie city can possibly be from another).

Australia, it's a big country.  You can't see it all in one go.  Will I go again?  Definitely, if someone gives me a swap from Cairns in the Australian winter (July or August).  In summer it is too hot and there can be cyclones (pretty much the same deal as a hurricane) in Cairns.

Stay tuned for more on Australia and New Zealand in the future.

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