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Movie Marathon Travelling

Remember when you were younger and you went to movie marathon night at the local cinema?

I enjoyed many movie marathons in my time. You could wear your pyjamas and take your own food (way too much food), a pillow and a blanket.

While recently reminiscing about this post-drive-in 90s cinematic phenomenon, I started to see some parallels between a movie marathon and a long haul flight and I started to wonder why long flights can’t be as much fun as those old all-night movie sessions.

I am the first to admit that I find flying difficult, which seems weird considering I want to travel the world with my camera and laptop. I used to get sick on planes constantly when I was a kid. Each time I travel to a new destination, my mum recounts the embarrassing story of the time I threw up on the tarmac before the plane had even taken off. Needless to say, that memory is one of the reasons I don’t like feeling stuck inside of a plane for so long.

So, what are the similarities and differences between long haul flights and movie marathons?

Well, both certainly take a long time to get through. Although, one seems more about the destination and the other seems more about the journey. Ha! Perhaps reframing the flight as part of the experience of the destination instead of seeing it as a mundane means of getting there could help.

You’re in an enclosed space with a whole lot of people, although, granted, you can just walk out of the cinema, especially if the movie was too scary! So, no walking out of the plane, but perhaps semi-regular walks in the aisles could alleviate the gnawing feeling of not being able to leave. Let’s face it: technically, you should be doing some exercises for your physical wellbeing anyway.

 

What about those seats? Of course, it depends on the cinema and the airline and model of the plane. Or the class of ticket bought for either! Most of both types of standard seat feel fine, even great, at the start of the experience. But, something about sitting in the same seat for so many hours takes the shine off. Both get cup holders, but at least the plane seat can be reclined. Although, mixing up seat back position is probably not going to make the flight more fun. Perhaps this is, again, all about getting up for walks. That’s certainly part of the interval at the movies.

Now, I remember watching movies on the flight on a screen set into the nearest bulkhead, with everyone else in my section. That’s probably the closest you could get to the communal movie marathon experience. Still, it’s not ideal. I have a friend who disliked eye masks and couldn’t ever fully get to sleep because he was always compelled to check the screen every so often, especially when he heard people in his section gasping or chuckling together. These days, personal electronic entertainment systems set into the seat back in front of you make it easier to “switch off”. I don’t even want to imagine a future dystopia where systems like that are used in cinemas.

So, what else could be done to make flying more comfortable, more fun and break the monotony?

Maybe you could change into your pyjamas on the flight. Some people do. And let’s be honest: most travel/active wear is more casual and more comfortable than pyjamas anyway. Don’t turn up to the airport in your pyjamas, though. You’re probably not going to get a free upgrade in flannelette.

You could imagine you’re a teenager again, having a night away from your parents. They’ve dropped you at the airport like they might’ve done outside the cinema. And you’re free from homework and chores, man! If you’re travelling with your parents, then you’ll have to imagine extra hard, especially if your dad is right next to you, snoring.

Do you want some more rebellious fun? Pour a little alcohol into your cola and pretend you snuck it in there. It worked at the movie marathon. And it’ll be more of a rush if your dad is still snoring.

Travel with a large group of friends, book as many seats as you can in the same section and all pack popcorn into your hand luggage. Cue up the same comedy movie at the exact same time. Maybe you could achieve this last part within your section as a solo traveller if you’re very charismatic and persuasive.

If only there was an airline that ran its service like a movie marathon. And all the passengers just wanted to stay up all night, eat too much junk food, laugh at a big screen, throw popcorn and act silly. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but for this passenger, it’s a nice dream.

So, fellow travellers, how do you feel about flying? Love it, hate it? What are your strategies to make it more comfortable or even fun? I’ll write a future post detailing what I do to make it easier.

 

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Launceston’s Heart

For me, as a Tasmanian, the Cataract Gorge is the true heart of the city of Launceston. It is a breath-taking, naturally-occurring wonder carved by the South Esk River flowing into a tidal estuary known as the Tamar River. Whether the Gorge waters are peaceful or powerfully crashing in flood, it is always a beautiful spectacle.

I love showing my mainland friends around my beautiful city.

 

The Cataract Gorge Reserve can be accessed in different ways. For drivers, the main entrance is on Basin Road in the suburb of West Launceston with ample pay-and-display car parking. This gives visitors the most immediate experience of the First Basin, where the South Esk pools before moving to the Tamar.

 

There is also Gorge Road, which can be taken through the suburb of Trevallyn, ending in a very small car park on the north side of the reserve. This is great for dining at the lovely Gorge Restaurant in the evenings. Extra care should be taken, though, to avoid the nocturnal wildlife sometimes crossing the road.

 

From the city, walking access is via two paths. Cataract Walk is a steady, flat and sealed path with its entrance on the northern end of King’s Bridge. It is the most popular path, catering to all age groups and abilities and is close to the river. This makes it ideal for a leisurely stroll to take in and photograph the scenery. It ends at the Cliff Grounds, a shaded Victorian garden. Here, you’ll find beautiful lawns, a rotunda, giant rhododendrons bursting with colour, ferns, peacocks, wallabies, pademelons and the Gorge Restaurant.

Photographing one of the legendary gorge peacocks.

The second path from the city, the Zig Zag Track, begins on the southern side of King’s Bridge and winds through a bushland reserve on the opposite side of the river. It is a tough and sometimes steep, up and down hike, which suits visitors with a good level of physical fitness. The Zig Zag Track Lookout is a great place to rest and take in the stunning view before continuing on to the First Basin.

 

Whichever way you choose to enter, the Cataract Gorge Reserve is a wonderful space to experience. The cliffs surrounding the gorge and basin waters provide a natural amphitheatre-like environment. Indeed, many concerts were held on the grounds throughout the years.

There is an expansive grassed area, perfect for relaxing and recreation, as well as a swimming pool, café, playground, funicular and BBQ facilities. It is beautiful all year round, but, whether you choose the lifeguarded pool or the unguarded basin, I’d recommend swimming in the warmer months!

 

The reserve also boasts the world’s longest single-spanning chairlift, with the first span 308 metres long and the second span 149 metres long. Operating since 1972, it’s a great way for up to two passengers per seat to get another perspective of the magnificent surroundings and to take some unique photos. It travels slowly between the reserve entrance and the Cliff Grounds, single trips or returns.

Longest Single spanning chairlift in the world

As a kid, living in Launceston, I fondly remember listening to the radio coverage of a visiting circus performer, Alphonse Bugler, bravely tight rope walking the first span of the chairlift’s cable. He climbed down after that feat and made his return trip on the footpath!

There are many paths and tracks in and around the reserve. The First Basin Track is one of the most popular, leading to the Alexandra Lookout via the Alexandra Suspension Bridge over the river and on to the Cliff Grounds round the western edge of the basin. Photos on and from the suspension bridge are a must.

For more active and curious visitors, the First Basin Track can be followed past the bridge, upriver, to the Interpretation Centre at the old Duck Reach Power Station. Commissioned in 1893, it powered the city on its own from 1895 until 1934 (even after being destroyed by floods in late 1929 and quickly rebuilt by 1930). From then, it worked in unison with other plants, specifically the Trevallyn Dam Power Station, until it was decommissioned in the mid-fifties.

 

Even after travelling to many different countries around the world, I am still consistently amazed by what’s in my own “backyard”. The Cataract Gorge Reserve is so close to the CBD of Launceston, yet once you’re in the reserve’s embrace, the city feels so far away.

In addition to all the beautiful places and landmarks around the globe, I often wonder about other travel bloggers and how they feel about their favourite tourist attractions that are local to them. I mean, the Eiffel Tower is local to someone, right?

Let me know if you’d like to read about more places local to me. And share your favourite local places that you know international visitors would love to experience.

 

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Rain, Hail or Shine.

The BLUNT Metro umbrella is the best travel accessory I have ever owned. It is part of the company’s street range of umbrellas, perfectly suited to city life and therefore, not surprisingly, a life spent travelling to the world’s greatest cities.

Despite its obvious function, a travel umbrella’s most important characteristic seems to be portability. If it’s light and can be folded or crumpled small enough to fit in a small bag or pocket, then it serves its travel purpose. Of course, there has always been a compromise – durability and effective protection. I previously had an inferior travel umbrella and it was torn apart in minutes in a storm in Paris. My Metro has saved my freshly-straightened hair from driving rains in Cornwall and it has protected my pale skin from the relentless sun of Siem Reap (yes, I am one of those umbrella-in-the-sun people and totally fine with it).

The umbrella has a unique design, giving it the strength to withstand much more challenging weather combinations than those of a traditional construction. It offers shade when you’re somewhere there might be none, with specific models sporting a 50+ UV protection rating. It has been sized to offer the best coverage for portability. And teaming that with its rounded tips, it’s less likely to annoy or injure locals or fellow tourists.

As a traveller, you are always at the mercy of the weather. Sometimes, the only chance you’ll have to see that famous landmark you’ve dreamed about for decades is during a heavy downpour. Preparation is the key. A quality waterproof jacket and travel umbrella will help keep you dry and focussed on enjoying your days exploring the other side of the world.

What’s your favourite travel accessory? Do you have any other umbrella recommendations? Maybe you prefer travelling without one. Let me know in the comments below.

 

 

 

 

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The Country Race

I really love exploring the places I visit. However, I recently felt pressure as a traveller to make sure I keep up with other travel bloggers and visit as many countries as possible and add that growing number to all my social media forums. I can see that the goal of travelling to as many countries as possible is a great way to sustain motivation and that a little friendly blogging competition also helps. But could it come at the cost of genuine exploration and experience?

I don’t want to get caught up in a race to see as many places as possible, solely to put pins on a map, even though it is fun to record travels this way (I have a map at home and another at work). Taking photos and writing about my travel experiences has cemented my desire to slow down and experience as much as I can, in one visit or many.

So, with that in mind, I counted all of the countries I’ve set foot in. Then, I started to remove some from the list: those countries I didn’t intend to visit, the ones in which I didn’t stay, the ones that were simply on the flight itinerary. It didn’t feel right to include UAE just because I’ve waited a number of times in the Dubai airport for connecting flights. I didn’t want to keep India on the list because a technical issue grounded my flight in Mumbai (then Bombay) for fifteen minutes. Honestly, at first, I was a little disheartened by my current total. Was it the country race affecting me? I looked back on the 20 amazing countries on my list and remembered the time I took to explore each of them and how happy it made me feel to have that experience. I also realised how lucky I am to have been able to revisit many of those countries I felt deserved an even more in-depth exploration.

Now that I have taken myself out of the country race, I am concentrating on choosing travel destinations I am desperate to see and experience, not just what will create fast notches on my travel belt. I’m managing to live a travel photographer’s dream to wander aimlessly and capture natural life as it happens.

How do you record your travels? Photos, journals or pins on a map? Do you count countries or cities? Where do you keep returning? Let me know in the comments below and read future posts to see where I’m off to next.

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New year, new goals

I have travelled a fair bit in the past few years so people often ask me where I am going to next. If I don’t have a trip planned, then they ask if I am feeling ok! As a teacher, I am limited to the school holiday times and it is hard to get away to a far-flung destination when I only have 2 weeks’ holiday. But before I make plans, I like to set goals.

New Year is always an exciting time as I consider new goals, which I divide into those specific to the year and those that are added to a lifelong bucket list.

My current goals for 2018 are broken down into 3 categories: Physical, Travel and Home.

Physical

  • Surgery recovery
  • Half-marathon

Travel

  • More local destinations
  • A white Christmas

Home

  • House extension
  • More renovation

One of my physical goals is to fully recover from spinal fusion surgery, which I had in November 2017. It has been a painful and frustrating journey to date, but I am working towards being able to complete the Point to Pinnacle race in Hobart, Tasmania, which would be a great way to mark one year post-surgery. It is the world’s toughest half-marathon, starting at Wrest Point Casino and ending at the summit of Mount Wellington. I will only be walking as I am not yet the runner I want to be. I completed this race in 2015 in a pretty pathetic time but in my defence I was struggling with chronic back pain. I will work really hard on getting ready for this race and doing it in a slightly more acceptable time. Wish me luck.

Hospital Snapchat

One of my travel goals for 2018 is to visit Bruny Island in my home state of Tasmania. It amazes me that I have never been to this incredible part of the world when it is so close to home but I am committed to finally exploring it. I also want to see more of Western Australia and travel north to Cairns and Port Douglas. My major travel goal is to have a white Christmas, so I have been investigating house-sitting in the USA. I will report back on how I go with this as soon as I have made some positive progress. I would also love to find a travel-crazy family willing to host me there.

Home goals for 2018 include working on my house extension and renovating my lounge room. I have already completed three bedrooms and enjoy doing as much of the work as I can myself. I will write a post on my renovation journey soon and show lots of photos of the process.

My lifelong bucket list has a couple of new additions:

  • More crazy hotels
  • Flying in Hello Kitty planes

A few years ago, I made a list of weird and wonderful hotels I’d like to stay in and I am proud to say I have been working through them. I developed the list after seeing so many amazing and sometimes silly hotels on travel shows, in travel magazines and also my own research. I have managed to cross off a few so far and I am committed to eventually visiting all of them. Some of those on my list:

Marina Bay Sands – Rooftop pool

Bubble Hotel – France

One of my general life goals is to simply enjoy that feeling of being a kid again. With that in mind, I plan to fly on each of the Hello Kitty theme planes with Eva Air. I love all things Hello Kitty and can’t imagine a more memorable flight than one with staff dressed up in Hello Kitty attire. You might be thinking this is odd for a woman who is thirty10 years old, but I’m comfortable being judged for my fascination. I will wear my Hello Kitty t-shirt and earrings proudly on those flights!

So, what are your goals for 2018? To where are you thinking of travelling? Let me know in the comments below. And make sure to update your bucket list and see where your goals can take you.

2018 Goals

Eva Air – Hello Kitty Plane

USA

Heart Definitely Left

 

Tony Bennett said it best in his song I left my heart in San Francisco.

I’m going home to my city by the bay

I left my heart in San Francisco

High on a hill, it calls to me

To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars

 

My first impression of San Francisco was “where is everyone”. I landed on a Sunday morning from Sydney International airport thinking it would be a very busy city. I caught the train to the city, which was surprisingly easy, to find that the area surrounding Union Station was almost a ghost town. An Uber app error on my part prevented me from getting a ride so I asked a stall owner about taxis. I didn’t realise that America is so full of Uber drivers that finding a normal taxi now is very difficult. Add that to Sunday morning church and you have a lonely Aussie standing on the street for a long time waiting with tired breath. After watching the roadies for Nine Inch Nails bump out gear from the night before for 45 mins I decided to change to the other side of the road. This finally helped me to find a taxi driver who took me to my hotel.

Instantly you notice the steep hills. Car brake mechanics would be busy here. The entire city feels like a film set and as you walk the hills you are bombarded with architecture you are certain was in a film you have seen. The famous Lombard Street is incredible and it is amazing to watch the traffic spiral down the windy road.

I walked to the Painted Ladies, famously the backdrop of the Full House television show and many Hollywood films. The architecture at every turn is incredible and so unique to the area.The United States seems to have combined contemporary functionality with classic aesthetics. It evokes a feeling of nostalgia, just take one step into any diner and order a slice of apple pie to experience it yourself.

Love at first sight

I think the reason I fell in love with San Francisco was that I had researched the rich history of the area. Originally a Spanish mission, once the gold rush started San Francisco developed into a cosmopolitan metropolis. Gold, Chocolate, Fortune cookies, bread and that incredible Golden Gate Bridge were all elements of this extraordinary Harbour city. And let’s not forget those notorious cheeky prisoners.

 

http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/attractions/ggfortunecookie.html

 

Current Alcatraz Resident

Alcatraz

Things to do

Rent a bike and explore

Walk or ride across the Golden Gate Bridge

Explore Pier 39 – FREE

Boudin Bakery Tour – FREE

Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory

Discover the tiny fortune cookie shop in Chinatown

Ride on a Cable Car

Self-guided famous house walk – FREE

Take a ferry to Alcatraz

Take a Catamaran Trip with Adventure Cat from Pier 39 – $78 AUD approx

See the seals at Pier 39 – FREE

Adventure Cat – http://www.adventurecat.com/

I highly recommend this company, the staff were very professional and friendly. They were happy to chat, answer questions and take photos.

Although not a confident cyclist, I was thrilled to be able to explore San Francisco on two wheels. I loved my time and will definitely visit again.