Cardiff NSW

On Monday, I decided to walk into Cardiff as I saw a used bookstore at the center of town when we drove through on Sunday. The walk was very difficult because of the heat and the hills. At one point I thought to myself "oh good...I'm going to have a heart attack on the first day I'm in Australia!"

An irregularly shaped suburb of Newcastle, Cardiff is located 8 mi west/southwest of Newcastle's central business district. Early Cardiff was a coal mining center and noted for its fruit growing, especially peaches and plums. In the early days produce was transported to Newcastle by horse and cart.

Cardiff is an older town and, like many towns in the U.S., the "downtown" area has several boarded up shops. Currently it has a post office, pub (hotel), real-estate agencies, take-away shops (take outs), tattoo studio, pharmacy, hair salon, small supermarket, a small used book store and a library.

I went into several of the shops and at the used bookstore I purchased a mystery book by a local writer. The book is set in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and Victor Harbour in South Australia.

The salesman described the author's writing as a bit dicey and wanted to warn me. I guess he thinks little old ladies can't handle "dicey". I started chuckling when he said that and thought about all the dicey authors we read at our book club. If he only knew!

I also visited the Cardiff Library where I found a book that I must look for when we visit the bookstores. It is by an author that lives in Australia and the book is not published in the U.S. Juliet tells me that they just opened a Borders bookstore in Newcastle. Whoohoo!!! You know I will have to visit there.

The main northern railway line passes through Cardiff and is located up a steep hill from the downtown area. It also has good bus service and I plan on checking that out and riding the bus somewhere. Hopefully when I do, I won't get too lost!

Climbing up the steep hills on my way home, one foot at a time, I saw a motorbike cruising down the street and then riding on the sidewalk. As I watched him, I realized he was delivering mail -he was a mail man! For some reason, I thought that was interesting.

Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I got back home. I took a cold shower and a long nap.

WELCOME TO SYDNEY

My plane finally arrived in Sydney on Saturday, 1:00 pm Arizona time and Sunday, 7:00 am Sydney time. My seat was a window seat, with 2 other seats in the row. There was a couple seated next to me and they ended up moving so I was lucky to have the whole row to myself. I was able to stretch out which made the flight a little bit easier.

Picking up my luggage and going through customs was pretty quick. It was exciting to see Scott & Juliet waiting for me! And surprise of all surprises, they had Krispy Kreme donuts at the airport!

We drove from Sydney to their home in Cardiff, just outside of Newcastle. I unpacked, we worked on getting my computer up and running and then we were all starving so left to get a bite to eat. Scott and Juliet are renting a 2-bedroom home in a quaint neighborhood with a picket fence surrounding their house (just like the picket fence in farmville!). It's a very quiet neighborhood.

We went to The Brewery which is located on the Newcastle harbour at Queens Wharf. The water looked very inviting as it was quite hot out. There were huge ships on the water along with smaller boats and even ski jets. On Wednesday I am going on a cruise at one of the Lakes.

I couldn't resist playing the pokies after we ate. Not a big surprise that I would be playing the pokies on my first day in Australia, huh? And no, I didn't win.

Juliet's family came over in the evening for a BBQ. I met her mum, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and the four children. Juliet's mum gave me a welcome basket full of fruits, lemon curd, jam and hand towels. We talked getting to know one another and feasted on grilled lamb and sausages. A very enjoyable first evening!

STILL ON U.S. SOIL

The flight out of Phoenix to LAX went without a hitch. The plane was small - only two rows but the flight was smooth and uneventful. Had a two hour wait at LAX and by this time I was already tired - 10:30 pm. Getting ready to board, everything in hand (my laptop/case weighs a TON) and then the large monitor overhead says DELAYED. Oh those magical words. DELAYED. After a few minutes an announcement was made that our plane was having mechanical problems and being serviced. We would board one hour late. After an hour, the supervisor came to the microphone and said that the fuel gauge was not working and they had one more thing to try and if that did not work, we would not be going to Sydney. After another long wait, the supervisor came back and said "Does anyone want to go to Sydney?" We clapped and all shouted out YES. So then the process of boarding started. The couple seated next to me were prepared. She had special socks and a special blanket, lamb fur on one side and silk on the other. It took them at least 5 minutes to get all arranged with their ipods, etc. Then the captain made the announcement that he was very sorry but the problem came back and we were not going. Disappointment, extreme happiness, and disappointment. What a roller coaster!

They gave us vouchers for the LAX Hilton. So here are 303 people all trying to catch the shuttle (which only seated about 50 people max) to go to the Hilton. Finally some people decided to take a taxi. I had been talking to a nice, young, good looking Australian boy so I asked him if he wanted to take a taxi. He said he was a very patient person and would wait for the shuttle. Earlier he told me he had no money and no credit card. So I was standing there, trying to figure out what I was going to do and I heard another couple say they were going to take a taxi. I followed them to ask them if I could share a cab but they were too fast and was already in a taxi. I pounded on the window and the driver rolled it down. I asked them if I could share the cab and they reluctantly agreed. Long story, short they were a very nice Australian couple who had been in the states for a month and on their way home.

So by the time we got through the Hilton line and I got my room, it was 3 am Phoenix time. United had given us a dinner voucher for $15.00 so I grabbed a sandwich as I hadn't eaten since 11 am and was starving. They did not give us back our bags that we checked so we have no clean clothes, toothbrush, makeup, hair brush, etc. Note to Scott and Juliet: Don't look at me when I get off the plane! I will be a fright.

I called Scott and Juliet from my room to let them know I would be a day late. I did not want them to drive all the way to Sydney and then find out I wasn't there. Our plane leaves tonight (Friday) at 9:00 pm. Hopefully, my next entry will be from Australia! See you all down under (I hope).

PACKED AND READY TO GO!

Well I did it. I was able to get 3 months worth of clothing into one bag and one duffel bag. Everything I read advises travelers that less is more so I am going that route. If I don't have it when I get to Australia, I guess that is a good excuse to buy it!

I fly from Phoenix Sky Harbor to LA which will take 1 hr and 30 min. and is a distance of 370 miles. I have a 2-hour layover in LA and leave for Sydney at 10:20 pm. It is a 14-hour, 30 minute flight and a distance of 7,483 miles. So that is a total of 18 hours flying time, and does not take into account the waiting time before and after the flight. I'm tired just thinking about it! I leave here on Thursday and when I arrive in Sydney it will be Saturday morning!

So, I have my clothes packed and even have converted some American dollars into Australian dollars. Thank goodness the Australian currency is in dollars and cents. The major difference is the $1 and $2 gold coins. Prices are rounded to the nearest 5 cents; so .97 cents rounds down to .95 cents and .58 cents rounds up to .60 cents. And of course the paper money is done in beautiful colors and the paper feels like silk. Foreign currency always has an unreal feeling about it.

So this is my last posting on US soil. My next posting will be from Australia. How am I going to wait 4 more days?

A NEW CHAPTER IN MY LIFE

Welcome to my blog detailing my 3-month trip to Australia, the land of down under. I hope you will enjoy reading about my journey and viewing the pictures that I post.

As most of you know, last Friday, January 29, 2010, I officially retired from Western Industrial where I have worked for 8 years. I don't think that has sunk in yet but perhaps when I don't have to get up early every day next week reality will start to set in.

I am starting a new chapter in my life by visiting my son and his wife in Newcastle, Australia. Newcastle's population is 265,000 and is the world's largest coal exporter, shipping out over one and a half million tons each week. Newcastle is the second-largest city in New South Wales. It offers high-adrenaline surfing, a spectacular view of the Pacific and easy access to the nearby Hunter Valley wineries and wetland reserves. Hmmmmm.....I might have to start drinking wine!


I have about 18 more days until I leave. I will fly into LA and then take a direct flight into Sydney, Australia. How am I going to get 3 months of clothing into one suitcase?????