The Perpetual Tourist

When I was a junior in college, I had the opportunity to travel to Australia with my interterm class. Interterm is the three-week session in January at my alma mater where students can either get a dreaded requirement out of the way quickly, or go on trips or take a class that can’t be offered for a full semester (I got to take a swordfighting class my freshman year). One of my history professors took a group of kids to Australia each year, and I was lucky enough to be one of those kids.

If you want to get to Australia, this is a great way to do it. Traveling in a group made it much cheaper than going on my own, and going with a prof who’d been twenty times already was great, because he pointed out all the little things we might never have noticed as novice tourists of Oz. Our group spent time in Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne, and we packed more into our time there than the Travel Channel could fit in a six-hour miniseries. For now I’m just going to focus on a few of the little things that you may not think about seeing or doing that made my time in Sydney spectacular.

Paddy’s Markets

People who like to shop will want to set aside a whole day to spend at Paddy’s Markets. If you’re not a real shopper, maybe four or five hours will be enough for you. Paddy’s is part mega-mall, part flea market, and it’s HUGE. I literally spent a whole day there and saw maybe 50% of it all. In the lower area, vendors set up booths and tables just like a flea market, and sell everything you can think of — food, clothes, souvenirs, jewelry, and so much more — all at very reasonable prices. When I was there, the US dollar was worth two Australian dollars, but now the currencies are trading almost one for one. Still, the prices are low and you’ll be able to stretch your spending money at a place like this.

Opals

Australia is famous for its opals, and once you get there, it will be impossible to miss all the stores selling the gorgeous gems. These make a great gift for loved ones who don’t get to make the trip with you, so keep that in mind. When you buy any high-dollar item in Australia, you will be charged the local taxes, but you can get a special receipt from the stores that allow you to recover this tax money when you leave the country (if you are not an Australian citizen, that is). Remember when traveling with opals that they are very fragile gems — pack them carefully.

Boulder opals and black opals are the deeply colored, dark stones you’ll find. These are much more rare than the white or milky opals typically seen in jewelry. They will be more expensive, but they’re cheaper in Australia than anywhere else, so if you want them, this is the place to buy. I had a very good experience shopping at Flame Opals in Sydney, but there are plenty of other opal vendors all around. Do some comparison shopping before settling on the first thing you see, because there are so many choices!

Indian Food

Australia has a large population of Indian people, and there are lots of Indian restaurants all over Sydney. The food isn’t Americanized like it is in the Western hemisphere, and I’ve had few meals in my lifetime as delicious as the Indian food I ate in Sydney.

Keep in mind when you dine out anywhere in Australia that tipping is not expected like it is in the US. Tips are always appreciated, of course, but servers are actually paid real wages and restaurants do not put this burden on their customers. A 10% tip is very gracious, and is about the most that would be appropriate for good service. If you are dining with large groups, tips are somewhat more expected, however.

Wine

Australian wine isn’t exactly world famous like French wine or Napa Valley wine, but Australia is the world’s 4th leading wine exporter. According to a coach (not “bus”) driver I had on a tour, Australia only exports the worst of its products — Foster’s, Kylie Minogue, and its bad wines. (His words, not mine.) In other words, just because you haven’t found good Australian wine elsewhere in the world, that doesn’t mean you won’t find it in Australia. I definitely recommend sampling the local wines when you dine out.

Sydney is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I hope one day I can afford another trip back. Maybe I should get in touch with my old professor and see if he’s accepting applications for chaperons. I’d recommend it to anyone who has the chance to visit. Of course you’ll want to see all the things the city is famous for, like the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, and all the beaches, but you’ll be shortchanging yourself if you skip over all the little things that give the city so much flavor.

Enjoy your trip down under, and please bring me back some opals:)

I’m in the middle of an extended stay in Oregon, which has quickly become my home-away-from-home. I came here for the first time just six months ago, but I have the benefit of a knowledgeable personal guide. My husband grew up here, and through his work with FedEx, has memorized every back road and corner of this state. He shows me new things every day, though, and I feel like he could write this blog for me and keep it totally fresh without ever talking about anything other than his home state. Today’s will be an Oregon-inspired but not Oregon-specific post.

I’ve learned that Oregonians love their wind sports. Wind surfing is huge on the lakes, rivers, and the Oregon coast in the summer months. It looks like a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to my chance to try it, but on Sunday I witnessed a popular Oregon activity that I didn’t even realize existed: paragliding. I’ve seen parasailing and I’ve seen hang gliding, but this was new to me, and I instantly wished I could join in the fun. Of course I’ll need to get an anti-anxiety prescription first, but it is something I’d like to try one day. For now, I just watched from the beach below in Oceanside, Oregon as paragliders kept launching themselves off a cliff above and drifting peacefully down to the shore where I stood.

It looked a lot like you were at the mercy of the winds, and I was very nervous that someone would get thrown back into the side of the cliff, or blown out into the ocean, or stuck in a tree high out of reach of rescuers, but despite my worries, everyone made it safely to the ground in basically the same spot, meaning they must have all had a good deal of control over their flights.

Paragliders soar to heights several thousand feet above the ground while harnessed into the glider in a seated position. It looks much more comfortable than hang gliding, which was also going on above me this weekend — the two activities seem to go hand in hand here on the Oregon coast. Instructional classes are available for paragliding newbies, as well as tandem flights for those who don’t feel entirely comfortable piloting their own gliders so high above solid ground (that’d be me).

Curious about what it takes? According to some information I’ve gathered on the sport, paragliding does not require nerves of steel or incredible fitness. Most who’ve experienced it say that any fear of heights or fear of falling dissolves as they take flight for the first time. Furthermore, beyond the ability to run a few steps at your launch, the physical requirements for a successful flight are minimal. Landing a paraglider should not involve hard impact, and steering is more about finesse than strength. Keep in mind, though, that your gear will weigh approximately 25 pounds.

Paragliding is not like skydiving. Skydivers use their parachute to decelerate as they fall groundward, but paragliders are designed to maximize air time, with some flights lasting well over an hour as you glide on the wind currents. It’s not a fast thrill, but a ride you can savor. Depending on how you decide to approach the sport — either purchase a tandem flight package, or go through a training program for solo flight — the cost starts at about $100. I think that sounds totally reasonable.

If you’re not on the Oregon coast, there are plenty of other places paragliding is popular, like Aspen, Florida, California, Australia, and pretty much anywhere else in the world with nice views.

Ashland, Oregon is perhaps the most romantic place I’ve ever been. The small town doesn’t sell itself as a couples’ destination, and I certainly recommend visiting the place with or without a significant other, but for a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, I can’t think of a better place to be.

The town is featured in the latest edition of 1000 Places To See Before You Die. So what is there to see? Ashland is a popular tourist destination because of its plays. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival lives in Ashland, and on any given day, you can see a Shakespeare classic or some other genre of performance from musical to comedy to experimental theater at one of Ashland’s three main theaters, including the gorgeous outdoor Elizabethan Theater, open in the summertime.

Getting around Ashland is easy, and you won’t need a car to see the sights here. Everything is within pleasant walking distance from each of the town’s many places to stay. Ashland has only one major hotel, which is a nice place to stay for sure, but for a slightly higher price, you can stay in a truly delightful bed & breakfast. A friend introduced me to the Peerless Hotel, which is really a boutique hotel/bnb, in an old and beautifully decorated house. Each room is different and uniquely wonderful. But good luck snagging a room here — that will be difficult now that the Peerless is recommended not just by some travel blogger, but also by the 1000 Places To See book.

As you walk around Ashland, you’ll pass dozens of boutiques and shops selling things like handmade jewelry, Buddhist accessories and decorations, and lots and lots of artwork. The town has a very hippie feel to it, and shopping here is about as far from mall shopping as you can get. Perhaps the most beautiful part of the town is Lithia Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a gorgeous place to take a stroll and soak up some sun, but don’t leave without drinking from the Lithia water fountain. Water from Lithia Springs is rich with minerals and drinking from the fountain is said to improve your health. In truth, the water is rich with sulfur and smells just like a wet fart. It tastes only slightly better. Still, it’s part of the Ashland experience, so hold your nose and drink up!

This tiny mountain town has plenty to see and do that you could enjoy an entire vacation without leaving the town limits — but you simply can’t do that. With Ashland’s proximity to Crater Lake National Park, it should be a crime to visit Ashland without making at least a day trip to Crater Lake. The park is open year round, and park employees work hard round the clock to keep the roads paved up to the visitor’s center, but there are points in the year where the actual lake itself is only accessible by snowshoe or ski. I visited on May 2, while most of the park was under 11 feet of snow. Still, the roads were plowed all the way to the rim (but not around it), and it was not a cold day, so it was relatively easy to get up to the rim, and the weather was actually quite enjoyable.

I always thought the phrase “take your breath away” was hyperbole, but my first live glimpse of Crater Lake quite literally stole my breath. Pictures simply do not capture it adequately (still, here’s a picture). The lake, which, at over 1,900 feet deep is the deepest lake in North America, is fed only by rain and melting snow, and is allegedly the cleanest body of fresh water in the world. The water is a stunning deep blue, and the mountain and clouds above it reflect so clearly and completely off the surface that it’s like looking in a mirror, only somehow even clearer.

If you visit Crater Lake in the summer months, you can drive around the entire rim and stay at the Crater Lake Lodge, a resort hotel overlooking the lake 1,000 feet below. If I were to write a book called 1 Place To See Before You Die, it would contain one entry, and that would be Crater Lake. It is absolutely stunning, and you simply cannot understand the experience until you see it for yourself. So go, see it for yourself!

What do you call two days of rain in Oregon?

A weekend.

I got that one from a local in Portland who then assured me that it doesn’t always rain in Oregon.  Sometimes it snows.  Nevertheless, I still say it’s beautiful here and there are lots of things worth getting a bit wet for.

When you come to Oregon from far away, the only easy way to get here is through the Portland International Airport, which has a lot of tourist appeal itself.  With art and unique architecture filling every part of the building, it’s certainly the most interesting airport I’ve ever seen. 

Once you’ve landed, you won’t need a car to experience Portland.  The city has a great public transit system that runs on biofuels.  Take the light rail or a streetcar to the hotel of your choice, and then plan to take in the rest of your vacation on foot.  The mostly flat geography and the numbered streets make the city very pedestrian friendly.  Just be sure you have a good raincoat, and don’t bother blow drying your hair.

The first place I visited in Portland was Powell’s Books.  All the locals told me I had to check it out, that I’d never seen anything like it.  Well, I have seen something like it, but I admit you don’t come by a bookstore like this just any day.  Powell’s is a three-story sprawling mammoth of a new & used bookstore, and they claim to have everything.  They didn’t have the two titles I was looking for, so no, they don’t have everything, but if I had been in the market for something a little less Virginia-regional-history, I probably would have found it at Powell’s, so I won’t let that sour my impressions of the place.  It’s great.  Go there when you go to Portland.

Aside from the rain, I can’t think of a good reason why you would possibly want a car in Portland.  As you walk the streets of the city, you’ll find some of the friendliest locals in America, a plethora of cafes and pubs at which to rest your walking legs, and best of all, the Horse Project. 

The sidewalks of Portland date back to the nineteenth century, and hundreds of iron horse rings remain from days when folks used to park their horses instead of their cars.  A local artist started the Horse Project as a way to get people to take notice of this piece of history by securing tiny plastic horses to the rings all over the city.  They’re not so numerous that they’re obvious — you still have to look for them — but there are enough of them that pedestrians who keep their eyes peeled will surely spot a few of them.

As a big city, much larger even than Oregon’s capital city of Salem, Portland has plenty of things to see and do, from professional sports and museums to fancy restaurants and nightclubs, but it’s Portland’s beer that separates the city from other metropolitan centers. 

You can’t walk two blocks in Portland without passing a pub, most of which are independent and many of which offer unique microbrews.  The local king of beer is McMenamins, which also makes its own wines and distills its own liquors, but the locals I met directed me to Hedge House, a pub that is literally a house, right in the middle of a residential area, which serves New Old Lompoc brews and some of the tastiest pub fare I’ve ever had.

With everything to see and do (and eat and drink!) in Portland, it’s a great city to visit for a few days.  But when you’ve had enough of the big city, it’s only a short trip to one of Oregon’s many natural wonders.  Wherever you’re headed in Oregon, though, don’t just fly into the airport and skip town immediately.  Portland is definitely worth some of your travel time.

It’s more than a little ironic that right after I write about healthy vacationing, I leave for my trip with something I definitely didn’t plan to bring with me — the flu. Being sick on an airplane is no picnic, but being sick in a car on a 10-hour drive in the middle of nowhere is worse. No rest stops, no comfort, no end in sight. Getting here was not easy, but we made it to Reno yesterday morning, and I’m feeling a lot better now, so I’ll spare the details of my illness and focus on the highlights of the journey.

Oregon is one of just a handful of states in the US that I’d never visited. McKenzie grew up there, and has seen every piece of the state working as a FedEx driver over the past decade. The two of us met on the bridge circuit, fell hard in love, and he left Oregon behind to join me in Virginia. He says he loves it in my home state, and I believe him, but his homesickness is obvious most of the time. I’ve been looking forward to my first trip to Oregon for a long time. He has a lot of great things to say about it, and not a day goes by that he doesn’t tell me about the places he wants to show me. With all this talk over the past several months, you’d think I would have been prepared for what I would see.

We landed in the Portland airport just before midnight on Christmas day. It was cold and wet outside, and I couldn’t really see much in the dark anyway. We drove to his parents’ place in Salem that night, and left the next morning for our 10-hour drive to Reno. My first real glimpse of Oregon came on Wednesday morning just after a light snow had painted the hills white. I didn’t honestly expect the beauty to live up to all of McKenzie’s wistful testimony, but so far Oregon was exceeding my expectations.

We were only on the interstate a short while before exiting for Route 58 through the Cascade Mountains. The road was icy and I was sick, but all of my worries evaporated as I looked out the window of our van at the scenery we were driving through. There are lots of sights in Virginia that are breathtakingly beautiful, and our state’s rich history and visual appeal are well documented. However, most of the best views are off the beaten path, and you sort of just have to know about them. Driving along the highway back home is pleasant enough, but I had no idea you could see such amazing landscapes along any roadside until we hit Oakridge, Oregon, a little over an hour into our drive.

The Middle Willamette River runs alongside Rt. 58 as you drive into the mountains, and the Douglas Firs were covered in snow like I’ve only ever seen in paintings before. Every couple of seconds, I excitedly pointed out things to McKenzie that he has seen a thousand times before. “Z! Do you see that?! Look over there! And there — oh my god, this is beautiful. Oh, wow.” These were the only words I was able to get out in the times that my jaw wasn’t hanging down in my lap. I’ve been moved to tears by beauty in literature, film, and music in the past, but this was my first experience where nature did it to me.

For the first time, I really grasped why McKenzie was so homesick, and how much I must mean to him, that he was willing to leave this behind for me. It was overwhelming, but in the best possible way. When a downed tree blocked our path and we had to stop for a bit, I wasn’t even frustrated. I was happy for the opportunity to get out of the car and take it all in, and figure out how to work my new digital camera.

Even though the flu made me more uncomfortable than I can remember ever being in my life for 90% of this long drive, the scenery along this stretch of road is enough to easily put this trip among my all time favorites. Now that I’m feeling better, hopefully I’ll have some fun here in Reno before turning around for the drive back next Tuesday. I’m studying up on gambling strategy today… Check back soon to see how that works out for me on the casino floors.