empty nest blog Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

These Koalas and Kangaroos in the Blue Mountains are Amazing and Magical!

July 8, 2016 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

What comes to mind when you hear “Australia”? I’m betting that Koalas and Kangaroos are at the top of the list, along with the Great Barrier Reef and the Opera House. Australia has so many creatures who appear only on the Australian continent, and that alone makes these animals special…not to mention adorable. And they truly are adorable.

On my tour of the Blue Mountains with Blue Diamond Luxury Tours our last stop of the day was at an animal sanctuary. Many of the animals are not able to go back into the wild, though some are born onsite. To see Koalas (they aren’t bears, they are marsupials), Kangas, Wombats, and Wallabies is a rare treat. Just watching them brings joy!

koalas, kangaroos, magic — Yum. Love those Eucalyptus leaves! They eat 2 and a half pounds of them a day!

koalas, kangaroos, empty nest — Koalas have one main interest: eucalyptus leaves.

blue mountains, wombats, empty nest — Yellow foot kangas have pretty yellow tails and feet

Here are some awesome birds!

A Glorious Day in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

July 6, 2016 By Tam Warner 4 Comments

empty nest travel, blue mountains, australia — The Blue Mountains Jamison Valley, larger than the Grand Canyon, is thick with sixteen species of Ecualypt trees. It is known as “the Valley of the Waters”.

As I carefully planned my itinerary for Sydney, I knew I had to have a day to visit the Blue Mountains. I have read several books where they figure prominently, their blue haze a romantic background to so many stories. The Blue Mountains definitely lived up to their romance.

Shying away from large tours and tour buses, I asked the concierge at the Four Seasons Hotel, who recommended Blue Diamond Tours, a small tour specialist, taking a maximum of fourteen people. Luxurious, specialized tours! One learns so much more from small tour groups where the guide can actually take the time to tell stories. Blue Diamond Tours picked me up at the Four Seasons Sydney at 7:10 a.m for a full day tour. They use Mercedes mini buses for transport, and they are as comfortable a tour bus as I have ever been on. Our guide was Mina, very outgoing and gregarious, telling the worst jokes ever! It was a fun tour with him, absolutely!

In keeping with a luxury boutique tour, our first stop was in the Blue Mountains for morning tea. After tea or coffee with scones, jam and cream, we were on our way to amazing views and cold mountain waterfalls. The Blue Mountains are so called because of the Eucalypt trees which thickly cover the valleys. The Eucalypts give off a bluish haze which is quite beautiful and ethereal. Our first visit was to the Three Sisters, a rock formation said to be three sisters who were turned to stone. The legend is an aboriginal dream time story, and you can get the details right HERE. I do love the story.

empty nest travel, blue mountains, three sisters — The Three Sisters, a rock formation in the Blue Mountains.

Close to the Three Sisters is Scenic World, in the main Blue Mountains town, Katoomba (meaning shiny in aboriginal language) a company which runs two cable cars over the valleys, and one train ride through the forest. They also have walk ways so you can get down into the rain forest. Yes, under the canopy in the blue mountains you will find a temperate rain forest! I was stunned by the beauty of the plants and trees, especially the tree ferns. Their foliage is so delicate! There also lives in the forest a genus of Dwarf Pine Tree which predates the dinosaurs. The tree has been found in numerous fossils.

After our walk and rides at Scenic World we headed to Katoomba Falls, one of the many waterfalls of the Jamison Valley. It was so cold and clear, just beautiful. The sun was in the wrong spot for photos, but I’ve tried! We then went to Flat Rock, now known as Lincoln’s Rock in honor of a climber who died tragically of cancer. The views from Flat Rock are gorgeous. While at Flat Rock I heard another tour guide talking about how the mountains were once under the ocean. He showed his group shells in the rocks, and demonstrated how the aboriginals used the red rock as paint. Fascinating!

Then it was off to a yummy lunch at a pub, and the second part of our tour. To be continued!

A Hot Mess on the Way to Sydney!

June 27, 2016 By Tam Warner 18 Comments

Hot Mess, Sydney, Packing — The beginning

On my way to Sydney! I have been so proud of myself! My packing actually went okay….it took 2 or 3 days, but I was very careful, followed my list, and checked everything off. Preparing for my epic month long journey has been arduous. I’m packing for two seasons, and have electronics, a cpap, camera gear, scuba gear, clothes, etc. A lot of packing. I made it though…in 3 bags. One to check, one to carry on, and a backpack.

So, granted they are very heavy, but really, I am about as good as it is going to get. So, off to the airport, a connection through LAX, then Sydney.

First, my flight to LAX was delayed. I called AA immediately and after a protracted conversation, was booked on Qantas, direct to Sydney. My first flight on Qantas, and my first flight on a double decker airplane. I’m on the top floor…the plane seems so big! That’s the good news. Typical Tam events soon followed.

I arrived at the Qantas Business Lounge, and settled in happily to charge up and work on my computer. I brought the wrong cord for my iphone. Then I spilled a drink. Then I went to put on my glasses (I cannot see without them, they aren’t for looks) and … no glasses. Shit! I went through my bags, compartment by compartment. No glasses. I left them somewhere, so I left in search of them. They were at TSA. Relief! On my way back to the Club, I stopped and bought a bag of chips at the Travel Mart. I paid my money and left without my chips. I went back to get them. I think this is the definition of a “hot mess”, is it not? I mean, I haven’t even boarded yet!

At this point, I am going to sit here quietly and hope I get to the gate without incident. I’m taking my roaming gnome as a good luck charm, so I can wander wisely! I will check in from Sydney!

travelocity, packing, sydney, empty nest — The Roaming Gnome….Wander Wisely!

hot mess, chicos, fashion — I was so comfortable and happy with my awesome fringe dress from Chicos! A perfect, and fashionable, travel outfit! Check out my bracelets and necklace from Chicos, too!

Check out Chicos!

www.chicos.com

https://www.facebook.com/LoveChicos

https://plus.google.com/+chicos

Instagram @lovechicos and Twitter @chicos

You’d also enjoy

Is There Ever an Age When You’re too Old to Travel?

Dory is My Doppelganger

June 20, 2016 By Tam Warner 22 Comments

Sometimes, I have to laugh when everything turns to …. . Since Dory is my doppelganger, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised! Don’t get me wrong, compared to 99% of the world, my life is awesome, and I have nothing to complain about. I have traveled in many countries, and I know that when one has food in their belly and a roof over their head, that is good fortune. Often, though, I do get frustrated with all of the shit that happens. I mean, everything is relative, right? A therapist once told me that I had a right to my feelings, that life was relative, and I should stop prefacing my feelings with “I should not feel this way because I have the most wonderful life”. Yes, I have a wonderful life, but there is still some rain in it. The fickle finger of fate (remember Laugh-In?) likes to have a little fun once in a while, pretty frequently actually, and my Guardian Angel gets very tired.

Now, everyone has frustrations. Everyone has issues. I am part of the rule, not the exception to it. I’m not even talking about big stuff…like my husband’s double lung transplant almost 3 years ago, or chronic pain, or depression. Just everyday stuff. Like being ADHD. Being clumsy. Being distracted, unable to concentrate, or being so focused and concentrated there is nothing else in the world. Dogs being crazy dogs. Falling into pet gates and getting 15 stitches around the eye. Putting popcorn in the refrigerator and milk in the pantry (I just did that one yesterday). Leaving the car running (yes, you heard me right, I have parked the car and left it running). My cell phone? Ha! I can never remember to take it with me, from room to room or when I leave my house. My phone insurance was actually cancelled because I lost the phone too many times. What is insurance for, anyway??? Now it won’t charge. It’s always something.

A friend of mine told me not long ago that I was the “Dory” of my scuba diving tribe. Well, I have to say that is pretty accurate. I mean, I have been known to get so excited that I try to descend with a snorkel in my mouth instead of a regulator, and forget to put on fins. You know, of course, that forgetful Dory is actually ADHD? She has all of the symptoms, and so do I, and that is why my friend sent me an article titled 9 Signs You’re the Dory of Your Friend Group. The only exceptions I have to the nine signs? I eat fish even though they are friends, and I rarely pronounce or spell anything wrong (I’m the original absent minded Professor). Everything else seems pretty correct. And I do speak Whale.

Dory, doppelganger, travels with tam — Who’s who here??

This isn’t new, but as I get older it does seem to get worse. In the last year I have been forgetting to notice my gas gauge, and I ran out of gas once on the expressway. Thankfully I have a hybrid and I was able to coast into the gas station! Talk about luck! I’m on the expressway and it starts to sputter!

As I ready myself for my epic Down Under and Indonesia trip, I find that I cannot even complete a thought before I start talking about something else. My brain is darting around so much that I cannot even speak. Or think. I exhaust myself. And I have to pack at some point. I am going on this trip solo, which is probably good, because I doubt I’d be able to handle another person at this point. Oh, shit, I need to remember to print all of my documents out. Should I do that first? Or pack? I don’t know.

I think I’ll go take a nap.