Zika - the Godzilla that Attacked Tourism

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of all the fear mongering going on out there, and there's a lot of it. Between Daesh (ISIS), the "criminality" of Latinos, the Canadian axis of evil (yeah, that's an actual thing), Russian hackers, coed bathrooms and fake food, one can hardly take a breath anymore.

The Olympics in Rio was another theatre for consternation. Who wouldn't come because of fears of Zika? I can think of about a dozen reasons not to have gone, outside of the latest illness outbreak, but what do I know? Oh, yeah, right. I'm in a "Zika" country. And now there was an article on one of the news channels about where to go to avoid Zika. I know that health is important, but I really feel like we're always being led down this path of paranoia; that the media is making mountains out of mole hills, so to speak.

All of Ecuador has been black balled because of some cases on the coast. It doesn't matter that, where I live, high in the Andes, that mosquitoes aren't actually a problem. We don't have malaria, yellow fever or Zika - it's pretty safe to visit, if those are your concerns. Now, if I was an Olympian, I'd have been more worried about the sewage floating around in the ocean and rivers, about the pollution in the city, the dodgy drinking water and the pesky problem of an impoverished country pouring in billions of dollars when it's population is gripped with unrelenting poverty, or its environment being ravished for natural resources, which poisons the water further and adds to climate change. (You know, that thing that doesn't exist.)

El Cajas, Cuenca Ecuador

Don't get me wrong, the affects of Zika can be daunting, especially for those that are pregnant of with weakened immune systems. But, truly, this is a common sense issue. If you're pregnant or wanting to be pregnant - avoid areas with Zika. If you have a weak immune system - avoid areas with Zika, but if you're healthy adult, you'll most likely be okay. Use bug repellent and cover up at high risk times.Think about all the virus outbreaks that have caused panic around the world: SARS, avian flu, Spanish flu etc. What have you heard of them lately? Not much. Malaria has been around forever and people still travel to places that are hot spots, even though there still isn't a cure for it.

English Bay, Vancouver, Canada - No Zika there

I guess I'm biased. The South American countries that are affected rely heavily on tourism. They can little afford to have that stream of income cut off because of mostly unwarranted fear. I concede that nothing is more important than your health. (Trust me, I'm learning a valuable lesson about that as I type!). Yet, there are things that are worth a very educated risk So do your homework...I'm not a doctor, but Zika isn't high on my worry list, to be sure and then get out there and see this amazing continent!

What We Learned About Traveling

As you can tell, it was a rather epic adventure for us and we learned a lot. It was a surprise to find out that we still had lots to learn about travel, especially when it comes to booking things online.

Yay! We did it...completed an epic 3 month  adventure

What did we learn? 

1. If you book through a third party, you won't get any customer service from anyone. From now on we'll book directly through the airlines and hotels, unless the third party deal is truly unbeatable. (Side note: the tip is to book the window and aisle seat, if you're couple, to try and get the row to yourself actually works, more often than not.)

Airports - you'll learn to hate them

2. Budget airlines aren't worth it. We flew Air Asia and paid for everything: checked bags (because our carry on was over their 7 kilo weight limit), our blanket for our overnight flight (you have to rent it), all food and beverages (you can't bring on "outside" food on their flights), our seat selection (actually getting an assigned seat cost us, whether online or at the airport). If you wanted in-flight entertainment you paid for the programs and if, heaven forbid, you were tech-less, you could rent a tablet from them. Did I miss anything? Oh, yeah, we paid extra to get a full bank of seats each for our overnight flight, but that was actually worth it.

3. Membership has its privileges. We joined the hotel websites and garnered a lot of extras: discounts, free WiFi, breakfast included and even free drinks. We also joined LATAM, a South American airline and have already collected enough kilometres to get to the Galapagos and back.

4. Long haul flights suck. Next time we might consider staying in the layover city for a few days, just to get out of the airplane and get a decent night's sleep. This, of course, is dependent on price, but for such long trips, what's a bit more money?

Lower has my clothes, upper the tech stuff

5. You can travel for long periods of time with just carry-on luggage.  Was there a point where I thought to myself "if I have to wear this one more time, I'll lose it", but it was fairly early on and then went away. That whole thing about "bring half the stuff and twice the money" is fairly accurate - but maybe triple the money, if you're visiting Australia.

Wine, happily, is affordable in Australia

6. WiFi is, apparently, not something that all airports feel is necessary to serve their clients - even those that have an 8 - 12 hour layover in their facility. (At least not free WiFi.) This is unacceptable. There are also hotels out there that feel you should pay for WiFi - also completely unacceptable. (I know - first world problem.)

Wombat...just 'cause it's adorable (& wild)

7. Seeing animals in the wild is WAY better than seeing them in captivity. Comparing my animal encounters from Australia and Thailand makes me appreciate, even more strongly, how wrong it is to keep wild animals in cages and pens. I would rather pay $100 for a chance to see something in the wild than $10 for a guaranteed sighting  at an animal's expense. (Yes, this even applies to the cassowary that I never did catch sight of.)

8. Last, but certainly not least: travel is always worth it, despite the money, hassles, general travel misery, you can't go wrong seeing the world. It makes me more open minded and appreciative of the life I have.

Magnificent Melbourne

Hosier Lane street art

Despite a shaky start - in the form of a strained back - Melbourne has impressed us. Maybe it's the clear blue skies, plethora of dining choices or the similarity to our old home, but we like it here.

Sunrise hot air balloons over the city

Portrait Building - (William Barak)

Closer up. You don't notice it until
you've got some distance.

We haven't come across a meal that we didn't love, wine that didn't sit well on the palate or any surly locals wondering why we were wasting their time.

Sashimi!

And a little Maki

Duck soup

Steamed bun with duck and greens

Duck thigh in soy broth

The city seems to have a reliable transit system, they worship at the alter of good food and have a passion for the outdoors that rivals Vancouver. In a nutshell, we feel at home. That's not to say that there aren't issues. Melbourne is expensive. My lunch yesterday was $20 just for the chicken burger. Sure it had beetroot compote on it, but let's be honest...that's a wee bit pricey. We made up for it by ordering $10.80 worth of sushi for dinner, but we'd likely impoverish ourselves eating out here.

Sights along the South Bank

Web Bridge

Tallest building in Melbourne The Eureka Tower
A whopping 91 floors and almost 300 metres (1000 feet) high

The city is filled with green space,  over the top architecture and people. It's a busy young city with waves of pedestrians, cyclists, skate boarders and drivers. The flow of people is truly amazing, even coming from Vancouver. We don't know what they're all doing, where they're going or why they've conglomerated downtown, but there's no doubt that the city is full.

Wild Cockatoo

Weeping Pines

I have no idea who this is

Pond at the Botanic Gardens

Fall flowers

Egret, Ibis, White Crane???

The style here is casual chic, or chic casual. You'll see men in suits, but with runners on or women in jeans and a tee, but sporting heels. There's a noted lack of neck ties and an abundance of baggy shorts, flip flops and floppy "tourist" hats. There is not shortage of brilliantly coloured hair, either. Short of running up to people and snapping their photo, I'm lacking the evidence, but it seems that blue, purple, bright red, yellow, orange or green hair (or a combination thereof) is perfectly acceptable here. 

Fitzroy Garden district

St. Patrick's Catherdral

More iron work

Penguins at St. Kilda

They hide amongst the rocks

Melbourne skyline from St. Kilda

Luna Park

 It's hard to believe that our sojourn here is over and that we're heading off to the wilds of Tasmania next. Until next time, enjoy a selection of photos from Victoria Market.
 

I miss three for a dollar!

But you can't knock the cheese selection!