Kimberley, Canada BC

Kimberley is a small town about 11 hours drive East of Vancouver into the heart of the Rockies and where I head for my 3rd house swap. This is good fly fishing country and will be quite different to my last 2 house swaps.
Bev and Brian leave me their home while they visit family and friends.
With less than a week before I leave and I am only now starting to finalise everything.

Last weekend I booked the flight and first nights accommodation in Vancouver.
I have been to Vancouver a couple of times before and it is well worth staying an extra day or to.
One of these days I will take some extra time and head for Vancouver Island as that is also supposed to be a nice place to visit, but not this time.
Since it is an 11 hour drive to Kimberley I will stop somewhere along the way.
I will take my sleeping bag and hiking tent so accommodation should not be an issue as there are plenty of camping sites and, just as important, it is summer.

I leave Melbourne on Saturday the 16th August (my birthday present to myself) and return back Saturday the 20th September. 

Finally booked another rental car today with unlimited Km's. I did book a car last week but cancelled it a couple of days ago when I realised that I would be doing more than the 3000km now that I am planning to meet my fishing mate Ron and  his partner Liz in Banff on the 11th. They fly to Calgary then bus to Banff and return with me to Vancouver, most likely via Jasper. Ron won't be doing any fishing but he will be able to listen to all my stories :)
This time I have my "ESTA" which is the Visa waver valid for 2 years into the USA, not that I am leaving the transit lounge, and I know the address where I am going to, and I don't think I need a Visa for Canada, so should be no issues with the flight this time!
I am taking my company laptop with me as there will be a need for me to do some of the more urgent things that should not wait the 5 weeks until my return. Unfortunately I have not been able to get anyone else to do the work in my absence. By the time my next holidays come around I will have to ensure that I have someone else that can do the work. In this case it won't be too bad as I will only need to log in at night so that should not interfere with my fishing or any sight seeing.
It will also help reduce the pain of all these urgent things that apparently get saved up until my return.
I hope I am not over the weight limit with taking my laptop ... I better check that part soon.

I have arrived at Kimberley after an 11 hour drive from Vancouver through the Rockies ... Great scenery.  Stopped at Salmo along the way and fished the Salmo river, caught a few small rainbow trout so have had my necessary fix for a few days.
Bev and a Brian gave me a tour of the house and shared this nice photo of a Brown Bear that they took in their backyard last week.  I hope I can get my own photo... Will have to keep a watch for him/her
I was on a nearby walk and met a man walking his dogs. He showed me the location where a Black Bear normally hangs out. That is less than 500m from the house on the walking trail. So I will have to do a few more walks to see if I can see him.

The local wildlife

The river in the back yard is called Mark Creek, and yes there are a lot of fish in it. I spoke to one fisherman that was going up the river and he said that he had caught about 15 for the day.

There is a doe and 2 fawns that hang around the neighbourhood. The street is a dead end so the traffic  is only local so they are not in danger of getting run over.

They are quite tame and you can get quite close to them

Every day there are dear to be seen on the side of the road.

Today it was a trip to Montana in the USA. The border is only 1.25 hours away.

The border crossing was easy with only a 5 minute delay getting through.

I drove to Whitefish and  Columbia Falls, and then onto a river called North Fork Flathead river.

The scenery was great and the river looked ideal for fishing. Several people were rafting but I suppose I have to learn to share. I did not spend all that much time fishing as my main aim was just to  have a look at the place and return in a few days time and camp there for 3 or 4 days.

Perhaps I will get a chance to meet one of those Bears. 

Now I know how to see the difference between the black bear and the grizzly, I just have to check their feet.

Perhaps tomorrow I will drive to the North Fork Flathead river that is on the Canadian side. It is also a long trip over a long forestry road. But I like these remote places rather than the places that everyone goes to.

Well I went along a few extra forestry roads... They are not well signposted, well that's my excuse for spending and extra 2 hours than really needed. I asked one guy if I was on the right road and he said yes. It turned out that he was wrong!

I eventually got to where I wanted to and it was a beautiful river and very remote, which is just the way I like it.

The river may have looked good but the fishing was not all that great. But I am more there for the scenery.

I got out of my car when I was on a small track leading to the river. Just as I got out of the car there were two lots of very fresh spoor. I suspect that there were 2 bears looking at me. I did not wonder very far from the car, and did feel a bit safer when I returned.

Looks a good place to fish - non caught :)

An old school mate (Alastair) visited from Calgary and stayed one night.

We talked about the travels we both had done and our future plans.

Alastair has plans of taking a year off work and traveling down to South America and thought I also may like to go. Sounds like a great adventure so may have to take a year off house swapping to go on a road trip. Alastair already speaks fluent Spanish so looks like I may have to enrol in a class when I get back to Melbourne.

I have been amazed at the wildlife around Marysville. There are a lot of dear that are resident in the town and a lot of them have 2 fawns. I see them everyday when going for a walk.

The second last day I went on my normal walk from the house along the Mark Creek trail.

I saw the black bear and it's cub for the third time. But this time I had no one with me to scare them away so was able to get a bit closer to take a photo. So cool to see the Bears.

Mule deer are seen roaming the streets

A beer in the woods - a few minutes walk

More animal photos in the Slideshow below....

Kimberley Photos Slideshow

Los Angeles

Los Angeles and Vancouver are the 2 entry points to America and Canada from Australia and NZ and I am sure I will be visiting both these locations many times in the future. In August this year I plan to be in Canada so will travel via Vancouver. I have been and stayed in the beautiful city Vancouver twice before but for now my stay in Los Angeles will be my first.
I depart Mexico on Tuesday and loose two days in my return to Australia, one through travel time, and the other crossing the date line. So rather than returning to work for the Friday I might as well stay a few extra days in LA so that I can arrive back in Melbourne for Saturday. That will allow me time to mow the lawns (I had almost forgotten about them) and perhaps adjust to the time zone, before attempting to work again... I wonder if I will cope?
How will I deal with all those emails, and all those things that have been put off until my return.
But enough of that, I must not think about such things while on holiday.
I chose a hotel close to the airport with free transfers to/from the hotel. There are plenty to choose from, just depends on your budget.
Driving is bad in LA especially during peak hour so the most obvious plan is to organise bus tours.

I managed to land, from Cabo, and get through LA airport and onto the hotel courtesy within 1 hour.
So was quite impressed, especially when I started off in immigration by standing in the US citizens only line, when he asked me for my green card I knew something was wrong. A woman was directing everyone into that line so I really don't think it was my fault! But I did not have any deadlines so the pressure was off, and perhaps the brain not in full working mode.
Never mind there were only 3 people standing in the non US citizens line, so not much of a time delay, it was off peak and only our plane being processed.

I have booked in for the "Grand Tour" of LA tomorrow. So will be quite different from being beside the pool, I am missing that already.
The Grand Tour was completed without issue. There were mixed reviews on Travel Advisor but it obviously depends on the driver and in my case I had a good one who gave lots of commentary.
We did have one small issue at the first stop in Venus Bay when one of the 12 passengers did not return to the bus at the nominated departure time. We waited an extra 15 minutes then left. So we don't know what happened to her. She was from USA so would not have any language problems in finding her way back home. The tour is prepaid so I wonder if she got back to the tour operator to arrange another tour.
We went and visited the main attractions and it gave me guidance on what I would do for the following day.
The last day in LA was back to Hollywood plus downtown LA, but this time using the Metro train and bus system, such a pleasure and so easy to use the trains and buses. After several a years of Melbourne attempting to introduce a system I still don't know how the ticketing works and just don't use it because of that.
The ticket for a day pass in LA was $5 plus a $1 fee for the first purchase of the TAP card.
I think in Melbourne the charge $20 for the purchase of a card which is very unfriendly for someone that wants to use it once.
Two days is enough time here this time, perhaps next time I may select somewhere closer to Venus Bay to stay as it looks interesting there despite all the homeless sleeping in very visible places

LA Photos Slideshow

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo is located in Baja California a State of Mexico close to California.

It is a tourist resort and famous for its deep sea fishing, golfing and time shares and plenty of people wanting to sell you cigars, jewellery and everything else.
Cabo is also famous for it's party boats and nightlife, something that is wasted on me these days.
The place is really buzzing at 9pm, and I think that is just the starting time.
Monica and Richard have a condo in Terrasol which is located close to the Marina and "The Arch"
The car was not needed as everything was in walking distance... But in my normal fashion I tried to see everything and go everywhere on the first days and have the blisters on my feet as a result, although I think that may be more to do with my thongs though, if I had of been wearing runners I don't think I would have got them.
I weighed myself before and after a walk and I had lost 1.5 kg so drink lots of water.
If you like the sun and heat and don't mind the humidity then this is the place for you.
This part of Mexico is relatively safe for tourist, but like everywhere you have to be careful not to get ripped off.
A lot of locals speak English especially those wanting to sell you something.
The beach is packed with people with all sorts of water sports available, including deep sea fishing.
Monica has heaps of documentation, which first looked too much, but I found myself often looking at it for reference.
The beach at the rear of the condo is deep water and only for fishing, the entertainment beach is 15 minutes walk away at Medano beach

Terrasol is the building behind the large boat on the left
Spot the seal riding on the back of the boat, after fish

View from patio to beach

Cabo Photos Slideshow

My first attempt at using the local white buses, called collectivo's, located near to the condo was not all that successful. I asked the driver if he was going near to the Walmart, and he waved me in and charged me extra because I was a foreigner. Normal fare is 11.50 pesos (about $1).
Anyway when we got downtown 1 km away he dropped me off and pointed to which direction I should go... He did not go anywhere near Walmart and I ended up walking over a km on my blistered feet. I saw later plenty of these collectivo's going to Walmart but they all have the main bus stops (including Walmart) written on the windows. I did not realise that at the time.
Now in hindsight, a week later, I may have been unfare to the bus driver... After he dropped me off I could have walked across a couple of streets and caught a bus going to Walmart. Perhaps that is what the bus driver was trying to explain to me.
The return taxi ride from Walmart cost $14 and I only had a $20... and of course he had no change :)
But I am a tourist and wanting to learn about the place. Not too expensive but a learning that you should have both $US and in smaller denominations as well as Pesos with you when you travel around. The local ATM dispense one or the other, just watch which output currency is in the machine.
Later on the week I tried again to get to the Walmart again, but I thought with a bit more knowledge. So I did manage to get on a bus that had Walmart on the window, but half an hour later I ended up going along a lot of dirt roads at 5km/hr as they were full of potholes and the bus has no suspension.
I ended up at the bus depot what seemed a long way from anywhere, so I obviously caught the bus that had already been to Walmart and was just returning to the depot. So another warning, just because the bus has Walmart written on it does not mean you are going there.... I got the next bus that returned me to the start. That was a good sight seeing tour and if you don't mind not knowing where you are or where you are going, it was quite exciting. The next day I figured out what side of the road I needed to be standing on to get to Walmart, quite an anti climax as I got there and back without concern. I had to get 2 buses to get back to my starting point but that was no problem at that stage.
Info that some other knowledgable tourist has written on the subject: Collectivo information
Today is a new day and the Collectivo's are now almost easy. I find myself having to advise other English speaking tourists that get on where it is going and what to do. Not very many on board speak English. Today I got the main bus that went to San Jose. That is about 45 mins away and cost 32 pesos each way. San Jose is much quieter than Cabo and definately worth a visit, even  if just to look at all the development along the way. There are lots of golf courses and resorts between the 2 towns. They are really magnificent resorts and on some beautiful coastline with warm seas, white sandy beaches, surfing and swimming.

Of course I am still managing to get at least 3 hours per day beside the heated pool. They serve drinks  and reasonably priced meals there most of the day, but I am content with being in the pool and soaking up the sun just so that when I return to work they will be able to see what I have been doing while they endure their winter.
I meet a lot of interesting people at the pool as most seem to go there at some stage to either eat or cool down. I get lots of invites to join others going out drinking or on their booze cruise but I am happy just to watch them all going past from the comfort of the patio. My bedtime is closer to 9 or 10pm rather than 1am, those days are past :)  Some may call that boring!

The weather and temperature is very predictable. Fine blue sky with 26 deg in the morning and 35 during the day, some call that perfect. For me it is a bit hot for sleeping at it is closer to 30 while trying to sleep and I don't like A/C units or ceiling fans.
They have about 10 days of rain per year and when it does rain it can be heavy and causes problems.
A lot of the resorts have desalinated water which is ok but if you want to drink water it is best bought.
Unlike in Australia and NZ where they manage to sell bottled water for whatever reason, since tap water is perfectly fine, here you do need to purchase bottled water for drinking.
Most of the shopping around the Marina and all the resorts charge you US$ rather that pesos, so you do need to have both currencies.
It is definitely an advantage to know some Spanish, or at least have someone in your party that knows it, that way you would make the most out of the place and perhaps seen with different eyes.

California - Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay is about an hour North of San Francisco and is a small fishing village.
This is my first return house swap, hopefully the start of many more
The house is located within a private golf course and has a magnificent view of the Bay.

View over golf course to Bodega Bay

Keeping an eye on things

California Photos Slideshow

I don't for one minute believe all exchanges will be this good as they really went out of their way in hosting me at their home which is about 30 minutes from Sacramento.
They live in a wonderful Delware over 50s village that has approx 7000 homes and includes 2 x  18 hole golf courses, and two village centres that have all the facilities and entertainment that you could ever want. Very impressive.

From Lincoln I drove to Bodega Bay with Janine's Honda RAV4, a perfect car for my trip.
I spent a few relaxing days at Bodega Bay trying to forget about work....
The views were fantastic and life was at a nice and slow pace.
At Bodega Bay I was introduced to their famous Calm Chowder soup, and had a few bowls.
I left Bodega Bay on Memorial Day and traveled 6 hours away into the Sierra National Forest to a place called Mono Hot Springs.
I chose this place because it was remote, had hot springs and had a nice river for fishing... Did I forget to mention that I bought my fly rod?
The trip to the campsite was on a one lane "road" but once there was a beautiful part of the country.

Road to Mono Hot Springs

The San Joaquin River was a nice size river, a little on the small size but quite good for fishing. This river like a lot of other rivers in USA is stocked with fish. There were a few other fishermen there but not too many. I caught a few but they were all small compared to NZ standards. All catch and release.

There used to be a resort on the bank of the river making use of the thermal springs. One resort still exists next to the campsite, but the resort on the opposite bank has been demolished. There still exists several spots where you can use the concrete lined baths which are topped up by the constant flowing natural hot spring water. They all are different temperatures ranging from very hot to tepid and all have great views of the river below.

On the first day, of a four day stay, a Bear arrived at the campsite. It was about 25m away from my tent. The campers next to me tried to scare it away but when it hung around they decided to relocate their tent closer to other campers leaving me all on my own. But I was not to worried as I slept in the tent with my pocket knife. I have a photo on my other camera and will download once I get access to a laptop.

On day 3 when I was fishing the river started changing colour from clear to muddy, then it started rising. Apparently they were releasing water and flushing out the river. So that put an end to my fishing on the river. I was stuck on the opposite side of the river from the campsite but I preferred that as I made my way back to the hot springs and stayed there for a few hours chatting with others. There was a bridge nearby so I could easily get back to the campsite.

The next day I explored the surrounding area and went to Florence Lake and Ward Lake. Ward Lake was very picturesque and there are a few campers that stay there to fish.

From Mono Hot Springs the intention was to spend several days in Yosemite National Park. The scenery was great and there is a nice river running through the valley .... But just too many people.
I had wanted to stay in Tuolumne Meadows but that area was not open.

So it was just one day in Yosemite to say that I had been there. 

Next I traveled to Markleeville where I stayed for a few days, and included a trip over the Sonora Pass. The river nearby was the East Fork Carson River. It was a nice size river with a lot of fish. But unfortunately even more fishermen. Every favorable spot had a car or two next to it with several fishermen. There was little chance of walking along the river, you had to go to a spot and stay there. It was the weekend when I arrived. I did catch a few fish here but that appeared to be more by luck. Like most rivers there is a technique for the river that I did not work out. If I was relying on my fish to live of I would starve.

On my arrival I took the last campsite and after that the Full sign went out. The weekends are very popular. The township of Markleeville doubled in size with all the weekend motor bike and street bike riders arriving for their days bike ride and to stop for lunch and one of several restaurants. It was a very nice and tidy town but not sure where everyone came from.

From Markleeville I went across the Sonara Pass to Dardanelle and the Stanislaus River. All very nice but the river was very hard to fish as it had trees on both banks.
My last destination before returning to Lincoln was to Lake Tahoe.
I initially did not think I would like Lake Tahoe but was impressed with the place. It was obviously geared up for skiing with Heavenly Village the heart of South Tahoe. My accommodation was in the BlueLake Inn, just a short walk from the Village. There was plenty of entertainment and on Friday and Saturday the village provided outdoor music from 5pm till 9pm.
MerryGold was the folk/country/bluegrass band that played on Friday evening and they were great, loved their music... Bought their CD to remind me later on.
I spent a lot of time on the private beach a few minutes walk from Motel. They provided a free beach pass as part of the package, and a small breakfast. They also had free wifi so I was quite impressed. The mid week costs were $35 per night so not all that much difference to the $20 per night I would pay for a campsite but all the luxuries.

On the Saturday night I had aleady pre booked at an alternative Motel. It was a dive and if I had spent all days at the Motel I may not have enjoyed South Tahoe as much.
From South Tahoe it was back to some more pampering from Janine and Donna before my departure from Sacramento to Cabo

Ward Lake

Yosemite National Park

Before my departure from Melboure... The story begins

John (my boss) has traveled through LA a few times and thought that I did not have enough time in transit between a International and Domestic as the queues in immigration can be long, but as soon as I got of the plane I rushed to the immigration counter and got to the head of the line. So his warnings of there not being enough time in the transfer did not eventuate and I was waiting for the plane to a sacramento with 30 minutes to spare. A lot of time for me. I could see how you could miss a onward flight though as if I was at the back of the line or more planes landed it could of easily been an extra hour.

The real adventure was at the Melbourne airport before my departure.

When I got to the counter they asked me where I was staying and I said I did not know, that I was being picked up. They said that they could not let me on until I could provide them a physical address. I check all my emails and I have never been told of the address of the Sacramento house or the Bodega Bay address. 

I got collected by Janine and Donna at the airport and they hosted me for a couple of days, so I had no need for an address, all I had was a phone number.

After about 10 minutes of standing at the counter, but letting others go past, and trying to find an address I came up with the name of an address of a property in Sacramento using Google Maps. I just got the street from the Map, added a street number and there it was. The lady Behind the counter thought it was suspicious but I convinced her that I had a pin placement on Maps and that is how I found it, and that I had been looking in the wrong place. I gave a valid street name and one that you would not suspect as being made up. It was 10 Waterwheel Lane.

So that was the first obstacle out of the way and of course by now I was running late.

So she proceeded with the creation of the ticket and then said that I did not have a visa. I said that I thought that I did not need one.  I did not realise that you had to apply for a ESTA which is a visa waver document, slightly different. That will last for 2 years so next time I come here I should not have to worry about it.

So then I was taken to another counter where they had a computer so that I could fill out the ESTA. So that was done and payment made so now I was really late but they did check my bags in. I was escorted through to the departure lounge going to one of the checkouts with no people, so that got me to the plane after boarding had closed, but still I was only the second last person on the plane.

So after all that I was fearing the worst for LA, and was trying to think of any alternatives.

Also bad in departing LA was the 45 minutes waiting in the plane waiting for our 1 hour flight to Sacramento.

I got collected ok and had no jet lag. I did not sleep on the plane so had been awake for a while.

The address that I chose ended up only one street away, so that was a good guess. I knew the house was located within a golf course so that did narrow the search a bit.

My Flight Itinerary:
Melbourne, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Jose Cabos, Los Angeles, Melbourne

Retirement and Home Exchange Planning

Retirement
I am writing this as part of my house swapping blog as I have spent several years planning for this event and I think it is worth documenting the various associated topics.
I had often talked about retiring early (at 55) and because I had well-paying jobs in the Engineering industry I was able to make some good financial decisions.  I feel very lucky to be in the position where I can support myself in retirement rather than getting a pension from the government but it has not been all about luck as I have worked hard over the years and don’t waste my money on expensive cars or staying in 5 star accommodation when a tent is all I need :)

House swapping
House swapping in my retirement is a way for me to spend the winter months of Australia and New Zealand in the northern hemisphere’s summer … I don’t like winters!!

It really started several years ago while fishing in NZ and meeting up with another fisherman from the US and chatting about how good life is being able to spend our time on the river fishing.  Even though I know how great it is to be able to fish in NZ on some of the best rivers in the world for fly fishing I knew I could not do that all year round and had to look for an alternative for my retirement. 

I am not exactly sure when I heard about house swapping but as soon as I started investigating it as an option for my retirement (for the winter months) I knew I was onto a winner. I was fortunate that I had an investment property in Christchurch that I had purchased several years ago for future use if I was ever to retire in Christchurch. House prices were very cheap compared to Australia so was not too hard a decision to make. 

It was my mom that purchased my apartment and organized everything for me as I was living in Melbourne (Australia) at the time and it was a year before I got to see it for the first time.
The apartment is perfect for house swapping as it is maintenance free, comfortable and perfectly located in a quite location perfectly located next to a major shopping center … thanks mom.

Two years ago (when I was 55) I removed my tenants and fully furnished the apartment ready for me to use it when I return to Christchurch from time to time and more importantly for me to use for house swapping.  Since that time I have only stayed in the apartment once when I stayed with some friends from South Africa that I traveled with around the South Island. When I return back to Christchurch I am not allowed to stay in my apartment and have to stay with my folks … so much for my planning :)

I started using my apartment for house swapping and I soon realized that this is what I wanted to do for the future and that I could get enough interest to have 6 months per year assigned to return exchanges.  The exchanges I have are all non-simultaneous which means that we can negotiate the dates for my visit at a later stage.  At this stage I have only had 3 wonderful exchanges and I am lucky that all the people that have already stayed in my place are really great.  Some of the people I exchange with will be lifetime friends and that has been an added bonus to the house swapping that I had not realized would happen.

AirBnb

Last year I felt guilty that my apartment was not used very much in the winter months, especially when there is a shortage of accommodation as a result of the earthquake in Sept 2010 from which the city has not yet recovered from.  I then had a new idea of using Airbnb to offer my apartment for rental to other travelers.  I had been advised about Airbnb from members of my TravBuddy site and had joined so that I might use it when I traveled.  It was very onerous to join so that gave me a bit more reassurance about making my apartment available to others to rent.  Also you could decline any requests if they did not have references or where I did not feel comfortable renting. Linking in my Google calendar that I used for managing house exchanges into Airbnb was great so that any time that I had assigned for house swapping appeared as unavailable in the Airbnb site. I would not like to use my apartment too much for Airbnb as most requests are for only a couple of days and the risk to renting it out to others is very high compared to using it for house swapping. But it does give me a bit extra rental to pay some bills and does mean that my apartment will get used.

Summary of time spent where:

My plan at this stage is to split my time between 3 main activities:

• 6 months per year house swapping in USA, Canada and Europe
• 2 or 3 months per year traveling with other TravBuddy members to remote locations
• 3 or 4 months per year in New Zealand camping and fishing.  

I may have to come back to Melbourne from time to time and spend some time in Christchurch.
I also want to spend more time in SE Asia but that can be at any time.

Financial strategy
Several years ago I created a financial strategy and keeping this up-to-date has been important as in Australia the rules around Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF) have been constantly changing.
There is a lot of knowledge on internet and even though the rules for each country are different the need to create your plan is so important.
You are responsible for your plans, not your accountant or your financial advisor, you need to understand how to make things happen and any limitations you may have.

TravBuddy 
This site that I have mentioned a few times is also an important part of my future.  There are a lot of nice genuine people on this site and it has been great to attend a couple of meet-ups as from these meet-ups you can find other travel partners. Most on the site have a passion for travel and photography and it is easy to form friendships.  I have already traveled through SE Asia with TB friends and have made plans to meet many others in the future.  Like Airbnb you can get references from others so can feel comfortable about meeting “strangers” although you can chat to any potential travel buddy just to make sure you are compatible.

So now I feel comfortable that I have the right strategy for the future both financially and what I will do in my retirement, both are so important to get right.

Last Month before Retirement

This deserves a special mention as the last month has been very hectic and emotional as I make all the necessary arrangements.  I spent way too much money as I know once my regular payment for my work stops and I only receive an income (pension) from my SMSF that I am less likely to buy things on a whim like I normally do :)

I bought myself a Surface Pro tablet (a very thin laptop ideal for travel) as I do not think I could survive a year without access to a proper computer and to only rely on my iPad.  A bought a new Sony A7ii mirrorless camera with a 24-240 lens (I get laughed at by my TravBuddy friends for not having a proper camera) and downloaded Lightroom which is a software program that I need to learn so that I can manage all the photos in the future.  
And just to top that all off one of my TravBuddy friends convinced me to travel to Antarctica in Feb 2017 so I had to put a 25% deposit on the cost of the trip.  I also got talked into going to Mongolia and onto the Trans Siberian railway through Russia but that did not take so much convincing.  So there was all my travel money buffer for next year gone!  Let’s hope I can keep all this gear safe and that it does not get stolen.

Mobil Refinery
My work is another thing that I struggled with as it is hard to leave a good job and one that I enjoy doing.  The money was not too much of an issue but it has always been good to just buy things when-ever I want and never really worrying about if I can afford anything.  I will no doubt miss the challenge of working and the interaction with everyone.  I think I was making a difference and the work that I was doing was quite unique and perfectly suited for me.  Only a couple of people at work really knew what I was doing as my main job but the one thing that most onsite will miss is the extra IT support I provided to everyone when they had problems as I was often the go-to man. Unfortunately there is a couple of hundred people on site and I did struggle to remember everyone’s name.
I have often thought of donating my time and skills to other organisations but for now the next few years are going to be about me.

Round the World flight

Now I am down to a couple of days before I take off on my round the world trip LAX-JFK-LHR-DXB-MEL.  From JFK (NY) I will be busing to Bangor in Maine (USA) where I will be generously picked up for the 3 hour drive to Saint John in New Brunswick. I will trying to bus where-ever I can as that will allow me to see more of the country side rather than spending time waiting in queues at airports.

Luggage

Tomorrow I will try and see if I can fit everything into hand luggage only.  The 2 weeks supply of clothes will easily fit into the hand luggage as I am packing summer clothes and not winter clothes.  What may be a struggle is packing my Laptop, iPad, camera, external drives plus all the other electronic and computer gear into the other bags attached to my body so that they are not included into the weight of the hand luggage.  You are allowed an extra handbag … it’s just that my handbag is a little bigger than most.  And I think I am allowed a “bum-bag” that does not get included … and I hope they don’t spot the small backpack that I will be wearing under my jacket. And of course my camera will be around my neck and not included.  I could just take a suitcase but I want to try and travel light and when-ever I take a suitcase I will pack it with things I won’t use.

There has been a slight change just one day before I depart. I read the airlines carry on luggage requirements and noticed that the hand luggage should be no more than 7kg. I thought that it was 7.5 and that they would often let you away as long as it was under 8kg.  
I have luggage scales so I know the weight of all my luggage, and mine was reading just under 8kg.
A few weeks ago I bought a small backpack for use some time in the future, it now looks like that time has come sooner rather than later.
My hand luggage is the normal type with a frame and on wheels, the problem is that it weighs 2kg even before I pack any clothes.
So I transfer all of my clothes out of the "larger" hand luggage and find that it fits into the smaller backpack with room to spare. So I am able to pack a few extra clothes and more importantly the weight goes from just under 8kg to a respectable just under 7kg.
I also pack a few empty bags just to spread the load once I get past the check-in.

My hand luggage? It will be smaller next time!

House swapping starts again

Soon it will be time for my next house swap blog.  This year I will complete 6 return home exchanges between now and November 2015 when I return to Melbourne for a month before going to NZ.  
Next year I am planning 8 return home exchanges. 

Introduction

More about me
I was born (1956) in a small city called Invercargill that is located at the bottom end of the South Island of New Zealand.
Invercargill has a population of about 50k and is the major city of Southland, which is mainly a farming community... If you like sheep you are in the right place (and fishing).
When I was 16 the family relocated to Christchurch and is when my parents have now lived for over 40 years and where I have a holiday house available for House Swapping.

After leaving Invercargill I have lived in the following cities:
New Zealand:   Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington
South Africa:  Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban
Australia:  Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne (now more than 30 years)

Prior to starting the house swapping I have traveled extensively which may have given me the bug to want to house swap in retirement.
Of course I have been around the South Island many times. I travel to NZ twice per year for the last 15 years mainly to go fly fish with my fishing mate Ron, mainly camping if the weather permits.
The North Island I have toured around most places but it is the Bay of Islands that stands out and would recommend it for a visit.
After NZ I lived in South Africa for 6 years and went on numerous trips to the game parks.
Kruger is the best known and easiest to do but Etoshia and Kalihari were more remote and more natural.

Prior to purchasing our first house in Melbourne I took a year of work
The mortgage rates were 18% at the time and so saved a lot by not getting a loan at that time.
During that year we traveled 3 months in Europe, in a Combi Van, 3 months in South Africa, 3 months in Outback Australia, and  3 months in NZ.
I have since been to China (Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Yellow Mountains)... Loved the place
Thailand (Bangkok), KL, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada (Alberta, BC), USA  (Montana, Wyoming)
So I have had plenty of adventures with all those places with only a few photos and lots of forgotten memories.
But for now for my House Swapping travel begins... Having an iPad makes it so much easier to take photos and stay in touch when traveling.
This blog site will focus on my house swaps and what to expect in the immediate area.
The TravBuddy links below are for the additional traveling I do once it am at the house swaps.

My Shared Links

• Website
• Facebook
• Home Exchange
• Blog Photo Library Slideshow
• TravBuddy this site is recommended for anyone wanting travel tips
• WorldMap of places visited
• AirBnB  check for places to rent

Acknowledgments
Andrew Sheldon
Several years ago I found Andrew's Blog and was fascinated with it. I have always wanted to go to Japan but never really had any opportunity. Reading Andrew's comprehensive reviews of both Japan and New Zealand I was able to reinforce my own opinion of NZ and have an understanding of Japanese life for a foreigner.
Holly Kavonic
While in South Tahoe I visited an Art Gallery and saw several of Holly's masterpieces. Her paintings are of both South African and lately North American People and Wildlife. They were very impressive and I love that style of paintings. I contacted Holly to introduce her to Rebekah Codlin a young NZ artist, from the Nelson Area, that has a similar style of paintings one which hangs proudly in my apartment in Christchurch. I mentioned to Holly that I was doing a House Swap which was my reason for being in South Tahoe and she said that she thought I should do a blog.
So that was going to be my project for when I wanted some quite time and to rest my feet.

So after reading Andrews blogs I thought that it would be good to document my House Swapping adventures so that friends, House Swappers, and anyone else that was interested could read.
Perhaps it is also so that I won't forget what I have done. A lot of my previous travels are now lost somewhere inside my head never to be found again (age).

This is my first attempt at creating a blog so the design may change as I figure out how it all works