One reason I am committed to travel is my fascination with people, cultures and history.  Some say I’m lucky, but that’s just their perception.  Wait until my memoir comes out; it will cause you to pause and think again.

I prioritize travel and choose to spend my money on it.  I put in tremendous effort at work and that is why I have the means to afford these experiences.  Saving money has given me the freedom to do so.  #topvalue   

This summer, Tony and I took a 6-week trip that included Singapore, Australia, Fiji and San Francisco/Napa Valley.  We had 10 flights, 9 hotel beds and 4 overnight flights.  We changed time zones 4 times.  #jetlag

Australia was the focal point as we were there for his bucket list, the British & Irish Lions Rugby Tour.  The tour is one of rugby’s greatest traditions when the Lions (players from England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales) travel to the southern hemisphere every 4 years to play one of the host nations, namely, Australia (Wallabies), New Zealand (All Blacks) or South Africa (Springbok).

The tour includes 3 Test Matches in various locations in the host country.  This year was Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney.  The Lions won the 2025 series.  Go Lions!

Firstly, we stopped in Singapore to adapt to the time.  We love Singapore; it’s an easy place to be.

In Oz, we went to the Gold Coast for a few days before traveling to Brisbane for the match.  The GC I had ‘perceived’ to be akin to Lahaina or San Diego – laid back and beautiful.  Nope.  A concrete jungle full of hotels, apartment buildings, casinos and cheap eateries.

The GC was a destination suggested by the Lions Tour coordinators and I wish I had done my research as I would never have gone there.  The saving grace was the spectacular whale watching tour.  The Humpbacks were making their way from Antarctica up towards the Great Barrier Reef to have calves.  Two other day tours we took were whacky.

Brisbane, we enjoyed despite staying in yet another ‘gambling’ hotel’.   Casinos I find to be sad places.  Best thing was a visit to the Lone Koala Sanctuary.  My highlight was feeding platypus and petting a koala.  So far we enjoyed sun and mild temperatures.

In Melbourne, the Australian winter greeted us with rain and grey.  She had a slight European feel.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy due to a virus that many a Lion fans caught in Brisbane, causing some to miss the second test match.  Happily, I made it to the match as it was my favorite.  Melbourne has overtaken Sydney in their minds with 5million+ population and the biggest bridge.  Our tours from here were peculiar.

We travelled to Tasmania before Sydney as I have wanted to go since meeting Tasmanians on a ski trip.  They mentioned their unique animal life, but it was our third time encountering Tasmanian Devils, kangaroos, koalas, wallabies.

We were happy to end the rugby tour in Sydney despite the torrential rain.  We still love the city we visited 17 years ago on our honeymoon.  Although the rain dashed our dream of visiting Manly once again, we enjoyed the cathedral, art museum, Queen Victoria Building, pub tour in The Rocks, Opera and dining at Aria.

Unfortunately, most day tours in Oz lasted 8 – 14 hours riding in cramped buses sans toilets.  What started as joyful tours turned to long slogs with little interest, except the animals.  The delightful wildlife was Australia’s endearing feature for me.

The experience surprised me as I loved Australia when we went there before; probably because we visited better locations:  Sydney, Uluru, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef and Hamilton Island one of the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands.   It was their warm Spring and perhaps the magical pixie dust of newlyweds in the air.

We managed to get some rest in in the sun in Fiji but were disappointed because it didn’t compare to the other Pacifici islands I have experienced in Hawaii.   It gave us a needed break but not a paradise.

The bright spot of this trip for me was visiting San Francisco where I once lived.  Last time we visited was just after Covid and I cried when I saw the city in a hellish state.  Wine country had also suffered from forest fires and many favorite boutique wineries had been sold off to large corporates because they couldn’t afford or obtain insurance.  Consequently, the wine and experience suffered.

I’m now happy to report that the positive buzz of the Bay Area is back.  Streets were full of tourists taking photos of the WAYMO’s and Tesla Cybertrucks as they drove by.  The innovative entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well within the Biotech and AI industries and the wine tasted good!

This most definitely was not a holiday.  Of course, the rugby was superb, but not worth the exhausting, haphazard itinerary in between matches.

Cities and countries evolve and the seasons, affecting our experiences and activities.  Our mood can change as our perception has shifts.  The summer of 2025 taught me to better discern future bucket list destinations.  Knowing what we don’t want is key to better possibilities.

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