Well Oiled Machine - Campbelltown , Australia - suburb of Sydney
As you might already know, before I left on this 1 year trip I spent a lot of time preparing and testing equipment and supplies. For the most part all the planning has paid off. Nearly every item I have brought, has or will be put to good use. I feel like a well oiled machine at times. “Effortlessly” traveling about. That is until I hit a pothole a few days ago. As I went to get cash at the ATM upon my arrival I discovered to my horror that my ATM Mastercard expired! Apparently I overlooked this minor detail. A quick check of my other cards revealed that my other Mastercard is about to expire on November 30th! Considering that a lot of places don’t accept Diner’s Club or American Express (My other cards) I was beginning to get concerned.
After a slight “concern attack” (Panic is a bit strong) I swung into action. I figured out how to get money at American Express offices (Don’t leave home without it!) - although at slightly less favorable exchange rates. I also figured out how to use my Diner’s Club as an ATM card - albeit with a 4% charge. Then I learned that my soon to expire Mastercard could be replaced at no charge. The bank will send a replacement overseas via FedEx (DHL it turns out) at no charge. Fortunately, I am in one city area long enough. As for my ATM bank they aren’t setup to send my card in an expedient manner but, fortunately the person picking up my mail has located the new one that was sent to my home and is sending it via FedEx. Whew! The machine is oiled up again. Roll on!
I’ve had some other minor equipment/supply related issues along the way but none that have as much potential to disrupt my trip than this. I have started a page that tracks my usage of equipment in the JOIN THE CIRCUS section. The link will be in that section...called something like Equipment Performance Review or some other wordy title.
Of course...this journal entry would not be complete without me mentioning some more coincidences. On one of those phone calls to my credit card companies I went into the Sydney Marriott to place the telephone call. Sydney telephone booths aren’t enclosed and it is very difficult to hear and talk! [ The Marriott wasn’t much better as there was a lot of echo from the atrium but, at least I didn’t have buses cruising by. ]
As I was talking on the phone another man walked up to the other phone. I soon realized he was having problems with a credit card too. What are the odds of this? Two people having problems with their credit cards and calling their banks at the same time. There are only two public phones in the Sydney Marriott. I ended up letting him use my calling card as he wasn’t able to collect call his Bank of America phone. His problem wasn’t an expired card but a charge limit problem. Turns out Scott is in the US Air Force and was visiting Australia on official business heading back the next day (Not quite in the same position as I). We ended up having a drink together at the hotel bar comforting each other over our respective situations.
Scott has been living in the Los Angeles area for the past few years. He is a transplant from Conneticut (This location info is important). Being that I just traveled through there, we had something more to talk about. We even decided to meet up for a drink with some of his other buddies later.
Ok...one coincidence apparently isn’t enough. While at the bar in the Sydney Rocks’ area we find out the girl bartending is from the Washington DC area. Scott takes a liking to this girl. After his buddies leave to go eat dinner we talk to her a bit more. It turns out she is from Chevy Chase, Maryland to be exact. She just says Washington DC because no one knows Chevy Chase, Maryland. No one else except Scott! And he pulls out his Maryland license to boot! Apparently being in the military one can maintain a driver’s license in any state. And since he used to live there too...
And is if I can’t beat this coincidence horse enough...I recently received an email from Meghann (The first American I met in Australia). Here it is unedited:
“hey wayne-
okay so to add to the bizarre coincidences...the night i read this message [ I sent her a copy of the list of coincidences ] from you, i met another american, from san francisco, who has a close friend from kirkland and has been there himself many times. wow the world gets smaller the longer you travel!! i'm in airlie beach, ready to embark on my whitsunday sailing adventure tomorrow. hope all is well with you!!! meghann :) ”
What does it all mean? Am I just trying too hard to see patterns? Are these “coincidences” really a big deal? After all if you consider how much time goes by where there are no coincidences then the moments of coincident are rather minuscule. Or are they like a homing beacon? Am I getting “warmer?” Am I about to learn something monumental? Time will tell...
After a slight “concern attack” (Panic is a bit strong) I swung into action. I figured out how to get money at American Express offices (Don’t leave home without it!) - although at slightly less favorable exchange rates. I also figured out how to use my Diner’s Club as an ATM card - albeit with a 4% charge. Then I learned that my soon to expire Mastercard could be replaced at no charge. The bank will send a replacement overseas via FedEx (DHL it turns out) at no charge. Fortunately, I am in one city area long enough. As for my ATM bank they aren’t setup to send my card in an expedient manner but, fortunately the person picking up my mail has located the new one that was sent to my home and is sending it via FedEx. Whew! The machine is oiled up again. Roll on!
I’ve had some other minor equipment/supply related issues along the way but none that have as much potential to disrupt my trip than this. I have started a page that tracks my usage of equipment in the JOIN THE CIRCUS section. The link will be in that section...called something like Equipment Performance Review or some other wordy title.
Of course...this journal entry would not be complete without me mentioning some more coincidences. On one of those phone calls to my credit card companies I went into the Sydney Marriott to place the telephone call. Sydney telephone booths aren’t enclosed and it is very difficult to hear and talk! [ The Marriott wasn’t much better as there was a lot of echo from the atrium but, at least I didn’t have buses cruising by. ]
As I was talking on the phone another man walked up to the other phone. I soon realized he was having problems with a credit card too. What are the odds of this? Two people having problems with their credit cards and calling their banks at the same time. There are only two public phones in the Sydney Marriott. I ended up letting him use my calling card as he wasn’t able to collect call his Bank of America phone. His problem wasn’t an expired card but a charge limit problem. Turns out Scott is in the US Air Force and was visiting Australia on official business heading back the next day (Not quite in the same position as I). We ended up having a drink together at the hotel bar comforting each other over our respective situations.
Scott has been living in the Los Angeles area for the past few years. He is a transplant from Conneticut (This location info is important). Being that I just traveled through there, we had something more to talk about. We even decided to meet up for a drink with some of his other buddies later.
Ok...one coincidence apparently isn’t enough. While at the bar in the Sydney Rocks’ area we find out the girl bartending is from the Washington DC area. Scott takes a liking to this girl. After his buddies leave to go eat dinner we talk to her a bit more. It turns out she is from Chevy Chase, Maryland to be exact. She just says Washington DC because no one knows Chevy Chase, Maryland. No one else except Scott! And he pulls out his Maryland license to boot! Apparently being in the military one can maintain a driver’s license in any state. And since he used to live there too...
And is if I can’t beat this coincidence horse enough...I recently received an email from Meghann (The first American I met in Australia). Here it is unedited:
“hey wayne-
okay so to add to the bizarre coincidences...the night i read this message [ I sent her a copy of the list of coincidences ] from you, i met another american, from san francisco, who has a close friend from kirkland and has been there himself many times. wow the world gets smaller the longer you travel!! i'm in airlie beach, ready to embark on my whitsunday sailing adventure tomorrow. hope all is well with you!!! meghann :) ”
What does it all mean? Am I just trying too hard to see patterns? Are these “coincidences” really a big deal? After all if you consider how much time goes by where there are no coincidences then the moments of coincident are rather minuscule. Or are they like a homing beacon? Am I getting “warmer?” Am I about to learn something monumental? Time will tell...
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