Last note from Tassie

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I know........I know ........... 2 emails in 2 days but I have finally got some time to spend with you
First of all when I read the note from yesterday, it sounded to me like I was not happy ... I am just very tired from the 7 day flying trip of Tassie. I am currently spending 3 days in Hobart - the capital and doing day trips that are not as exciting or as tiring!!
The first thing one needs to know is that the fish is really fresh and delicious - have been trying a different kind every day.
My first night back in Hobart all the travel group met for a send off supper and as Mama I got free
drinks - then had to walk back to the hostel - Francesca and Lilibot came with me - good nights sleep and then off for a tour of the harbour and the Cadbury factory tour with free chocolate - I know .....Ganongs is only an hr away at home but this tour included much free chocolate!! first of all, I needed to use their tour shoes as I had on sandals and then we had to put on hair nets - the men with beards had to wear beard nets also - too funny!!! but of course we didn't laugh - after the tour we were treated to dinner on the boat before returning to the harbour - yup you guessed it - sandwiches...............when I get home I will not be eating them for many many days!! I have had every kind here including white fish sandwich with cheese- and the ketchup is called tomato sauce - not good at all!!
Did I tell you I am not on the top floor of the hostel (floor 4) anymore - a nice young man changed my room for no charge and I now only have 2 flights of stairs to get up with my luggage!! the pipe organ played for 2 hrs tonite and it was wonderful. I had the longest shower of my trip and people were knocking on the door but in truth I was trying to wash my snealkers off from the rain forest walk - the mud was caked on and it took three soapings and shampoo to get most of it off -now they are sitting on the window sill waiting to dry !! hopefully by Friday at 4 am!! spent tonite watching re runs of desperate housewives on TV and re reading the one book I brought - too expensive to buy more here - $24 for a paperback!!
the second day we were off to Huon Valley for a tree walk called the "Tehune" tree walk - $115 for it and dinner at a farm - the tour guide is a talker - worse than me.............. the scenery is wonderful - like Keswick area and full of apple orchards and cherry fields ( complete with netting) for acres!! I was disappointed in the walk - it was on a metal walkway and about only 1/3 of a mile in lengh - no animals or different trees from the other rainforest and not as interesting a guide - Francesca went with me and she was very disappointed as she was running low on funds and didn't think the trip was worth it - anyway on the way home stopped at a small cheese factory run by a family with 50 sheep ...and- I find out our guide is a hemotologist who decided to get back to nature and gave up his hospital job for a bus driver and growing vegetables!!!??? honest that was his story..... splurged on supper to feel better and had a wonderful fish dish at Muise - upstairs- the shrimp were about 4" long each- yum!! I coldn't finish them
This was the night that I emailed you all, did my nails, washed clothes and listened to the organ playing again.
today all my friends have gone elsewhere so I went to Port Arthur myself on a bus tour - what a sad place - the convicts who were brought here to be rehabilitated were acutally used as slave labour - in Port Arthur it was supposed to be good - however, some of the places they kept
prisoners were disgusting - It was a very interesting day but I was glad to leave after 5 hrs - tonite, I have to get everything back in my suitcase for tomorrow at 4 am as I head off to
Sydney and hopefully meet Jane at the airport - my next letters should be even more interesting!! Oh by the way, I found a phone card that gives me 1000 min for $10 so some of you may hear from me on the phone if I can figure out the time difference...........called Dad today and it was 6 am in Harvey - he didn't hang up and even woke MOm up to talk but maybe I won't do that again!! so this am called my sister Peggy who was in town at a meeting and it was 6 pm in Harvey - now tomorrow I am off to Syndey so heaven only knows that time difference there!!
I am ending with my thoughts on Tasmania
- not as exciting as NZ but more down home like has 450,000 people in 1/2 area of NB
- very varied scenery like NZ - desert, mountains, green hills, rainforests,
- very proud happy people - remind me of NFLD - call Australia "the mainland"
- less expensive than NZ but still more so than Canada
- love Canadians but think we all live in igloos
- talkers!!!!!
- Boag and cascade beer made here and taste like moosehead light at home
- shops close at 5:30 everyday including w/e
- internet is $10-15 per hr here
- still no coffee but I am starting to get used to "flat white with sugar"
- easy to get around - many buses every where v/s what is available in NB
- gas in $1.20 per liter
- lamb, beef and chicken are the meat here
- salmon is farmed here and considered a problem fish if they escape and you can net them here
I saw one 3 ft long that someone had netted
- rainforests are awesome but very wet - need boots, coat as they get 2 - 4 meters of rain every year - most of it on the day I was there!!
- hostels are clean here but 8-12 people in the rooms
- big on cheese and chocolate- making it great for me!! but bad for the diet
- I am enjoying hostelling more than I thought I would - have met many very nice young and not so young people staying there and they are all eager to help me - am having a lot of laughs as I learn the ropes
- bought an easy dry towel today that will fit me for the shower - $39 but worth every penny - you try drying yourself on a 30cm by 45 cm towel and see how it feels!!
Well... that is it for Tasmania - enjoyed it but ready to move onward and in this case northward to Australia - the mainland
talk at you all later --------------------love and will someone please let me know what is going on iin Canada - anything - I feel like I am in a vacuum aussie anne

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