My laidback summer holiday (by default) in Adelaide

IT’S summer and I am freezing. Yes, I am visiting Down Under, my first trip abroad in a year. And what a difference a year makes. My last trip was to Busan, South Korea, last December, where I enjoyed a mild winter. Now I am in the midst of a sizzling Australian summer but I am having the shivers.

I am writing this in Adelaide where my daughter, Jill, settled one-and-a-half years ago. It’s my first visit to this South Australian city and I wouldn’t have come if not for her because on all my many visits to this country I go to Sydney and Melbourne where I have relatives.

Jill had assured me that it is bloody hot in Adelaide and so did my sister in Sydney, where I also would be visiting. Indeed, most days are intensely hot and sunny but what they failed to tell me was that the temperature drops drastically when the wind blows and that the evenings and nights would be really chilly. So I only brought mostly light cotton clothes that I normally wear at home in Malaysia and nothing remotely thick.

I haven’t been to Australia since 2018, so I was looking forward to it but I was also very nervous about flying because of the many reported incidents of flight delays and cancellations and severe turbulence.

Being an older traveller, I usually make several visits to the loo on long flights and being in the cramped airplane toilet is now probably the most dangerous place to be in a plane should it be hit by severe turbulence. I was so stressed out by this that I seriously considered wearing an adult diaper. That didn’t seem too comfortable so I settled for drinking as little liquid as possible on board.

Fortunately, my Malaysia Airlines flight departed on time, was very smooth and uneventful and I made only one quick visit to the loo.

My first stop was Sydney where my oldest sister lives with her family. I dearly wanted to see her as she has not been well and had a pacemaker implantation. I was also visiting Wollongong, a coastal town 85km south of central Sydney, where my second sister had moved to six months ago.

I had been to most of Sydney’s attractions so my priority was catching up with family but there were new developments around Darling Harbour which made the popular tourist spot even more vibrant and interesting.

Wollongong, however, was a very pleasant surprise. I only vaguely knew the name but had no idea what it was like. It turned out to be a gorgeous and well-maintained town that is now drawing retirees like my sister and her husband as well as younger people wishing to find more affordable alternatives to expensive cities like Sydney. It was really picturesque with both seaside and mountain views and rolling grasslands.

The air was certainly fresher and cleaner than Sydney where I had a constantly runny nose. I don’t know what set off my allergic reaction but every time I was out, my nose would act up. I was on antihistamines and nasal sprays and wore masks.

A view of the South Australian capital, Adelaide -- which the columnist has not been able to see much of having been thwarted by a faulty car. But she's just as happy staying in with her daughter for the holidays. — South Australian Tourism Commission

The last may actually save me from catching Covid-19 from my eldest sister. I was in her company for several days and the day before I flew to Adelaide, she fell ill and tested positive for the virus. That was a real bummer and I couldn’t say a proper face to face goodbye to her, not to mention having a new concern as I headed to see my daughter.

Spooked that I might be infectious myself, I kept my mask firmly on on the train to the airport. I was early and expected a leisurely wait for my flight to depart but one careless moment led to a mini drama: After my bag was checked in, I suddenly remembered I had left my power bank in it. I was in two minds: own up or just hope it won’t be detected.

I decided to own up and went back to inform the check-in counter staff. He told me to go and inform the Virgin Airlines baggage service one floor below. When I told the woman there, she shrugged and said to wait for my bag to be sent to them. The minutes ticked and my anxiety rose. When I inquired again at the counter, the staff member told me to just wait.

After 15 minutes, I went up to the counter again to speak to another Virgin Airlines staff member in a different uniform. I asked if there was anything that could be done to expedite the search. She asked for my boarding pass and a description of my bag. "I’ll go look for your bag,” she said with a smile. Relief washed over me. Ten minutes later she came back with my bag. I hugged her and thanked her profusely. I quickly retrieved my power bank and rushed my bag up to get it checked in again.

That was a lesson I will never forget. I don’t know whether I would be punished in some way if I hadn't owned up but I didn't want to risk it. What’s more, if the power bank had been detected and my bag was not loaded on the plane, it would have been a royal pain to get it back.

I experienced the worst and the best of airline service. The first woman was thoroughly unhelpful and indifferent to my plight but the second staff member was truly an angel.

It's been three days since my sister fell ill and at the time of writing this I have no symptoms. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I stay well and I still have immunity from the bout of Covid I had three months ago.

Adelaide is quite a charming city with a huge park that surrounds the city centre. Jill rented an Airbnb, a cosy unit comprising a little front yard, sitting room, fully equipped kitchen, one bedroom, and a bathroom.

My daughter had carefully planned a full itinerary for my two-week stay but right from the start, we met with a major setback to her plans. She had picked me up from the airport on Sunday and we were on our way to the Airbnb when we noticed white smoke billowing around the front of her car whenever she stopped. Initially, we thought it had something to do with the tyres as we could smell what seemed to be burnt rubber.

After reaching our destination, I decided to check the engine, just in case. Lo and behold, when we raised the car bonnet, we were shocked to see the engine splattered with oil that was also dripping onto the road. This was a major disaster. It looked like the engine oil hose had sprung a very bad leak.

Since it was a Sunday, Jill couldn’t get anything done. She spent the whole of Monday morning making calls. As the car, a Suzuki Baleno, was still under warranty, she had to call the secondhand car dealer she had bought the car from to find out what she should do. She was directed to the Suzuki service centre. But with Christmas just two days away, the centre was fully booked and then closed for the festival. Jill would only be able to book her car in the following Monday. That’s a whole week without a car, which is what we need to get around Adelaide and the places she had planned for us to visit. Even after the car gets towed to the service centre, we don’t know how long the repairs will take.

We were unsuccessful in booking a rental car due to the high seasonal demand so now we have no choice but to depend on the city’s rather limited public transport system and Uber. Jill is understandably upset because all her careful plans for her mum’s visit had come undone.

I am of course equally disappointed but I told her we would just have to manage as best we can. Adelaide is supposed to be a more laid back city than Sydney and Melbourne and it looks like I will have a very laid back visit as well.

Apart from joining her housemates for Christmas Day lunch, we will spend the holiday quietly in our cosy Airbnb, eating ready-made food from Woolworths and staying warm watching Netflix. I may not get to see much of Adelaide but as long as I don’t come down with Covid, I am just happy and grateful to be able to spend time with my daughter. That’s what counts in the end.

Jill and I wish you happy holidays and for those celebrating, Merry Christmas!

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.