Bob and I were having a conversation a couple of nights ago regarding things we're taking to Australia and going over the list.
He said, "Do we need a visa to go to Australia?"
"No," I replied, "all we need is a passport."
Then I got to thinking about it. I had ASSUMED we only needed a passport and I THOUGHT I had read online that we didn't need a visa. Just to be safe, I checked. We DO need a visa to go to Australia. Panic!!!
No need to panic. The Australian website couldn't be easier to understand. All we need is a tourist visa called an ETA. Apply online and it is almost instantaneously approved. All I needed was our passports and a credit card to pay for the two visas. I filled out the applications online and it took about 15 minutes start to finish. In fact, my credit card company called my cell phone to alert me I had an international charge pending on my card almost as soon as I hit the send button for the visa. I called the credit card company back immediately to let them know it's a good charge and to put it through.
The ETA tourist visa is electronically linked to your passport so no stamps or labels are needed. This is pretty high-tech stuff.
Whew! Without the visa, we would not have been able to fly out of Honolulu to Sydney. Thank you, Bob, for asking a very simple question. I'm glad the solution was just as simple.
Today I went to yet another hairdresser for a haircut and highlights. I asked the hairdresser if she had a sample book of hair colors. She showed me samples and I picked out a beautiful golden blonde color. We discussed that I wanted a golden blonde, not a white blonde or platinum and no strawberry blonde because any color with red in it turns orange on me.
When she got all done coloring my hair, I was stunned to see my hair is a medium to dark brown. It's the darkest my hair has ever been. I don't know where the communication about color went awry. I am not happy with this color. Bob says he likes it. Oh, well, when we get back from Australia I'll be looking for another hairdresser. Sigh. As another of my blogger friends says, " 'Tis life on the road."
Today was errands day. And tomorrow, I will run more errands and finish cleaning the 5er.
Bob took me out to dinner tonight which was very nice.
Travel Bug out.
A stunning wildflower meadow on our summit hike at Mt. Revelstoke, B.C. - Friday, August 2, 2024
A stunning wildflower meadow on our summit hike at Mt. Revelstoke, B.C. - Friday, August 2, 2024
Not sure how that happens. How hard is it to get hair colour to come out right?
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Puerto Rico, my wife ended up being completely blond the whole time we were there (just over a year) until she could get back to her hair dresser in Canada and get back to the colour she wanted.
Somehow the concept of "highlights" was too difficult for the hairdresser in Puerto Rico. And she was from Jersey. No language barrier.
Is it comprehension? Lack of training? Dumb as a post? Just a mystery.
I certainly don't understand it. If I can get an appointment with my previous hairdresser in Portland, OR or Hawaii on our return trip, I'll be a happy camper!
DeleteBetter to have the ooops moment now than later ... I would have thought no visa for Australia as well ... something I will definitely keep in mind.
ReplyDeleteMy hair went silver a long time ago. Until earlier this year, I was doing lo-lites to put some of my natural brunette back into my hair, but that "tis life on the road" aspect of dealing with different hairdressers has convinced me to just let things be.
Getting my hair colored and cut is the biggest pain I have on the road. I even carry a card my hairdresser here in Canton gave me so everyone would know exactly how to mix it. Only once in three years has anyone mixed it correctly. I am almost always disappointed in the color. Paul just goes with the flow now.
ReplyDeleteI had my hair done ONCE asking for highlights and ended up looking all gray. The problem is you still have to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were busy doing all our international travel, we discovered requirements for a visa were different depending on where you were going and where the visa was actually issued. Probably the biggest problem was the one going to Russia. Of course, at the time it was the most expensive one too. The visa going to Africa was purchased only at the time of arrival then. Terry took a business trip to Brazil on fairly short notice and had to have a company do the leg work to get it back it time. It sure can be annoying.
It was a stroke of luck to discover the visa snafu when you did. It makes for a bad start when you discover those kind of things at the airport.
ReplyDeleteFinding hairdressers that communicate well is as difficult as it is finding one that is proficient at doing hair.
I gave up coloring my hair a long time ago! Too many goof ups! Love your header of Cascade Canyon...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cheryl. "Finding hairdressers that communicate well is as difficult as it is finding one that is proficient at doing hair. When I move from Estacada,Oregon to Milwaukie,Oregon, I still drove 21 miles each way once a month for cuts and/or perms. Nell has been my beautician for 20 years (April 1st). When we were traveling, She made up a 3X5 Card documenting what size perm rollers she used, and the perm product she used on my hair. I don't know what beauty school the beautician went to in Desert Hot Springs, CA but my perm sure didn't look like it did when Nell perms my hair!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the Visa Situation figured out before you left.
Not being able to find a good hairdresser on the road is one of my biggest fears. I have had some good ones and I have had some bad.
ReplyDeleteooo, good catch, Susan! One of the things the Melody and I missed on this trip to Europe was that we got no stamps on our passports. I wondered why, and I guess it is all electronic now as you said. Interesting. Actually I have a bunch already but it was Melody's first trip and she didn't get any. The US customs guy gave her one just for fun as we came back into the US. So glad you caught that one in time!
ReplyDelete