The story of Power and Death of an Appliance

Before we left for this adventure to the land down under I thought it wise to tell our fellow passengers about the some key differences between the USA and Australia/New Zealand. I sent ot a nice email with pictures illustrating the differences in the electrical sockets. We use 2 or 3 prongs, they use 2 or 3 prongs. Ours are two parallel flat plugs with a round one below, their’s are three flat prongs that form the shape of n arrow. In order to plug into the wall in Australia or New Zealand, you will need a plug adapter.

In addition, the US runs 110/120 volt and almost the rest of the world runs 220/240 volt power supply. This means one needs to check all their electrical appliances to see if they are International compliant meaning that it will operate on either voltage. Most cell phone, kindle, camera, iPod charges are international. IF YOUR APPLIANCE DOES NOT SUPPORT 220/240 VOLT, you must have a power converter in addition to your plug adapter.

Fairwarned is prepared. Usually……..

The night of our tickets to see Beethoven at the Sydney Opera House, Fran is planning to curl her hair. She bought this one because it looked nice and after all, she did have a plug adapter so she was prepared. The curling iron must have experienced an instantaneous death as 240 volts of electricity jolted through its fragile heating element frying it to a crisp shell of its former self. While Fran waited getting more and more impatient for this poor victim of an appliance to heat, it was instead melting. Her mood became dour as she bathed with foul words the manufacture, the power company, the damn adapter, Steve, and anything else nearby for the faulty curling iron.

After the concert while having drinks at the Marriott she shared her tale of woe and I broke out laughing explaining the difference between a plug and a converter and what most likely had become of her curling iron. Since that point in time, we have looked in every pharmacy, grocery store, travel shop, airport shop, beauty shop, and convenience store for a Curling Iron. Steve even went so far as to visit Victoria’s Secrets as she should surely know the location of this elusive device. Sydney……. Not a one…… Cairns…… Nope (hair straighteners but not curlers)….. The airports….. Auckland….. The ship….. every port we have stopped at……. Not a one to be found.

It seems that the Curling Iron is more elusive than a Kiwi Bird which many say doesn’t exist.

We shall have a ceramony and a burial at sea for the poor victim of power abuse.