Today was a day I'd been looking forward to and as Tom would later describe me "you're on the verge of becoming a plane spotter" may have some truth in it.
We were off to the Everett airfield. Technically it's owned by Washington state but it happens to be the home to the biggest building by volume in the world which is also the manufacturing facility for all Boeing wide body jets. We were going plane spotting.
I'd booked a tour from the UK long before setting off on our trip and 11.30 was our time. We thrashed Sally up I5 to Everett in plenty of time and spent half an hour looking round the Future of Flight museum prior to our tour.
The tour started with a PR video about the history of Boeing and how two blokes fancied making planes 80 years ago. Then under security escort we made the short bus journey to the first hanger. This is the home of the 747 production line. They were finishing the last batch of 747-400 freighters as the 747-800 and 800F are due to start production very soon. We observed the 5th 744F for UPS sitting in the penultimate position. They explained how the line worked and how the parts moved about this gigantic building to be in the right place at the right time.
From 747 production we headed back along one of the tunnels, we noted the suitability for segway racing in these tunnels, before having it explained that Boeing a fleet of bicycles for their employees to navigate this massive building and tunnel network!
The 777 production line was next. This line is a moving line. This means the plane is progressing through the plant a quarter of an inch an hour during production as demand requires such quick turn around. There was a complete 777 for Air France sitting ready to go to the paint shop and a Qatar 777 waiting to be moved to final position.
The last stop on our tour was the 787 assembly line. An airliner set to revolutionise air travel for point-to-point routes as the A380 did for hub-to-hub. It's amazing to think that the aircraft sitting in the line here will not be delivered until Q4 2009! The 3rd 787 every built, due to delivery customer ANA was sitting by the doors having the modifications that early testing had identified as necessary fitted. This, unlike the other lines, is an assembly line and all parts are delivered on an 'as-needed' basis from all over the world. Boeing do not manufacture any of the 787 in Everett.
From the 787 hangar we headed back to the museum. On the way we passed the paint hangers. All capable of painting one of 767, 777, 747 but each designated a type, incidently all paint detail of commerical craft is applied by hand using stencils and not robots! Then we passed the delivery area, where a sellection of new aircraft were sitting awaiting delivery to their customers.
A memorable and jolly tour had, we spent some more time in the future of flight museum marvelling at the scale of aircraft technology and played in an old cockpit, and yes there is still a switch for the no smoking signs!
We returned to hill billy land contented and ready for a feast which duely followed before our exploration of Seattle starts.
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Sally goes international
ROAD TRIP!
This was one of the first things we planned about this trip and both got excited about being able to get hold of a Mustang to do it in. I don't think that the tragedy of Zeebrugge was explained to the North Americans, they sail their ferries out of port with the car decks open. This had dawned on me while at Horseshoe bay and now standing in Victoria watching the motor vessel Covo arrive in the harbour I was reminded of it again.
The morning had been a brief one prior to arriving at the ferry terminal, we (well I, Tom took some convincing) were determined not to miss another ferry. Sally had whisked us down to the harbour and into the mind numbing US immigration queue. Thankfully this was no LAX and with our passports having already been Americanized we just had to entertain conversation with the woman from immigration as she visited us in Sally. The crossing to Port Angeles was uneventful however the scenery spectacular. We were soon on US soil and a guy from Customs interrogated us, satisfied we were not off to train terrorists, he let us through and we were loose with a few hundred miles of asphalt and a powerful convertible.
Sally roared into action and gobbled the miles up down the US west coast to Ocean Shores. Tom had the run of the local winding roads and his semi-permanent grin suggested he was enjoying Sally's handling. The Ramada, well the young girl at reception :), welcomed us to Ocean Shores and we were soon engrossed in American trash TV! Dinner that night was taken at the attached restaurant and I rapidly realised this was no Ramada of UK standard! Karaoke night was on in the restaurant, I requested a table "as far from that thing as possible" but that yielded little relief from bud swigging country crooners out on the coast for the Labor weekend. We escaped and headed to bed after a disappointing dinner.
With Sally's top off we drove up to the Ocean Shores headland and climbed some rocks. I didn't go to the end of this rock groyne as there was a leaking sewage pipe filling the sea and the prospect of getting sprayed by the resulting liquid was not a pleasant one. However, in the pursuit of exploring all Tom didn't hold back and off he went! A day of driving was ahead and we gobbled up the miles in style.
Our destination was Vashon Island and short hop on the ferry over from the mainland south of Seattle got us to some fantastic driving roads. We dived straight off the main road into the local back roads and threw Sally round the last 15 miles up to the hostel and the start of our hillbilly adventure!
Seattle and hillbillies were two things I didn't expect to encounter together, but Tom will have fun explaining them all to you!
This was one of the first things we planned about this trip and both got excited about being able to get hold of a Mustang to do it in. I don't think that the tragedy of Zeebrugge was explained to the North Americans, they sail their ferries out of port with the car decks open. This had dawned on me while at Horseshoe bay and now standing in Victoria watching the motor vessel Covo arrive in the harbour I was reminded of it again.
The morning had been a brief one prior to arriving at the ferry terminal, we (well I, Tom took some convincing) were determined not to miss another ferry. Sally had whisked us down to the harbour and into the mind numbing US immigration queue. Thankfully this was no LAX and with our passports having already been Americanized we just had to entertain conversation with the woman from immigration as she visited us in Sally. The crossing to Port Angeles was uneventful however the scenery spectacular. We were soon on US soil and a guy from Customs interrogated us, satisfied we were not off to train terrorists, he let us through and we were loose with a few hundred miles of asphalt and a powerful convertible.
Sally roared into action and gobbled the miles up down the US west coast to Ocean Shores. Tom had the run of the local winding roads and his semi-permanent grin suggested he was enjoying Sally's handling. The Ramada, well the young girl at reception :), welcomed us to Ocean Shores and we were soon engrossed in American trash TV! Dinner that night was taken at the attached restaurant and I rapidly realised this was no Ramada of UK standard! Karaoke night was on in the restaurant, I requested a table "as far from that thing as possible" but that yielded little relief from bud swigging country crooners out on the coast for the Labor weekend. We escaped and headed to bed after a disappointing dinner.
With Sally's top off we drove up to the Ocean Shores headland and climbed some rocks. I didn't go to the end of this rock groyne as there was a leaking sewage pipe filling the sea and the prospect of getting sprayed by the resulting liquid was not a pleasant one. However, in the pursuit of exploring all Tom didn't hold back and off he went! A day of driving was ahead and we gobbled up the miles in style.
Our destination was Vashon Island and short hop on the ferry over from the mainland south of Seattle got us to some fantastic driving roads. We dived straight off the main road into the local back roads and threw Sally round the last 15 miles up to the hostel and the start of our hillbilly adventure!
Seattle and hillbillies were two things I didn't expect to encounter together, but Tom will have fun explaining them all to you!
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Long Tall Sally...
She's built for speed, She's got everything that we need, Oh Baby!
That was effectively what was going through my head when we arrived at Hertz to pick up our rental car. Now this is no ordinary rental car, this is a 2008, jet black, convertible, 4.6 Lt, V6, Ford Mustang GT (hereafter called Sally). There was a queue of about 15 people waiting to be served when we turned up, however they were members of what Mike and I have come to call 'pleb class'. However as Mike has a Gold membership with them he waltzed past them to our own desk where the guy added me to the insurance for no extra cost and handed us the keys and let us free with Sally.
We stopped off in Stanley park so that we could have a play with all the buttons and work out how to tame this beast, then we were on our way. Driving over the Vancouver suspension bridge with the roof down, listening to the noise of that engine was a very cool experience (no seriously, it was cold!!!) but one that was well worth it. To quote Chris Evans ''it's one of the only cars that sounds like it does in the movies'' and for those of you that have seen Gone in 60 Seconds (the new one) will know that the Mustang sounds like no other car on the road.
Although we had a great car and not too far to go for our ferry we hadn't counted on the pure lack of any logic on the road system. We drove around following all the signs to the ferry only end up driving past the exit terminal twice with a wall between us and it! To eventually get to it we had to drive away from it on the motorway for about 3 exits and then come off, go through some road works and then drive all the way back. This left us missing our reservation by 5 minutes, and they have obviously never heard of the word 'flexibility' here and said tough, we would have to wait 2:30 hours for the next one. Fortunately, however, Horse Shoe Bay was a rather pleasant little place, so we decided to get out of Sally and make lunch down by the marina.
After we'd had a walk around and Mike had polished off a mammoth ice cream (it may have been only 2 scoops but it was more like 4 UK scoops!), we headed back to Sally and our waiting vessel. The ferry to Vancouver Island was rather jolly, great views of the mountains surrounding the bay and thankfully not nearly as rough as the whale watching trip we had had in NZ (well Mike was far more pleased about this than me :P). When we reached the island we had a short but enjoyable drive south down the cost to a town called Nainamo and onto our next hostel. A nice little place, although I have never had so much of an issue getting hold of alcohol! I went over to the local supermarket only to find that they didn't sell any and that I had to find a liquor store, following the directions I had been given by one of the staff didn't help at all, in fact rather than finding the two bottle shops that were supposed to be in front of me there was in fact a Church (maybe the guy was trying to tell me something...)
I was not to be defeated, so I set out on my own (Mike was blogging by now) to find a liquor store, in true Top Gear fashion 'How hard can it be?'. I ended up running hither and thither fort about half and our until I spotted some bright neon lights down a back ally, in retrospect, writing this now, going down a back ally at night, in an unfamiliar town, towards an neon lit store was probably not my most wise decision ever :/. Still my curiosity paid off and I wandered into what must be the only liquor store in the whole town, I looked through the cooler and picked out a local larger bizarrely named Dead Frog. Still, we are determined to drink only local beers on this trip so I went with it.
The next day we had a wander around the town's harbor and then hit the road again and headed again to the south, this time with Victoria as our eventual destination. After a long day of driving around (mainly just for the fun of driving) we went and found the next hostel and struggled to work out how the parking worked in Victoria (utterly confusing). That night we decided to head out and grab a few beers, we found a place called 'Swans' which had been mentioned by the staff, little did we know that our previous observations about Canadian women would be made abundantly clear.
We were to be served for the night by one of the most stunning women I have ever seen, let alone meet. What was going to be a couple of beers turned into the two of us staying at the pub until three or so in the morning, well some of us had rather more to drink than others (cough..Mike.....cough.....!). We had a really good night out and went out the following night to attempt the same, although this time we headed to a club where a guy we had met the night before worked as a bouncer. We weren't there nearly as long this time but long enough for us to get up and dance the night away and for me to get rather drunk, and forget to pick up my card from behind the bar when we eventually headed off. Mike had stopped drinking a few hours ago by this point and drove us back to the club (being stopped by a police patrol on the way, well you try driving through the bizarre one way system in Victoria when you are used to UK driving!!) which was an interesting experience, although not one that we want to experience again any time soon.
Well this post is beginning to become rather epic in size so I won't go into full detail of our escapades during the days in Victoria, we have enjoyed it but still look forward to blasting Sally over the long roads in the US.
That was effectively what was going through my head when we arrived at Hertz to pick up our rental car. Now this is no ordinary rental car, this is a 2008, jet black, convertible, 4.6 Lt, V6, Ford Mustang GT (hereafter called Sally). There was a queue of about 15 people waiting to be served when we turned up, however they were members of what Mike and I have come to call 'pleb class'. However as Mike has a Gold membership with them he waltzed past them to our own desk where the guy added me to the insurance for no extra cost and handed us the keys and let us free with Sally.
We stopped off in Stanley park so that we could have a play with all the buttons and work out how to tame this beast, then we were on our way. Driving over the Vancouver suspension bridge with the roof down, listening to the noise of that engine was a very cool experience (no seriously, it was cold!!!) but one that was well worth it. To quote Chris Evans ''it's one of the only cars that sounds like it does in the movies'' and for those of you that have seen Gone in 60 Seconds (the new one) will know that the Mustang sounds like no other car on the road.
Although we had a great car and not too far to go for our ferry we hadn't counted on the pure lack of any logic on the road system. We drove around following all the signs to the ferry only end up driving past the exit terminal twice with a wall between us and it! To eventually get to it we had to drive away from it on the motorway for about 3 exits and then come off, go through some road works and then drive all the way back. This left us missing our reservation by 5 minutes, and they have obviously never heard of the word 'flexibility' here and said tough, we would have to wait 2:30 hours for the next one. Fortunately, however, Horse Shoe Bay was a rather pleasant little place, so we decided to get out of Sally and make lunch down by the marina.
After we'd had a walk around and Mike had polished off a mammoth ice cream (it may have been only 2 scoops but it was more like 4 UK scoops!), we headed back to Sally and our waiting vessel. The ferry to Vancouver Island was rather jolly, great views of the mountains surrounding the bay and thankfully not nearly as rough as the whale watching trip we had had in NZ (well Mike was far more pleased about this than me :P). When we reached the island we had a short but enjoyable drive south down the cost to a town called Nainamo and onto our next hostel. A nice little place, although I have never had so much of an issue getting hold of alcohol! I went over to the local supermarket only to find that they didn't sell any and that I had to find a liquor store, following the directions I had been given by one of the staff didn't help at all, in fact rather than finding the two bottle shops that were supposed to be in front of me there was in fact a Church (maybe the guy was trying to tell me something...)
I was not to be defeated, so I set out on my own (Mike was blogging by now) to find a liquor store, in true Top Gear fashion 'How hard can it be?'. I ended up running hither and thither fort about half and our until I spotted some bright neon lights down a back ally, in retrospect, writing this now, going down a back ally at night, in an unfamiliar town, towards an neon lit store was probably not my most wise decision ever :/. Still my curiosity paid off and I wandered into what must be the only liquor store in the whole town, I looked through the cooler and picked out a local larger bizarrely named Dead Frog. Still, we are determined to drink only local beers on this trip so I went with it.
The next day we had a wander around the town's harbor and then hit the road again and headed again to the south, this time with Victoria as our eventual destination. After a long day of driving around (mainly just for the fun of driving) we went and found the next hostel and struggled to work out how the parking worked in Victoria (utterly confusing). That night we decided to head out and grab a few beers, we found a place called 'Swans' which had been mentioned by the staff, little did we know that our previous observations about Canadian women would be made abundantly clear.
We were to be served for the night by one of the most stunning women I have ever seen, let alone meet. What was going to be a couple of beers turned into the two of us staying at the pub until three or so in the morning, well some of us had rather more to drink than others (cough..Mike.....cough.....!). We had a really good night out and went out the following night to attempt the same, although this time we headed to a club where a guy we had met the night before worked as a bouncer. We weren't there nearly as long this time but long enough for us to get up and dance the night away and for me to get rather drunk, and forget to pick up my card from behind the bar when we eventually headed off. Mike had stopped drinking a few hours ago by this point and drove us back to the club (being stopped by a police patrol on the way, well you try driving through the bizarre one way system in Victoria when you are used to UK driving!!) which was an interesting experience, although not one that we want to experience again any time soon.
Well this post is beginning to become rather epic in size so I won't go into full detail of our escapades during the days in Victoria, we have enjoyed it but still look forward to blasting Sally over the long roads in the US.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Trains, planes and automobiles
Granville Street, the heart of the the bars and clubs it would seem we were staying right on it!
Sunday was spent stroling about Vancouver. We visited Downtown and found a great salad restaurant for lunch. Sounds dull doesn't it, but after hours on planes and stodgy pancakes for breakfast we were longing for some fresh food! Stanley Park proved to be the highlight of the day. The Totem poles were very impressive. Only Central Park in NYC is bigger than Stanley. A trip to the visitor centre that afternoon left us very light in the pocket but excited about the next day.
Whistler by train and plane. One of my previous posts talked about the abundance of attractive Canadian women all over the world that we had bumped into, one of the common themes coming from meeting them was that Whistler was worth a visit. Monday morning had us rise early, we skipped breakfast as pancakes at 06.30 weren't appealing, and headed to the Sheraton. Here we met our rather swish coach that took us to North Vancouver and the train yard.
The red carpet was out for us when we arrived at the train (we had decided to travel in "Glacier Dome" the first class service on this train). No security probing was required as this is Canada, I think Tom was greatful for not receiving the latex glove treatment! We were welcomed on board by our rather camp host Joseph. I was immediately struck by the number of old people! This was retiree turf the 2 of us lowered to the average age to at least mid 60s. Breakfast followed some bucks fizz, prepared by Joseph and we were soon crawling up the railway to Whistler.
We arrived at about midday. Downtown Whistler (the term downtown overused here perhaps!) was enchanting and almost Alpine. The striking thing was its age. Recently developed in terms of modern history and all the architecture was from a prescribed style of the time, however, still most interesting. Over lunch we decided to catch a cable car to the top of the mountain and then walk back down, however, the bloke in the tourist info centre told us it would take 6 hours! To the top we went anyhow to explore. Well the summer sun turned into summer snow! Tom had prepared to climb a mountain by not bringing suitable clothes, so we stayed in the warm til the snow subdued and we carried on to the summit in a rickety cable car.
Wonderful views from the top were shrouded in mist which cleared and reappeared in 20 minute cycles. We enjoyed cheating death (well the signs said we might die!) and wandered back down to the lower cable car station. When we got there the thunder and lightning combined with snow had set in and we were stuck up the mountain. Now usually we wouldn't mind but we had a flight back to Vancouver to catch and were starting to get quite concerned when we heard radio chatter about evacuations! As I mentioned though, the weather was changing every 20 minutes and soon we were on our way back down.
A quick tour round Whistler to buy a new golf glove and then to the shuttle to the lake. We were flying on a float plane and Green Lake was our runway! A rather 'large' american woman was on our flight and was offering round a half eaten cookie - surprisingly no one took her up on her offer! The flight was fantastic, a BA 747 it was not. We were flying only a few hundred feet above ground with superb views of the route back to Vancouver - catch the pics on the slideshow.
Towers. We have climbed many and I feel we will continue to climb more, however, Vancouver's is most likely the shortest one we will climb, so Tom felt at home! A scout over the city before a scraping of shopping marked the end to our time in Vancouver.
Onwards we must go for the colonies need further inspection.
Wonderful views from the top were shrouded in mist which cleared and reappeared in 20 minute cycles. We enjoyed cheating death (well the signs said we might die!) and wandered back down to the lower cable car station. When we got there the thunder and lightning combined with snow had set in and we were stuck up the mountain. Now usually we wouldn't mind but we had a flight back to Vancouver to catch and were starting to get quite concerned when we heard radio chatter about evacuations! As I mentioned though, the weather was changing every 20 minutes and soon we were on our way back down.
A quick tour round Whistler to buy a new golf glove and then to the shuttle to the lake. We were flying on a float plane and Green Lake was our runway! A rather 'large' american woman was on our flight and was offering round a half eaten cookie - surprisingly no one took her up on her offer! The flight was fantastic, a BA 747 it was not. We were flying only a few hundred feet above ground with superb views of the route back to Vancouver - catch the pics on the slideshow.
Towers. We have climbed many and I feel we will continue to climb more, however, Vancouver's is most likely the shortest one we will climb, so Tom felt at home! A scout over the city before a scraping of shopping marked the end to our time in Vancouver.
Onwards we must go for the colonies need further inspection.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Torture.
LAX: Saturday 23rd August 2008.
After almost 12 hours up from Auckland, stuck in the middle of a 4 seat row, sandwiched between 2 sleepers and a crew who lacked appeal we hit LAX.
Tom and I have visited some of the more notable airports of the world and LAX was due to be a significant landmark. We arrived on board, what I have to say was a comfortable A330-200 into the American Airlines terminal at LAX (Qantas use it for this flight as it AA support the A332 there). When we left Auckland we had been informed that as we were departing on a flight from the US leaving the US to get to Vancouver we would have to disembark, and clear immigration and customs for the 3 hours we were in the US.
Tom an I have got used to the post disembarkment run, where you push your way up the queue of moving people from a flight, in the long corridors prior to immigration by walking fast. We hit immigration right at the front of the queue and thank God we did! There was an officious looking man ensuring we all understood English (touche) and had completed our forms correctly and then onto the rottweiler looking woman in her booth who would scrutinise my very existence. It has been a while since I've graced the shores of the US and since then they have introduced fingerprint scanning as well as photographing. What gives them the right to retain this information about me indefinitely? On this occasion, having been prepared and ticked all the necessary boxes, I was not there too long and was allowed to get my bag.
I waited, and waited for Tom (Latex gloves again I think). We collected our bags from a cramped carousel and proceeded to Customs. Customs was guy who was overwhelmed by people, with no queuing system so all the food based declarations we had made went unchecked!
Why is it that every International Airport in the world finds it necessary to rebuild itself every few months. And yes the next stage was to circumnavigate the hoardings telling us just how great this place was going to be, eventually, but in the mean time, tough you have to put up with it looking like a dog's arse!
Out we went into the not so fresh air, to be greeted by a charity collector who existed to tell weary travellers things they already knew about the airport and then expect them to hand over their spending money in return. Tom's lack of planning here worked wonders as all his US$ was packed away and we got off with pockets no lighter that before.
A hike amongst the strategically placed concrete pillars, that were only there to get in your way and stop you from seeing the other traveller you were about to run your baggage cart into, followed. We hit T3, for Alaska Airlines, unable to breach the doors for the herds coming out. Finally inside I was taken back to Southampton. For those of you familiar with S'oton airport, will know that it is a little gem on the south coast, great for flying from as it is a no nonsense simple airport. It is also small, it can be small as not man people pass through it as any one time. So why apply this philosophy to T3 at LAX? We battled to check in.
We had to check in using a kiosk - now don't get me wrong the BA kiosks at Heathrow are great, Alaska's ones not so, and we were on a QF flight code not an AS one! Having been accused of being Australian for the nth time - it's wearing thin now, it was noted we were aliens and therefore couldn't use their kiosks anyhow. We moved, missing a long queue mind you, and checked in before handing our bags to the TSA people to xray and throw on the floor. Cue the alarmed look on our faces as we prepared to lose our bags for the next 3 days.
Security, oh security, most understand it's use to protect, TSA understand it to spread terror and discomfort. A pre-security security check was next, just to make sure we were travellers and not mystical beings who frequent airports. This yielded 2 things, more annoyance but also a SSSS mark, or "Selected for Secondary Security Screening". Upstairs to security proper.
We did the airport strip, bunged our lives into plastic trays to be sent before the big moving microwave, I'm sure the bloke is watching reruns of minder and its all for show! Through the big beepy arch to collect our... no stop the SSSS has been spotted, we were put into what can only be described as a sheep pen. The most degrading part of the experience. A glass sided gated box in the middle of the security queue and a big woman shouting some incomprehensible phrase to alert all of our capture.
Thankfully for me it was a quick wipe down of my bag for explosives and with a green bar appearing on the computer (ahh its like being back running Java unit tests) I was away. Yet again however, Tom met more resistance and yes, latex gloves. I seem to spending most of my time waiting for Tom to be probed of late :s.
With that all over we decided it was high time to relax, grab a bite to eat, and kick back with the iPod. Alas this was not to be! We're in an airport, an international one at that, so you would think the amenities would cover most eventualities. Well maybe they did except for us (we'd been up for over 24hrs by this point) a hamburger, or hot dog or something else laced with salt wasn't appealing. We settled for Burger King, where I found their large meal was the same as the super size McDonalds ran in the UK for a while! They even had a triple Whopper available (I'm told by Tom that it doesn't exist in the UK!).
Having rearranged ourselves from being probed and humiliated and eaten we migrated to the holding pen, sorry, departure lounge. Now as we were quick getting to check-in, yes after all that it was still quick, we had been put on the standby list for the earlier flight to Vancouver. Checking with the departure clerk after lunch we found that we had been allocated seats on the earlier flight and we were away, not soon enough to Vancouver!
The flight was uneventful. I found myself sitting next to a young couple, and we shared a joke about the daft Canadian immigration form, then only to notice that she, Hannah, came from Gillingham, some 15 - 20 miles from me in Kent!
Vancouver was a welcome relief after the day's travels and the familiar sights of the airport relaxed me and before long we were on our way into downtown. A few days here will allow us to discover what Vancouver is all about and we are ready for the challenge, plus the weather is proving to be rather warm, which is rather jolly.
My therapist says that dwelling on the LAX debacle is not good for me so we will leave it there never to be spoken about again.
HEALTH WARNING: excessive exposure to LAX can increase the risks of suicide and alcholism.
After almost 12 hours up from Auckland, stuck in the middle of a 4 seat row, sandwiched between 2 sleepers and a crew who lacked appeal we hit LAX.
Tom and I have visited some of the more notable airports of the world and LAX was due to be a significant landmark. We arrived on board, what I have to say was a comfortable A330-200 into the American Airlines terminal at LAX (Qantas use it for this flight as it AA support the A332 there). When we left Auckland we had been informed that as we were departing on a flight from the US leaving the US to get to Vancouver we would have to disembark, and clear immigration and customs for the 3 hours we were in the US.
Tom an I have got used to the post disembarkment run, where you push your way up the queue of moving people from a flight, in the long corridors prior to immigration by walking fast. We hit immigration right at the front of the queue and thank God we did! There was an officious looking man ensuring we all understood English (touche) and had completed our forms correctly and then onto the rottweiler looking woman in her booth who would scrutinise my very existence. It has been a while since I've graced the shores of the US and since then they have introduced fingerprint scanning as well as photographing. What gives them the right to retain this information about me indefinitely? On this occasion, having been prepared and ticked all the necessary boxes, I was not there too long and was allowed to get my bag.
I waited, and waited for Tom (Latex gloves again I think). We collected our bags from a cramped carousel and proceeded to Customs. Customs was guy who was overwhelmed by people, with no queuing system so all the food based declarations we had made went unchecked!
Why is it that every International Airport in the world finds it necessary to rebuild itself every few months. And yes the next stage was to circumnavigate the hoardings telling us just how great this place was going to be, eventually, but in the mean time, tough you have to put up with it looking like a dog's arse!
Out we went into the not so fresh air, to be greeted by a charity collector who existed to tell weary travellers things they already knew about the airport and then expect them to hand over their spending money in return. Tom's lack of planning here worked wonders as all his US$ was packed away and we got off with pockets no lighter that before.
A hike amongst the strategically placed concrete pillars, that were only there to get in your way and stop you from seeing the other traveller you were about to run your baggage cart into, followed. We hit T3, for Alaska Airlines, unable to breach the doors for the herds coming out. Finally inside I was taken back to Southampton. For those of you familiar with S'oton airport, will know that it is a little gem on the south coast, great for flying from as it is a no nonsense simple airport. It is also small, it can be small as not man people pass through it as any one time. So why apply this philosophy to T3 at LAX? We battled to check in.
We had to check in using a kiosk - now don't get me wrong the BA kiosks at Heathrow are great, Alaska's ones not so, and we were on a QF flight code not an AS one! Having been accused of being Australian for the nth time - it's wearing thin now, it was noted we were aliens and therefore couldn't use their kiosks anyhow. We moved, missing a long queue mind you, and checked in before handing our bags to the TSA people to xray and throw on the floor. Cue the alarmed look on our faces as we prepared to lose our bags for the next 3 days.
Security, oh security, most understand it's use to protect, TSA understand it to spread terror and discomfort. A pre-security security check was next, just to make sure we were travellers and not mystical beings who frequent airports. This yielded 2 things, more annoyance but also a SSSS mark, or "Selected for Secondary Security Screening". Upstairs to security proper.
We did the airport strip, bunged our lives into plastic trays to be sent before the big moving microwave, I'm sure the bloke is watching reruns of minder and its all for show! Through the big beepy arch to collect our... no stop the SSSS has been spotted, we were put into what can only be described as a sheep pen. The most degrading part of the experience. A glass sided gated box in the middle of the security queue and a big woman shouting some incomprehensible phrase to alert all of our capture.
Thankfully for me it was a quick wipe down of my bag for explosives and with a green bar appearing on the computer (ahh its like being back running Java unit tests) I was away. Yet again however, Tom met more resistance and yes, latex gloves. I seem to spending most of my time waiting for Tom to be probed of late :s.
With that all over we decided it was high time to relax, grab a bite to eat, and kick back with the iPod. Alas this was not to be! We're in an airport, an international one at that, so you would think the amenities would cover most eventualities. Well maybe they did except for us (we'd been up for over 24hrs by this point) a hamburger, or hot dog or something else laced with salt wasn't appealing. We settled for Burger King, where I found their large meal was the same as the super size McDonalds ran in the UK for a while! They even had a triple Whopper available (I'm told by Tom that it doesn't exist in the UK!).
Having rearranged ourselves from being probed and humiliated and eaten we migrated to the holding pen, sorry, departure lounge. Now as we were quick getting to check-in, yes after all that it was still quick, we had been put on the standby list for the earlier flight to Vancouver. Checking with the departure clerk after lunch we found that we had been allocated seats on the earlier flight and we were away, not soon enough to Vancouver!
The flight was uneventful. I found myself sitting next to a young couple, and we shared a joke about the daft Canadian immigration form, then only to notice that she, Hannah, came from Gillingham, some 15 - 20 miles from me in Kent!
Vancouver was a welcome relief after the day's travels and the familiar sights of the airport relaxed me and before long we were on our way into downtown. A few days here will allow us to discover what Vancouver is all about and we are ready for the challenge, plus the weather is proving to be rather warm, which is rather jolly.
My therapist says that dwelling on the LAX debacle is not good for me so we will leave it there never to be spoken about again.
HEALTH WARNING: excessive exposure to LAX can increase the risks of suicide and alcholism.
Babes, Bikes and Beer!
Our final leg in New Zealand was kicked off by a frustrating bus ride into the heart of Auckland (I was left waiting about 50 mins and Mike about 30!).
When we eventually met up there seemed to be a great gathering of people on one of the main high streets, all the way along on both sides of the road (which I thought was a little bizarre considering there was only usual city traffic moving along). We walked around for about an hour or so and more and more people were turning up all looking up the hill, apparently there was going to be some sort of parade at lunchtime. Well after grabbing a quick subway Mike and I took our place by the road and awaited this parade not quite sure what to expect. First off there was a band of police (getting slightly anxious now), then a protest group campaigning against pornography (just what sort of parade is this??). Then about 10 mins after the protest we heard the low revving of some motorbike engines just up the road, and as the drove past we realized quite why the crowds had gathered. Let me put it this way, there were lots of bikes, and on the back of each was a glamour model not wearing anything from the waist up (it was a rather chilly day as well)!! When I went out to explore the sights and sounds of Auckland that was not one of the views that I had in mind (not that I object of course ;) ).
The rest of the day was spent getting an excellent view of the city from the Skytower (at last I have conquered the two towers!!!) we considered jumping off the tower but a storm pulled in whilst we were at the top, jumping off is one thing, jumping off in strong winds and rain is another!
We then went our separate ways and headed back to our respective families. On the last day of our stay I was invited out to my cousin's (Naomi) husband's (Anthony) brother's (Daniel) birthday gig. They are all Croatians, and although I'm relatively used to being the shortest person around it's not usually by such a large margin. Anthony is 6.4 and the shortest of his 5 siblings, and that's not mentioning the rest of the family! Still I knew I had the whole of the pacific to fly over the next day (Canada here we come) so I did the sensible thing and stayed up till 4 in the morning and got completely and totally wasted :D, I can always sleep on the plane!
Well an lie in and lots of water later, plus a great final breakfast with my family and I felt just about luke warm again :/ I said my farewells and thank yous and while Mike was doing the same with his family I wandered off to find an All Blacks shirt. My plan of sleeping on the plane utterly failed, a 11:30hr flight and not a wink - still I did manage to watch a load of films and TV shows. Due to a longer flight time we couldn't get our original connection at LA airport which meant that we had about 3hrs to kill. Unlike Cape Trib, however, when those 3 hours were up we were not pining for more time there, quite the opposite, it was quite possibly the most infuriating, intrusive, unpleasant and downright rude place I have ever been.
In fact I think Mike will enjoy picking it apart far more than me, I don't want to risk flashbacks either. So look out for Mike's: 'Guide to Surviving LAX'.
When we eventually met up there seemed to be a great gathering of people on one of the main high streets, all the way along on both sides of the road (which I thought was a little bizarre considering there was only usual city traffic moving along). We walked around for about an hour or so and more and more people were turning up all looking up the hill, apparently there was going to be some sort of parade at lunchtime. Well after grabbing a quick subway Mike and I took our place by the road and awaited this parade not quite sure what to expect. First off there was a band of police (getting slightly anxious now), then a protest group campaigning against pornography (just what sort of parade is this??). Then about 10 mins after the protest we heard the low revving of some motorbike engines just up the road, and as the drove past we realized quite why the crowds had gathered. Let me put it this way, there were lots of bikes, and on the back of each was a glamour model not wearing anything from the waist up (it was a rather chilly day as well)!! When I went out to explore the sights and sounds of Auckland that was not one of the views that I had in mind (not that I object of course ;) ).
The rest of the day was spent getting an excellent view of the city from the Skytower (at last I have conquered the two towers!!!) we considered jumping off the tower but a storm pulled in whilst we were at the top, jumping off is one thing, jumping off in strong winds and rain is another!
We then went our separate ways and headed back to our respective families. On the last day of our stay I was invited out to my cousin's (Naomi) husband's (Anthony) brother's (Daniel) birthday gig. They are all Croatians, and although I'm relatively used to being the shortest person around it's not usually by such a large margin. Anthony is 6.4 and the shortest of his 5 siblings, and that's not mentioning the rest of the family! Still I knew I had the whole of the pacific to fly over the next day (Canada here we come) so I did the sensible thing and stayed up till 4 in the morning and got completely and totally wasted :D, I can always sleep on the plane!
Well an lie in and lots of water later, plus a great final breakfast with my family and I felt just about luke warm again :/ I said my farewells and thank yous and while Mike was doing the same with his family I wandered off to find an All Blacks shirt. My plan of sleeping on the plane utterly failed, a 11:30hr flight and not a wink - still I did manage to watch a load of films and TV shows. Due to a longer flight time we couldn't get our original connection at LA airport which meant that we had about 3hrs to kill. Unlike Cape Trib, however, when those 3 hours were up we were not pining for more time there, quite the opposite, it was quite possibly the most infuriating, intrusive, unpleasant and downright rude place I have ever been.
In fact I think Mike will enjoy picking it apart far more than me, I don't want to risk flashbacks either. So look out for Mike's: 'Guide to Surviving LAX'.
Thursday, 28 August 2008
They're free and we give you more than one!
Kaikoura came as a welcome stop. The last 20 clicks into the town were difficult. The roads were wet, dark and above all, non-stop bends. Tom went into the back of the van to read as I drove and stopped when we hit the last stretch, as the he was being thrown all over the place!
We stayed at yet another Top 10 Holiday Park, except this one immediately annoyed me as they operated timed showers - they gave you 6 minutes!
Anyhow, the following morning we Whale watched. I phoned from our van early to book onto the 10.30 sailing, only to be told it was hit and miss as the seas were rough and the 07.30 hadn't been able to depart. Ever the intrepid explorers, after our Nutella with twinings tea breakfast, we drove the 500 yards to the whale watching base. We were suitably fleeced and waited to depart.
We set off aboard a catamaran, with winds reaching 15 - 25 knots and swell reaching 2m! It was great fun initially watching the waves crash over the boat as we headed out to see the sperm whales. A safety briefing told us how to survive and what to do if you're sick. They had bags," they're free and we give you more than one". Well at a stop to get some air I thought it a jolly idea to test these bags and with assistance from Twinings appropriately tested more than one! We saw a whale and seals and dolphin. It was a fabulous trip even if I was feeling rather delicate!
A hearty lunch was necessary and we embraced New Zealand's pie culture! Then hit the road for Christchurch, back down the 20 very bendy clicks we'd navigate the night before and the 150 clicks of straight highway - a welcome relief.
Christchurch was just as we had left it a week earlier. However, our standing for the night was more like a bog! The redeeming feature of this site was the shower block, hot; large and powerful ;). The bog got worse though! As the next morning as Tom went out to disconnect the power and turn off the gas, I heard a shriek and exclamation outside the window "the water is this deep". The corner of our standing was under 6 inches of water at its deepest and left us a little anxious to leave before we either started to sink in the mud or get stuck wheel spinning out!
Qantas delivered us back to our families in Auckland, not before getting some money back from the camper van people for all the problems we had experienced.
Auckland is now positively warm for us and we don't understand why the locals are complaining about 10 degs - we've been sleeping in a van below freezing all week!
A van; sleeping below freezing; for a week; what were we thinking!
We stayed at yet another Top 10 Holiday Park, except this one immediately annoyed me as they operated timed showers - they gave you 6 minutes!
Anyhow, the following morning we Whale watched. I phoned from our van early to book onto the 10.30 sailing, only to be told it was hit and miss as the seas were rough and the 07.30 hadn't been able to depart. Ever the intrepid explorers, after our Nutella with twinings tea breakfast, we drove the 500 yards to the whale watching base. We were suitably fleeced and waited to depart.
We set off aboard a catamaran, with winds reaching 15 - 25 knots and swell reaching 2m! It was great fun initially watching the waves crash over the boat as we headed out to see the sperm whales. A safety briefing told us how to survive and what to do if you're sick. They had bags," they're free and we give you more than one". Well at a stop to get some air I thought it a jolly idea to test these bags and with assistance from Twinings appropriately tested more than one! We saw a whale and seals and dolphin. It was a fabulous trip even if I was feeling rather delicate!
A hearty lunch was necessary and we embraced New Zealand's pie culture! Then hit the road for Christchurch, back down the 20 very bendy clicks we'd navigate the night before and the 150 clicks of straight highway - a welcome relief.
Christchurch was just as we had left it a week earlier. However, our standing for the night was more like a bog! The redeeming feature of this site was the shower block, hot; large and powerful ;). The bog got worse though! As the next morning as Tom went out to disconnect the power and turn off the gas, I heard a shriek and exclamation outside the window "the water is this deep". The corner of our standing was under 6 inches of water at its deepest and left us a little anxious to leave before we either started to sink in the mud or get stuck wheel spinning out!
Qantas delivered us back to our families in Auckland, not before getting some money back from the camper van people for all the problems we had experienced.
Auckland is now positively warm for us and we don't understand why the locals are complaining about 10 degs - we've been sleeping in a van below freezing all week!
A van; sleeping below freezing; for a week; what were we thinking!
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Out of the Fridge and into the Freezer
With our fate tied up with the weather and with no means of retreat we set out to find what roads where actually still in operation. We knew we couldn't get back east, there was nothing but pacific ocean to the west. So that left north: towards Nelson and Fiordland or south: towards Haast's glaciers and Queenstown.
Unfortunately we could go in neither direction, the gods have not looked kindly on our journey (clearly we weren't sacrificing enough goats) and had us pinned down on a small stretch of the west coast (which have very shiny black beaches!!) with all the passes shut by snow. For a change of scenery if nothing else, we headed south to Greymouth over a rather bendy coastal road and with no goats handy to help with the weather situation we headed over to see the local Fur seal population (just to look at them!).
The day was spent working out how long it would take to walk back to the UK, drinking beer and eating fish and chips! Oh and as we were beginning to get a little smelly, the laundry became a priority :/
The following day Mike went and spoke to the bloke in charge and find out about the state of the roads. Clearly our meager fish sacrifice the night before (not to mention the bacon for breakfast) had done the job, the Arthurs Pass had opened (barely). My job to drive again (even more snow this time - about 2 meters high!) although we switched after lunch at the far end of the pass and I had climbed up a snow covered mountain. Mike then had the long slog over to Kaikoura (north of Christchurch) so we could try and get at some whales (again, just to look at - have you tried to sacrifice a whale!!! - no comments please Elfar).
So we are free of the mountains and snow, back on the open road and with no sign of Gollum stalking us, I think.....
Unfortunately we could go in neither direction, the gods have not looked kindly on our journey (clearly we weren't sacrificing enough goats) and had us pinned down on a small stretch of the west coast (which have very shiny black beaches!!) with all the passes shut by snow. For a change of scenery if nothing else, we headed south to Greymouth over a rather bendy coastal road and with no goats handy to help with the weather situation we headed over to see the local Fur seal population (just to look at them!).
The day was spent working out how long it would take to walk back to the UK, drinking beer and eating fish and chips! Oh and as we were beginning to get a little smelly, the laundry became a priority :/
The following day Mike went and spoke to the bloke in charge and find out about the state of the roads. Clearly our meager fish sacrifice the night before (not to mention the bacon for breakfast) had done the job, the Arthurs Pass had opened (barely). My job to drive again (even more snow this time - about 2 meters high!) although we switched after lunch at the far end of the pass and I had climbed up a snow covered mountain. Mike then had the long slog over to Kaikoura (north of Christchurch) so we could try and get at some whales (again, just to look at - have you tried to sacrifice a whale!!! - no comments please Elfar).
So we are free of the mountains and snow, back on the open road and with no sign of Gollum stalking us, I think.....
Monday, 18 August 2008
Though the Road is Perilous we Must Ride On
After picking up our motor and stocking up with supplies we began our perilous journey in to the very heart of Middle Earth.
The first port of call was Hamner Springs, nestled just into the east of the mountains. A great little town surrounded by snow capped mountains (we would be seeing a lot more of those over the next few days). Plenty to do there, Bungy jumping (yes I did :)), white water rafting (tick) , jetboat trip through river valley and rapids (check) and of course, spending a couple of hours resting in the natural hot water springs (40 degrees plus!). The pools were lovely, I lost Mike at one point, only to find him chatting up two girls (typical) from the UK - Fiona and Helen.
After all that I finally got to drive the van (and home for the next week) and typically it was chucking down with snow and we were heading further and higher into the mountains over one of the most treacherous roads on the south island, w00t! The drive was fantastic, even had to use the snow chains for a couple of hours! (gave Mike a stinking headache - but I enjoyed it). After that snow filled journey we were left to find shelter in a small coastal town called Westport, where we were told that the road we had just crossed over had been shut behind us!
So I leave you there, sit rep: cold, 19'000km from home, trapped on the west coast with a mountain range and several hundred clicks between us and our eventual exit.
The first port of call was Hamner Springs, nestled just into the east of the mountains. A great little town surrounded by snow capped mountains (we would be seeing a lot more of those over the next few days). Plenty to do there, Bungy jumping (yes I did :)), white water rafting (tick) , jetboat trip through river valley and rapids (check) and of course, spending a couple of hours resting in the natural hot water springs (40 degrees plus!). The pools were lovely, I lost Mike at one point, only to find him chatting up two girls (typical) from the UK - Fiona and Helen.
After all that I finally got to drive the van (and home for the next week) and typically it was chucking down with snow and we were heading further and higher into the mountains over one of the most treacherous roads on the south island, w00t! The drive was fantastic, even had to use the snow chains for a couple of hours! (gave Mike a stinking headache - but I enjoyed it). After that snow filled journey we were left to find shelter in a small coastal town called Westport, where we were told that the road we had just crossed over had been shut behind us!
So I leave you there, sit rep: cold, 19'000km from home, trapped on the west coast with a mountain range and several hundred clicks between us and our eventual exit.
It could almost be Iceland
The blog title for our little (well not so little) Icelandic friend. We have finished our time in Wellington, the capital of NZ and it only has a population of 300,000 (the same as Iceland).
This was a whistle stop tour for us and really an opportunity for Tom to meet up with Dan (his cousin).
Another YHA room with a smelly German and incidently a not so smelly German. This time it was en suite! woo! This just meant the bathroom was smaller than usual and more of a challenge to prevent the 'wet-bottom-of-jeans' situation.
We passed the time on Monday with a flight down from Auckland with Qantas and then a trip to New World, our new favourite supermarket. Suitably stocked up on food we didn't need and too much beer, we made plans to meet Dan that evening and settled in for an hour or 2 of the Olympics.
18.00 came and we wandered out into the cold and met Dan. It was great to see Tom spending time with family, as it my lot he will be subjected to in the states! A curry later and to an English pub! We came all this way to go to a pub. Pool and beer was the order of the evening. However, the evening was still young and we settled into a game of Monopoly when we returned to the YHA! What's going wrong we are turning to an old married couple. Well Tom beat me - I wasn't impressed!
Tom had found out about Weta, the people who did all the SFX for LOTR and others such as King Kong. Being LOTR country and Tom being a massive LOTR fan we headed out to their studios (the same place they mastered the film). I followed Tom in, and I thought he had walked into a land of mirrors, apparently it was Gollum!
The afternoon was spent on the famous Wellington Cable Car, interspersed with rain. A good day had in all and a jolly strole back along the harbour front to the YHA. We cooked up a treat that night again to adoring fans (we are thinking abnout writing a cook book now). Then after beer and Monopoly, where I bankrupted Tom this time, it was bed. For tomorrow we must journey into Middle Earth and all that it holds!
Now where did I put that ring...
This was a whistle stop tour for us and really an opportunity for Tom to meet up with Dan (his cousin).
Another YHA room with a smelly German and incidently a not so smelly German. This time it was en suite! woo! This just meant the bathroom was smaller than usual and more of a challenge to prevent the 'wet-bottom-of-jeans' situation.
We passed the time on Monday with a flight down from Auckland with Qantas and then a trip to New World, our new favourite supermarket. Suitably stocked up on food we didn't need and too much beer, we made plans to meet Dan that evening and settled in for an hour or 2 of the Olympics.
18.00 came and we wandered out into the cold and met Dan. It was great to see Tom spending time with family, as it my lot he will be subjected to in the states! A curry later and to an English pub! We came all this way to go to a pub. Pool and beer was the order of the evening. However, the evening was still young and we settled into a game of Monopoly when we returned to the YHA! What's going wrong we are turning to an old married couple. Well Tom beat me - I wasn't impressed!
Tom had found out about Weta, the people who did all the SFX for LOTR and others such as King Kong. Being LOTR country and Tom being a massive LOTR fan we headed out to their studios (the same place they mastered the film). I followed Tom in, and I thought he had walked into a land of mirrors, apparently it was Gollum!
The afternoon was spent on the famous Wellington Cable Car, interspersed with rain. A good day had in all and a jolly strole back along the harbour front to the YHA. We cooked up a treat that night again to adoring fans (we are thinking abnout writing a cook book now). Then after beer and Monopoly, where I bankrupted Tom this time, it was bed. For tomorrow we must journey into Middle Earth and all that it holds!
Now where did I put that ring...
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Latex gloves
Tom's camping knife has been a very useful tool on this trip but also is a source of amusement. He is required to declare it at very port and embarkment ponit.
So friday was the time to arrive in Auckland and go through their stringent customs and quarantine procedures. Off Tom went followed by a bemused Iranian guy to a separtate queue in the airport and to the Latex gloves. I went thruoght the 'I'm not a criminal' queue and met my sister the other side in arrivals. It was a good 7 minutes before Tom arrived and he was walking funny, he says the gloves weren't used but the jury is out.
Auckland it was for the weekend. I spent it with my sister, husband and sons and Tom with his aunt, uncle and joined by his cousin, husband and son. Two contrasting weekends but we were both glad to report that the large double beds and bathrooms had been our highlights!
For me some much longed for time with my family, even if getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to watch my nephew play soccer in the rain, was necessary.
Suitably, frozen yet refreshed (there was a restaurant in Singapore with a similar tag line wasn't there?) we were ready to begin our NZ trek. We had not been prepared for the cold. NZers seem to cope with the lack of insulation and heating, but us Brits straight in from a distinctly warmer Oz couldn't. I have a bag full of warm things and have left the sun lotion and sunier aparrel in Auckland.
The following week will keep us entertained with new and exciting experiences and then back to the family in Auckland for more R&R and collect all the stuff we left there to make our bags lighter!
As we do not have a broadband ready campervan you may not hear from us for a while, so until next time, have fun - we will be.
So friday was the time to arrive in Auckland and go through their stringent customs and quarantine procedures. Off Tom went followed by a bemused Iranian guy to a separtate queue in the airport and to the Latex gloves. I went thruoght the 'I'm not a criminal' queue and met my sister the other side in arrivals. It was a good 7 minutes before Tom arrived and he was walking funny, he says the gloves weren't used but the jury is out.
Auckland it was for the weekend. I spent it with my sister, husband and sons and Tom with his aunt, uncle and joined by his cousin, husband and son. Two contrasting weekends but we were both glad to report that the large double beds and bathrooms had been our highlights!
For me some much longed for time with my family, even if getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to watch my nephew play soccer in the rain, was necessary.
Suitably, frozen yet refreshed (there was a restaurant in Singapore with a similar tag line wasn't there?) we were ready to begin our NZ trek. We had not been prepared for the cold. NZers seem to cope with the lack of insulation and heating, but us Brits straight in from a distinctly warmer Oz couldn't. I have a bag full of warm things and have left the sun lotion and sunier aparrel in Auckland.
The following week will keep us entertained with new and exciting experiences and then back to the family in Auckland for more R&R and collect all the stuff we left there to make our bags lighter!
As we do not have a broadband ready campervan you may not hear from us for a while, so until next time, have fun - we will be.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
The Two Towers
With Middle Earth, sorry, New Zealand soon approaching we want to get in as much of the sights and sounds of Sydney as we can on our last full day here. First stop, the Tower! The seconds highest structure in the southern hemisphere and twice as high as the harbour bridge, it is a must for anyone wanting a good look at the city. The views were magnificent and well worth the rather arduous airport style checks on the way up.
After a good trek around the tower (no wizards in sight unfortunatly) we headed back to our friendly Inn for a touch of supper that even the most stout of Hobbits (such as myself) would have been proud of, half a loaf of bread, hams, cheese, chrisps (not bloody chips!), bananas and not forgetting a good cup of tea.
Then onwards to the rather perilous animal world, which thrilled us with close ups of animals of both the cute and fluffy (Koalas, Kangaroos (mmmmm kangaroo (am I now going to hell?))) and venemous variaties (everything else :/ ). This was closely followed by the aquatic world which housed many sharp teethed beasts aswell as an impressive array of living coral reefs! Quite an achievement keeping such a dynamic ecosystem going in such a confined place.
Well with the thrills of the day we have to say goodbye to Sydney, it has been fun, especially planning revenge on the thieves (though that story can wait for another day) and the Opera house. Well with one tower conquered were are left the journey deep into Middle Earth in search of the second, rumoured to be housed in Auckland - the largest settlement of Men on the north island. Wish us good luck, and pray that we are not waylaid by marauding Oruc Hai or Blarogs on our journey.
After a good trek around the tower (no wizards in sight unfortunatly) we headed back to our friendly Inn for a touch of supper that even the most stout of Hobbits (such as myself) would have been proud of, half a loaf of bread, hams, cheese, chrisps (not bloody chips!), bananas and not forgetting a good cup of tea.
Then onwards to the rather perilous animal world, which thrilled us with close ups of animals of both the cute and fluffy (Koalas, Kangaroos (mmmmm kangaroo (am I now going to hell?))) and venemous variaties (everything else :/ ). This was closely followed by the aquatic world which housed many sharp teethed beasts aswell as an impressive array of living coral reefs! Quite an achievement keeping such a dynamic ecosystem going in such a confined place.
Well with the thrills of the day we have to say goodbye to Sydney, it has been fun, especially planning revenge on the thieves (though that story can wait for another day) and the Opera house. Well with one tower conquered were are left the journey deep into Middle Earth in search of the second, rumoured to be housed in Auckland - the largest settlement of Men on the north island. Wish us good luck, and pray that we are not waylaid by marauding Oruc Hai or Blarogs on our journey.
Saturday, 9 August 2008
Two Russians and oysters
A trip to the Sydney tower late Wednesday morning suggested that scaling the tower was expensive and best combined with the Aquarium and Wildlife Centre. However, we had a prior engagement at 16.00 and didn't wish to rush the aforementioned attractions.
We diverted to Bondi. To the east of Sydney, sits another beach. What's the fuss about? Think Singapore Slings in Raffles, Rainforest trekking in the Daintree, why would you do it anywhere else when you've arguably experienced the best and original. So to me, Bondi wasn't a patch on Cape Trib.
This didn't stop it raining! We huddled under a tree for 10 minutes and watched the surfers. Then decided to stroll up to the Icebergs Surf Rescue club. The guide book said they were famous, and they had a pool that was washed 'clean' by the ocean swell. It was interesting to see. The book also said that atop of the clubhouse was one of Sydney's finest restaurants. This couldn't be missed, and a drink turned into a light lunch of oysters and olives!
A walk along the beach to North Bondi and a lookout was pleasant. Time was catching us up and we headed back to the YHA. Where a supplementary sandwich was in order after our light lunch. We caught him. Well at least one of them. Food thief. They ad our food earlier in the week, and this time one Korean guy took one of our beers from the fridge in front of Tom. The thief didn't seem to understand the concept of it being ours and had to be told to put it back. They are the lowest form of scum in the hostels and had we not been in such a rush we would happily have shopped him to the YHA staff.
The rush was due to our 16.00 engagement, that had become a 17.00 engagement as Matt & Sarah, who we were about to meet, had in fact done the tower and aquarium! We met them under 'the main sail' a mistake on my part, as the main sail is in fact in the middle of the building, never the less we met at the Opera House.
It was good to meet up with them, as I had worked with Matt at IBM and was great to spend some time with the two of them. We went round to the Rocks area of Sydney and had a yummy dinner of Kangaroo! Time was of the essence as we were booked to see a performance at the Opera House.
A quick call home to wish my grandmother a happy birthday (she was delighted to hear I was still alive and doing well!) and the Tchaikovsky started. I was glued to the edge of my seat for the majority of the performance of his first Piano Concerto. Stravinsky's Firebird suite followed the interval. There were times that the ballet was needed but overall another fabulous performance by the Sydney Symphony.
We joined Matt and Sarah again for a drink at the pub before they turned in for an early flight the next day.
In all a truly student type day: oysters and drinks at Icebergs, dinner at Wolfies in the Rocks, and a show at the Opera House! - oh yeah, maybe not a student day :) - a great one none the less we will both testify.
On to the next one and maybe that illusive tower.
We diverted to Bondi. To the east of Sydney, sits another beach. What's the fuss about? Think Singapore Slings in Raffles, Rainforest trekking in the Daintree, why would you do it anywhere else when you've arguably experienced the best and original. So to me, Bondi wasn't a patch on Cape Trib.
This didn't stop it raining! We huddled under a tree for 10 minutes and watched the surfers. Then decided to stroll up to the Icebergs Surf Rescue club. The guide book said they were famous, and they had a pool that was washed 'clean' by the ocean swell. It was interesting to see. The book also said that atop of the clubhouse was one of Sydney's finest restaurants. This couldn't be missed, and a drink turned into a light lunch of oysters and olives!
A walk along the beach to North Bondi and a lookout was pleasant. Time was catching us up and we headed back to the YHA. Where a supplementary sandwich was in order after our light lunch. We caught him. Well at least one of them. Food thief. They ad our food earlier in the week, and this time one Korean guy took one of our beers from the fridge in front of Tom. The thief didn't seem to understand the concept of it being ours and had to be told to put it back. They are the lowest form of scum in the hostels and had we not been in such a rush we would happily have shopped him to the YHA staff.
The rush was due to our 16.00 engagement, that had become a 17.00 engagement as Matt & Sarah, who we were about to meet, had in fact done the tower and aquarium! We met them under 'the main sail' a mistake on my part, as the main sail is in fact in the middle of the building, never the less we met at the Opera House.
It was good to meet up with them, as I had worked with Matt at IBM and was great to spend some time with the two of them. We went round to the Rocks area of Sydney and had a yummy dinner of Kangaroo! Time was of the essence as we were booked to see a performance at the Opera House.
A quick call home to wish my grandmother a happy birthday (she was delighted to hear I was still alive and doing well!) and the Tchaikovsky started. I was glued to the edge of my seat for the majority of the performance of his first Piano Concerto. Stravinsky's Firebird suite followed the interval. There were times that the ballet was needed but overall another fabulous performance by the Sydney Symphony.
We joined Matt and Sarah again for a drink at the pub before they turned in for an early flight the next day.
In all a truly student type day: oysters and drinks at Icebergs, dinner at Wolfies in the Rocks, and a show at the Opera House! - oh yeah, maybe not a student day :) - a great one none the less we will both testify.
On to the next one and maybe that illusive tower.
Friday, 8 August 2008
We finally did it
Darling Harbour, it is home to many of Sydney's attractions and itself, a pleasant place to pass the time. So we set off, in high spirits for another day of exploration, however we didn't expect it to end like as it did.
We had been thinking about it for a while. We always knew there was a strong bond there and something had to come of it. We toyed for ages as to which package to go for and it all came down to a money to size ratio. Plus the man in a shiny suit.
Well... we bought a boat! Monte Carlo 37 only $389,000. In fact we spent the day at the Sydney International Boat Show. We stumbled on it really. As I mentioned Darling Harbour was the order of the morning but we arrived to find it full of boats and the 6 hall Sydney Convention Centre full of wondrous nautical things too. The morning became afternoon and the 'somewhere else' I had thought about for the afternoon never happened (bit of luck as neither of us really knew what we were going to do with our afternoon!
The convention centre was full of smaller boats and associated technology! including some real tat. We were both immensely impressed with a camera for mounting on the top of your boat. It swivelled and zoomed all over the place - well it kept us amused for 10 minutes. Tom decided that a 'super shammy' from a overly-American Canadian bloke was a good idea - well it wasn't, it doesn't fit in my bag.
The afternoon drifted into evening and a stroll down the harbour was in order. Sydney at night is an impressive sight and we enjoyed taking in the vista from the edge of Darling Harbour. We wandered back to the YHA over the Darling Harbour bridge just as it was opening for a boat to pass. We were held back for our safety, although Tom had suggested it would serve as a good opportunity to get in some parkour :). There was a small American child bugging his mother as to how they were going to cross now, we both felt like suggesting he swam across!
A jolly day had and some marvellous food and beer inevitably ended our day.
[btw the boat will be delivered in about 20 years when we can afford it]
We had been thinking about it for a while. We always knew there was a strong bond there and something had to come of it. We toyed for ages as to which package to go for and it all came down to a money to size ratio. Plus the man in a shiny suit.
Well... we bought a boat! Monte Carlo 37 only $389,000. In fact we spent the day at the Sydney International Boat Show. We stumbled on it really. As I mentioned Darling Harbour was the order of the morning but we arrived to find it full of boats and the 6 hall Sydney Convention Centre full of wondrous nautical things too. The morning became afternoon and the 'somewhere else' I had thought about for the afternoon never happened (bit of luck as neither of us really knew what we were going to do with our afternoon!
The convention centre was full of smaller boats and associated technology! including some real tat. We were both immensely impressed with a camera for mounting on the top of your boat. It swivelled and zoomed all over the place - well it kept us amused for 10 minutes. Tom decided that a 'super shammy' from a overly-American Canadian bloke was a good idea - well it wasn't, it doesn't fit in my bag.
The afternoon drifted into evening and a stroll down the harbour was in order. Sydney at night is an impressive sight and we enjoyed taking in the vista from the edge of Darling Harbour. We wandered back to the YHA over the Darling Harbour bridge just as it was opening for a boat to pass. We were held back for our safety, although Tom had suggested it would serve as a good opportunity to get in some parkour :). There was a small American child bugging his mother as to how they were going to cross now, we both felt like suggesting he swam across!
A jolly day had and some marvellous food and beer inevitably ended our day.
[btw the boat will be delivered in about 20 years when we can afford it]
Thursday, 7 August 2008
Into the Mountains
We couldn't come all the way to Sydney without checking out the world famous Blue mountains (they really are blue you know, or at least they look blue at a distance). To get the best out of them we had booked a day tour, much of the Uncle Brian's ilke, but far less silly, and without the swimming in horrifically cold waters, OK, it was just a tour!
Still the mountains were quite spectacular, the blue hugh being caused by evaporated oil from the Eucalyptus tree forests or some such witchcraft. Got plenty of good views of the main ravines and peaks all full of waterfalls and rainforest as far as you could see! After a guided tour down into the depths via cable car we learned how the 100's of kilometers of coals mines weaving their way through the mountain's depths were constructed by skilled Cornish miners (among others) who were particularity suited to this sort of work as they were short and stocky.......cue inevitable short joke from Mike. I did find it rather amusing however that the metal statue of an average miner was taller than me!
As with all good tours they always end up in a gift shop (we had already stopped at a large candy shop! :) ) and after looking around the usual tat we found ourselves being pulled towards the hat stand (no we didn't buy a hat stand, although it was a particularly nice hat stand!) we bought some hats!! Much to the amusement of our tour guide, who thought we looked like a pair of pornstars! Cheek, well, I mean, Mike did, but I just looked good!
We were rather glad of them on our journey home (a cold, windy ferry). Not only were we not a cold as everyone else but we looked good with it! Chilling in style.
Only a few days left in Sydney now, plenty to look forward to and even though our stockpile of beer is rapidly diminishing, we will continue to venture further into this strange and daunting land.
Still the mountains were quite spectacular, the blue hugh being caused by evaporated oil from the Eucalyptus tree forests or some such witchcraft. Got plenty of good views of the main ravines and peaks all full of waterfalls and rainforest as far as you could see! After a guided tour down into the depths via cable car we learned how the 100's of kilometers of coals mines weaving their way through the mountain's depths were constructed by skilled Cornish miners (among others) who were particularity suited to this sort of work as they were short and stocky.......cue inevitable short joke from Mike. I did find it rather amusing however that the metal statue of an average miner was taller than me!
As with all good tours they always end up in a gift shop (we had already stopped at a large candy shop! :) ) and after looking around the usual tat we found ourselves being pulled towards the hat stand (no we didn't buy a hat stand, although it was a particularly nice hat stand!) we bought some hats!! Much to the amusement of our tour guide, who thought we looked like a pair of pornstars! Cheek, well, I mean, Mike did, but I just looked good!
We were rather glad of them on our journey home (a cold, windy ferry). Not only were we not a cold as everyone else but we looked good with it! Chilling in style.
Only a few days left in Sydney now, plenty to look forward to and even though our stockpile of beer is rapidly diminishing, we will continue to venture further into this strange and daunting land.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
The Road Goes Ever On
Hey all,
Well we have been in Syders for a few days now and I should really report in our latest intel on the city. First thing that we checked out was the local sights and sounds, they were mainly backpackers of the female variety so it took some effort to move out and explore our surroundings.
First stop, the opera house. I know we are going there in a few days time anyway, but that experience will be of the interior (going to see some Tchaikovsky! Yay - I'm not an old fart honest...) . It is rather impressive, even more so when the sun is setting and the 'Sails' are highlighted in that late evening glow.
We spent the second day walking around the Bridge and learning about it (is this meant to feel like a school field trip - oh wait, I can have lots of beer, that makes it far more interesting "It took them how long!?!?! Give me a hammer and a few bits of wood and I could do better while playing peggle with my free hand!). Again, rather more impressive up close, but of course, like a lot of impressive things here in Oz (Mike and I included) it is an English design.
This has been our first few days with no specific plans in place or traveling to do and I think the break has done us good. Lots of beer, lots of walking and exploring but of our own accord and pace. The city is quite impressive (keep seeing sets from the film 'The Matrix' which is rather un-nerving) and the weather feels rather more like Autumn in the UK than winter. Either way it is a stark contrast with the Sun, Sea and flowing Rain forest that we have been accustomed to so far on our trip, only time will show us the surprises that this city has to offer us.
Farewell fare readers and may your comments flow like the beer is here - copiously.
Well we have been in Syders for a few days now and I should really report in our latest intel on the city. First thing that we checked out was the local sights and sounds, they were mainly backpackers of the female variety so it took some effort to move out and explore our surroundings.
First stop, the opera house. I know we are going there in a few days time anyway, but that experience will be of the interior (going to see some Tchaikovsky! Yay - I'm not an old fart honest...) . It is rather impressive, even more so when the sun is setting and the 'Sails' are highlighted in that late evening glow.
We spent the second day walking around the Bridge and learning about it (is this meant to feel like a school field trip - oh wait, I can have lots of beer, that makes it far more interesting "It took them how long!?!?! Give me a hammer and a few bits of wood and I could do better while playing peggle with my free hand!). Again, rather more impressive up close, but of course, like a lot of impressive things here in Oz (Mike and I included) it is an English design.
This has been our first few days with no specific plans in place or traveling to do and I think the break has done us good. Lots of beer, lots of walking and exploring but of our own accord and pace. The city is quite impressive (keep seeing sets from the film 'The Matrix' which is rather un-nerving) and the weather feels rather more like Autumn in the UK than winter. Either way it is a stark contrast with the Sun, Sea and flowing Rain forest that we have been accustomed to so far on our trip, only time will show us the surprises that this city has to offer us.
Farewell fare readers and may your comments flow like the beer is here - copiously.
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Swimming in the sun or flying?
Our last day in Cairns marks a end to many things.
Firstly the weather. Sydney is next for a week then 2 in New Zealand, it won't be til the end of August that we see the sun again in Vancouver. This is something we have both been enjoying and will miss.
Secondly the activities. The schedule of non-stop things to ends. Our week in Sydney is more relaxed than our time so far. however, don't get me wrong, the reason we have been so busy is because we wanted to be. And we have loved it. Sinagpore and the slings; Port Douglas and the beach and beer; Cape Trib and the rainforest and beaches; Cairns and Uncle Brians and the Barrier Reef. These were all things I certainly longed to do, Tom was sceptical at first with a couple, more ignorance than concern, as he will happily admit. We leave Cairns completely content, if not a little lighter in the pocket, but content never the less.
The morning was spent sleeping, partly. The tours always start early and this was our first morning to sleep in. A breakfast with Fabian and then handed him the perishable goods we couldn't transport to Sydney. We were late checking out :) we had a tannoy call to get out! Anyhow, with bags in the baggage store we headed down to the Lagoon.
We were told it was a must do while in Cairns (pronounced cans I'm finding). There are pictures of it on the blog. It is a large outdoor swimming pool essentially, with sand around and then grass with a BBQ area. Friday morning was busy there and we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere. Tom went to find the bird he'd been after for a couple of days while I kicked back with the iPod. I had not been swimming for a few hours and was in need of a dip, so a plunge into the 'refreshing' (we have come to understand the true meaning of that word already ;) ) water.
There was good reason for this interlude, well I thought there was. We had a few hours to kill before our 16.10 flight to Sydney. Lunch was had by the lagoon, and then a strole back to the YHA to grab our bags for the coach transfer to the airport. Well after 15 minutes past our departure time we were concerned. The YHA phoned Sun Palm and we were reassured only another 10 minutes. 45 minutes after our departure time the coach turned up - Justin our driver had just come off the Port Douglas route we had been on earlier in the week - he explained the company were running behind. Hey it didn't matter that 16.10 depature was a while yet.
Justin, very informative with Bristolian grandparents, helped us into an empty airport. This is odd, were my first thoughts, I've travelled enough to know that even the smallest airports in the world busy themselves before departures. Well, all was about to be explained as I asked to check in for 'the Sydney flight'. It appears that the 16.10 departure was actually a 16.10 arrival at Sydney, yes I had missed our flight by 3 hours! It was bound to happen sometime in my life!
The checkin clerk directed us over to the sales clerk, who tried to get us on our original plane, for some reason still on the ground (must have gone tech on arrival or delayed). Alas it was not to be, so I clenched my teeth for the financial penalty of being a plonker. Then reallity took hold as the sales clerk's good nature reminded me that this was Qantas and not some tin pot carrier, transfered to the 17.15 departure with a long wait ahead.
Dinner was plastic on the plane. My faith in Qantas died rapidly as they expected me to pay for wine with my dinner! Anyhow Sydney Airport is well located and 4 stops on the Airlink we were at Sydney central witha 2 min strole to our hostel.
The night was spent in Scubar (the YHA bar), initially for a drink but ended up boogying the night away to a DJ who could not mix tracks to save his life, shame I left my collection at home...
Firstly the weather. Sydney is next for a week then 2 in New Zealand, it won't be til the end of August that we see the sun again in Vancouver. This is something we have both been enjoying and will miss.
Secondly the activities. The schedule of non-stop things to ends. Our week in Sydney is more relaxed than our time so far. however, don't get me wrong, the reason we have been so busy is because we wanted to be. And we have loved it. Sinagpore and the slings; Port Douglas and the beach and beer; Cape Trib and the rainforest and beaches; Cairns and Uncle Brians and the Barrier Reef. These were all things I certainly longed to do, Tom was sceptical at first with a couple, more ignorance than concern, as he will happily admit. We leave Cairns completely content, if not a little lighter in the pocket, but content never the less.
The morning was spent sleeping, partly. The tours always start early and this was our first morning to sleep in. A breakfast with Fabian and then handed him the perishable goods we couldn't transport to Sydney. We were late checking out :) we had a tannoy call to get out! Anyhow, with bags in the baggage store we headed down to the Lagoon.
We were told it was a must do while in Cairns (pronounced cans I'm finding). There are pictures of it on the blog. It is a large outdoor swimming pool essentially, with sand around and then grass with a BBQ area. Friday morning was busy there and we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere. Tom went to find the bird he'd been after for a couple of days while I kicked back with the iPod. I had not been swimming for a few hours and was in need of a dip, so a plunge into the 'refreshing' (we have come to understand the true meaning of that word already ;) ) water.
There was good reason for this interlude, well I thought there was. We had a few hours to kill before our 16.10 flight to Sydney. Lunch was had by the lagoon, and then a strole back to the YHA to grab our bags for the coach transfer to the airport. Well after 15 minutes past our departure time we were concerned. The YHA phoned Sun Palm and we were reassured only another 10 minutes. 45 minutes after our departure time the coach turned up - Justin our driver had just come off the Port Douglas route we had been on earlier in the week - he explained the company were running behind. Hey it didn't matter that 16.10 depature was a while yet.
Justin, very informative with Bristolian grandparents, helped us into an empty airport. This is odd, were my first thoughts, I've travelled enough to know that even the smallest airports in the world busy themselves before departures. Well, all was about to be explained as I asked to check in for 'the Sydney flight'. It appears that the 16.10 departure was actually a 16.10 arrival at Sydney, yes I had missed our flight by 3 hours! It was bound to happen sometime in my life!
The checkin clerk directed us over to the sales clerk, who tried to get us on our original plane, for some reason still on the ground (must have gone tech on arrival or delayed). Alas it was not to be, so I clenched my teeth for the financial penalty of being a plonker. Then reallity took hold as the sales clerk's good nature reminded me that this was Qantas and not some tin pot carrier, transfered to the 17.15 departure with a long wait ahead.
Dinner was plastic on the plane. My faith in Qantas died rapidly as they expected me to pay for wine with my dinner! Anyhow Sydney Airport is well located and 4 stops on the Airlink we were at Sydney central witha 2 min strole to our hostel.
The night was spent in Scubar (the YHA bar), initially for a drink but ended up boogying the night away to a DJ who could not mix tracks to save his life, shame I left my collection at home...
Taking the Plunge
Hi All,
Well after having a fantastic day out with Gus we fancied something that promised slightly warmer waters! Another early morning as we needed to get down to the local marina to catch our boat to the Great Barrier Reef.
We had a small panic initially as we couldn't find the boat or check in desk! However a quick chat with a skipper of another vessel put us back on track. We were first on the boat, seated and kitted out, soon to be joined by a friendly girl from the US who had been eying up our stir fry from the previous days cooking back at the YHA.
After basic instructions and techniques it was time to take our first dive. The two other people with us couldn't get to grip with the basic techniques once in the water so it was just me and Mike. Excellent fun if not a little short (only 10 mins or so after the delay) . Then a good 30 mins of snorkeling and back to the ship for lunch.
After the first experience we were keen to get back into the deeper waters and booked a second dive, this time we were under for a good 30-40 minutes. Absolutely great fun. Carried on chatting with Ashley (the girl from the US - Texas) on the way back to the mainland, and decided to go out clubbing in Cairns that night with her friend Casey. This turned into a more interesting evening as we grabbed a few beers and a bottle of vodka and were chatting for ages at the hostel even before hitting the city. The first club we went into started a dirty dancing competition about 10 mins after we arrived, which was a little bizzare :/
Then on to the Wool Shed and several large pitchers of beer and a lot of rather 'enthusiastic' dancing to some acid house music (well that's what Mike calls it anyway. Personally I like to call it, bad music) . We did have a great night though, and certainly made some new friends that shall be remembered for some while to come.
Well after having a fantastic day out with Gus we fancied something that promised slightly warmer waters! Another early morning as we needed to get down to the local marina to catch our boat to the Great Barrier Reef.
We had a small panic initially as we couldn't find the boat or check in desk! However a quick chat with a skipper of another vessel put us back on track. We were first on the boat, seated and kitted out, soon to be joined by a friendly girl from the US who had been eying up our stir fry from the previous days cooking back at the YHA.
After basic instructions and techniques it was time to take our first dive. The two other people with us couldn't get to grip with the basic techniques once in the water so it was just me and Mike. Excellent fun if not a little short (only 10 mins or so after the delay) . Then a good 30 mins of snorkeling and back to the ship for lunch.
After the first experience we were keen to get back into the deeper waters and booked a second dive, this time we were under for a good 30-40 minutes. Absolutely great fun. Carried on chatting with Ashley (the girl from the US - Texas) on the way back to the mainland, and decided to go out clubbing in Cairns that night with her friend Casey. This turned into a more interesting evening as we grabbed a few beers and a bottle of vodka and were chatting for ages at the hostel even before hitting the city. The first club we went into started a dirty dancing competition about 10 mins after we arrived, which was a little bizzare :/
Then on to the Wool Shed and several large pitchers of beer and a lot of rather 'enthusiastic' dancing to some acid house music (well that's what Mike calls it anyway. Personally I like to call it, bad music) . We did have a great night though, and certainly made some new friends that shall be remembered for some while to come.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Elmo, Gus and Barry
Cairns was a warm haze on our arrival. The YHA typically reliable and a bunk in a 6 bed room awaited us. A quick scout round the kitchen suggested they did 'backpackers accommodation' better than the previous lodgings. A trip our for lunch and a shopping trip later we felt settled.
Tuesday afternoon was spent in the cinema of all places watching the new Batman film - a good film. Dinner followed and we were being watched in the communal kitchen by all the bad cooks who couldn't understand how we were managing to create such a fantastic... stir fry! I kid you not, food envy indeed.
Wednesday was funday. Think Pat Sharpe, the twins, fun house and then stick it all in a bus and throw it into the australian rainforest and mountains. I give you... Uncle Brian's Tour. It came highly recommended from family and friends and it did not disappoint. Cousin Kye picked us up early in Gus the wonderbus for a day of fun forest and falls. Elmo was there, to wave at the orange people (the roadmen) and of course Barry the bin - do you understand the gist of how this day turned out? Well swimming and food dominated and the second swim was bliming cold, but worth it, it was where I got the timotei shot! (incidently the commercial was filmed there - see the slidesow). I am going to leave the details to when we get back as there is too much to tell in this space.
We met yet more Germans and Canadians - add Germans to the previous blog, the same applies! A evening in the hostel as an early night is in order as Thursday is Reef day, snorkeling and diving to be precise and we are looking forward to it.
Time to dig out the book of sea shantys.
Tuesday afternoon was spent in the cinema of all places watching the new Batman film - a good film. Dinner followed and we were being watched in the communal kitchen by all the bad cooks who couldn't understand how we were managing to create such a fantastic... stir fry! I kid you not, food envy indeed.
Wednesday was funday. Think Pat Sharpe, the twins, fun house and then stick it all in a bus and throw it into the australian rainforest and mountains. I give you... Uncle Brian's Tour. It came highly recommended from family and friends and it did not disappoint. Cousin Kye picked us up early in Gus the wonderbus for a day of fun forest and falls. Elmo was there, to wave at the orange people (the roadmen) and of course Barry the bin - do you understand the gist of how this day turned out? Well swimming and food dominated and the second swim was bliming cold, but worth it, it was where I got the timotei shot! (incidently the commercial was filmed there - see the slidesow). I am going to leave the details to when we get back as there is too much to tell in this space.
We met yet more Germans and Canadians - add Germans to the previous blog, the same applies! A evening in the hostel as an early night is in order as Thursday is Reef day, snorkeling and diving to be precise and we are looking forward to it.
Time to dig out the book of sea shantys.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Canadians
Wherever we turn we meet them, be it on the sofa, in the bar of on the coach we kept finding Canadians. All female I note - don't the blokes in Canada go on holiday? Candy in Singappore, Jenn in Port Douglas, Jordan & Fiona on the coach back to Cairns and today Aline on Uncle Brian's tour! This all leads to the standard set of questions every travellers needs:
"Where are you from?"
"oh really"
"When did you get here?"
"cool"
"When are you leaving?"
"wow"
It's all we ever do, but it brightens our day none the less. Give me more of them I say - hey we'll have more soon Canada's only round the corner, well next month at least!
"I bet the flight was long..."
"Where are you from?"
"oh really"
"When did you get here?"
"cool"
"When are you leaving?"
"wow"
It's all we ever do, but it brightens our day none the less. Give me more of them I say - hey we'll have more soon Canada's only round the corner, well next month at least!
"I bet the flight was long..."
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
The winter has got us!
Well we felt the first effects of winter yesterday - and we can bearly move as a result. Following a quick web session in the morning we hit Cape Trib beach complete with pack lunch so we didn't have to move!
We had been warned about the crocs and I certainly spent the 1st 10 minutes tentatively swimming in the lush blue sea lapping at the soft white beach! With arms and legs still attached I decided the crocs were safely sleeping and I made sure Tom was further out so he was eaten first, I jumped in. The water was fantastic, not as warm as Singapore but cleaner and less crowded.
The day rolled on and the book iPod and lunch appeared with occasional dips in the sea. A stroll back via the other beach was enjoyable but then those winter affects appeared. Lobster. The best way of putting it. Both of us. And the pain that went with it, it was not nice - to say the least. Molton Brown was a good idea, to those of you who laughed at me, the moisturiser did the job and eased the pain to allow us to hit a very nice restaurant for dinner. PK's followed dinner, and some beer washed down with a game of cards went well.
To bed as tomorrow is the trek back to Cairns for the next leg. It will be a shame to leave CT as it has looked after us well and afforded us some truely memorable times. Alas the schedule dictates and we're off. - No worries
We had been warned about the crocs and I certainly spent the 1st 10 minutes tentatively swimming in the lush blue sea lapping at the soft white beach! With arms and legs still attached I decided the crocs were safely sleeping and I made sure Tom was further out so he was eaten first, I jumped in. The water was fantastic, not as warm as Singapore but cleaner and less crowded.
The day rolled on and the book iPod and lunch appeared with occasional dips in the sea. A stroll back via the other beach was enjoyable but then those winter affects appeared. Lobster. The best way of putting it. Both of us. And the pain that went with it, it was not nice - to say the least. Molton Brown was a good idea, to those of you who laughed at me, the moisturiser did the job and eased the pain to allow us to hit a very nice restaurant for dinner. PK's followed dinner, and some beer washed down with a game of cards went well.
To bed as tomorrow is the trek back to Cairns for the next leg. It will be a shame to leave CT as it has looked after us well and afforded us some truely memorable times. Alas the schedule dictates and we're off. - No worries
Monday, 28 July 2008
Jurrasic Park
Hi all,
Rather a shock yesterday morning, went to pick up my jacket off the floor and a dirty great big spider crawled out from underneath it! Made me jump a little. Took a few pics that I will upload later.
Still it soon scuttled off behind the fridge (think I spotted an even larger one on the celing just as I was going to bed that night, whatever it was it was gone in the morning! Getting rather paraniod about my walking boots now :/)
Putting them to good use at the moment, we had a tour booked up for the afternoon that would be a good few hours trekking. The description was a half day jungle tour but I could have spent all day there, absolutly amazing place. Trekking through the center of the worlds oldest living rainforest, there are species of plants growing there that date back over 400 million years! To put that into perspective the first mamals did not appear for about another 200 million years.
The jungle was amazing for those of you who have seen the film Predator will have some idea what we were walking through.
Knocked up a decent spag bol in the kitchen for dinner which made up for a rather dismal omlette that I did for lunch (eggs and processed cheese, not even any salt!(mmmmm 64 slices of american cheese) ).
Anyway must sign off, I fancy another swim in the pool, rather refreshing after a day of being every active. Temp still round the 25 degree mark and this is mid winter here! Must be horendously hot in the summer. Think we will hit the local beaches tommorow, we have been warned that crocs use the shores here somtimes so that will make any swimming a little more interesting.
Rather a shock yesterday morning, went to pick up my jacket off the floor and a dirty great big spider crawled out from underneath it! Made me jump a little. Took a few pics that I will upload later.
Still it soon scuttled off behind the fridge (think I spotted an even larger one on the celing just as I was going to bed that night, whatever it was it was gone in the morning! Getting rather paraniod about my walking boots now :/)
Putting them to good use at the moment, we had a tour booked up for the afternoon that would be a good few hours trekking. The description was a half day jungle tour but I could have spent all day there, absolutly amazing place. Trekking through the center of the worlds oldest living rainforest, there are species of plants growing there that date back over 400 million years! To put that into perspective the first mamals did not appear for about another 200 million years.
The jungle was amazing for those of you who have seen the film Predator will have some idea what we were walking through.
Knocked up a decent spag bol in the kitchen for dinner which made up for a rather dismal omlette that I did for lunch (eggs and processed cheese, not even any salt!(mmmmm 64 slices of american cheese) ).
Anyway must sign off, I fancy another swim in the pool, rather refreshing after a day of being every active. Temp still round the 25 degree mark and this is mid winter here! Must be horendously hot in the summer. Think we will hit the local beaches tommorow, we have been warned that crocs use the shores here somtimes so that will make any swimming a little more interesting.
Take me to the wizzard
Our flight to Cairns was uneventful and a little uncomfortable. Something wangled us a move to an emergency aisle and a spare seat meant I didn't have to put up with Tom, I mean gave us more space! 4.5 hrs to Darwin (cold departure lounge) and 2 more to Cairns. A delightful airport where the customs guys seemed happy to have someone to talk to.
Andy took us from the airport to Port Douglas and was informative about an area we, unfortunately, won't have time to see! PD was our home for 4.5 hrs and Jenn out Canadian waitress kept the beer coming, well until she managed to talk us out of staying and sending us to the beach. Well what can I say, awesome (it's an over used word but applicable here. 4 mile beach, Port Douglas (google it) was just that, long and idlic. The sand was soft and gentle and the breaking waves warm and comforting about these weary travellers feet! Tom enjoyed sinking into the sand and was taken by the idea more than exploring the beach! A quick strole back to Jenn for one last pint and then to meet Ozzy and our coach to Cape Tribulation.
CT is wonderful! We would both like to stay for longer and maybe we will never leave! Our booking had not hit the system and there was no room available at the inn. Alas no stable for us, instead a huge kingsize room with ensuite and balcony over looking the pool, instead of a bunk room! The pool was, naturally, our first stop, even if cold bloody refreshing! After dinner we thought we would hit the local night spot. However, despite the reggae and flowing beer we found ourselves in a familiar situation, sleeping at the bar! Too much this time alas, and we dragged ourselves up the hill back to bed.
Oz is growing on me fast and I can see why people don't leave - mother don't expect me home soon!
Andy took us from the airport to Port Douglas and was informative about an area we, unfortunately, won't have time to see! PD was our home for 4.5 hrs and Jenn out Canadian waitress kept the beer coming, well until she managed to talk us out of staying and sending us to the beach. Well what can I say, awesome (it's an over used word but applicable here. 4 mile beach, Port Douglas (google it) was just that, long and idlic. The sand was soft and gentle and the breaking waves warm and comforting about these weary travellers feet! Tom enjoyed sinking into the sand and was taken by the idea more than exploring the beach! A quick strole back to Jenn for one last pint and then to meet Ozzy and our coach to Cape Tribulation.
CT is wonderful! We would both like to stay for longer and maybe we will never leave! Our booking had not hit the system and there was no room available at the inn. Alas no stable for us, instead a huge kingsize room with ensuite and balcony over looking the pool, instead of a bunk room! The pool was, naturally, our first stop, even if cold bloody refreshing! After dinner we thought we would hit the local night spot. However, despite the reggae and flowing beer we found ourselves in a familiar situation, sleeping at the bar! Too much this time alas, and we dragged ourselves up the hill back to bed.
Oz is growing on me fast and I can see why people don't leave - mother don't expect me home soon!
Slinging our hook
Well its been a few days since we've been able to find a PC.
We are now immersed in the oldest rainforest in the world (say with a Jeremy Clarkson emphasis) going back 135 million years.
Singapore seems a distant memory now! We do not miss the heat or humidity, arriving at Cairns to a 25+ deg heat was cold for us and refreshing. Singapore felt safe, the culture is discrete and comfortable. We spent time exploring the city and the Sentosa Island. A jolly time was had with Brian (not Brain), our Sentosa Island guide finishing the day at the beach - even hotter than a UK swimming pool! Tom and I both enjoyed the enhanced view ;), but couldn't work out where she was from!
Our last day was mixed, started with a lie in and was followed by a packing session before heading into the city for lunch. I managed to find a replacement battery for my iPod after lunch and that is now working a treat. With not much else to do, we headed to the Carlton, Peter's hotel, to leave a message and was impressed with the surroundings, why were we in that converted flat Tom and not there? Singapore ended as it had started with a trip to Raffles and another Singapore Sling, not forgetting the peanut throwing!
Here comes the sun and Oz - bye for now!
We are now immersed in the oldest rainforest in the world (say with a Jeremy Clarkson emphasis) going back 135 million years.
Singapore seems a distant memory now! We do not miss the heat or humidity, arriving at Cairns to a 25+ deg heat was cold for us and refreshing. Singapore felt safe, the culture is discrete and comfortable. We spent time exploring the city and the Sentosa Island. A jolly time was had with Brian (not Brain), our Sentosa Island guide finishing the day at the beach - even hotter than a UK swimming pool! Tom and I both enjoyed the enhanced view ;), but couldn't work out where she was from!
Our last day was mixed, started with a lie in and was followed by a packing session before heading into the city for lunch. I managed to find a replacement battery for my iPod after lunch and that is now working a treat. With not much else to do, we headed to the Carlton, Peter's hotel, to leave a message and was impressed with the surroundings, why were we in that converted flat Tom and not there? Singapore ended as it had started with a trip to Raffles and another Singapore Sling, not forgetting the peanut throwing!
Here comes the sun and Oz - bye for now!
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Lag-O-Matic 747
Well, the jet lag finally hit us yesterday afternoon. A mixture of dehydration and humidity didn't help either. We found an English themed pub called 'The penny black' (yeah that's right, we've flown halfway around the world just to find an English pub!).
After being surprised at the price of a pint (more than the cost of a full meal) we grabbed a table by the river and relaxed with a nice cool tiger beer. It didn't take long before Mike started dropping off, I even had to relocate his beer at one point as he was slowly tipping it over as he fell asleep. So we finished the beer and decided it would be a good time to head back to the hostel to relax and catch some much needed shut eye.
I wasn't too tired but a mixture of relaxing in bed in a nice cool room (thank you air conditioning!) and listening to my ipod (thanks Ian) I ended up falling asleep anyway. Neither of us woke up for about 3 hours! Although we did feel much better for it.
Hopefully the leg to Oz (only 6 hours flight away) shouldn't be too bad, lots to do there, can't be nodding off halfway through a jungle trek now can we!!
*Update*
The lag must have been far worse than I first imagined it appears that somewhere along the line I have lost an hour. I set my watch to local time when I arrived at the airport but this morning it was an hour out! I have launched a full investigation as to the whereabouts of this lost hour and will spare no expense in it's recovery. (Jump)
After being surprised at the price of a pint (more than the cost of a full meal) we grabbed a table by the river and relaxed with a nice cool tiger beer. It didn't take long before Mike started dropping off, I even had to relocate his beer at one point as he was slowly tipping it over as he fell asleep. So we finished the beer and decided it would be a good time to head back to the hostel to relax and catch some much needed shut eye.
I wasn't too tired but a mixture of relaxing in bed in a nice cool room (thank you air conditioning!) and listening to my ipod (thanks Ian) I ended up falling asleep anyway. Neither of us woke up for about 3 hours! Although we did feel much better for it.
Hopefully the leg to Oz (only 6 hours flight away) shouldn't be too bad, lots to do there, can't be nodding off halfway through a jungle trek now can we!!
*Update*
The lag must have been far worse than I first imagined it appears that somewhere along the line I have lost an hour. I set my watch to local time when I arrived at the airport but this morning it was an hour out! I have launched a full investigation as to the whereabouts of this lost hour and will spare no expense in it's recovery. (Jump)
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Sling the Cazy Eephant
Well the day came and went unmometously. We both spent our last day in the UK packing and sorting out. We rocked up at Heathrow at just after 19.0. As this trip we are flying cattle class there was no first class check-in agent to greet us. The queuing begun.
The flight was comfortable for the distance but lacked attention and service. Tom had preordered a veg meal thru the BA exec club and his was always served first. Meanwhile I had a 30 - 45 min wait for my food and booze after him!
We landed early and were greeted by a 30 deg heat! Changi airport was the most efficient international airport I have ever been to and was rapidly off the plane thru immigration and waiting for my bag. Then 10m walk to the taxi.
Out hostel is basic but the bed looks comfortable and will keep us refreshed for our stay.
Welcome to Singapore. We checked in and jumped straight into a cab to head to the carlton hotel to meet Peter and Helene. A stop off at Raffles for a Singapore Sling and some peanuts followed before a quick recce with Peter and then onto dinner.
We went to Hooters whose slogan was "dreadfully tacky, yet unrefined"! It was more about what the waitresses weren't wearing rather than what they were. Peter and Helene left us as we headed to the Crazy Elephant for live music and tiger beer. We spent the night being given the eye by some locals, Tom would say they were attractive but I think that's the beer talking! Tom the alcoholic decided that he couldn't handle another pint so we are back, after a couple mile walk, at the hostel preparing for bed.
We are sharing a 6 bed dorm and whereas I thought we were 6 smelly blokes there seems to be an attractive young German woman in the other top bunk, makes the morning view rather more appealing! Tom is already on first name terms, apparently he was talking to her when I was writing this :(.
So far I like Singapore a lot and feel very safe even if hot and overdressed (the dress code seems to be 'tight and not a lot').
Photos to follow on the slideshow, but its bed time here and a good day had!
The flight was comfortable for the distance but lacked attention and service. Tom had preordered a veg meal thru the BA exec club and his was always served first. Meanwhile I had a 30 - 45 min wait for my food and booze after him!
We landed early and were greeted by a 30 deg heat! Changi airport was the most efficient international airport I have ever been to and was rapidly off the plane thru immigration and waiting for my bag. Then 10m walk to the taxi.
Out hostel is basic but the bed looks comfortable and will keep us refreshed for our stay.
Welcome to Singapore. We checked in and jumped straight into a cab to head to the carlton hotel to meet Peter and Helene. A stop off at Raffles for a Singapore Sling and some peanuts followed before a quick recce with Peter and then onto dinner.
We went to Hooters whose slogan was "dreadfully tacky, yet unrefined"! It was more about what the waitresses weren't wearing rather than what they were. Peter and Helene left us as we headed to the Crazy Elephant for live music and tiger beer. We spent the night being given the eye by some locals, Tom would say they were attractive but I think that's the beer talking! Tom the alcoholic decided that he couldn't handle another pint so we are back, after a couple mile walk, at the hostel preparing for bed.
We are sharing a 6 bed dorm and whereas I thought we were 6 smelly blokes there seems to be an attractive young German woman in the other top bunk, makes the morning view rather more appealing! Tom is already on first name terms, apparently he was talking to her when I was writing this :(.
So far I like Singapore a lot and feel very safe even if hot and overdressed (the dress code seems to be 'tight and not a lot').
Photos to follow on the slideshow, but its bed time here and a good day had!
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Aparrel!
Well tonight we designed our t-shirts and the order has gone in.
Tom in his usual way wasn't happy with a Polo shirt so we have different garments with the same design.
A little novelty that looks crisp? What do you think?
Anyhow they will be at home hopefully by the time I get back from work on Friday and I can see how good they look ;). [www.spreadshirt.net]
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Earth Trek
Earth - our only Frontier. These are the voyages of Mike and Tom. Our two-month mission: To explore strange new bars. To seek out new foods and new beers. To boldy go to where lots have people have probably been before but in a much more glorious fasion!
Preparations
Well preparations are gathering pace right now.
The itinerary was set a while back and we'll soon be in Singapore. We booked the flights and thought how wonderful this trip was going to be, then I had a mad panic the other week when browsing hostels in Singapore to find there were selling out fast for our dates. I had a bit of spending splurgh and booked some stuff up.
The first half of the trip is almost finalised now with some cracking things to do and see. The US leg of the route is still coming together particularly the later part on the east coast- we'll sort it out but there's no rush to plan anything there.
Work finishes this week and then I'm moving back home to do the last bit of planning and packing. I'm really looking forward to it now and just wish we were already in the air!
The itinerary was set a while back and we'll soon be in Singapore. We booked the flights and thought how wonderful this trip was going to be, then I had a mad panic the other week when browsing hostels in Singapore to find there were selling out fast for our dates. I had a bit of spending splurgh and booked some stuff up.
The first half of the trip is almost finalised now with some cracking things to do and see. The US leg of the route is still coming together particularly the later part on the east coast- we'll sort it out but there's no rush to plan anything there.
Work finishes this week and then I'm moving back home to do the last bit of planning and packing. I'm really looking forward to it now and just wish we were already in the air!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
