By keef & annie, Nov 5, 2012, 01:59PM Winterisation (is that a word really?!) Motorhome put to bed now for 2012 especially as the ice is drawing in. UPDATE Nov 2021. This process is now further enhanced by commentary on Blog 54 and the search advice below is mostly retired. There are some pictures of the van all packed up and covered for WINTER 2012 available under the site photos and slideshow tabs. In order to see these, it is necessary to login using either your Facebook login / password or set yourself up one for our site, which will mean supplying your email address and accepting the automatic link that is sent to your inbox. BUT All slideshows are accessible from the Blogs, so much easier, The INDEX page has TAGs for all Blogs and by year or month, A-Z INDEX alphabetically, or you can use the SEARCH page to look for something or just use the search facilities here on the BLOG or the associated Blogs attached to each Blog, entirely up to you, there is a wealth of ways to find what you want, thanks for looking motorhome-travel blog Replaced process 2021 when Moonfruit was replaced by WIX by Yell. 96 Photos available in the SLIDESHOW See our later Blog 54 for more winterisation details it is associated Created by KeefH Web Designs at Xmas 2023 for all our readers, put to bed part 4 with new cover #winterisation

By keef and annie Hellinger, Dec 2 2021 14.21 pm MENU Intro Original Slideshows Diary Audiobook New Slideshows The End INTRODUCTION We holidayed at The Villas of Somerset, Kissimmee, Florida, USA, 34746 between 26 July and the 09 August 1997 and then toured a bit of Florida for 7 days before flying back from Orlando to the UK. If you would like to read the full diary please click HERE or to listen to our adventures as an Audio book if you would prefer , please click HERE , thanks or if you would like to see the full 1997 Florida trip site entry please click HERE In this blog you can see the full Slideshow of recovered images from that trip accompanied by the Audiobook Diary, thanks for looking x We visited again for Disney World Resorts 50th anniversary with now 3 generations of our family and make comparisons between the Disney Parks 25 years apart, indeed some such as Animal Kingdom were not build in 1997. Read more on Blog 183 HERE As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2010 site which contained our trips to Florida in 1997 and our trip to British Columbia in 1997 (plus briefly visiting pals David & Cathy & family in 1999 in Edmonton, Alberta) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site. In January 2022 I decided to work on the HOLIDAY 2010 site that had been very badly migrated i.e. it did not work but after quite some effort I am happy to keep it in its new guise, click HERE to see the new version of Florida USA 1997, enjoy or just carry on with the blog here Note this is intrinsically linked to Blog 62 & Blog 80, see the 3 associated blogs at end of post, thanks We returned again to Key West on our cruise in 2018 Blog 125 One of our heroes, his business card which is what this is obviously worked, ha-ha We visited amongst others Florida (FL) USA with the boys, including Kissimmee, Tampa, the Keys, Everglades, Cape Kennedy Space Station, clearwater, Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and all the parks.... Disney, Universal and Busch gardens. We are hoping to return in 2022 for Craig's 40th and be with the grand children this time, cant wait, COVID-19 allowing. Return to MENU OLD SLIDESHOWS The counter of visitors to our old HOLIDAY 2010 site has been retained under the BIG TRIPs page (along with all the others) so we can possibly keep them going for as long as possible and realise the full visitor numbers although Google Analytics tells us a lot of that nowadays, just not the complete count since day 1 launch of the old sites. Return to MENU DIARY: Florida USA 1997 3 Weeks July & August Summary: We spent 21 Days in Florida, USA between 26th July and the 16th August 1997 We took 227 Photos, all of which are included in the summary slideshows, many of which were scanned from old fashioned Kodak prints. So we spent 15 days in Kissimmee, Orlando Florida on holiday between 26 July - 9 August 1997, it was a fun Family Time we stayed at apartment 126, The Villas of Somerset, Kissimmee, Florida, USA, 34746, we also visited for a further 7 days Clearwater Beach, Tampa and West Palm Beach in our hired car which was a huge Chevrolet with not surprisingly 3 seats across the front and multiple coffee and soda cup holders ha-ha, plus of course we visited Disney & Miss Piggy #sigh, the whole logic of this holiday was that the boys were now old enough to appreciate Disney in its entirety so this was a special family break, especially it was Disney World’s 25th celebrations and here's a summary. We initially stayed in Kissimmee for 2 weeks and visited ALL the theme parks & water parks. Going back into Universal after 7pm is a good call as it saved the queues. Saw central Orlando including taking the boys to the Orlando Magic basketball stadium, they were both keen at the time and indeed Doug played for the Ilkeston Outlaws basketball team back at home, we played a bit of tennis at the Villas as well. We then travelled across to the west, Tampa, Busch Gardens park, clearwater, International Drive, Sanibel, Sarasota, Venice , Naples, then back to the east via the Everglades and down the Keys: Largo, Marathon, Bahia Honda NP, Key West then back up via Fort Lauderdale, Miami (although didn't go in here in 97 but did in 2018) to Orlando plus Kennedy Space Station with its NASA centre replication and the newly installed Apollo, Saturn 5 centre, just mesmerising , Cocoa beach its jetty and lovely sandy beach, River Country, Cracker Barrel, Visiting my hero Dali’s exhibition, Naples jetty pier, St Pete’s Beach, West Palm Beach with all its posh locked up homes and posh yacht moored outside, ESPN where maybe Craig & I got our love of Grid Iron or American Football from, come on 49ers & Eagles, Busch Gardens run by Anheuser Busch the beer people, we remember Montu in the Egypt area and the scary Kumba which I must have gone on at least 3 times in a row with the boys until I felt sick, the Edge of Africa area which you went over in a skyride monorail cable car, also standing on the bridge getting soaked by the huge water chute ride, can’t remember what it was called, but as hot and humid we loved it, so cooling, Busch characters to rival Disney , OK maybe not, T J Tiger and the Hippo, 25th Disney World (now Resorts) Anniversary, Typhoon Lagoon, Sea World (and sadly Shamu which we feel very guilty about), Sports World, River Country, EPCOT was sponsored by the then Eastern Kodak Company, sadly no more to my knowledge, digital is here to stay, it included Illuminations 25 accompanied by the Disney-Grammy All American College Orchestra, ta-rah , Universal Studios and the Tower of Terror, The fab Honey I Shrunk the Kids experience with the height of technology at the time, shaking seats sprayed by water, tee-hee, Water World, MGM Studios, Magic Kingdom, we had the guide for between 28th July and 3rd August, Discovery & Pleasure Island where we went one evening very strict licensing laws meant I couldn’t even buy a drink for Annie you had to buy your own and proof your age, flattering if the truth be known that they thought we were younger than 21, ha-ha, Blizzard Beach, River Country, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex with beach volleyball, Annie wouldn’t let me attend the ladies one, ha-ha, Terminator 2 experience, Ride of the Movies, Back to The Future Ride, Kongfrontation, Jaws ride, Earthquake, ET ride, Our Universal Tickets were from the 5th to 7th august, we saw the Twilight zone featuring the Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones , Toy Story, Backlot tours , Watched Disney animators at work on the new to be Mulan (now ancient history) but fascinating experience, Twister and King Gators Fundango rides were on their way and being constructed, Baywatch at Sea World, giant heavy video cameras & animation tours , Shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral (just missed it by one day), Our Underwater camera, Steaks the size of a large plate, you wuss keef, Having to have your salad separately, Melbourne Beach, Rodeo Drive, Boca Raton, Ron Johns “one of a Kind” Surf shop at Cocoa Beach, we returned to this in 2018 on our US and Caribbean 40th Wedding Anniversary cruise, buying my 1st genuine pair of Levi’s since my 20s, we also remember Mummy Mummification (i.e. Annie in an Egyptian Sarcophagus), Key Wests 30’s Hotel and lots of Fish around the jetty, Board Walks, Hard Rock Café, Key Lime Pie, Hemingway Express and Conch Train trip plus seeing Sloppy Joe’s Earnest hang out local, Everglades and Hover trip out to Alligator Island, Stay on the Island of Marathon, Swimming, Planes, and Bahai Honda National Park, After staying at Cocoa beach on the last night we returned to Orlando, dropped off the fab hire car, flew back to Manchester & home, Our car was in the long stay car park there so we drove back through the Peaks to Home. We even have a memorabilia PDF which sadly is 27 megabytes long so cannot feature on the website but happy to share on request. Pleased to say we are returning in 2022 with Craig’s family as grandparents for his 40th Birthday, will I enjoy the white-knuckle rides quite the same as I did in 1997, who knows but I will certainly give it a go. It is a special year at Disney as it’s the 50th anniversary so we are expecting spectacular fireworks and parades. Its now called collectively Walt Disney World Resorts. I so remember steamboat willie, which I believe was the first animation Walt Disney did. Here's a bit of a write up on the man. Walter Elias Disney December 5, 1901, to December 15, 1966, was an American entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor, and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most academy awards earned and nominations by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy, among other honours. As of 2022, Disney became the first, and later one of the three people been nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories, a record he shares with Alfonso Cuaron and George Clooney, until was surpassed by Kenneth Branagh with seven. Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney developed an early interest in drawing. He took art classes as a boy and got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to California in the early 1920s and set up the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. With Ubbe Ert Iwwerks, he developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928, his first highly popular success; he also provided the voice for his creation in the early years. As the studio grew, he became more adventurous, introducing synchronized sound, full-colour three-strip Technicolor, feature-length cartoons, and technical developments in cameras. The results, seen in features such as and who doesn’t know these from their childhood and indeed adulthood, all classics, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio & Fantasia (both 1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942), furthered the development of animated film. New animated and live-action films followed World War II, including the critically successful Cinderella (1950) and Mary Poppins (1964), the latter of which received five Academy Awards. In the 1950s, Disney expanded into the amusement park industry, and in July 1955 he opened Disneyland in Anaheim California. To fund the project, he diversified into television programs, such as Walt’s Disneyland and The Mickey Mouse Club. He was also involved in planning the 1959 Moscow Fair, the 1960 Winter Olympics, and the 1964 New York World Fair. In 1965, he began development of another theme park, Disney World, the heart of which was to be a new type of city, the "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" (EPCOT). Disney was a heavy smoker throughout his life and sadly died of lung cancer in December 1966 before either the park or the EPCOT project was completed. Return to MENU AUDIOBOOK Return to MENU SLIDESHOWS REWORKED 2023 The following sets of videos were recreated by KeefH Web Designs in October 2023 as Google search engines changed their checking on embedded videos and slideshows to check for a viewport error, as the originals were created using photosnack software back in the day and are antiquated KHWD recreated them using more modern software Clipchamp. They are also in the full site HOLIDAY 2010 Enjoy The first slideshow is a combination one showing all slides. The next are duplicates of the originals above. Return to MENU THAT'S ALL FOLKS

By keef & annie, Aug 25 2013 10:35AM I was afforded the opportunity to redo the old website. It has now been redesigned to run on tablets, smart phones and old trad browsers with hopefully easier to view slideshows of photos with mobile slide feature from our lovely trip to Canada & 2 US states in 2010 where we hired a motorhome , which happened to be brand new and drove basically from one side to the other if you include our trip in 1999 to BC & Vancouver Island. Please please let us know what you think, I am very happy with the new design but only you letting us know what you really think will see if we have achieved what we set out to do. Leave us your views via the comments box below and we will get back to you. The new website is HERE! UPDATE Nov 2021 Also being migrated under Moonfruit to WIX by Yell

By keef and annie Hellinger, Feb 20 2015 12:43PM This is a retrospective post as have been digitising old photographs. We travelled around Florida NOT in a motorhome this time but heaven forbid in a car, sacrilege to us motorhomers / Rv-ers/ campervanners but there you go it was in a time BM (before motorhoming). Starting in Orlando we stayed in Kissimmee (nice pool at Villas @ Somerset) visited Disney World a few times, the kids were young, then travelled across the sunshine super highway bridge to Tampa, St Pete's & Clearwater beaches, Busch gardens, Sanibel, Venice, Melbourne beach etc. down the west coast of Florida across the Everglades, thru all the Keys, Marathon, Marine park at Bahia Honda, stayed at Key West, 1930s hotel, sunsets, Hemingway's Sloppy Joes, Key Largo then up to Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Cocoa beach, Kennedy Space Station narrowly missing the next shuttle take off by 1 day (Discovery) and then back to Orlando to fly back. Fab times. I remember watching the sun set and being just about the only person swimming in the hotel pool at twilight If you want to see and read more why not visit our Canada / US website trips click here or if you specifically wanna see 1997 click here Enjoy - have you done this trip or something similar, let us know about it here, thanks! Would definitely do it in an RV or 5 wheeler next time, gives one so much more freedom. Florida 1997 Slideshows The following sets of videos were recreated by KeefH Web Designs in October 2023 as Google search engines changed their checking on embedded videos and slideshows to check for a viewport error, as the originals were created using photosnack software back in the day and are antiquated KHWD recreated them using more modern software Clipchamp. They are also in the full site HOLIDAY 2010 Enjoy The first slideshow is a combination one showing all slides. The next are duplicates of the originals above. That's all folks

By keef and annie hellinger, Mar 14 2018 08:26AM Not the Motorhome Trip No.9 5th Feb - 12 Mar 2018 This was our 40th Wedding Anniversary Cruise to the Azores, Caribbean & Lower US States including Louisiana, Florida & South Carolina. We encountered Storm Riley on the way back meaning we had 10 days at sea instead of stopping at our 2nd Azores island on the way back. #cruise #weddinganniversary Overall for this Travel Blog This Blog is like a website on its own, we were away for a month and a half so it resembles some of our much longer trips in Wendy House or hired vans in either Canada, New Zealand or Australia. Proof we crossed the Atlantic We had a fun time despite being ill for quite a while and loved our Atul Kutcher meal on the 25th in the Benares offshoot on board called Sindhu. We sailed 12,865 land miles across the Atlantic on our journey. What a travel blog eh? Itinerary Booking Reference: WLHK2R KEITH HELLINGER No Loyalty Tier: POFP78081M ANNE HELLINGER No Loyalty Tier: POFP78085Y Cruise Number: N803 Ship: Ventura Duration: 35 Nights Cabin Number: A517 Category: Inside Cabin Deck: A Bed Configuration: Queen Dress: Dress Codes for your Cruise: 10 Black Tie Nights, 25 Evening Casual Nights POSH or WHAT Schedule 05 February Day 1 Southampton Dining:Freedom Embark Ventura 06 February Day 2 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 07 February Day 3 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 08 February Day 4 Sea Day Dining:Freedom To see At Sea slideshows , click HERE 09 February Day 5 Ponta Delgada Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart early evening Fire Lakes and Mountains Excursion 09:00 To see Azores slideshows , click HERE 10 February Day 6 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 11 February Day 7 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 12 February Day 8 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 13 February Day 9 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 14 February Day 10 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 15 February Day 11 Barbados Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart early evening Coast to Coast Excursion 09:00 To see Barbados slideshows , click HERE 16 February Day 12 Guadeloupe Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart early evening Botanical Garden & Paradise Excursion 08:30 To see Guadeloupe's slideshows , click HERE 17 February Day 13 Antigua Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart afternoon Antigua Island Sights Excursion 08:45 To see Antigua's slideshows , click HERE 18 February Day 14 At Sea Dining:Freedom 19 February Day 15 Ocho Rios Dining:Freedom Arrive early afternoon Depart early evening Bob Marley by Zion Bus Excursion 12:30 20 February Day 16 Montego Bay Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart early evening To see Jamaica's slideshows, click HERE 21 February Day 17 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 22 February Day 18 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 23 February Day 19 New Orleans Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Overnight In Port 24 February Day 20 New Orleans Dining:Freedom Depart afternoon To see New Orleans' slideshows, click HERE 25 February Day 21 Sea Day Table For 2 in Sindhu at 19:00, See HERE, our 40th Wedding Anniversary meal and cards 26 February Day 22 Key West Dining:Freedom Arrive morning Depart afternoon Possible Tender - No Harbourside To see Key West's slideshows, click HERE 27 February Day 23 Port Everglades Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart early evening Snapshot of Miami Excursion 09:45 28 February Day 24 Port Canaveral Dining:Freedom Arrive early morning Depart afternoon See Blog 125 Part 2 continued from now on, this blog has reached its WIX size limit (c 77 mins) 01 March Day 25 Charleston Dining:Freedom Arrive morning Charming Charleston Panoramic Excursion 09:30 Overnight In Port 02 March Day 26 Charleston Dining:Freedom Depart early afternoon 03 March Day 27 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 04 March Day 28 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 05 March Day 29 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 06 March Day 30 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 07 March Day 31 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 08 March Day 32 Sea Day (see below) Praia DA Vitoria Dining:Freedom Arrive morning Depart afternoon South Island Sights and Angra Excursion 09:45 Sadly NOT Possible due to Storm Riley so day at Sea 09 March Day 33 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 10 March Day 34 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 11 March Day 35 Sea Day Dining:Freedom 12 March Day 36 Southampton Disembark It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We had a wonderful time visiting some lovely places for the first time and revisiting some we had been to before , namely Key West, Everglades and Cocoa beach at Port Canaveral, all of which lived up to or exceeded our memories. We especially liked Charleston, Key West, Guadaloupe and New Orleans but loved the other places as well and Keef loved his Bob Marley pilgrimage (finally after Ivan in 2004). We had fun on the ship meeting some nice people, getting involved in Murder Mysteries and Cetacean watching (or not as the case was *smile*), swimming, sunbathing, reading, cribbage, qwirkle, music, photography, shows, Thornbridges Jaipur, sea swell, reggae with Serious Sounds from Barbados and, surely not, some very luxury food! We went to Atul Kochhar's restaurant (he owns 2* Michelin Benares in London, Indian/English fusion food) on board for our Ruby Wedding Anniversary meal which was lovely, so many courses we could not manage it all. Keef got 3 new Hard Rock Cafe shirts - New Orleans, Miami & Key West (I have an old one of those already) plus we had the usual HRC choc milk shakes and Local Legendries *smile*. Annie got some custom made jewellry, a lovely leather handbag from the covered town market in Charleston and some Mardi Gras fans. The things we didn't like were illness, end of row syndrome, rudeness of fellow passengers and total ignorance of most common decency etiquettes (i.e. lifts, sunbeds, respect for disabled, leaving performances early) but hey overall the good far outweighed the bad. Also we still feel a little young for cruising *smile*. Here are some formal pictures taken on the Ventura and some of our Ruby Anniversary meal, Love K&A x If you would like to read the detailed copy of the Captains Log Star date 11th March 2018 😉 here it is! plus the very 1st days internal "newspaper" plus the ships layout diagram We were in room A517 on board the Ventura landing in Antigua plus the Medevac video on Day 34 , scary CLICK HERE Gallery of our best times, so happy! At Sea DAY 1-4 5th-8th Feb 2018 Southampton-Azores DAY 6-10 10th-14th Feb 2018 Azores-Barbados It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We stayed in the Premier Inn at West Quay , Southampton the night before and had a meal in the TGI Fridays over the road plus brekkie in the Premier, full English of course, start the way you mean to continue. The first 3 days were at sea, we left in the dark 1 hour late from Southampton. The next day was the Azores, then 5 further days sailing to Barbados our 1st port of call in the Carribean. Mostly calm seas apart from the Bay of Biscay and very sunny as the got to the Caribbean, so speedos, sunnies and ipod on between cooling dips in the Oasis pool The Azores, Portugal, Sao Miguel AY 5 - 9/2/2018 Landed in PONTA DELGADA, SAO MIGUEL, THE AZORES It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We landed in Ponta Delgada and went along slightly early for our Fire Lakes and Mountains excursion and were sent away by our lovely Travel department, luckily we came back early as the coach left 15 minutes early. They failed us on so many occasions we just took no notice of them ever after #thebrokenpromisesbrigade. Anyhow we had a lovely trip to give us a feel of Sao Migual stopping at the Pineapple plantation, that and fresh milk (exported to Madiera etc) are the main produce. We stopped at Ribeira Grande where we were lucky enough to see the kids parading in the Carnival festival (there version of the one in Brazil). Our guide was wonderful. We then climbed up to the highest point on the island, such lush rainforest vegetation , but with low cloud could see naught. Returning to Ponta Delgada we walked along the sea front and into the main town, it was very sunny and we finished with carnival fave Malassada & coffee and good it was too. Your guide to Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada is situated on Sao Miguel island in the Azores. The island’s rugged jutting out into the ocean, sheer cliffs dropping into the sea and sheltered coves, vegetation are reflected in beautiful lakes within the craters of extinct volcanoes. The Azores are a remote Portuguese, volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, consisting of nine islands divided into three groups. They are on approximately the same latitude as Lisbon and Washington DC, and lie about 760 miles west of Portugal. The date of the discovery of the Azores remains somewhat uncertain, although Arabian geographers in the 12th and 14th centuries made mention of several islands in the Western Ocean, other than the Canaries. They also noted that these islands appeared to be inhabited by a large number of birds of prey, and it is from this reference that the present name is derived. The Portuguese word for hawk is agor. Gongalo Valho Cabral brought in the first Portuguese settlers in 1439, but from 1580 to 1640 the islands were subject, like the rest of the Portuguese kingdom, to Spain. During this time they became an important meeting place for Spanish treasure fleets homeward bound from the Indies, and they were a place of maritime warfare between the English and Peninsular powers. In 1591, just off the coast of Flores, a famous sea battle took place between the Revenge (commanded by Sir Richard Grenville) and a Spanish fleet of 53 ships. The islands of the Azores are volcanic in origin and have been shaped into their present form by various geographical phenomena. Fortunately, earthquakes of major consequence are extremely rare, particularly in the Eastern Azores, and there have been no recorded volcanic eruptions since 1957. The Azores have a temperate climate due to their location in relation to the Gulf Stream and there’s an annual mean temperature of 64°F (18°C). The coldest month is February and the warmest month is August, when the temperature rises into the 80s°F (approx 27°C). The best time of year to visit the Azores is April to October. During the winter, they are renowned for being rather damp and occasional southwesterly gales are known to blow in. The vegetation is remarkably beautiful and varied, and practically anything which grows in temperate or subtropical zones absolutely flourishes. The Azores abound in wonderful woodlands, groves of camellia trees, cannas, and azaleas, forests of tree ferns, tea plantations, splendid pastures and hedgerows of blue hydrangeas. Land commands a high price owing to • the possibility of getting three to four crops from it every year. Sao Miguel (St Michael's) has been christened “The Green Island”, and the explosively fertile soil has earned the island this popular nickname. The most important trade is that of dairy products and live cattle, both of which are exported to the island of Madeira and Portugal. Other exports include beet-sugar, alcohol, tea, tobacco, cereals and tinned fish. The production and export of pineapples is also a trade of major importance to the Azores, and there are several pineapple establishments in the suburbs of Ponta Delgada and Vila Franca do Campo, on the south coast. Pineapples are only grown on Sao Miguel under glass, with no artificial heat being used and it takes around 24 months to obtain a fruit ready for the market. Exports from Ponta Delgada tota approximately one and a half million fruits a year. Owing to their exceptionally fine quality and careful selection, Sao Miguel pineapples fetch good prices in Lisbon and several other European markets. There are many hot springs of great interest in the Azores, as a result of the volcanic origin of the archipelago. Of special note are the spas of Furnas on Sao Miguel, Varadouro on Faial and Carapacho on Graciosa. There are also many springs of mineral rich, medicinal waters; some of which are tapped commercially. coastline is a mixture of headlands Mountains and valleys covered in lush BEYOND PONTA DELGADA Sete Cidades 10 miles North West of Ponta Delgada, means Seven Cities. Whether these existed at one time or not no one knows, but visitors come to admire the ethereal beauty of the area’s two lakes that lay in a circumference of eight miles. Sete Cidades is one of the smallest parishes of Ponta Delgada by population and also the largest in area because it’s located in the centre of a massive volcanic crater (three miles across) that’s also referred to as Sete Cidades. The natural setting of this part of the Island is enchanting and will appeal to any nature lover or budding photographer. Fire Lake 15 miles east of Ponta Delgada, in the centre of the island, is Fire Lake; in the crater of another extinct volcano. For more than 400 years, the crater has been filled with fresh, clean water and it’s now a lake that reflects endless surrounding natural beauty. Fire Lake is one of Ponta Delgada’s top natural tourist attractions and people come from far and wide to bathe in the nearby mineral rich waters that are believed to have healing properties. Furnas Valley 25 miles east of Ponta Delgada is an area that proves the Azores’ volcanic origin. Furnas Valley is Europe’s richest hydrological centre with more than 20 mineral springs that belch, bubble and spray hot water and mud into an atmosphere that’s laden with Sulphur. Grey, hot slime covers part of the area, rock faces are hot to the touch, steam puffs out of any hole in the earth and yellow bubbles burst as they are released from the earth. For several hundred years, housewives have cooked their sweet potatoes in the hot ground here and visitors have come to take the healing waters. Pay a visit to the Terra Nostra Hotel if you’re in the area to explore the gardens and the lake which are both well worth seeing. EXPLORING Sao Miguel The largest and most important of the Azorean islands, is Sao Miguel which houses more than half of the archipelago’s population of 260,000. Sao Miguel (with its 140,000 residents) is roughly 39 miles long and 10 miles wide. Its capital, Ponta Delgada, lies on the south coast with an excellent harbour and a population of 70,000 people. Ponta Delgada has only been the island’s capital since 1546. Before then, Sao Miguel was governed from Vila Franca do Campo, further along the coast. The main monuments of the Azores are the islands’ numerous churches built during many centuries of history from settlement times up to the present day. Their interiors of carved and gilded work, wood inlay and valuable azulejos (coloured, painted, glazed tiles) are veritable works of art. Besides the great number of churches and convents, some now housing museums, simple chapels and shrines of great charm are also scattered all over the island. There are also old forts, commemorative pillars, statues and busts that all mark famous dates and names in the history of the Azores. Ponta Delgada The largest city on Sao Miguel and the principal port of the eastern group of islands is Ponta Delgada; an old town of characteristic narrow roads and winding cobbled streets. The main avenues and highways are excellent and a day’s exploration could lead you from trodden tourist paths to undiscovered historical gems. Lovers of Madeira’s Funchal and Portugal’s Lisbon will feel at home in Ponta Delgada. The buildings are whitewashed with wooden balconies, the streets are paved with mosaics and ornate churches decorate almost every street. There’s a lovely, safe and friendly atmosphere in Ponta Delgada and when the jacaranda trees are in bloom, the bright purple blossom perfectly complements the black and white pavements and facades. There are a few noteworthy buildings in the town: The Igreja do Colegio is an 18th century church of late baroque architecture with a wonderfully carved high altar. This church formed part of a very rich convent founded by the Jesuits in the early 17th century. Sao Sebastiao is the 16th century parish church with a southern fagade of Renaissance design. The main facade is influenced by the Manueline style which is most popular and commonly found in mainland Portugal. The choir stalls are carved cedar wood and are decorated with other exotic woods like palisander. The statue of St. Sebastian on the high altar, pierced with arrows, bears an uncanny resemblance to Liberace. Valuable vestments embroidered in gold are on show, and the church is largely whitewashed like almost all the other buildings on the island. Convento da boa Esperanga Famous for the image of Christ, given by Pope Paul III in 1530, this church has been accumulating jewels and gifts for over 300 years. The chapel where the most treasured possessions are kept is completely lined with azulejos showing colourful, biblical scenes. The museum of Carlos Machado is housed in a 16th century convent in Rua Joao Moreira (Dr Guilherme Pogas 65) and has several interesting ethnographic collections. It also contains works by local and foreign painters and sculptors, together with exhibitions of religious art, tiles and a wonderful collection of over 2000 bird species. St Andrew’s Church, which adjoins the museum, contains some remarkable wood carvings. Sao Jose has painted vaults over the three naves and a baroque Pieta in the baptismal chapel, while Sao Pedro towards the eastern end of this two mile long town is also worthy of inspection for its treasury. When it comes to secular architecture, have a look at the Fort of Sao Bras just outside the port area and you cannot miss the Triumphal Arch in the centre of town. Art and Architecture Azulejos These are coloured tiles painted and cleverly fitted together to create entire scenes. The first Portuguese azulejos were blue, or azul, hence the name. The idea of painting tiles came from the Moors and by the 17th century the Portuguese had mastered the craft so deftly, that it has since come to be associated almost solely with Portugal. Yellow, purple and green eventually joined the blue, followed by landscape and hunting scenes and abstract patterns. All kinds of buildings including churches, town halls, railway stations and private houses were decorated inside and out with azulejos and now they are everywhere to be seen in and around the city. Talha dourada Carved woodwork (talha) was popular for church interiors from the 15th century, but the influx of gold from Brazil in the early 18th century led to the gilding of woodwork. Some of Sao Miguel’s churches stand today, quite sober-looking from the outside, but gleam with gold on the inside. EATING OUT The geographical situation, the climate and the immense wealth of natural resources are responsible for the diversity of the cuisine on the Azores. The soil here is explosively fertile meaning that fresh produce grows in abundance. Local favourites include homemade soups, fresh fish and seafood, locally sourced meat and a great selection of sweets. These include: Seafood: Cavacos, lobster, barnacles, crab, Caldeirada de peixe (fish chowder), polvo guisado em vinho de cheiro (octopus cooked in wine), arroz de lapas (limpets), and lapas de molho Afonso, ensopado de trutas (trout stew). Meat: chourigo com inhames (spiced sausage with yams), torresmos de moiho de figado (pork liver), and cozido das Furnas (meat and vegetables that are boiled in the heat of the earth at places where geothermal energy appears at the surface). Cheese: Queijo da llha or fresh goat’s cheese. Sweets: Bolo levedo (sweet muffin), barriga de freira (bread pudding) massa sovada (sweet bread). The old brandy of Graciosa and the passion fruit and pineapple liqueurs of Sao Miguel are popular specialties in the Azores and they make good souvenirs and gifts as well as local delicacies to sample while you’re ashore. Wine The best known wines of the Azores are the verdelhos of Pico (which achieved fame as far away as the Court of Imperial Russia), but on Granciosa and Terceira some fine table wines are also produced, particularly the white wines. On nearly all of the Azorean islands there are the traditional vinhos de cheiro or morangueiro which have many keen enthusiasts. The best known are those of Caioura (Sao Miguel), Biscoitos (Terceira) and Sao Lourengo (Santa Maria), not forgetting a variety of wines from Pico. GETTING AROUND The terminal building in Ponta Delgada is split across two levels. Shore excursions depart from the car park on the upper floor accessible by stairs and lift. The ground level exit leads to the pedestrian walkway (to the town centre, via shops and cafes) and to available taxis. Car hire Varela Rent a Car: www.varelarentacar.com Micauto: www.micauto.com Autatlantis: www.autatlantis.com Taxis These are readily available. It is always advisable to negotiate a price with the driver before setting off on a journey. Most taxi drivers speak little English so ensure you have the means of explaining where you want to go and what time you need to get back to the ship. HANDY TIPS • The tap water is not always potable, so only drink bottled water. • It is forbidden to sunbathe topless in the Azores. • It is not acceptable to photograph people without asking for their permission. • Tips and gifts compensate for quality of service. It is therefore customary to leave a 5% tip in restaurants and to taxi drivers. • Do not buy souvenirs made from sea based creatures. SHOPPING The Azorean archipelago, with its rich history and many traditions, is known for its arts and handicrafts. Artisans have saved and developed their workmanship techniques through the centuries and the handicrafts of the Azores include some that are now ancient in origin. Due to their isolated location Azorean craftsmen use primarily raw materials such as wood, fish scales, whale bone and teeth, basalt, hydrangea, piths, potter’s earth and corn leaves. Best buys Colorful! pottery from Sao Miguel Embroidery and lace from Sao Miguel, Terceira, Pico and Faial Woodwork created from fig Wickerwork Wheat straw decoration Scrimshaws (works of art carved from the teeth and jaws of the sperm whale) Pineapple and passion fruit liqueurs. Most shops are dosed on Sundays, even when a cruise ship is in port, however the Sol Mar Shopping Centre and the new Parque Atlantico Mall in Ponta Delgada, are open daily from 9.30am-10.00pm every day. ACTIVITIES Beaches Ponta Delgada’s beaches have black volcanic sand and are washed by the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. During the months of July and August a few beaches (Praia do Populo, 3 miles from Ponta Delgada and Agua D’Alto, 14 miles away) have facilities and the waters are generally safe to swim in. There are swimming facilities in the cruise ship harbour, near to the marina with steps and pontoons leading down to the sea from the waterfront. Golf There are two courses on Ponta Delgada (Batalha Golf Course, over to the west of the island and Furnas Golf Club, over to the east). Both courses have 18 holes, and clubs and trolleys can be hired. Barbados - The Caribbean DAY 11 - 15/2/2018 Landed in BRIDGETOWN , BARBADOS, Windward Islands, West Indies " Woah, I'm going to Barbados, back to the palm trees, in the sunny Caribbean sea " It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We landed in Bridgetown and went on the Coast to Coast excursion which was a great way to get a look and feel of the diversity of the island. We especially liked the flowers and the lovely beach town of Bathsheba. On the trip we drove through Bridgetown, originally known as Indian Bridge, named after the old bridge which crosses the Constitution River. On the trip we visited the highest point, St Johns church with great views over the Caribbean sea. There are quite a few pictures taken there. Here is an extract from plaque on the church wall " This beautiful church is on the site of the earliest wooden church of 1645.The first stone church was built in 1660, for 110,000 pounds of sugar. It was badly damaged in the 1675 hurricane and rebuilt in 1676-7. This church was badly damaged in the 1780 hurricane, restored and destroyed in the 1831 hurricane. The present fourth church was completed in 1836 and the chancel added in 1876. Its pure Gothic design was influenced by Bishop William Hart Coleridge, first Anglican Bishop.The Vestry Hall above was the meeting place of the Parish Vestry, comprising elected landowners, which ran the affairs of the Parish until 1939. It is named for church patriarchs Mr. Eustace Gill and Mr.Thorne Gollop.". After the trip we took a walk through the craft market listening to the rap music in the sun, had a look at the fish market , flying fish is a local delicacy, and a stroll back along the waterfront gardens in Bridgetown. It was a very hot day. Keef especially liked adding to his collection of photos of world cricket venues with a snap of the Kensington Oval. Now remind me who was Captain Tobias Willcox? Bathsheba beach Your guide to Barbados Beautiful beaches, warm blue sea and sun-drenched days, Barbados offers all the features of a tropical island. Its people are especially warm and welcoming and there is still an inescapable colonial ‘feel’ that adds to the island’s unique atmosphere and special style. Barbados is the most easterly island in the West Indies, out of the chain of Leeward and Windward Islands. The island stands in splendid isolation with the powerful Atlantic Ocean on its east coast and the clear, calm waters of the Caribbean Sea on the south and west coasts. Measuring 21 miles long and 14 miles at its widest point (and with an overall area of only 166 square miles), the island is scarcely larger than the Isle of Wight. Mount Hillaby, in the northern centre is the highest point at 1,115 feet. The climate is a holiday-maker’s dream - tropical, but tempered by the sea breeze from the north-east. The temperature hardly varies from 24 - 27°C (75 - 80°F) and humidity is pleasantly low. From its founding in 1627 to its independence in 1966, the island was a British colony and, unlike the rest of its Caribbean neighbours, was never taken by force. It has an endearing blend of British and West Indian cultures, which allied to the Bajan’s reputation as the friendliest people in the Caribbean, weaves a potent spell. EXPLORING Bridgetown - the Capital Cruise ships berth just outside of Bridgetown, and almost at once you realise why Barbados is known throughout the Caribbean as ‘Little England’. The market town atmosphere, Georgian houses, Parliament Square, neo-Gothic public buildings, and cricket ground, to say nothing of the signposts to Hastings and Worthing, all contribute to the impression. Of the total population of nearly 300,000 people, more than a third of them live in the capital, Bridgetown. The Careenage An inlet of the sea, which cuts right into the heart of the town and its wharf is a fascinating melee of colour and energy. Merchant and navy sailing ships used to lie aground here at low tide for hull repairs. It is now a pleasant marina where small yachts and pleasure craft moor. Larger yachts, of which there is no shortage in the Caribbean, anchor just south of the town in Carlisle Bay. Heroes Square This is the civic heart of the town, and its focal point is the statue of Nelson, erected in 1813 on the site of ‘The Green’ where hansom cabs once waited for fares. The Admiral spent some time here during his command of the naval station at English Harbour, Antigua. In the square stand the Renaissance-style Public Buildings of coral rock and the island’s chief administrative offices (opened in 1874). Here the Barbados Parliament meets and conducts its work. The open arcades have Gothic instead of the usual rounded arches, and the windows are stained glass portraits of all the monarchs of Great Britain from James I. In the neighbouring streets there are a number of elegant Georgian houses, now used mainly as shops or offices, though some are still privately occupied. Bay Mansion This Mansion, in Bay Street, is one of the great houses of the past, with parts dating back to 1750. St Michael’s Cathedral, off St Michael’s Row, originally 17th century, was rebuilt in coral rock in 1780 after being destroyed in a hurricane. The font dates from 1680 and has inscribed round the top in capital letters a Greek palindrome of which the translation is ‘Wash the sin, not merely the skin’. Government House A serene white mansion with flower-filled gardens, lies to the east of the Cathedral on the edge of the town. This is the official office and residence of the Governor general of Barbados. On the Garrison, 1 1 /2 miles south of the town is a block of red brick buildings, once the quarters of British officers and NCOs. Since 1905, it’s been occupied by government and public officials. Also note the Main Guard House with Clock Tower. The Garrison Savannah The Garrison Savannah was formerly the parade ground for Britain’s largest overseas garrison. Today it’s a lovely expanse of 50 acres devoted to walking, recreation and sport and it’s ringed by a horse racing track. The building with the clock tower, once the guard room, also used to house the famous Savannah Club. Queen’s Park When the garrison left Barbados in 1905, Queen’s House, the official residence of the officer commanding the troops, was purchased by the Government. The grounds, now known as Queen’s Park, were laid out with a lake, terrace and parterres and were opened to the public in 1909. Look out for the Baobab tree that’s over 1000 years old. Barbados Museum Nearby is the Barbados Museum, housed in a former British military prison. The Museum takes you on a fascinating journey from the pre-Columbian period, through Barbados’ history to modern times. On display is some fine furniture imported from England in the 18th century to grace the mansions of the rich plantation owners. The reference library documents the history of the island, exhibiting old newspapers, books and records of interest. There are also displays of geology and natural history. Art and other exhibitions are regularly arranged. The Museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9.00am - 5.00pm. (except public holidays - when it closes) and from 2.00pm - 6.00pm on Sundays. George Washington’s House This house stands on Bush Hill, a mile from the town centre. It was acquired by the Barbados National Trust and is a popular historical tourist attraction. The great American statesman visited Barbados in 1751 when he was a 19-year-old major in the British army. With his brother he stayed seven weeks and is reported to have rented the house for £15 a month ‘exclusive of liquor and washing’. Open from Monday - Friday from 9.00am -4.30pm. Jewish Synagogue The Jewish Synagogue dates back to the 1650s, making it one of the two oldest synagogues in the western hemisphere. It is a Barbados National Trust protected building and is a must for anyone interested in cultural and archaeological history. Not only has the structure been preserved, but the Synagogue has been restored to its original purpose as a house of prayer. The Synagogue is located on Synagogue Lane and is open Monday - Friday 9.00am -12.00 noon and 1.00pm -4.00pm. Kensington Oval Cricket Ground Sports lovers may stretch their legs with the short stroll from the centre of Bridgetown to the Kensington Oval Cricket Ground where the West Indies have so often demonstrated their flair and brilliance at the game which is not only a national passion, but also the most concrete bond between the countries of the Caribbean. On any beach or clear patch of ground in Barbados you may see a game of cricket being played, and perhaps catch a glimpse of a youngster with enough talent to follow in the footsteps of the hero of the island, the great Sir Garfield Sobers. The Island At only 21 miles from north to south, and 14 miles east to west, no part of Barbados is far from reach. With the exception of the Scotland district in the north-east, the island is of coral formation and is almost surrounded (except at its one harbour and the open roadstead of Carlisle Bay) by coral reefs - extending in some parts three miles out to sea. The soil, though fertile, has little depth and due to its porous nature there are no rivers or streams worthy of mention. The principal industry is tourism, closely followed by sugar and its byproducts. More than three-fifths of the island is under the cultivation of sugar cane. The island also produces around 40% of its oil requirements. The Landscape Barbados does not have the striking heights and lush tropical forests of some other West Indian islands, but there is plenty of variety. The highest point is Mt Hillaby (1115 feet) and the steeply descending east coast on the Atlantic is not unlike Cornwall, with its long stretches of superb and surprisingly undercrowded surf beaches interrupted by dramatic rocks. The Atlantic rollers come crashing in, accompanied by the constant breeze of the north-east trade winds that make the climate of Barbados so pleasant. In the flatter parts of the island, hamlets and villages appear in the seemingly endless forest of whispering sugar cane, which grows to a height of 8 to 10 feet before it is reaped. At harvest time, the quiet back roads of the countryside are filled with trailer after trailer of cane, and soon the rich sweet smell of sugar being processed hangs in the air. Even the most diet conscious will be tempted by the aroma and taste of fresh sticky brown sugar. Sugar cane, introduced from Brazil in 1640, has become the island’s principal export and for many years now an average of 65,000 tons of sugar has been produced per year. The cane is generally harvested between January and July, but it has an 18 month cycle so you may see it in various stages of development. Flora and Fauna Although the gently undulating roads of the island have been likened to southern England, the scenery is truly West Indian. Hedges of pink and purple bougainvillea, oleander and hibiscus are dwarfed by rows of royal palms raising their plumed heads high against a bright blue sky. The numerous villages of chattel houses, standing among banana and breadfruit trees, are built on coral piles high off the ground, and on the steps of these little cabins, people ‘chill out’ - which means doing nothing in particular - simply chatting and watching the world go by. Among the bushes, the yellow-breasted finch and the comical blackbird-like grackle squabble continuously, while, darting from one flower-head to another, the tiny dark green, black-winged humming bird can be seen in its shimmering display of aerobatics. There are also two kinds of dove - the pinky-brown turtle dove, whose inconsolable call sounds softly in the trees, and the small ground dove. A stroll in the cool of the evening may reward you with the sight of whole trees illuminated by fireflies. The visitor is unlikely to meet anything more threatening than toads, ants, and the endearing green lizard (much respected because he keeps down The population of flies!). In the country, you might see a mongoose scuttling across the lane - these are furry creatures with squirrel like tails that were brought from India in the late 1800’s to combat the problem of rats, which threatened the sugar industry. You may also see the green monkey which originated from Africa and was originally considered a pest by farmers. The Sabin Polio Vaccine comes from the green monkey and one green monkey can provide up to 2.5 million doses of polio vaccine. The Primate Research Centre and Wildlife Reserve (Farley Hill, St Peter) is responsible for up to 70% of the world’s Polio vaccines. HANDY TIPS • It is illegal to wear clothing that is of camouflage design in Barbados • The people of Barbados are encouraging visitors to the island to ‘think green' and help them preserve their island’s beautiful environment. They believe that many of the solutions to environmental problems lie with individuals themselves. We would ask our passengers to support the islanders in their eco-drive. Here are a few ways in which you can help: • Protect the coral reef - do not stand on it or touch it. Coral or coral jewellery should not be purchased as a souvenir. • Buy local produce and support stores trying to preserve the environment. • Keep the island tidy - do not drop litter. • Never damage trees, plants or wildlife. • Support the National Trust, botanical gardens and wildlife reserves. Remember - take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints BEYOND BRIDGETOWN Speightstown This town is 12 miles north of Bridgetown and is the second largest town on the island. It was once an important shipping centre and is known as ‘Little Bristol’ from its considerable trade with that English port. St. Peter’s Church is located here and this is one of the oldest churches in Barbados. As a result of countless tragedies and re-building programmes, no records have survived. Today's church and grounds offer a lovely insight to the past though so it’s well worth a visit. Holetown A monument, raised in 1905, which commemorates the first landing of the English in 1525 can be seen in Holetown. Barbados’ first settlement was originally called Jamestown in honour of James I, but its name was changed to reflect the very small channel that allowed the off loading and cleaning of visiting ships. The Barbados National Trust owns Welchman Hall Gully, just east of Holetown. This wooded ravine has been developed as a garden of tropical! trees, fruit trees, shrubs and flowering plants, and has several caves that can be explored. Gun Hill Signal Station A patriotic Captain H J Wilkinson made his mark on the slopes below Gun Hill in 1868 when he caved a lion out of a single piece of rock which has been kept white ever since. Gun Hill, six miles east of Bridgetown, was the barracks and watchtower of the Colonial Troops. The signal station, which has a superb panoramic view, was completely restored by the Barbados National Trust and is open from Monday to Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm. Note repairs are ongoing and unexpected closures may occur. Check with Tourist Information on the day. Orchid World Is a “paradise found" for lovers of orchids. Orchids are grown in beautiful surroundings with coral rock gardens, cool shady gullies and ponds and running water. It is situated on Highway 3B, between Cun Hill and St John’s Church. Open daily 9.00am - 4.00pm Closed Mondays from May 15- October 15. (admission charge) St John’s Church St John’s Church stands on Barbados' east coast near the edge of an 824 feet high cliff and commands an extensive view of the coral-fringed windward coast. The little church contains work by Sir Richard Westmacott who sculpted Bridgetown’s statue of Nelson. The pulpit is made from six different woods, four of them local - ebony, locust, oak, mahogany, pine and manchineel - and the galleries are supported by columns of cedar. Codrington College Codrington College, also in the parish of St John, is a place of great dignity and peace, approached through a glorious avenue of palms. The founder of the college, Christopher Codrington, a governor of the Leeward Islands, was born in the house, which he bequeathed to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 1710. It now houses the Theological College of the West Indies. The east coast of the parish of St Joseph, this is one of the highest parts of the island at 997 feet. Here you can take in the attractive, panoramic views over the entire east coast. According to legend the cliff is named after a man who committed suicide by riding his horse over the cliff. Hastings, Worthing and St Lawrence These are seaside residential districts just south of Bridgetown with a number of first-class hotels and excellent bathing. Bathsheba This is a seaside resort on the east coast. This area is known as the “soup bowl” and is considered to be the most scenic part of the island with rolling Atlantic waves and long stretches of golden sands set against a backdrop of hills. The Andromeda Gardens These gardens have an astonishing array of plants from all over the tropical world; and through them winds a babbling stream forming pools and waterfalls. The garden is internationally famous and represents what is perhaps the best collection of exotic tropical flowers and plants to be found in the Caribbean. There are many rare species and hybrids and at all times of the year there are masses of brightly coloured blooms and foliage. Open 9.00am to 4.30pm (entrance fee). Sunbury Plantation House One of the last remaining sugar plantation houses open to visitors. Sunbury Plantation House is over 300 years old, and restored after a recent fire, boasts a great number of antiques, old prints and photographs and old machinery used in cultivation of crops, which are on display throughout the estate. Open daily from 9.00am to 5.00pm (last tour at 4.30pm). Tyrol Cot House and Chattel Village Tyrol Cot was the family residence of Barbados’ first premier Sir Grantley Adams and also his son Tom Adams (Barbados’ second Prime Minister), It is considered to be the birthplace of Barbadian Democracy and is filled with collections of Adams’ antique furniture arid memorabilia. The adjacent Chattel Village contains a replica of an 1820’s Slave Hut, Blacksmith Shop and Bajan Rum Shop. Open daily from 8.00am - 4.30pm (last tour at 4.00pm). The Mount Gay Experience Is the home of the oldest rum in the world. Built in a traditional Barbadian “Chattle House" you will find a Visitors Centre where one can take a tour and experience the fascinating process of producing the world’s finest rum. Situated at Spring Garden Highway, St Michael. Open Monday - Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm and Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm. EATING OUT There is a distinctive Barbadian cuisine, although most hotels and restaurants - many of them with Swiss or French-trained chefs - offer a European-inspired menu, plus Californian-style barbecues. Occasionally you can find local specialties on offer. These could be black pudding (a highly-seasoned sausage stuffed with minced pork and sweet potatoes, souse (spiced pork made from pig’s head and tongue), cou-cou (a kind of cornmeal puree) and cassava pone (a baked concoction of cassavas and dried coconut). Flying fish - you may see their glittering acrobatics from the deck of the ship - provide the bulk of the fishermen’s catch and appear on menus in many different forms. Other seafoods are lobster, crabs, octopus (called sea-cat), jacks and sprats. Fruits include mangoes, paw-paws, bananas, guavas, and avocados, along with more exotic soursops and Barbados cherries. Rum is, of course, an irresistible buy in Barbados, both white and dark. Favourite brands are Cockspur, Mount Gay, and Dooriy’s Macaw. Barbados is generally accepted as the birthplace of rum or “rumbullion” as it was called in the mid 1600’s. The name probably had something to do with “rumbustious” behaviour of seafarers at the Bridgetown waterfront! Take advantage of sampling the “liquid gold” in the land of sunshine where it is produced. Whisky and other spirits can be bought duty-free. The local beers, such as Banks Beer, are best enjoyed ice-cold in the shade beside one of the countless little roadside bars. A unique Barbadian drink you may wish to try is Mauby, brewed from bark, sugar and spices. Barbados, drinking water is rated as one of the purest in the world - rainwater is naturally filtered as it percolates through the coral rock. ACTIVITIES Beaches The island has so many fine white sandy beaches you’ll be spoilt for choice. Those on the west coast offer lake-calm swimming, while the east coast provides excellent surfing at the Soup Bowl (this is where the professional surfers surf). Beaches going north from Bridgetown along the Platinum Coast are Payne’s Bay, Sandy Lane Bay, Gibb’s Bay, and Mullin’s Bay. The fine hotels along this coast have excellent bathing facilities. The nearest beaches are Carlisle Bay, Dover Beach and Accra Beach - all located to the south and east of Bridgetown. Swimming on the east coast at Bathsheba/ Cattlewash is extremely dangerous due to the size of the waves and the strength of the currents. Watersports These include waterskiing, windsurfing, snorkeling, parasailing, banana boats and surfing. For scuba diving consider wreck dives from Carlisle Bay and at Folkestone Marine Park. Golf There are 3 golf courses on Barbados; Sandy Lane championship Golf Club, St James, is 5 miles north of Bridgetown and has an 18-hole championship course. Rockley Golf Club has a 9 hole course and is 6 miles from Bridgetown. Barbados Golf Club has an 18 hole course and is 9 miles from the capital. Clubs and carts can be hired at all golf courses. SHOPPING Shopping hours are from 8.30am - 4.30pm with early closing on Saturdays although some stores may stay open late while the ship is in port. Most shops in Bridgetown will be closed on public holidays, however those in the Cruise Terminal normally remain open. Please note that it is not customary to bargain when shopping in Barbados. Many stores will display two prices. DF = Duty Free. Foreigners to Barbados will pay Duty Free prices wherever DF is printed on a price label. There are numerous stores and malls selling a wide range of local souvenirs. Best buys Hand-made straw hats Baskets Mats Wood and ceramic items Hand-embroidered Sea Island cotton Dresses Local art work GETTING AROUND Docking information Dependent on which cruise ship berth is used, minibuses may be arranged to take passengers from the berth to the Customs Hall. Passengers are allowed to walk, but it can take up to ten minutes. No public transport or cars are allowed into the dock area. Car hire The major international car hire companies are not represented, but there are several local companies. You will be required to obtain a temporary drivers permit which can be obtained from your rental company at a cost of B’Dos $10.00 or any local police station on production of your UK drivers license and is valid for one year. Courtesy Rent-a-car: courtesyrentacar.com National Car Rentals Ltd: nationalcar.com Corbin’s Car Rentals: corbinscars.com Drive-A-Matic (Located in the Cruise Terminal): carhire.tv The speed limit in Barbados is 37 miles per hour (60 km) - in keeping with the slow pace of life. Driving is on the left, reflecting the British influence on the island. Taxis Taxis are plentiful and generally have set rates. It is always advisable to agree the price beforehand for longer journeys. Buses An island-wide service connects the eleven parishes with Bridgetown. Transport Board buses are blue with a yellow stripe and private minibuses are yellow with a blue stripe. Another option includes ZR vans which are painted white with a maroon stripe. These are known for their high speed, loud music and packing in as many passengers as possible. The Bridgetown bus terminal is near the Pelican Craft Village. There is also another bus terminal in the center of Bridgetown which is the called the Fairchild Bus Terminal and is located in Heroes Square. Guadeloupe - Caribbean DAY 12 - 16/2/18 Landed Pointe-a-Pitre & Visited Deshaies, Guadeloupe, Windward Islands, West Indies It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We loved Guadeloupe, landing in Pointe-A-Pitre, which looked a little run down, we did the "Death in Paradise" tour to Deshaies including the fabulous Jardin Botanique , via Saint Rose on Basse Terre , it is the Butterfly island and this is on the left wing. We saw the church and what doubles as the Police station in the crime drama and had a drink in Catherine's bar (see picture above). We also got a glimpse of the beach where they set up and remove the house where Harry the CGI stays during filming. Duane loves the island so much , as we do, he bought a house there. The Botanic gardens were spectacular. It is a French colony and we loved it so much we would like to return. So French, So Beautiful..... Your Guide to Guadeloupe This ‘butterfly’ settled on the Caribbean Sea centuries ago and belying the general reputation of the species, it has survived tribulations that would have destroyed the more fragile of its kind. Guadeloupe is actually two islands joined by a bridge that crosses the Riviere Salee hence its ‘butterfly’ appearance. Golden beaches rimmed with coconut palms, crysta blue seas, and a feeling that all is exotic and unusual sums up Guadeloupe. This French island has been called the “Emerald Island” for its incredible flora of a thousand tropical scents, or “Butterfly Island” as its shape resembles a butterfly with outspread wings. The two ‘butterfly wings’, Basse-Terre and Grande- Terre, are separated by a narrow channel and connected by a bridge. Basse-Terre, regardless of any logic that its name might imply, is a mountainous island reaching a maximum height of 1,467 m (4,813 ft) at Mount Soufriere. It rains more often here than on Grande- Terre, however this is the region of tropical flora, with iush greens, waterfalls, banana fields and volcanic craters. Grande-Terre, home of sugar cane, windmills and white beaches with clear blue waters protected by coral reefs, is much flatter than its neighbour. Most of the facilities, including Pointe-a- Pitre, are here. Christopher Columbus landed on the eastern side of Basse-Terre on 4 November 1493 during his second voyage to the New World. He named the island “Santa Maria de Guadalupe de Estremadura” either in thanks for the saint's protection during a storm on his first voyage or to fulfil a promise made to the monks of the Spanish monastery of that name. The name “Guadeloupe” is derived from the Arabic meaning “The River of Love”. The then residents, Carib Indians, called it Karukera - “Isle of Beautiful Waters”. The Spanish made half-hearted attempts to settle on the island; the Caribs made strenuous, and successful efforts to prevent them. However, the French were less easily discouraged and in 1635 some 500 colonists arrived from France. After initial problems, the Caribs were defeated and African slaves were introduced to work in the sugar plantations. In 1674 Guadeloupe was formally annexed by France. The British also wanted the island and even took control of it in 1759 for a few years. Later in the 18th century, the French Revolution reached the Caribbean. The British supported the Royalists against the revolutionaries and, in 1794, again ruled the island. The notorious Committee of Public Safety in Paris sent Victor Hugues and a small army to sort it all out. The British were defeated, and the guillotine did a thriving business in Pointe-a-Pitre where many aristocrats were executed. Others fled into the hills, where their descendants still live today. Hugues abolished slavery in 1794, but Napoleon was clearly not impressed and not only sacked him, but also reintroduced slavery in 1802. The British continued to dispute the ownership of Guadeloupe and took the island again in 1810. However, the Treaty of Paris in 1815 gave Guadeloupe to France. In 1848, thanks to the efforts of Victor Schoelcher, the 93,000 slaves were freed. To replace them, the plantation owners turned to indentured workers from India. n 1946 Guadeloupe became a department of France and in 1974 Guadeloupe and the Islands of Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthelemy (St Barts), La Desirade, Marie-Galante and Les Saintes were constituted as a region of France. On 15th July 2007 the island communes of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy (St Barts) were officially detached from Guadeloupe and became two separate French overseas collectivities. EXPLORING Pointe-a-Pitre Although the city of Basse-Terre is the capital, Pointe- a-Pitre is the largest town, the dominant commercial centre and the chief port of Guadeloupe. Its name is derived from Pieter, a Dutch fisherman who came to Guadeloupe after being expelled from Brazil by the Portuguese in the 17th century. Pieter’s Point soon became Pointe-a-Pitre, although it was not until 1759 that the British improved the natural harbour and a town was founded. Today, about 17,500 people live in the town which is a mixture of old colonial buildings, high-rise apartments, small typical Caribbean houses and an industrial area. Pointe-a-Pitre has survived several natural disasters in the last 150 years. An earthquake in 1843 wrecked much of the town; the 1899 fire destroyed one-third of it, and hurricanes in 1928 and 1989 did extensive damage. Everything worth seeing is only a short walk from the Place de la Victoire. The various street markets - around the harbour and slightly further inland at the junction of rues Peynier and Frebault - are particularly lively in the morning. Harbourside Ferries leave from the old port (La Darse) to the islands of Marie-Galante and Les Saintes. Buses to Gosier, the island’s main resort, leave from the quayside. Centre St-John-Perse Old warehouses have been transformed into a modern complex - named after the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 - of shops, restaurants and a tourist information booth. Place de la Victoire This garden square, bordered by colonial style houses with balconies and shutters, is the hub of the town. The royal palms and sandbox trees were planted by Victor Hugues the day after his victory over the British in 1794. Shortly afterwards, Hugues put a guillotine in the square and possibly as many as 500 aristocrats were executed. The main tourist office is in the south­west corner - it is a good example of French colonial architecture. Musee Schoelcher A small museum in an ornate colonial building on rue Peynier is dedicated to the Frenchman, Victor Schoelcher who was responsible for slavery being abolished in the French West Indies in 1848. It contains some of his persona! belongings and exhibits showing his life and work. Open weekdays 9.00am-5.00pm. Musee St-John-Perse Opened in 1987 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the poet Alexis Leger (better known as St John Perse). This museum contains some of the poet’s personal possessions, photographs and a complete collection of his poetry. This beautiful building is well worth a visit as it is a rare example of 19th-century colonial architecture. The museum at 9 Rue de Nozieres, is open weekdays from 9.00am- 5.00pm and from 8.30am-12.30pm on Saturdays. Cathedrale de St-Pierre et St-Paul The cathedral in Place Gourbeyre (near the main shopping area) was built In 1807. It is often called the “Iron Cathedral” because it is reinforced with iron ribs to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes. Apart from the rather curious pink-coloured exterior, the beautifully-coloured stained glass windows are the main attraction. Aquarium de la Guadeloupe Located in Place Creole at Bas-du-Fort, this very highly-rated aquarium is the largest in the Caribbean. A symphony of over 700 tropical! parrot- fish, lion fish, chartreus and sharks live together in harmony in a silent, dream-like world. Some 3km (2 miles) from the town centre, it is open daily from 9.00am-6.30pm. Fort Fleur d’Epee Slightly further away from Pointe-a-Pitre, In the same direction, are the well-preserved ruins of a 19th century fort at Gosier. Perhaps the main attraction is the view across the bay and, if clear, of the islands of Marie-Galante and Les Saintes. BEYOND POINTE-A-PITRE Grande-Terre This is an ideal place for cyclists and devotees of beaches and watersports. A complete tour involves driving about 130 km (80 miles) on very reasonable roads. Gosier The main resort centre of Guadeloupe - with hotels, restaurants and beaches - is only 8 km (5 miles) from Pointe-a-Pitre. Ste-Anne and St Franqois Continuing along the south coast and through the sugarcane fields, Ste-Anne is the next place of any real size. The main square, Place Schoelcher, has a statue of the man responsible for the ending of slavery in 1848. Further along the south coast, St- Franqois is another resort and also a fishing village. Lovely white sand beaches, (Raiisins Clairs and La Gourde), Creole and French restaurants, as well as a Hindu cemetery and an 18th century church are the main attractions. Pointe-des-Chateaux Mountainous waves often pound the jagged rocks at the eastern tip of the island where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet. Tarare Beach is for naturists, but this part of Grande-Terre is not safe for swimming. Moule and the Extreme North The former capital of Guadeloupe is still one of the island’s largest towns. its 18th century neo-classical church is classified as an historical monument. Also worth seeing is a small fort on the harbour. In nearby La Rosette is an archaeological museum. The northern coastline consists of rocky headlands (Pointe de la Grand Vigie) with good views as far as Antigua and Montserrat, and beaches in the sheltered bays (Anse de Souffleur). Les Grands-Fonds The hills and valleys of the central region are the home of the Blancs Matignon - the white-skinned, fair-haired people - who are believed to be the descendants of not only those aristocrats who fled to the hills during the French Revolution, but also of a small minority of plantation owners who retreated to this area after the abolition of slavery. Basse-Terre Basse-Terre is quite different - spectacular scenery, mountains, waterfalls, tropical rainforests and the place for hikers. Drivers will find the hilly and steep roads more demanding. A tour of the more interesting southern half involves a trip from Pointe- a-Pitre of about 145 km (90 miles). Route de la Traversee The cross-country road from east to west passes through the rainforest and the Parc Naturel - a lush, verdant wonderland covering around 74,000 acres. A hundred and ninety miles of marked paths lead through the natural flora and picturesque locations of this exotic sanctuary. Routes for hikers are displayed at the Maison de la Foret, where there is an information bureau and a slide show (Open from 10.00am-5.00pm). Tucked away in the park are picnic areas and small museums covering information on the Park. You may even spot the racoon (the Park’s mascot). It is advisable to wear sturdy shoes and take a waterproof jacket if you decide to walk in the Park. The Cascade aux Ecrevisses is a natural waterfall, and there are panoramic views from the lookout on Les Deux Mamelles and from the top of Morne-a- Louis. Also worth visiting is the Parc Zoologique (zoo and botanical gardens). The Park is situated on the Route de la Traversee. Open from 9.00am-4.30pm daily. Basse-Terre and the South Coast Worth seeing in the capital city (population 12,000) are the cathedral, the Palais de Justice, the old colonial houses and Fort Sainte-Charles. At an Archaeological Park at Trois-Rivieres, are the Roches Gravees - strange petroglyphs carved on the rocks by the native Indians some 1,600 years ago. East Coast Near Capesterere-Belle-Eau is the impressive Allee Dumanoir, a road lined by century-old royal palm trees. To the north is an important Hindu temple and in the next village, Ste-Marie, a small bust of Columbus commemorates his landing here in 1493. Also of interest, but involving detours from the coastal road, are Mount Soufriere (1,316 m 14,318 ft)a dormant, but not extinct, volcano and the Carbet Falls. The volcano, which threatened to erupt in 1975, cannot be climbed in the available time, but the three impressive cascades of the Carbet Falls are within walking distance. It takes about two hours to reach the 125 m (410 ft) high First Fall and only 30 minutes to reach the lower Second Fall. GENERAL INFORMATION Post Office Boulevard Faidherbe, a few blocks inland from the Place de la Victoire and the Cathedral. Stamps and also available from souvenir shops and tabacs. Airmail letters take about a week to reach Europe. Money Matters Banks are open weekdays 8.00am-Noon and 2.00pm-4.00pm. (From June to September they are usually open from 7.30am-3.30pm). The unit of currency is the euro (€). Denominations Notes: €5,10, 20,50,100,200 and 500 Coins: 1, 2, 5,10, 20 and 50 cents; €1 and 2 Hotels, larger restaurants and car-rental agencies will accept Visa, American Express and MasterCard. Tourist Information The main office is at 5 Square de la Banque. Tel. 82 09 30 English is spoken and useful leaflets include suggested tours of the island by car. In addition, maps, details of walks and hikes in the Parc Naturel, and “Boujour Guadeloupe” (tourist booklet) are all of interest. ACTIVITIES Beaches The countless beaches which ring these islands are among the most beautiful in the Caribbean. Turquoise waters, honey coloured sand and coconut palms swaying gently in the breeze conjure up images of a tropical paradise. Grand-Terre has a number of beautiful beaches of white sand, especially around Cosier, a short taxi ride from Pointe-a-Pitre. The Novotel Fleur d’Epee and La Creole Beach may be happy for non residents to use their changing facilities, beach chairs and towels for a small fee. Ilet du Cosier is a nudist beach. Public beaches are free, but have limited facilities. There are several around Gosier and along the south coast of Grande-Terre from Ste-Anne to Pointe-des- Chateaux. One of the best is the reef-protected Caravelle Beach, some 14 km (9 miles) from Cosier, which is a popular place for snorkeling. Topless bathing is common on all beaches. Watersports Most beach-side hotels at Cosier rent equipment for windsurfing, body surfing and snorkeling. Water skiing is available on the beaches of the Creole Beach and Meridien Hotels. Scuba diving is a popular activity, especially at Pigeon Island (Ilet Pigeon) and Cousteau Reserve on the west coast of Basse-Terre, which Jacques Cousteau ranked as one of the world’s ten best diving spots. Hiking Marked trails lead through the tropical rainforest of the Parc Naturel and around Mount Soufriere, both of which are on Basse-Terre. Waterfalls, dense forests, steaming fumaroles and unusual birds can all be seen. There are hikes for all levels and tastes - some can be walked along, but a guide is strongly recommended if attempting anything ambitious - enquire at the Tourist Office or In the Park Bureaux. Golf St Francois International Coif Course, an 18-hole course designed by Robert Trent Jones. Tel. 88 41 ST. Windsurfing and waterskiing are possible on an adjacent lagoon. EATING OUT Guadeloupe, being French, has always been a noted centre of culinary expertise. Plenty of real Creole food, renowned for its spicy flavour, is on loca menus, including such island specialities as stuffed crab, stewed conch, roast wild goat, boudin creole (a pork sausage), jugged rabbit, fresh fish (for example red snapper in a passionfruit sauce) and seafood. While waiting for a substantial meal to arrive, try the appetizers known as accras, crispy fritters or crusty croquettes made of codfish or malanga roots. To complete the meal, the ice creams are truly mouthwatering and include an array of different tropical fruit flavours. Rum punches are also extremely popular before, or after, a meal. The most popular is Ti Punch, a mixture of rum, sugarcane syrup and a dash of lime juice; Planteurs are rum with fruit juice and the ever popular Pina Colada consists of rum with cream of coconut, pineapple juice and crushed ice. Most restaurants carry a range of beers and French wines. Naturally, there are also plenty of fruit drinks, colas and minerals waters. GETTING AROUND Car Hire It is advisable to go to a reputable company (as many of the smaller local agencies are perfectly illegal) and take out the CDW additional insurance. Taxis Fares, theoretically, are regulated by the Government, but agree on the price before starting the journey. The taxi stand is at the Place de la Victoire. Buses Buses run from Pointe-a-Pitre to almost anywhere in Guadeloupe; fares are inexpensive, but the bus system is infrequent and can be unreliable. For Grande-Terre, buses leave from La Darse (by the Place de la Victoire): for Basse-Terre, a 15-minute walk will take you to the Care Routiere (bus station) de Bergevin. Local buses run from 5.00am. There are no stops, you have to flag the bus down on the road. Travelling by bus is a good way to meet the locals, but they don’t always provide service to the touristic sites. Bicycle Hire Bicycles can be rented at several places around the Place de la Victoire. Ferries Occasional services run to the islands of Marie- Galante (1 hour trip) and tes Saintes (45 minutes) Antigua - Caribbean DAY 13 17/2/2018 Landed St Johns, Antigua, Leeward Islands, West Indies It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We landed in St Johns and went on the Islands sights excursion visiting initially Shirley Heights with views across to Eric Claptons reform complex on Montserrat, the the Lookout overlooking Falmouth bay, then the Unesco World Heritage site of Nelsons Dockyard in English harbour.Here are the words written on the plaque at the Shirley Heights military camp " At the most southerly tip of Antigua,The Lookout, part of the Shirley Heights military complex, commands a breathtaking view over the whole of English Harbour. Behind the catchment, on the highest ground, 490 ft (150 m) above sea level, is the Signal Station from which a system of flags was used by day and guns by night to convey messages to St.John’s by way of Great Fort George on Monk’s Hill The Shirley Heights military' complex also includes a guard house, magazine and kitchen, officers’ quarters, adjoining parade grounds, a 30-bed hospital, canteen, and a cemetery. An obelisk in the cemetery commemorates the officers and men of the 54th Regiment (2nd Battalion Dorsets) who died in service in the West Indies between 1840 and 1851".Our guide was wonderful and never stopped talking in that lovely Caribbean school mistress way *smile* It was a very hot day. Keef saw both the new Sir Viv Richards cricket stadium and the old ARG in St Johns and bought a T-Shirt for the local Wadadli beer. On a cricketing front Millie (Hillie) Ambrose, Sir Curtly's Mum used to ring the village bell in Swetes where she lived every time he took a wicket, no matter what time of day or night, remember he played all over the world and took a lot of wickets. Imagine her popularity *smile*. gordon Wadadli as the locals call it, home of cricket legends Sir Viv and Curtly Ambrose Your Guide to Antigua Antigua famously boasts of a beach for every day of the year, with water sparkling in every shade of blue. The beaches are not all that this versatile island has to offer though. Take a jeep trip off road, discover the island’s lush forests, swing through the treetops, visit the historical dockyard, swim with the rays, fly over Montserrat or circumnavigate the island. There is something wonderful for everyone in Antigua. A ‘beach with an island in the middle’ is great way to describe this charming Caribbean island. Antigua, with its little sisters, Barbuda and Redonda, forms the largest and most developed of the four British Leeward Islands. Roughly circular in shape, the island is about 12 miles in diameter and has some of the finest beaches in the Caribbean - more than 350 of them -with gleaming pink-white sand backed by gently waving palms. The variation in temperature is less than 10 degrees, averaging at 25-30°C (77-85°F), and rainfall is low (accounting for the total absence of rivers), However, to the southwest, where the island is slightly more mountainous, lush tropical vegetation is more evident. The original inhabitants of Antigua founded settlements around 4,000 years ago and were incorrectly known as the Ciboney Indians. The true inhabitants of the island are believed to have occupied Antigua for more than 3000 years, until they disappeared mysteriously, leaving the island uninhabited for nearly 10 centuries. By the time Christopher Columbus arrived on his second voyage in the late 15th century, the Arawak Indians were in residence, followed closely by the Caribs. Antigua was ‘discovered’, along with numerous other Western Indian islands, by Columbus in 1493. It was Columbus’ habit to stop at each of the islands he came across en route to the Americas, and paint a cross and a Spanish flag in symbolic expression of missionary and imperial zeal. Often he had little time to do anything else because on many of the islands, his first step ashore was greeted by a hail of arrows from Caribs, hidden amongst the undergrowth. He named the island after the church of Santa Maria la Antigua in Seville, and sailed on. It was not until 1632 that the island was colonized by a party of refugee English planters from St Kitts. Following the English Restoration, a further settlement was made under the direction of Lord Willoughby, to whom the island had been granted by King Charles II. In 1666, it was raided by the French, assisted by Irish malcontents and Caribs, but was soon recaptured and formally restored to England in 1667. By this time, slaves had been imported from Africa to work the sugar plantations. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Antigua was the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Leeward Island Station and the principal British naval base in the Eastern Caribbean during the Napoleonic Wars. Admirals Nelson, Rodney, Hood and Jervis all made the dockyard at English Harbour their headquarters, and it was from here that Rodney sailed to the Battle of the Saints. It was also here that Nelson re-fitted his ships during his chase of the French Admiral Villeneuve, which ended at Trafalgar. Nelson lived on Antigua from 1784 to 1787, during which time his vigorous suppression of the illegal trade with American rebels earned him the dislike of the whole island. In 1967 Antigua became an associated state within the Commonwealth and achieved full independence in 1981. EXPLORING St John’s The capital, St John’s, is home to a third of the island’s total population of 90,000 people. It stands at the head of a spacious bay on the north-west coast. This bay is almost two miles long and its entrance is guarded by two forts. Fort James, dominating the northern headland, was started in 1704 but dates mostly from 1739. At one time, it had 36 cannons and one was fired every day at sunrise and sunset. There are 10 cannons still in position today. They weigh over two tons each and can throw a cannon ball about a mile and a half. Fort Barrington stands on the southern headland and saw plenty of military action during the 17th and 18th centuries. A third defensive battery was built on Rat Island in the middle of the bay - this is now occupied by a rum distillery and the deep-water cargo harbour. The town, with its colourful, balconied houses and busy streets, rises gently from the waterfront towards Government House (a fine example of a colonial . residence set amid beautiful lawns and gardens), A little to the west is the Anglican Cathedral of St John, set in a picturesque position surrounded by mahogany trees and its churchyard. The Cathedral was rebuilt in 1845 to replace an earlier wooden building that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1843 and it's dominated by twin towers and a white brick façade. The interior was designed to encase the congregation in pitch pine (as an attempt to secure the building from ruin during earthquake or hurricane) but it is now undergoing a huge renovation project. The Cathedral is closed during the restoration period and there is no definite date confirmed for the planned reopening. For a general feel of the town, the market, just a stroll away from the cruise ship berths, makes a colourful spectacle. The market is open whenever a cruise ship is in town and it’s a great place people-watch, get a feel for the local atmosphere, take photographs and buy Caribbean-style souvenirs. Heritage Quay Directly in front of the main cruise ship berth and a short walk away from the pier is Heritage Quay, the most popular place to stroll and shop for cruise ship visitors. Heritage Quay is full of shops and recognisable stores as well as bars and entertainers. Redcliffe Quay A short walk along the waterfront boardwalk will lead you to historic Redcliffe Quay. A selection of colourful, renovated buildings create an atmospheric warren of interest, and the old trade buildings are now shops, boutiques and art galleries. Museum of Antigua and Barbuda This museum is situated at the junction where Long Street crosses Market Street, is housed In the historic British colonial courthouse. Founded as a museum in 1985, but built in 1750, this is believed to be the oldest building in St John’s. Exhibits and displays take visitors on a journey back in time through Antigua’s history; from the Arawak Indians and the slavery era to the present day. The museum and gift shop are open 8,30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday and 10.00am - 2.00pm on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays. BEYOND ST JOHN’S English Harbour The most famous attraction in Antigua is Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour; located approximately 12 miles from St. John’s, on the south coast. To the right of the entrance is a huge water- catchment tank whose low walls are covered with the initials of many visiting sailors - including that of Nelson himself. The potential value of the harbour was recognised by the Royal Navy as early as 1670, and by the beginning of the 18th century it was in regular use by the British men-of-war. Construction of the dockyard on its present site began in 1725 and by the time Nelson was appointed to the station in 1784 it was equipped with a capstan house, mast house, blacksmith’s shop, engineer’s offices, copper, canvas and lumber stores, and quarters for both officers and men. The harbour and dockyard continued to be used as a base for many years, but with the coming of larger vessels, they were finally abandoned in 1899 and quickly fell into tropical decay. However, in 1950 the Society of Friends of English Harbour was founded and began the task of restoring the dockyard. Today, the dockyard is not only preserved for posterity, but is a haven for modem yachts and motor cruisers from all over the western hemisphere who lie at anchor in its calm waters. The old Admiral’s House (named after Nelson) is now a museum with marine pictures, charts, clay pipes, models and Arawak Indian relics. The strangely capped pillars that once supported the sail loft are still in position and the Admiral’s Inn, once a storehouse and joiner’s loft, has been converted into a delightful small hotel. More rooms are found in the engineer’s office and the copper and lumber store, which also houses a restaurant. Brass and mahogany fittings tell of a more gracious age and the old bakery is still in operation. Craft and gift shops in the galley and officers’ quarters complete the holiday atmosphere of this yacht basin. The original wooden church (built in 1711) burnt down and its replacement of 1754 was dismantled. The exterior is in constant need of restoration; however the octagonal interior is beautifully proportioned with a fascinating wooden ceiling. Fort George Standing on Monk’s Hill, Fort George is one of the earliest attempts to fortify the entrance to Falmouth Harbour. You can see the ruins of the original 17th-century buildings, water cisterns, magazines and cannons, as well as amazing views of Falmouth Harbour and the surrounding countryside. Please note Fort George is only accessible on foot or by four wheel drive jeep. Indian Town and Devil’s Bridge A national park since the 1950s and a site of archaeological excavation, Indian town is situated at the extreme eastern point of Antigua. Over the centuries, enormous Atlantic breakers have earned out a natural limestone arch called Devil’s Bridge and have created blowholes where spouting surf shoots up into the air. EATING OUT The main hotels and a few of the restaurants offer an excellent choice of food in French, American and ‘continental’ style. Menus include lobster, roast suckling pig, poultry and game birds, fish, curries, pilafs and exotic salads, fungi and salt fish, pepperpot stew and souse. Fruits such as mango, paw-paw and pineapple are popular favourites and are also prepared in ingenious ways. Local thirst-quenchers: include fresh fruit and sugar cane juices, coconut juice and endless varieties of rum cocktails. The locally brewed beer is called Wadadli (Antigua’s original name) and this is popular with both tourists and locals alike on a hot day. It is advisable to avoid drinking tap water, which is highly chlorinated and tends to be brackish. ACTIVITIES Beaches Antigua boasts of 365 beaches (some renowned for being among the finest in the Caribbean) and it's, believed that one of Antigua’s beaches is the only beach at which Queen Elizabeth II ever went into the sea! The nearest beaches to St John’s include Fort James, Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay (each between a mile and two miles away). The main resort areas are three miles north and 12 miles south of St John’s. Sports Watersports (including scuba diving) and tennis are available at most of the major resort hotels and tourist beaches. There are two golf courses within reach of St John’s: Cedar Valley (18 holes) is located three miles away from the capital and Jolly Harbour (18 holes) is located 6 miles away. GENERAL INFORMATION Post Office There are 4 post offices on Island. One is in Nelson’s Dockyard and one is on the High Street in St John’s (this is the main sorting office). Opening hours are: 8.15am - 12.00pm and 1.00pm - 3.30pm on weekdays (except on Friday, when closing hour extends to 4.00pm). Saturday opening hours are 9.00am - 12.00pm. Money matters The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, divided into 100 cents and tied to the US dollar. US dollars are accepted in almost all establishments, as are major credit cards and US $ Travellers cheques. US dollar denominations Notes and coins in circulation are as follows: Notes: 1,2, 5,10, 20, 50,100 dollars. Coins: 1,2, 5,10, 25 cents. Calling the UK Dial 011 44 then your code and number (omitting the zero prefixed to the code). There are telephones suitable for international calls on the cruise ship pier at Heritage Quay. Emergency contacts Ambulance - 999 or 911 Police-999 or 911 (Police Station: American Road, Tel: 462-0125) Fire - 999 or 911 Air/Sea Rescue - 462-3062 British Consulate in Antigua 11 Old Parham Road, PO Box 1531, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. Tel: (+1 268) 561 5046 / (+1 268) 462-3000 British High Commission For emergency Consular assistance contact the British High Commission (based in Bridgetown, Barbados). Email: ukinantigua@fco.gov.uk Tourist information www.antigua-barbuda.org GETTING AROUND Car hire Tropical Rentals: tropicairentalsantigua.com Avis: avis.co.uk/Antigua Pineapple Rentals: pineapplerentals.com Antigua Car Rental: antigua.rentalcargroup.com Rental Cars: rentalcars.com/Antigua Taxis The Antigua Tourist Board has an approved schedule of taxi fares. It is advisable to agree the fare for longer journeys before embarking on any journey. Rates are usually per car (for 1 - 4 people) so the price will be the same regardless of whether there is 1 or 4 people in the taxi. Stretch limousines are available in St John’s. Antigua Rent a car is one of the companies that offers this service: www.antigua-rentacar.com Buses There is an unscheduled local minibus service from the west bus station to the south. SHOPPING Shopping hours in St John’s are generally 9.00am - 4.30pm when a cruise ship is in port. Best buys Clothing in sea-island cotton T-shirts Paintings Straw goods Batik Shell jewellery Pottery Gemstones and jewellery Antigua Cavalier Rum Jamaica - Ocho Rios & Montego Bay & Bob Marley DAY 15 & 16 - 19th-20th Feb 2018 - Landed Ocho Rios & Montego Bay, Jamaica, ya Man! It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We now had 2 stops in Jamaica after the cruise was readjusted due to Hurricane damage to the British Virgin Islands and Dominica. One in Ocho Rios the other in Montego Bay. There was lots of concern upfront in Montego Bay especially and its parish of St James as the British Foreign Office had said it was a no go area due to 350 fatal shootings in the last year and large scale lawlessness. In Ocho Rios Keef went on the Bob Marley pilgrimage tour by a 50 year old Zion bus, no suspension, but what fun and made up for not being able to do it in 20004 due to Hurricane Ivan. Annie stayed on the boat.The bus tour went high into the mountains to stop at Nine Mile, St Ann's parish both the birth and resting place of Bob Marley where Fozzy (an old school friend of Bob's) showed us around the Bob Marley Mausoleum. We stopped at the Bumpers Reggae Lawn & Bar Stop in both directions, on the way up for a lovely beef pattie and on the way back for jerk chicken, rice & pea and what tasted like a deep fried donut for pud. There was a lot of debate about quite how many children Bob actually had CLICK HERE but there is one thing for certain as our guide kept saying "he was a Producer". The smell of hash was everywhere in the hills, Jamaican law allows 5 strands for personal use in the house daily. No wonder so many of these lovely people are spaced out *smile*. In Montego Bay, MoBay as the locals call it and sometimes the Second City, we went on the Greenwood House plantation tour which was very educational with great views and saw some of the posher houses on the way back. Greenwood house had fabulous views up the coast as far as Falmouth and the breeze on the balcony would have kept the slave masters cool. The slave restraints and sales posters were a bit of a shock to us but it was different times and now counts as part of Jamaica's heritage, thank god those days are over. Although we didnt go around it we stopped for a photo shoot outside the other big slave plantation, Rose Hall Great house, once owned by the horrid white witch Annie Palmer. Read all about her HERE. The centre of Montego Bay is a little seedy sadly, especially St James Street. PS Jamaica was no where near as frightening as made out, loved the people, such a sense of fun and a fun time. Ocho Rios, Montego Bay (MoBay), Bob Marley tour & Greenwood Plantation Your Guide to Ocho Rios Blue mountains, green valleys, white water and golden sands await you on the island of Jamaica. Ocho Rios is your gateway to a vast array of experiences, from swinging through the trees, horse riding on the beaches, tubing down rivers to scenic sightseeing and, of course, the main attraction is Dunn’s River Falls. There is so much to do here; you won’t want to miss a thing! Ocho Rios is particularly noted for its spectacular waterfalls, working plantations, beaches and beautiful tropical gardens. Ocho Rios is Spanish for eight rivers. Lying south of Cuba and west of Hispaniola, Jamaica - the name is derived from the Arawak word 'Xaymaca’ meaning the 'land of wood and water’ - is the third largest island in the Caribbean. It is also the largest English-speaking island of the region. The island is roughly 146 miles from west to east and 22 - 51 miles from north to south, with a total area of 4,411 sg. miles. The capital of this mountainous country (Blue Mountain Peak reaches 7,402 ft 12,256 m above sea level) is Kingston on the south coast. Ocho Rios is in the centre of the Island's north coast. Christopher Columbus discovered the island during his second voyage to the New World in 1494 and he landed on the north coast at Discovery Bay, 22 miles west of Ocho Rios, on 4 May. As might have been anticipated, the local Arawaks were not pleased to see him. Nine years later the intrepid explorer put into St Ann’s Bay near Ocho Rios when his ships were so worm-ridden and waterlogged that they were in imminent danger of sinking. And so his fourth voyage came to an unexpected end. Columbus had to wait a year, surrounded by distinctly unfriendly natives and with a crew close to mutiny, before help arrived. The Spanish, however, were not deterred by Columbus' unhappy experiences and in 1509 Seville Nueva near St Ann’s Bay was established as Jamaica’s first town. Thirty years later it was abandoned and Spanish Town near the present capital, Kingston, was founded. The unfortunate Arawaks, all 60,000 of them, were soon eradicated through murder, over-work and by catching European diseases from which they had no natural immunity. However, several of their words are still used in the English language - hammock, tobacco, potato and hurricane. n 1655, the English captured Jamaica from the Spanish after prolonged fighting. The island was turned into a huge sugar plantation and African slaves were imported. The Maroons - slaves freed when the Spanish left in haste - took to the hills behind Montego Bay and were a major problem for many years. However, in 1838, slavery was abolished and, as a consequence, the sugar industry declined. Banana plantations were found to be more successful. On 6 August 1962, Jamaica became an independent country and remains a member of the Commonwealth. Modern Jamaica still has plantations producing such crops as bananas, sugar and coffee, but there are also other important industries, including the production of bauxite (smelted into aluminum), chemicals, cement, oil refining and plastics. Tourism ranks as the second foreign exchange earner. EXPLORING Ocho Rios is the fastest growing tourist destination in Jamaica and a popular port of call for many cruise liners, especially those based in the United States. The original Spanish name for the then very small settlement was Las Chorreras (the waterfalls), which was almost certainly a reference to the Dunn’s River Falls. By 1841, however, it was known as Ocho Rios - rather surprisingly there are not eight rivers in the area. There is little opportunity for sightseeing in the town itself, although it is a bustling place and many exclusive hotels are nearby. Ocho Rios has a number of beautiful gardens full of brightly-coloured birds, exotic plants, including a proliferation of orchids, and steeply-plunging rivers. Each of the following gardens is off the A3, the main road leading southwards out of Ocho Rios. Shaw Park Gardens Set above Ocho Rios, these 35 acres of streams, waterfalls, ponds, flowers, ferns and woods provide a fine view of the town. These gardens are not, as the name might suggest in the grounds of the Shaw Park Hotel. Guided tours are available daily between 08.00 to 16.00 hrs. Coyaba River Garden and Museum In the same area as Shaw Park Cardens and also a taxi ride away. The word ‘coyaba' is Arawak for paradise. The museum shows the history of Jamaica starting, appropriately enough, with the Arawaks. Open daily from 08.00 to 17.00 hrs. Fern Gully Situated on the southern outskirts of the town. Fern Gully is best reached by taxi or hiring a car for the day. The route, through an old river bed, winds through a lush valley of ferns and vines. It is claimed that there are more than 600 different varieties of ferns here. Dunn’s River Falls and Park Just 2 miles away is the most popular attraction in Jamaica, a photograph of which appears in most travel brochures featuring holidays to Jamaica. Cascading falls drop 600 ft and here is an opportunity to hold hands with the next person in a long chain gradually going to the top. It’s wet and it’s fun, and changing rooms enable you to change into a bathing costume and leave your clothes in a looker until you return (although queues can be long so it is recommended that you wear swimsuits under your clothing if climbing the falls). Make sure that you wear rubber soled shoes as the rocks are slippery. Old tennis shoes are also useful if you opt to climb up the actual falls, alternatively climbing shoes are available for hire at the Park. The Falls and Park open daily from 08.30 to 16.00 hrs. It is also possible to follow a path at the side of the fails and reach the top fully-dressed. Please be advised it is customary to tip the guide at the end of the climb. Popularity unfortunately implies crowds and the falls can be busy, especially if several cruise ships are in port at the same time. There is, however, always the beach to enjoy. Calypso Rafting For an unusual experience, try a romantic raft ride for two on the White River to the east of the town. A bamboo raft is poled by a skillful guide on a 45-minute trip through the tropical rainforest. There is even a stop for an optional dip in the cool mountain waters. Open daily 08.30 - 16.30 hrs. The Town The only historical site of any significance in Ocho Rios is an old fort built in 1777 and even then there is little to see. The main attractions are the shops and the craft markets. BEYOND OCHO RIOS The northern coastal area around Ocho Rios has much to interest visitors, although a tour, taxi or hired car is really necessary to visit most places, if you decide to hire a car, you’ll need to choose a route - maps are available from the Tourist Office - and two possibilities are suggested below, each of which could take up much of the day. Route A - East of Ocho Rios From Ocho Rios to the White River (Calypso River Rafting), Harmony Hail (Jamaican art and crafts), Boscobel Beach (aka James Bond beach), Oracabessa, Firefly (former home and burial place of Noel Coward), Port Maria, Brimmer Hali (plantation tour) and back to Ocho Rios. Total distance of 45 miles. Firefly About 21 miles from Ocho Rios and just north of Port Maria, Firefly was the home of Noel Coward from 1956 until his death on 26 March 1973. Named after the luminous fireflies seen after dark, this spot was originally known as the Look-Out and was used by the buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan 300 years earlier to keep watch for pirates. The house, now owned by the Jamaican National Heritage Trust, has been restored to look as it did in the mid-1960s and visitors can see Coward’s paintings and clothes. He is buried at the bottom of the garden beneath a plain marble tomb. Open Monday - Thursday and Saturday 9.00 -17.00 hrs. Note that this attraction is normally closed on a Friday and Sunday. A plantation offering guided tours is the Prospect Plantation which is only 4 miles from Ocho Rios. Tours take place at 10.30 hrs, 14.00 hrs and 15.30 hrs. Route B - West of Ocho Rios From Ocho Rios to Dunn's River Falls, St Ann’s Bay, Seville Nueva (site of the first capital and Seville Great House), Chukka Cove Adventure Tours, Runaway Bay, Discovery Bay, Green Grotto Caves (underground boat ride), Brown’s Town, Nine Mile (Bob Marley's Mausoleum), Claremont, Fern Gully and back to Ocho Rios. Total distance of 76 miles. St Ann’s Bay Birthplace of Marcus Garvey, one of Jamaica’s national heroes. Seville Nueva The first capital of Jamaica and the site of Columbus' statue. Spanish artefacts found in the area can be seen in the Seville Great House. Discovery Bay Attractions include the nearby Green Grotto Caves, where guided tours are available, and Columbus Park. Columbus landed here on 4 May 1494 and there is now an open-air park with exhibits of Jamaican history. Puerto Seco Beach is a good public beach with a restaurant and some watersports are usually possible. Bob Marley’s Mausoleum The reggae superstar lived here as a child until the family moved to Kingston. Bob Marley died on 11 May 1981 and he is buried in this isolated part of northern Jamaica, about 24 miles from Ocho Rios. Worth seeing is the black leather book containing thousands of signatures of those in the amazingly-long funeral procession. The mausoleum is open daily from 09.00 -17.00 hrs. Well known resorts such as Montego Bay (62 miles) are much further from Ocho Rios and mean that some considerable time is spent on the road rather than seeing places of particular interest. Kingston, the capital, is a slightly shorter distance, but still takes about two hours driving time. Your Guide to Montego Bay Montego Bay is Jamaica’s second city and has been a mecca for tourists since the 1920’s. Today visitors still flock to this bustling resort to relax on its silvery beaches, explore its lush tropical surroundings or hear ghostly tales in one of its former plantation houses. Lying south of Cuba and west of Hispaniola, Jamaica forms part of the Greater Antilles group and is the third largest island in the Caribbean. With its three counties of Cornwall in the west, Middlesex in the centre and Surrey in the east, the island covers an area about three times the size of Kent in England. It measures 159 miles from east to west, and from twenty to fifty miles from north to south with a population of nearly 2.5 million. Located on the south coast, Kingston, the capital, has a population of half a million and is the centre of political and artistic life. The highest point is in the Blue Mountains to the east, nearly 7,500 feet, where it is much wetter and cooler than on the 200 miles of Jamaica’s beaches. Ocho Rios, the most popular port of cal! for cruise ships, lies almost in the centre of the north coast, and Montego Bay, up in the North West corner, is a close second. During his second voyage in 1494. Columbus anchored in Discovery Bay on the north coast and received a surprisingly hostile welcome from the Arawak farmers and fishermen. They had been here for at least five hundred years and were known as a peaceful people, but understandably they weren’t keen on invaders, having already suffered horribly from the cannibalistic tendencies of the Caribs. However, after some preliminary skirmishes they all settled down fairly happily, Columbus receiving the necessary provision in exchange for the usual glass beads and other items, comparable to tourist tat today. The Arawak words canoe, hamac and tobacco have passed into our language, and they called this island Xaymaca, land of wood and water. Jamaica has 120 rivers and streams and enormous areas of forest today, but then it would have been even more densely forested, However, there was variety, and Columbus considered Jamaica “the fairest island that eyes have beheld... all full of valleys and fields and plains". On his fourth voyage, he spent a year marooned in St Ann’s Bay just west of Ocho Rios. His waterlogged ships ran aground and his life was made miserable by sickness and hunger, unfriendly locals and mutinous sailors. Finally he was taken off by a ship chartered from Hispaniola. It was an ignominious end to the explorations and adventurers of the man who put this part of the world on the map. Jamaica did not possess the gold and jewels which the Spaniards had hoped for, but the land was fertile and in 1509 they established a colony on the north coast called New Seville. Fever broke out in the swampy marshes, so a few years later they moved to the south coast an established themselves in Spanish Town near present- day Kingston. In a short time, all the 60,000 Arawaks, enslaved and ill-treated by the Spaniards, had died, their demise probably hastened by the European import of strange diseases, a killer wherever they settled. African slaves were imported to take the place of the Arawaks, but colonisation was not a roaring success in Jamaica. Moreover, since the Pope had divided all new discoveries over here between Spain and Portugal, other nations were furious at being excluded, and the 16th century saw various European nations attacking these colonies in the New World. English, and then British forces made several raids on Jamaica, and at last an ill-equipped expeditionary force, sent out by Cromwell, attacked Jamaica as an afterthought. The Spaniards put up a stout resistance in the way of guerilla warfare for five years, but finally sailed away from Runaway Bay and left the British in undisputed possession, confirmed by the treaty of Madrid. During the 18th Century, Jamaica was the world’s largest producer of sugar, but when slavery was abolished and the apprenticeship system folded up as well, the freed slaves had had enough of work and the industry declined. The fortunes of the island were at a low ebb but were retrieved by Admiral Rodney in the Battle of the Saints, and from then on the island remained securely in British hands. There was sporadic trouble from the Maroons, slaves left by the Spaniards. They had taken to the forested hills in what is known as Cockpit Country behind Montego Bay, and they harassed the white settlers until the threat of bloodhounds imported from Cuba brought about their final surrender. Bananas bolstered the sugar trade during the first half of this century, but industrial unrest just before the Second World War set in train the movement towards independence. This passed through various stages until full independence within the Commonwealth was achieved in 1962, after Jamaica had been a British colony for more than 300 years. Now, although life is not always peaceful and was terribly disrupted by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. at least the Jamaicans have their own land to themselves. But who are the Jamaicans? “Out of Many, One People” is the national motto, and the ethnic mix of European, East Indian, African, Chinese and Arabic peoples has turned out to be surprisingly harmonious. Jamaica is the world’s third largest producer of bauxite, the raw material which is smelted into aluminum. It also produces, sandstone and limestone, marble and alabaster as well as sugar cane, bananas, pimentos, coffee, cocoa, tobacco and rum. Tourism ranks as the second foreign exchange earner. From December to April, the most popular time to visit the island, the temperature ranges between 75° and 85° F (24° - 30°C). Rainfall averages nearly eighty inches annually. Late spring and autumn are the wettest periods and the hurricane season is late summer. But there’s always plenty of sunshine. Over a thousand species of tree grow on the island, There are more than 600 varieties of fern and 200 species of orchid, 73 of which are unique to Jamaica. Botanists have recorded almost 3,000 varieties of flowering plant. Wild animals are practically non-existent: there are few snakes - and they are harmless - while crocodiles live only in a few rivers and swamps on the south side of the island. Bats and lizards are common, wild boar still exist in the mountains, and mongooses cause little trouble except to chickens. Birds are particularly varied and colourful. BEYOND MONTEGO BAY Ocho Rios (67 miles east) Apart from the little town of Ocho Rios, the name also refers to the area between Annotto Bay in the east and Discovery Bay in the west, a sixty mile strip of splendid beaches and elegant resorts. This is a watery area, the name either derives from the Spanish for ‘eight rivers’ though there aren’t quite as many, or it may be a corruption of ‘las chorreras’ as referring to waterspouts and falls, particularly Dunn’s river falls clearly visible from the sea. Just inland is Fern Gully, an old riverbed, until an earthquake drove the river underground. Now it’s a twisting road bordered by hardwoods, liana and masses of ferns, a tropical version of many an English country lane. Above Ocho Rios with a fine view down to the town are the Shaw Park Gardens, 34 acres of streams, ponds, flowers, ferns and trees. Dunn’s River Falls (65 miles east) The most famous beauty spot on the north coast is undoubtedly this waterfall which cascades 600 feet through pools over limestone terraces to the Caribbean. There are guides available to help the more active individuals to climb up. Naturally the climb should be done in bathing gear, so there are lockers on the beach for your clothes, and a booth to buy your ticket to ascend. The not-so-active can walk up and down a path at the side, free and fully clothed. Rose Hall (5 miles east) This is an 18th Century plantation estate, which now has been restored to its former glory by an American millionaire. The interior including the furnishings and staircase are magnificent and well worth a visit. The estate is steeped in history and legends. Complementing what you see is what you hear. The story of Annie Palmer, who was known as a White Witch because of her marital and extramarital adventures. She is supposed to have poisoned, stabbed and strangled her three husbands, in that order, and the ladies who show visitors round delight in telling you in which bedroom which husband was done in and by what method. Meanwhile the insatiable Annie enjoyed a succession of slave lovers until a person or persons unknown decided that enough was enough and murdered her at the age of twenty nine. Martha Brae (23 miles east) The tourist attraction of this river is the 90 minute raft ride. A bamboo raft made for two is poled gently downstream by a professional raft captain, and the tranquillity of the journey is enhanced by the dense tropical vegetation on both banks. This is one of the unusual pleasures to be enjoyed in Jamaica. The river is named after a strange Arawak Indian girl who was captured by Spanish soldiers and tortured to reveal the location of a secret gold mine. She finally promised to take them there but on reaching the river she called up her supernatural powers and changed its course, drowning the soldiers and herself. Luminous Lagoon (16 miles east) At Rock, just beyond Falmouth is the unique Luminous Lagoon, one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world. If you visit the Lagoon after dark, the luminosity is quite fantastic, particularly if the water is agitated. Even the fish create streaks of light as they swim. Negril (50 miles west) Lying on the western tip of the island, Negril boasts an unbroken seven-mile stretch of pure white sand, laced off shore by coral reefs which make the water appear every conceivable shade of blue and green - a perfect West Indian fairytale beach. Negril caters for every conceivable character and depth of purse. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA DAY 19 & 20 - 23rd-24th Feb 2018 - Landed Julia Terminal , Riverfront, New Orleans, USA "The Big Easy" It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! A day and a half in the lovely Big Easy but short by some amazing bureaucracy whilst checking into the states, it took 6 hours from landing until we were finally free on the streets of New Orleans. We arrived and left via 106 miles of the muddy but magnificent Mississippi River, mostly sadly in the dark but we did see some of it! We didn't do any trips here but went under our own steam. Took the riverside street car (red and hopefully named Desire *smile*) to Toulouse street and walked up into the french quarter into the famous Bourbon street, such fab architecture.It had only been a week since the Mardi Gras and there were beads everywhere, quite an atmosphere. Had lunch in the Hard Rock Cafe in Bourbon Street with hand signed Fats Domino piano top and an old Liverpool Institute school photo featuring a very young George Harrison and Paul McCartney. We then walked along a bit of Canal street at which point it started to rain. Loved the Voodoo shops *smile*. A very kind tourist shop lady (way better than on the ship) suggested we don't do the Hop-On Hop-Off bus as a waste of money but use our all day ETA transport ticket to travel on the worlds oldest continuously running streetcar / trolley bus (green) all the way along St Charles Avenue and South Carrollton to the end of the line and back to see the Antibellum houses and the Uni and the Parks. What fun. On the 2nd day Keef went in alone by trolley bus / street car to the French Market , 6 stops along the riverfront Julia Street to French Market. I saw some jazz in the streets , great graffiti and bought Annie some Ruby anniversary gifts. Love the BIG EAZIE... *happy* In the eve on the boat a local Jazz band played, how nice. 2 fab days in the "Big Easy" The Guide to New Orleans The home of jazz, of Creole culture, architecture and cuisine, together with the influence of voodoo makes for a heady mix. New Orleans is quite unlike any other American city as a result of its Franco Spanish background with a sprinkling of other nationalities thrown in. “Don’t you just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn’t just an hour - but a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands - and who knows what to do with it?” Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire. Tennessee Williams, Mark Twain, William Faulkner and of course", Hollywood (where else could Rhett Butler have taken Scarlett O’Hara for their honeymoon?) have all helped in the creation of everlasting images of New Orleans. Sultry and seductive; bluesy trumpets crying through the damp mists that roll off the Mississippi; timeless cobbled streets viewed languorously from bourbon-suppers on balconies and ceiling fans whirring like drowsy bees. It is as if New Orleans, ‘The Big Easy’, so ingratiated with time, has been allotted a few more hours in the day, a few more hours to while away. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana. Snuggled into ‘The Crescent’ of the Mississippi river, at most it rises to only 17 feet above sea level; almost half of New Orleans’ 375 square mile area is water. The atmosphere is so ‘souther’ that it is often referred to as the ‘northernmost city of the Caribbean.’ Originally settled by the French and Spanish, its 275-year history has seen the arrival of Acadians from Canada, Indians, Africans, Cubans, Irish, English and Germans - certainly it is one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. New Orleans apparently is invested with only two seasons - May to September is hot and humid and October to April is usually mild but with rapid changed possible, including southern freezes. The first known explorer to reach this part of the world was Cavalier Sieur de la Salle in 1682. He arrived at a point about 90 miles from present- day New Orleans that enjoyed drainage from the Mississippi. He proclaimed it a possession of France in honour of the Regent of France, Philippe due d’Orleans. The Quebec-born French brothers, Sieur d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville, followed after la Salle and on 2 March 1699 sailed to the mouth of the Mississippi and landed at a point they named Point du Mardi Gras - the next day being the Catholic holiday of ‘Fat Tuesday’ (still remembered in the famous Mardi Gras Festival). The French Quarter is the site at which Bienville had his engineers plot the original city. In spite of the hostile cannibals the city continued to expand. It is said that in 1762 Louis XV of France lost a wager to his cousin, King Charles III of Spain, and thus the whole of Louisiana territory became a Spanish possession. The handover took place under the secret Treaty of Fontainbleau in 1762 and French officials and citizens did not learn of this until 1766 when the Spanish Commissioner, Don Antonio de Ulloa, arrived by boat in New Orleans. The people felt betrayed and refused to accept Spanish rule, forcing Ulloa to leave in 1768 under the threat of being hanged. For eight months the colony enjoyed the position of being the only American colony to be free from foreign rule, until that is, over 3,000 soldiers arrived to reclaim the territory for Spain. Don Bernardo de Galvez was made Governor of Louisiana in 1770. It must be remembered that the French and Spanish lived together for most of the time in considerable harmony and the inter-marriage of their cultures gave rise of the city. During the early 18th century Spain and Great Britain were pirating each others ships in the Atlantic and by 1779 various events had led Britain to declare war on Spain. The war with Britain was costly, and though Spain looked on Louisiana as valuable property, she could no longer afford to keep it. In 1801 Louisiana ceded to France, however Napoleon was soon to run into financial difficulties so in turn he sold it to the United States for $15 million dollars. The fact that New Orleans was being taken from the Catholic European powers and handed over to the ‘grubby American Protestants’ caused fear amongst the citizens. Fighting was fierce but gradually settled as the Americans built up their own area on the other side of Canal Street. During the War of 1812, the British made repeated attempts to seize New Orleans and thus control the Mississippi River. This reached a head in 1815 when General Jackson teamed up with the noted pirate Jean Lafitte, Choctaw Indians and Negro slaves. After a fierce 29 day battle, the Battle of New Orleans, the British were finally defeated. More recently Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and the surrounding coastal area of Louisiana and Mississippi in September 2005. Much of the city was underwater and more than 1500 people in the region lost their lives from this devastating natural disaster. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the population exceeded 490,000, often appearing much more as it receives over 10 million visitors a year. However, after Katrina, the population stood at around 150,000. This figure has now risen to around 337,000. EXPLORING The French Quarter Pulsing and exuberant, friendly and traditional, this is the place to be. If you didn’t pay a visit to the French Quarter it is doubtful that anyone would believe you had visited New Orleans. This is where is all began, in the Vieux Carr6, where you can explore street with names like Chartres, Bourbon and Toulouse. Start off with a stroll along the riverfront from the ‘Moon Walk’ in front of Jackson Square to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas - feel the romance of the city and the charm of the mighty Mississippi. Jackson Square Originally the Place d’Armes - a military marching area - Jackson Square is today the very heart of the French Quarter, named in honour of Jackson’s decisive victory over the British. A beautifully landscaped area alive with street performers musicians and local artists - there’s always something happening. St Louis Cathedral One of the eldest Catholic cathedrals in the country. Though extensively remodelled after the original building of 1722 was destroyed by fire. Contains magnificence and glory in abundance. The Presbytere and Cabildo These two Spanish colonial buildings flanking the cathedral formed the Spanish seat of government. In front of the Presbytere is a curious metal object which is in fact The Pioneer, the first confederate submarine. Inside the Cabiido is the grim exhibit of Napoleon’s death mask. The French Market Restored buildings and beautiful stalls make this - 160year-old-market one-of the mostpicturesque - scenes in the French Quarter. Browse around the market for jewellery, leather, antique dresses, t-shirts, fresh pralines and a huge variety of local produce. The Ursuline Convent The oldest building in the Mississippi valley. Constructed in 1745, it is 25 years younger than the city of New Orleans, but 25 years older than the United States at 1100 Chartres Street. Closed Monday. Guided tours are available at several times during the day. Voodoo Authentica 612 Dumaine Street. A voodoo cultural centre and collection of artefacts dealing with the occult and supernatural. Voodoo was a spiritual belief system of the 18th century slaves that brought fear to the ruling elite. Open daily from 11.00am - 7.00pm. Hermann-Grima Historic House 820 St Louis Street. A fantastically preserved example of American architecture, this house depicts the gracious lifestyle of a prosperous 1830’s Creole family. The mansion house, stables and kitchen have been meticulously restored and guided tours are available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10.00am to 3.00pm (by appointment) and on Saturday between 12.00pm and 3.00pm. The tours last from between 45 minutes and 1 hour. There are literally hundreds of places of interest catering for all tastes in the French Quarter. The best advice is to pick up some leaflets from the Tourist Information Centre, and Vieux Carre will become your oyster. Tickets may be booked online at least 24 hours in advance via www.hgghh.org. Tickets may be purchased at the museum gift shops the day of the tour, depending on availability. American District Traditionally Canal Street is the dividing line between the French Quarter and the American area. Its name is such because it was actually intended as a canal, which accounts for the unusual width of the streets. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas Situated in Canal Street and home to over 7,500 aquatic specimens. The Aquarium features four major habitats including the Caribbean Reef and one ofthe world’s largest shark collections. The Aquarium is open from Tuesday - Sunday from 10.00am - 5.00pm. Louisiana Superdome The famous location of many Super Bowls and Sugar Bowls, this impressive building plays host to many sporting events. Costing over $180 million, it proudly boasts the largest roof-span in the world with a diameter of 680 feet. No tours are available. St Charles Avenue Streetcar For a different view of New Orleans, hop aboard one of the historic streetcars at any of the well-marked spots for a nostalgic trip to the Garden District. This area was home to the Americans and the wide streets and stately, elegant 19th century homes provide a sharp contrast to the narrow streets and closed courtyards of the French Quarter. Look out for the gothic Briggs- Stubb House, Robinson House and Colonel Short’s Villa. Magazine Street A few streets from St. Charles Avenue is Magazine Street with dozens of small cottages selling everything from antiques to books and flowers to clothing. Take a breather at one of the cafes for a pick me up for which New Orleans is synonymous - cafe au lait. This area also has some excellent bistros and restaurants. Audubon Zoological Gardens Also in Magazine Street in the city zoo, one of the top five zoos in the USA. Be sure to visit the white alligators in the Louisiana Swamp exhibit. City Park This 1,500-acre park is home to the newly expanded New Orleans Museums of Art. The lush 10-acre Botanical Cardens (admission charged) are also to be found in Gty Park as well as 8 miles of scenic lagoons for boating, fishing and bird watching. Open Tuesday - Sunday 10.00am -4.30pm. New Orleans has excellent public transport facilities covering the whole city. Comprehensive details can be obtained from the Visitor Information Centre at 529, St Anne Street in the French Quarter, across from Jackson Square. Open Tuesday - Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm. Tel. 568-5661. GETTING AROUND Car Hire It is practical to tour New Orleans without a car, but if you must drive remember that parking in the city is extremely difficult. Avis, 2024 Canal Street,Tel. 523-4317. Budget, 1317 Canal Street, Tel. 565-5600. Hertz, Loews Hotel, 300 Poydras Street, Tel. 636-3300, ext 5347. Taxis Taxis are available at the quayside. The Pier is very close to the main city and its facilities. Taxis operating within the city are metered. Riverboats The Queen Creole departs for the Big Easy Harbour Cruise from the Riverwalk Dock, Spanish Plaza at various times. This 90-minute cruise is on the authentic replica of the steamboats which provided passenger service in the late 19th century and cruises past the French Quarter, plantations and the site of the Battle of New Orleans. EATING OUT The major gastronomic influences are French, Spanish, Native American and Caribbean, which combine to form the two main flavours of the city - Creole and Cajun. Memorable dishes include gumbo, a stew-like soup. Jambalaya reflects the Spanish influence - a paella-style dish of seasoned rice, shrimp, ham, celery and green peppers. Seafood dishes are unparalleled, especially the bisques, shrimp or crab in thick soup swirled with cream. The muffuletta sandwich and the po-boy (served on delicious French bread) were invented in New Orleans, and don’t miss the wonderful bread pudding. There are also many establishments in the city, serving Continental, Oriental and Italian dishes. Key West, Florida, USA DAY 22 - 26th Feb 2018 - Landed Key West, Florida, USA It was our 40th Wedding Anniversary treat, what you might call our Ruby cruise! We have been to Key West before in August 1997 with the boys, I have included a few of those memories here but if you wish to see more of that trip please look on the FAMILY page by Year. Otherwise see the 1997 Key West slideshows HERE. Had a lovely time on the trolley bus seeing much of Key West, it was much nicer than we remembered it. The bus took us around most of it including the Wharf, Martello museums, Mangrove swamps, the Southernmost tip and much more. Walked down Duval street into the Hard Rock Café and then into the NEW sloppy joes bar where Hemingway supposedly supped daily. Beautiful houses, saw an iguana which are apparently overrunning the island, a coral key, are stripping all vegetation. Moni-G on the trolley bus was a hoot. We ended back on the water front at sunset pier. We met pals Brian & Lorraine in their hired electric car outside the HRC but declined their invitation for a lift. Only just noticed this in 2023, hippiedom makes it all the way to "far out" Key West!!! #smile So much better than we remembered, came here with the boys in 1997 The Guide to Key West The Florida Keys are a necklace of subtropical islands stretching into the heart of the Gulf of Mexico. Key West, located 135 miles southwest of Miami and just 90 miles from Havana, has enjoyed the most colourful history and clientele of them all. Visitors, historians, marine enthusiasts, gourmands and shoppers are all drawn to this truly charming town at the southernmost tip of the United States. The Spanish conquistadors named this island Cayo Hueso, Island of Bones, for when they first landed they were rather disconcerted to find human bones scattered along the waterfront. It has remained inconclusive to this day as to why the bones were there, but fortunately the island’s grisly name has been Anglicised - rather than translated - hence ‘Key West’ is no reference to geographical location. The Florida Keys are a necklace of subtropical limestone and coral islands that stretch for about 150 miles from the southern tip of mainland America into the heart of the Gulf of Mexico. Closer to Havana than to Miami the tiny island of Key West is only four miles from east to west and two miles in width. This is the southernmost city in the continental United States and has a population of approximately 24,800. As a member of “The Sunshine State” of Florida, it is not surprising to learn that the average annual temperature in the Keys is 78°F (26°C), ranging from 70°F in January to 84°F in July. Winter is the driest time of the year and the summer brings along high humidity with frequent electrical storms. Time used to stand still in these back of beyond islands, the only inhabitants being smugglers, criminals and madmen explorers. All of this changed in 1912 when Henry Flagler extended his railroad to Key West. Spurred by his vision of carrying sportsmen to exotic fishing camps, Flagler’s remarkable feat of engineering connected over three dozen islands with more than 100 miles of rail-track. Though the railroad was destroyed in 1935 by a hurricane, the surviving structures were incorporated into the Overseas Highway, and now the Keys are accessible to everyone who wants to partake of their individual attractions. It may feel as though you are in the middle of the ocean as you cross bridge after bridge over an ever widening expanse of sea, but strange as it may seem, no depth around the Keys is greater than sixty feet. The Calusa Indians were the first known inhabitants of the Keys. They were lured from the Florida mainland by the abundance of fish and shellfish just waiting in the waters to be caught. The native hardwoods of the islands were an added attraction, supplying sturdy wood for their homes. Many Indian mounds have been discovered on the islands along with sunken dugouts. Arawak and Carib Indian settlements followed in the pattern that is echoed throughout the Caribbean, but European settlers could not seem to navigate their way through the coral reefs. They decided that a watery grave was too high a price to pay for these little islands and so settlement was left to brave mainlanders and pirates. In their efforts to carve out an existence for themselves in the 18th century the islanders turned to fruit-farming. Produce included breadfruit, limes, pineapples and tamarind. In later years the Keys’ economy was further boosted when Big Pine Key saw a shark processing factory established, the hides of which were sent further north to be processed into shagreen leather. In the 19th century British loyalists, American merchant seamen and Cubans also infiltrated the economy of the islands, setting up factories to produce those big, fat, Havana cigars. It is a simple exercise to reach Key West by sea these days and if you travel through the Keys by road the journey is definitely one to appreciate. The modern aspects of the tourist trade have blended so well with more traditional ways that on arrival in Key West you may wonder why it took so long to become popular. For instance, early in the last century, the Spanish owner sold the island to an American businessman for only $2,000 because piracy was frightening off the settlers. But soon the sponge divers prospered, up to 100 million cigars were rolled annually and ‘wreckers’ - people who made a living from rescuing people and salvage - did a roaring trade. At the turn of the century, the population had reached 18,000 and Key West became per capita the richest city in the United States. Such prosperity could not last. The 1929 stock market crash, the failure of the sponges and the departure of the US Navy and the cigar rollers all spelled decline and decay. Key West became the poorest city in the US, but the residents remained and dug in their heels, determined to forge a new wealth by way of tourism. And how they have succeeded, with sunshine, sand, sea and sports - this is what the inhabitants of Key West live for today. EXPLORING The Old Town The main street in Key West is Duval Street - said to be the longest street in the world as it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The Old Town has plenty of authentic houses, or at least houses restored to their original 19th century condition. Often these houses were constructed by ships’ carpenters with gingerbread railings and wide verandahs being essential prerequisites. Houses such as Conch House (pronounced conk) boast heady arrays of shutters, cisterns and scuttles to let hot air out through the roof, a feature copied from the Bahamian and New England styles. The conch, by the way, is almost the symbol of the Keys and the nickname of the native born people. There are two other conch houses on Caroline Street, the Captain George Carey at 410 and George A. T. Roberts at 313. The Bartlum/Forgarty House in Eaton Street had its frontal structure floated over from the Bahamas on a schooner. Duval Street plays host to the Oldest House which shows the history of wrecking through paintings and artefacts. Audubon House and Gardens Whitehead Street. This three-storey frame house is held together entirely by wooden pegs and is a fine example of the shipbuilders’ craft. Built in the early 1800s it now serves as a museum dedicated to the period and life of Jon James Audubon, a famous painter and naturalist. Exhibits include antiques, Audubon’s original engravings, and a videotape presentation of Audubon’s Birds of America. That his memory is served so well by this building is one of life’sxuriosities as he only stayed herefor a few weeks in 1832. Hemingway’s House Whitehead Street. Here in this beautiful coral-stone house where he lived with his wife from 1931 to 1940, Hemingway created such masterpieces as A Farewell To Arms and For Whom The Bell Tolls. Completed in 1851, the house sits on a one-acre lot - an enormous luxury for such a small island. There are daily tours through the house and its gardens, and keep your eyes open for the sleek, six-toed cats reputed to be descendants of Hemingway’s own. For those with a literary bent, a visit to Tennessee Williams House in Duncan Street may also be worth a visit. It is a Bahamian-style cottage where the writer lived until his death in 1983. In fact, many notable writers and artists have chosen Key West as their home, including the poet Wallace Stevens. Today there are more than a dozen Pulitzer Prize­winners in residence. Wreckers’ Museum Duval Street. Allegedly the oldest house in Key West, dating from the 19th century. Its exhibits include sea artefacts, models of ships and an exquisite miniature house in the Conch style. Mel Fisher’s Museum Greene Street. In this Maritime Heritage Society Museum, breathtaking riches materialise before your eyes in the shape of jewels, chains and gleaming coins, all treasures gathered by Fisher and his divers from sunken ships. You can be a millionaire for a moment when you hold the golden barl East Martello Museum S. Roosevelt Blvd. This historic structure houses a museum dedicated to the history of Key West and its artists. The citadel, with its fine vaulted ceilings, affords a glorious view of the island’s position in the Atlantic. Martello Towers East and West, were built for defense purposes in the 19th century, possibly to fend off a Napoleonic invasion. Fort Zachary Taylor was strengthened about the same time and now houses a superb collection of Civil War cannon. Mallory Square Waterfront area. This is the place which attracts the crowds at sunset when the cries of street-performers reach a crescendo as the sun sinks down onto the horizon. The oldest attraction in this area is the Aquarium where daily shark and turtle feeding and the touch tank offer guests hands-on experience with the sea life. St Mary Star of the Sea Windsor Lane. The second oldest catholic church in Florida with unusual features including tin arches and metal columns. In the grounds stands a small grotto; built by a nun and dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes it is said to protect the island from hurricanes - so far it has done its job. Key West Cemetery Not as morbid as it sounds for there are many humorous inscriptions to be found on the stone caskets, such as ‘I Told You I Was Sick’ and ‘At Least I Know Where He’s Sleeping Tonight’. Conch Tour Train A well-narrated hour and a half tour will show you the best of Key West. The little open-air ‘train’ covers many unusual and historical sites and will help familiarise you with the layout of the town. The trains leave at regular intervals daily from Mallory Square. Harry Truman Little White House This attraction is just a few hundred yards from Mallory Square and was President Truman’s Winter Retreat. He visited Key West several times while in office and continued the visits for many years after he left office. The Truman Little White House is Florida’s only Presidential Museum and was where Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and US President Kennedy met in the 1960’s. GETTING AROUND Car Hire Key West Cruisers, 500 Truman Ave Suite 1. Tel. 1-888-800-8802. Experience Old Town, Duval Street and the Beach in the slow moving electric vehicles, known locally as “Conch Cruisers”. For an island who’s top speed is 35 and traffic that moves at a much slower pace, the “Cruiser" is the perfect way to see paradise! Hertz, 3840 N. Roosevelt Blvd, Tel. 294-1039. Budget, 3202 N. Roosevelt Blvd, Tel. 294-8858. Taxis Taxis are available but most attractions are within walking distance. Old Town Trolley The Trolley Tour runs every half hour and covers the entire island. ACTIVITIES Beaches Given its island location, Key West surprisingly has very few beaches and they tend to become very crowded in peak seasons. The best bets for a bathe are Smathers Beach, which lies just off the S. Roosevelt Blvd and has clear waters for swimming, and Higgs Beach, along the Atlantic Blvd with shallow water areas suitable for children. Both resorts have plenty of facilities. You may also wish to try South Beach at the end of Duval Street which is next to the Southernmost Point. Swimmers should wear foot protection against sea-urchins. Watersports Plenty of hire facilities are available at the beach resorts for snorkeling, scuba-diving and other aquatic activities. Golf Key West Resort, an 18-hole course with club and cart hire available. 5450 College Road. Tel. 294-5232. Tennis Public courts are available at Bayview Park, 1310 Truman Ave. Tel. 294 1346 and at Higgs Beach. 1997 with the boys

By keef and annie hellinger, Feb 20 2022 15.41 pm This diary accompanied the BLOG 167 and an audiobook version of it is available on the BIG TRIPS page on this website. We are now on Soundcloud for all our audiobooks but if you wish to listen to the Diary rather than read it please click HERE Whilst camping in New Zealand we joined the following two organisations which saved us a lot of money, these site clubs were called Top 10 and Kiwi Holiday Parks campsites. Just a thought for fellow motor homers , it may help #hintsandtips MENU Go to 1. Malaysia 2. New Zealand 3. Our Kauri Bowl , 35,000 years old 4. Australia 5. Singapore 6. Audiobook MALAYSIA MENU Kuala Lumpur Kuah Town, Langkawi Island Island Hopping Doug & Phoenix's Wedding, Tanjung Rhu Berjaya Resort Georgetown, Penang Melaka Malaysian Diaries Malaysian Diary 22nd Jan – 5th Feb then again with D&P to Melaka for the weekend from Singapore 13-14 Mar 2013 Tuesday January 22nd 2013 After collecting the hire car from the East Midlands airport and dropping keys etc around Craig’s house, we set off for Heathrow. Heavy snow in fields in countryside but Heathrow was clear. We flew British airways 8.30pm to Singapore, although the plane was waiting to taxi down the runway for 45 minutes. We had a few hours snatched sleep on the plane and arrived at Singapore at 5.40pm on the Tuesday. The flight was 12 hours 35 minute long. British Airways food was Ok but not enough seat space / leg space , cramped conditions, definitely what we call “cattle class” . We were cheeky and asked for an upgrade but were told there were no first-class seats available. Wednesday January 23rd 2013 Arrival Kuala Lumpur via Singapore Arrived Singapore (in transit) for Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, sent text message to Doug. Phoenix’s parents staying with them currently in Singapore, where they were officially married at a civil ceremony on the 24th. We only had 1 hour 30 minutes to sort out our transit arrangements which was stressful since baggage had to be checked out and checked back in at the Changi counter, time flew by. Singapore lovely airport (Changi surprisingly was once a prison used by the Japanese to hound Singaporeans, bad news) and modern , tube used to take passengers to baggage hall / passport check etc. Flew Jet Star (operated by Quantas) 7.40pm to KL. Liked the airport in KL , clean modern etc. Flight was about 50 minutes. Found free shuttle bus at KL airport to take us to the Concorde Inn Hotel very near to the airport. Nice spacious deluxe room and wet room shower. Arrived at the hotel at 10.10 pm very tired and hot. After snow and freezing temperatures in England, arrived in jungle heat and then a ‘terrific tropical storm’ directly overhead with thunder and lightening. The thunder was os loud it was like an explosion. Spent 24 hours travelling fron the time we left home to arriving at the hotel in KL. Thursday January 24th 2013 Kuala Lumpur Woke at 6.20am. Bit jet lagged. Went into Kuala Lumpur city today having had a lovely hotel breakfast. The coffee machine inspired my 60th birthday present. Bought a batik fabric from the hotel foyer gift shop and practiced our Malay language skills. Got free shuttle bus from hotel to main airport and then took rapid train into the city (took 28 minutes) passing many palm tree plantations. Train cost 70 ringgits each return (about £14 at the time) and was like a very modern tube train. Got hop on hop off (HOHO) coach tickets from outside the station, cost 35 ringgits each or £7 which was very good value. The bus tour took in all the city sights / sites (😉 ) , old colonial buildings and those that were ultra-modern, including the world famous Petronus Twin Towers, 3 green belts in the city with flowering shrubs and trees. We saw monkeys outside the national palace fence. The whole bus tour took about 2-2 ¼ hours as they stopped for photo opportunities on several occasions. KL was not very crowded surprisingly. The Chinese shops were very interesting and lots of market and food stalls were available. We visited the national museum of Malaysia and saw traditional long houses and the Sultan’s throne and a man with a yellow python. Also on the 2nd tour around the city we stopped at a traditional crft centre and chatted to a batik designer / artist from Borneo. Terrific tropical storms again at 5.50 pm, we got back on the bus tour but interestingly the bus well and truly leaked 😉 We had a chicken meal at the main station got back to the Concorde In hotel at about 9.20pm tired, happy and educated (travel definitely broadens the mind) and very ready for bed. Friday January 25th 2013 Still at Concorde Inn Hotel near KL airport. Woke up early again at 5.45 a.m., must still be jet lag, heavy rain. Yesterday we found all Malaysians friendly and very helpful and all spoke very good English, we tried out our pigeon Malay whenever we could to try and be good but in general their English was way better than our Malay. Annie did Indonesian at school in Australia and said many of the words were similar. We had an excellent breakfast at the hotel, Keef did some online banking and emails, we then when swimming / sunbathing at the hotel pool. It was very hot and then like clockwork the rain clouds gathered and around 6 p.m. there was another terrific rainstorm with thunder and lightening. The rain was tremendous, and we mean TORRENTIAL! Anne had a little siesta as was suffering from jet lag and tired. We then had a lovely evening meal in the hotel restaurant, Annie had chicken satay with rice, curd cake and carrot cake for pudding, Keef had nasi lemak , chicken, rendang sauce, coconut rice, with an anchovy and nut garnish followed by cheesecake for pudding, all very yummy and hugely well prepared, thanks Concorde Inn Hotel staff, much appreciated. We then organised the taxi pickup for the next morning to take us to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur for our Malaysian internal flights at 10 a.m. (arriving at the terminal 2 hours earlier as directed) Never know what that is all about, mostly to get you to spend money at the terminal. Night night we will be up early tomorrow. Saturday January 26th 2013 Today we travel onward to Langkawi Island, Malaysia, a chocolate (tax free) holiday paradise island for all Malaysians and the place where our youngest son is due to get married. Tick! Got up at 6 a.m. and had breakfast at 7.15 a.m. we then got the taxi to Kuala Lumpur’s LCCT terminal to catch our 10 a.m. flight on Air Asia to Langkawi. We had to be at the terminal 2 hours in advance. In the end the plane left at 10.15 a.m. and took about 1 hour to get to the island. It was very hot in Langkawi, about 30 degrees C, we checked in at the De Baron Hotel , a 2 star hotel, having picked up our hire car from the airport for 1 week. It cost about £230. The hire car had air con, 4 doors and seemed very good. Apparently, there are monkeys and buffalo on the roads away from the main Kuah Town although on our journey to the hotel we didn’t see any. Cars drive on the left in Malaysia. We unpacked our bags in the hotel room, which was not as good as the one at the Concorde Inn in KL. We then went for a stroll around the hotel and grounds to familiarise ourselves with where we were. We then walked to the nearest shops to find a restaurant for some food. This is hilarious, we ordered fish and chips, but the waiter only bought one plate. He naively assumed it was only the man eating, wow now that is a cultural difference. 😉 We asked for the 2nd meal which duly arrived, but the fish was not cooked properly. We left in disgust and found another restaurant. Anne had lemon chicken (not very good) and pineapple rice which was wonderful. We then found a wine shop and bought both red and white for D&P’s wedding. Both of us has a siesta as knocked out by the massive heat or more succinctly humidity. Keef took sunset pictures from the hotel grounds. Brian and Gina arrived at De Baron Hotel, Kuah Town, Langkawi Island at 10.15 p.m. Sunday January 27th 2013 Went for a swim and met up with Brian and Gin who had got up early and had breakfast and walked along the bay to the Eagle Square statue (famed on Langkawi and visible in all the tourist brochures). It was again very hot today. We all got sunbeds around the pool which had 2 lovely slides. K&A went off to collect Craig and Leanne from the airport at 12.15 p.m. and then once they had both checked into their room they joined us on the sunbeds which we had rotated to be in the shade, a very good move for us pasty skinned Brits abroad, ha ha. 😉The only 2 awake around the pool were Annie & I as we had now arrived in the right time zone body wise. In the evening we had dinner at our hotel outside in the gardens overlooking the bay a bit cooler and a lovely romantic setting and great company, what more could you ask for. We took some sunset photos over the bay. Hotel had wonderful and beautiful views of the bay which is part of the straits of Malacca. Being a Muslim country, they did not serve alcohol, but we took along some beers etc. and sat along the bay frontage and watched the sun set, just magical. That afternoon Keef & Brian had walked 10 minutes to the quay to book an island-hopping boat tour trip for 9 a.m. the next day, so looking forward to that. This is an extract from a tourist brochure from Langkawi. “Kuah, the main town of Langkawi, is a good starting point for visitors who travel via ferry. While clear white stretches of beaches are non-existent here, ships are ever-present in the distance and the looming mountains on the nearby islets are visible during the day. The town is well-regarded as a shopper’s haven, housing many excellent duty-free stores selling everything but the kitchen sink. Due to its relatively large population and the number of hotels in the area, visitors can also find a good range of dining venues to choose from while places of interests that are great for picture moments can be found in Kuah. Kuah, Kuah Town or Bandar Kuah is a town, mukim and district capital of Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia. It is the entry point for those coming by ferry from either the mainland or Penang Island. The town is centered on its jetty, which is a point of arrival for tourists from the mainland. Kuah has become a major town due to the growth of visitors after Langkawi developed into a tourist centre since 1986. Kuah is the most important town on Langkawi Island. Though it is not an actual city, local people from Langkawi refer to it as a city. Kuah is a nice and small town with a relaxed atmosphere. There are no big malls, no heavy traffic and no places to eat on every corner but more than enough to satisfy your appetite. Langkawi Island has a duty-free status. You can buy cheap liquor, cigarettes, fragrances, and other souvenirs in Kuah. Kuah has a couple of hotels, but you will find better accommodation outside of the city. “ The hotel address was de BARON resort, Bandar Baru BARON,07000, Kuah Langkawi, Kedah Darul Aman. Monday January 28th 2013 Early breakfast for us all and then got boat trip at 9 a.m. from Eagle Statue quay side. It was a longish boat with sun shades over seats and we rightly had to wear life jackets. There was bright sunshine, but it was breezy. The guy who drove the boat drove it very fast and it was incredibly bouncy. It bounced on some large waves which made us bounce on our metal seat structures quite hard so much so that Craig got a huge bruise on his lower back and Annie one on her arm. If I was being unkind I would say the pilot was doing it on purpose, i.e. an inert dislike of tourists, however I would say most strongly “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” PLEASE!!! We arrived at a small island with palm trees and a lovely beach. This was on reflection the island of beras basah. We had a short walk to the main jetty where there were other tourist boats, he had landed up on the sand as otherwise it was too crowded. The other boats were mainly full of Malaysian tourists. We all went for a cooling swim and then came onto the beach and saw a monkey steal someone’s plastic carrier bag and grab a slice of toast from within. He sat there proudly eating it and we all took lots of photos. We spent ¾ (three quarters) of an hour on that island , Craig having a go in the provided hammock, and then got back on the boat and went to another island where we saw eagles swooping to catch fish and the while island surrounded by mangroves. The last island we visited, dayang bunting, had lots of cheeky monkeys and we walked through the trees on a path with lots of steps to the island’s major lake with a floating pontoon. Craig swam and the rest of us sat on the decking and soaked our feet in the cool waters, this freshwater lake was called the lake of the pregnant maiden. We got on the boat from the dayang bunting jetty after a leisurely stroll back from the lake and lots more monkey pictures and returned to the quay at 12.30 noon. We swam in the De Baron hotel pool and got water, wine, and beer from the town locally in the hire car. After some hassle with the car not starting and having to call out the hire company to fix it (damn it looked like a new vehicle, not good) Keef , Brian & Gina finally arrived at the “passage to India” restaurant where we all had our evening meal after what had been a fun but slightly tiring day out. Its worth noting that the locals only came out to swim in the evening to avoid the heat of the day, oh well mad dogs and Englishmen as they say tee hee. 😉 Tuesday January 29th 2013 We all spent time around the pool relaxing in the morning after our usual friendly and substantial breakfast. Late afternoon we took Craig & Leanne in the hire car to Pantai Chenang and met Brian and Gina there, they had got a taxi outside to Underwater world which we all loved but lost Gina in tee hee. It was a very hot and humid day again, we saw the aquarium and the rain forest area with animals and birds and surprisingly penguins who were in what seemed to be a fridge area, we tried to stowaway (not really ha-ha). It was all very good. Brian had to do a search party for Gina who was reported lost as taking so many photos she strayed away from the rest of us. After this we all walked along the main road in the Pantai Chenang resort where we found a small sandy beach where there were jellyfish at the edge of the sea, after it had disappeared we went for a dip to cool off. We had lunch and drinks at the lovely beach bar, with great views of the Anderman sea and main beach where there were jet skis, banana boats and parascending / parasailing activities. We went for a swim in the sea and watched the lovely sunset at 7.30 p.m. We then collectively set off to look for a restaurant for dinner and found a nice fusion one serving southeast Asian cuisine. It was lovely food. We all got changed out of our wet swim wear in the loos after our swim. Brian and Gina got a taxi back to the hotel and us 4 returned in the hire car, all in all a great day out. Wednesday January 30th 2013 Doug and Phoenix’s Wedding Day, Langkawi Island, Tanjung Rhu Resort definitely 5 star Set off from the De Baron hotel in Kuah Town with Craig & Leanne in the hire car. Brian and Gina took a taxi across the island and surprise, surprise got lost, you would thing the taxi drivers would know their way around. Anyhow we all arrived at the Tanjung Rhu hotel resort where the wedding was to be held late afternoon. We spent some time around the pool before the wedding and met up with D&P and Phoenix’s parents, her 2 cousins (including Shren whom we have got to know much better over the years as like P she went to university in the UK for about a year, since married in China). Again, a very very hot day. Lovely beach views and loved the hotel rooms and gardens, dead posh. The wedding was lovely and very romantic and held on the beach at 6.30 p.m. to take some of the days heat away. Phoenix looked lovely in her bridal dress escorted across the sand by her dad and 3 bridesmaids all in yellow dresses whilst hers was pure white. Doug looked very smart in grey trousers, waistcoat, white shirt and gold bow tie and cummerbund. The ceremony was very emotional and beautiful at the same time. They then went off for formal photos and then we went into the hotel for the traditional Chinese tea ceremony with her parents and the bride & groom. Then followed a beach barbeque and feast as by now dark skies, with a really good live band. The speeches were all excellent, Ps Dad, John the best man (one of Doug’s university pals) and Doug who did a long speech in both Mandarin and English. We are very proud of him, and the Chinese contingent laughed in quite a few places so it must have been good. He also recited a poem he had written to Phoenix which was very romantic. We then had dancing on the sand with Phoenix even doing lead vocals with the band at one point, she has such a lovely voice. Then wedding cake and did some beach games… China versus England, ha-ha. Skittles and throwing coconuts as the ball. Then more music and dancing and then we moved inside the hotel for some karaoke which finished at 2.30 am. The Chinese were great at Kareoke, we however tanked up on booze to give us the confidence to finish with Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi numbers, The summer of 69 and Living on a prayer respectively. All very tired but happy we retired to bed. Doug & Phoenix both seemed very happy with how it had all gone, what a wonderful wedding day! Thursday January 31st 2013 Brian and Gina transferred to their new hotel, Berjeya Hotel Resort on the southwest of the island at 4 p.m. Got up late and had breakfast in the Sands restaurant in the Tanjung Rhu hotel. We chatted to John & his partner Tammy. We had to check out of our room at 12 noon, but Doug and Phoenix were staying on until Friday. We put our baggage in the hire car and then spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool as did the whole of Phoenix’s family. Brian and Gina then left at 4 p.m. for their next hotel. We got showered to leave at 6.30 p.m. Unfortunately only B&G caught Phoenix’s Mum to say goodbye, we didn’t manage any of P’s party, the whole of her entourage were not around, B&G did say farewell to Doug & Phoenix however who were off for a spa treatment, luxury eh but true honeymoon stuff for Mr. & Mrs. Douglas (as they became known by the hotel staff tee hee). They were also doing snorkeling on Friday morning before flying to Penang to briefly stay with their friends Kim & Jayne, who were also wedding guests. Kim volunteered to show us around Georgetown his home when we got to Penang in a few days’ time but we decided against it as in fairness didn’t know him that well and wanted to look around at our own pace. We will stay with Doug & Phoenix at the end of our trip for two weeks in April so its as they say not goodbye but more au revoir ha-ha With Craig and Leanne we then drove to the tourist resort of Pantai Chenang again and had a lovely Thai meal, this was the scene of C&L’s parascending experience tomorrow having worked up the courage watching other on our previous visits here , something we are not sure Leanne would do again. Very tired as late night previously so we all went to bed when we returned to the hotel De Baron in Kuah Town. One thing we remember from around the pool at Tanjung Rhu resort was the pompous Brits who told as they always holidayed here every year and were complaining about the riffraff lowering the tone for the plebs wedding, little did they know that was us, awful snobs and people for that matter, happy never to see folk like that again, thank you very much Friday February 1st 2013 Had breakfast at 8.30 a.m. with Craig & Leanne and then returned to Pantai Chenang for them to do parasailing, which cost them £12 for 10 minutes in the air. The speedboat took them out for a very small island offshore where they took off from its beach. Then we drove to the southwest side of the island and visited the Oriental Village with shops, a lake with koi carps, fish, monkeys etc. maybe click on the link on the website page for the oriental village Langkawi Island to see so much more. We saw the cable car but the queue to get on was so long we just didn’t have time to do it so Craig & Leanne did an elephant ride instead. Their elephant was called Lasah, we took lots of photos of them then K & A fed him afterwards with bread slices and bananas provided. We saw a small boy with a python wrapped around his neck. We then went into the spa shop where Craig & Leanne put their feet into a pool where small fish nibbled the hard skin on their feet, it made Craig giggle. We had already done this with Linda & Ian in Cornwall before we came so gave it a miss this time around. We then drove to Brian & Gina’s new resort hotel which was quite close to the Oriental Village and spent the afternoon on the beach and in their pool which had a waterfall. Their hotel grounds were nicely landscaped with tropical palms etc. Maybe click on the link for the Berjaya hotel resort to see more. We took the little bus up the hillside to their chalet amongst the trees, it was an extremely steep road, so transport was most welcome. We all had a shower there and got changed ready for the evening. There were monkeys in the trees. We went to dinner in a fab Lebanese restaurant along the coast in Pantai Kok, which is a lovely fishing and yacht harbour. The food was very tasty and we had to do the usual walk to the far corner of the restaurant to wash our hands under running water as we mostly used our ands to eat, a cultural and maybe religion practice within Muslim countries, who knows! Brian and Gina returned to their resort by taxi. We all said our goodbyes and C, L,K&A returned to the De Baron hotel in Kuah town. We went to bed at 10.30 p.m. as an early start tomorrow. Brian and Gina were spending a further 7 days at the Berjaya resort before flying onto Borneo for the rest of their holiday. We had spent a lovely time together, such wonderful memories especially the Wedding at Tanjung Rhu, will remember it forever, very special. Saturday February 2nd 2013 Langkawi Island to Penang for Keef & Annie and the next leg of our Holiday 2013. Got up at 5 a.m. and took Craig and Leanne to Langkawi airport for 6 a.m. for their return flight to the UK. It was very dark outside but with the sound of prayer call in the air from the many mosques en-route. Keef sent emails and photos of the Wedding to family and friends in England an Tasmania. The photos came out very well and are a fab reminder of such wonderful times. We then had breakfast at De Baron and drove to Eagle Quay one last time, but it was very busy with tax free shoppers so decided to give shopping there a miss. Went back into Kuah town and Anne bought 2 lots of batik and Keef bought some seaweed pringles as we so liked Craig’s. We had previously checked out of the hotel but returned to get changed. We then returned the hire car to the airport at 3 p.m., we loved its air con ha-ha. And then had to wait until 5.30 p.m. for our Air Asia flight to Penang. The plane left early and took only 18 minutes, possibly one of our shortest flights ever. Got taxi coupon, 44 ringgits, approximately £5.50 in British pounds and then the taxi to our Georgetown hotel called the Bayview on the northeast of the island of Penang. Georgetown is its capital and highly colonial from its past. We stayed on the 15th floor with lovely views of the bay which is in the Melaka Sea and of colourful buildings and the red roofs of Chinatown from our own room. We had showers and unpacked. The air con was not working, and the room was hot, so we called the man to fix it which made it a little bit cooler but not perfect by any means. We went to dinner at the hotel at 9 p.m. Annie had a prawn salad and Keef the chicken curry and we both shared some strawberry ice cream for pudding. As it was a long day we were very tired and collapsed exhausted but happy into bed soon after dinner. We had driven 225 miles on Langkawi Island. Sunday February 3rd 2013 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, 97 degrees Fahrenheit, wow! Georgetown is a busy city with lots of high-rise buildings, but the historical area is preserved and has world heritage status i.e., UNESCO especially for Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion. It is a very busy city as over 200 years old and got UNESCO status in 2008. We had a substantial breakfast at the Bay View hotel and then did some sightseeing and visited the Chinese Blue Mansion which cost 12 ringgits each, £2.40 pence in English which on reflection for such a world wonder was incredibly cheap. It was extremely interesting; the house was preserved but all the furnishings were new. Cheong Fatt Tze’s house had 38 rooms, 7 staircases, 5 courtyards, he was a millionaire who left China to make his fortune at 16 and went to Indonesia and then Penang in Malaysia. He had 8 wives and died in 1916, he was a trader and a banker. The house had gone to rack and ruin but was restored between 1990 and 1997. It has lovely wood carved panels and courtyards. By 2022 it was also used as a hotel and restaurant (sadly). After leaving the Blue Mansion we walked around the British colonial area to see the white buildings, City Hall, the museums, and cathedral. By this time, it was 12.30 p.m. and extremely hot and sunny and humid. We tried to walk in the shade wherever possible but it was exhausting. We Brits will get used to it eventually honest. We saw the esplanade and the bay near Fort Cornwallis. Then decided the heat was so intense that we walked (hard going) back to the hotel for a cold drink in the bar, shower than a cooling swim in the hotel pool. Luckily the pool was very cold, yippee! We had booked the buffet dinner in the revolving restaurant on the 16th floor of the hotel for 7.30 p.m. It was lovely Thai food with singing from a live professional act on karaoke who also dis requests from the diners. Keef requested some Adele songs. We also saw Georgetown lit up at night with illuminated fire flies hitting the restaurant windows, quite spectacular form of lighting and / or fireworks, tee hee. Some words about it are “Town heritage, traverse into the eclectic charm of George Town Penang’s illustrious history as you step into the world of Cheong Fatt Tze’s Blue Mansion. Conceived and constructed before the end of the 19th century, The Blue Mansion sets the standard for Penang’s boutique heritage hotel landscape and stands today as one of the most iconic boutique hotels in Malaysia. It is the only one to have won the prestigious UNESCO Conservation & Heritage award. The transcendental quality and timelessness of the mansion has been perfectly poised for over a century on firm foundations of architectural, cultural and historical superlatives. Here, time comes to a halt as you meander along the mansion and revel in the harmonious medley of history and culture. The Blue Mansion seamlessly blends old world charm with modern comforts. A wide array of amenities includes an exquisite dining experience at Indigo restaurant, a courtyard dining room and an idyllic terrace. There are guided mansion tours daily which give you further insight into the story behind the architecture and history of George Town’s first heritage hotel. The Blue Mansion is centrally located at 4km from the Gurney Drive seafront promenade, 9km from Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple, and just a 5-minute walk to China Town and other significant heritage spots in Penang.” In our humble opinion it is just a truly spectacular building. And here is some UNESCO words for Malaysia, we have been to both. “Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.” Monday February 4rd 2013 Georgetown 91 degrees Fahrenheit We set the alarm for 6.30 a.m. to start sightseeing early to avoid some of the heat of the day. At 7.45 a.m. we set off for the free hop on hop off shuttle bus around the old part of the city. We used that bus to alight in the Chinese area which is very old and saw interesting herbal medicine shops. We walked through a market and saw some strange fruits (well they were strange to us at the time, having been in Asia quite a bit since that novelty has worn off). We visited a Chinese temple yard where people lit incense for good luck. Chinese New Year, the year of the Snake was on the 10th of February that year. Red paper lanterns were up everywhere. We got off the bus at the National Museum which cost 1 ringgit each entry fee, 20 pence in English money. It was an excellent museum all about Penang and Georgetown in particular. It has been UNESCO world heritage since 2008. We then returned to the hotel for a swim, jacuzzi and shower. Annie found the cleaner had taken her flannel from the room, it was white like the hotel towels, and they had mistaken it as theirs for washing. The staff searched all the laundry but could not find it, so they gave her a hotel flannel. We were just about to go out at 5.20 p.m. when a torrential downpour and gusting winds started and the resultant lightening made us turn around from the lobby and return to our room. We were going to get a bus to Batu Ferringhe along the north coast of Penang and have dinner at the Hard Rock Café hotel there but rightly changed our minds. Instead, we watched TV and then had dinner at 8 p.m. in the hotel restaurant, we had nasi goreng, yummy. We then did our packing as travelling tomorrow however the hotel manager said we could check out at 1 p.m. Tuesday February 5th 2013 Today we left Georgetown for Auckland New Zealand via Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Got up at 7 a.m. had a quick breakfast and got free hop on hop off shuttle bus to the KOMTAR CENTRE then bus 101 to Batu Ferrighe along the north coast of Penang Island. All buses are air conditioned which was wonderful as again it was very hot and sunny. The bus took a while to get out of Georgetown as it’s a very busy and congested city. Initially all urban sprawl then the coastal road with views of the sea and large rocks. We got off the bus at the Hard Rock hotel past a lot of tourist hotels and restaurants. Keef bought his obligatory T-shirt from the HRC shop proudly displaying “Penang”. We looked around the hotel, it had a nice beach nearby plus pool and lazy river with rubber rings which cost £2 a day to hire. There was lots of rock and pop memorabilia. Got there at 11 a.m. and then took the same bus back to the hotel which took ages as Georgetown was very hectic. We got to the hotel at 12.55 p.m. luckily, they gave us an extra ½ hour to check out, we had showers and took our bags down to the foyer. We got the taxi to the airport at 2.15 p.m. The flight to Singapore on Jet Star Asia was 1 hour in duration and we then had to kill time in Changi Airport, Singapore until our flight to Brisbane at 9.30 p.m. that evening, we couldn’t meet up with D&P because they were elsewhere and in reality, would not have had enough time to check out and back into the airport. Keef watched Lincoln on the plane, Annie watched bits of films but could not concentrate as so tired. Both of us only got about 2 hours sleep that night in transit. Saturday April 13th 2013 Malacca or Melaka, Malaysia Guest house owners Mr. and Mrs. Li were very friendly and polite. Phoenix had booked this accommodation from Singapore. We had arrived in the hire car we picked up just across the border into Malaysia at Johor Bahru or JB in everyday parlance tee hee. We did the awful crowded lengthy Woodlands crossing by shuttle bus (cattle class tee hee) over the Johor Causeway bridge from Singapore to Malaysia. Not fun as the weekend when many of the Malaysian workers return to JB to their families after a week away working in the better paid country of Singapore, remember before independence on the 9th of August 1965 Singapore was a state of Malaysia. Mr. Li offered to give us a guided tour of Melaka at 6.45 p.m. We went to a local Chinese cafe for breakfast, our guest house is in the old part of town so very traditional. Melaka is now a UNESCO world heritage site along with Georgetown Penang which we went to early on this trip. After breakfast we walked around the old town down by the river, which was very smelly and sadly polluted. It was a dirty green sludge colour. We saw lots of old churches, one was built in 1756, which was when Malacca was on the spice route and had both Dutch and Portuguese colonies. There were lots of men on rickshaws covered in fake flowers driving tourists around the old town. Plus, lots of Chinese tourists on coach tours. Culturally the Chinese do like to travel in convoy which makes sense when language is an issue, potentially less so here in Melaka which is very multi-cultural as indeed Singapore is. It is worth noting we were some of the only westerners we saw. We saw monitor lizards in the river, they lived in holes in the walls at the rivers edge and came out to swim in the sunshine. After lunch of some Chinese food in a riverside café we went on a boat cruise for a few kilometers up the river and then back again affording a view of some of the surrounds. There was a fake sailing ship, a Dutch East Indies ship that had originally been shipwrecked off Melaka in a storm circa 1650. We then returned to the guest house which as it doubled as a Chinese tea house was a real treat and experience. We had fermented China teas, the ginger one was the best. We sat and rested there and chatted to Mr. Li. Then we had showers and at 6.45 p.m. he drove us in his battered car around the city and showed us the sights which was lovely. We visited a Muslim Mosque on the coast with views of the Malacca Straits, old Malay Chetti Village houses down by the river, and the old St. Johns fort where we saw monkeys and then went on for a Portuguese meal in the open air by the sea. We also saw people launching Chinese lanterns into the sky, all quite atmospheric. Mr. Li carried on our tour until about 10.30 p.m. when he dropped us all off at Jonker’s Walk to see the night market. It was busy and bustling and we remember the humourous advert for Mr. Potato Head crisps the ad poster being Wayne Rooney ha-ha. We then returned to the guest house which was close by, tired , had a shower and went to bed at 12 midnight. A very interesting day all in all. And here are some UNESCO words for Malaysia, we have been to both Melaka & Georgetown, Penang. “Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.” Sunday April 14th 2013 Malacca back to Singapore Had breakfast at 10.30 a.m. in a Chinese café was dim sum. Then we walked around the old town a different area from yesterday, seeing old Chinese temples, Chinese theaters, and a lot of little shops, busy with Chinese tourists. Keef bought some new flip flips (or thongs as our aussie friends would call them). Phoenix was not well and frequently sick, not sure if it was the street food kebabs in the morning or the sea food at the Portuguese restaurant the previous evening, who knows but poor Phoenix. K & A headed back to the guest house for a rest, the humidity was getting to us. D&P arrived back a little later and she went to lie down to try and recover. Mr. Li made us a lovely local coffee and then his wife kindly made us and Doug some winter melon tea, a vegetable we now know extremely well but didn’t at the time. We all chatted and rested up a bit. Phoenix recovered after her little nap and rejoined us. We all went off to a Chinese restaurant for lunch, we had already loaded all our bags into the hire car boot at this point anyhow. After lunch we set off at 3.15 p.m. for the long drive back to the city of Johor Bahru which is the Malaysian city on the border. We stopped at a service station for a comfort break. We played hunt the western loo ha-ha. It was mainly palm trees lining the motorway on the way back stretching for miles on either side. Not many signs of towns or villages. Palm tree oil (not great in COP26 times) and rubber are the main Malaysian exports. We used the sat nav to try and get back to the lady’s house whom we had got the hire car from but it took us to the wrong area, many are named the same in JB. By 7 p.m. we had already spent an hour circling around JB in a vain attempt to find the right address. Despite many phone calls to the lady to ask for directions she and her husband were not very helpful and did not know any of the local road names to the point where they could only tell us the name of the shipping mall that was nearby them. Very frustrating. Jalan Balau which was the road we wanted came up 14 different areas on the sat nav, so we methodically tried them all, grr! We needed Jalan Balau 1 to be precise. A nightmare to find but we eventually got there. Not a trip any of us would want to do again but as years pass, we would always remember it. We then took a taxi back to the border crossing; it was not so busy on a Sunday evening so getting into Woodlands crossing was a breeze. We all got back to Geylang flat at 10 p.m. Went out for a Chinese meal locally and then had showers and flopped into bed very tired, but happy to have spent such a lovely adventurous weekend away with Mr. & Mrs. Douglas, fun times. For Malaysia that's all folks New Zealand North Island Only, Diary 6th Febru ary to 5th March 2013 NEW ZEALAND MENU Orewa Tutukaka Coastline Keri Keri Coromandel Bay of Plenty Hawkes Bay Tongariro area 35th Wedding Anniversary (Emerald and /or Jade) Taranaki Back to Auckland Wednesday February 6th 2013 Arrived in Brisbane Queensland Australia at 2.35 p.m. local time, bags were in transit. We then flew on from Brisbane to Auckland, North Island, New Zealand mid afternoon local kiwi time. We were now 5 hours ahead of the local time in Georgetown Penang Malaysia, so our body clocks were somewhat out of kilter. We were both very tired from both the flight and body clocks, super jet lagged, but managed to get a free pick-up van to the kiwi motel near the airport and unpacked some stuff and fell into bed for about an hour. Had showers, it was really all a blur, airports, planes, luggage, movies, music, eating at weird times etc etc. We then went and had a meal in the Kiwi Motel restaurant , lamb curry which was very nice and cooked by the Indian family who manage the motel. We will return and indeed did in 2017. We even did the Kiwi census here even though we are tourists, they insisted. So if any of our descendants in the future are into Genealogy they will find us in New Zealand’s census and wonder why, this is the answer. Interestingly my parents would have emigrated to New Zealand in the mid-50s but because of Dad’s apprenticeship papers they went to Australia instead as did I since then born. We went as a family to Melbourne 1960-63. Thursday February 7th 2013 Summary today we collected our rental van and went from the airport kiwi motel to the wonderful Orewa to the north of Auckland. We had a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. at the Kiwi motel, we paid them $10, approximately £5 to take us to the motorhome company which was about 8 minutes’ drive away. After doing some necessary admin and watching a DVD on how to drive the motorhome and how it all works (kind of familiar to us already from previous hires) we set off from Auckland using our Sat Nav. Keef had loaded on both New Zealand, Australia and Singapore maps to our gadget back home saving some dosh in hiring the companies Sat Nav, good news. We drove across the bridge over Auckland harbour and arrived in Orewa where we did our food shopping in the Countdown supermarket, we remembered from our 2007-8 Gap Year trip. We also unpacked our travel bags in their car park, so we had the van all straightened out for our fun times ahead. We arrived at the Top 10 campsite in Orewa at midday and joined the club as members kiwi $49 which provided a $4 discount each night camping, roughly £2 so easily covered the cost of membership for the time we were in NZ. The campsite and our pitch were fronting onto the beach, lovely blue seas, and skies and just a beautiful summers day with no humidity. We had steak and cheese pies & cobs for lunch. Frankly any kiwi pie is just fab , available from most service stations (servos) everywhere, put our British pies to shame. We then walked along Orewa beach, beautiful views, and trees especially the Pohutukawa trees and Norfolk pines. A local woman (her parents lived in Grantham, small world) kindly took our photo on our camera for us, our trusty Canon Powershot G7 which we took down under in 2007-8, sadly by 2022 it was now defunct, and we have bought Annie a new one, I use my phone. This local lady had been in New Zealand for 37 years, we noted she now had brown leathery skin, beach ready ha-ha. We had a long chat to her and then walked to the Vodaphone shop to sort out the internet and wi-fi for our trip, we purchased a dongle for the duration which worked well even in out of the way places. We also bought a kiwi phone SIM and topped it up with $20 at the New World Supermarket at the till. We walked back to the campsite having seen the Waves hotel that we stayed at for Xmas 2007 with the boys when we were on our Gap Year. Phoenix joined us there for Boxing Day. See the HOLIDAY2007-8 site for more details at https://www.holiday2007-8.co.uk thanks for looking. It was a lovely motel just by the beach. We noted all the lovely architect designed houses along the Orewa beach front as we strolled back, bare feet in the sand. Dinner was beef escalope’s, new potatoes, salad, and an apple each for afters. It gets dark around 8.30-8.45 p.m. here , quite noisy with traffic during the day past the campsite which was on the edge of town but on its main through road, but very quiet at night. Reckon we walked about 2 miles around Orewa today. The Britz campervan mileage at the start of our trip was recorded as 246,253 kilometres , recorded just so at the end of our time in New Zealand we can work out how far we had travelled. Clever, eh? Friday February 8th 2013 Summary of the day, Orewa to Whangerei. Cloudy start to the day but got sunnier and very blue skies again by 10 a.m. We left the site at Orewa for town and visited the Vodafone shop (again) to sort out the equipment for our netbook to view the internet and emails whilst we were travelling, yesterday eve had proved it didn’t quite work as suggested, typical. Took a while but eventually got it all working with their help. #Tick We then set off from Orewa up the highway and along the coast using the famed twin coast discovery highway initially to Mangawhai Heads where we had lunch. Beautiful scenery, lovely homes, plus views along the coast and beach. We very much liked his place. Sadly, we saw lots of dead possums on the road, known as Kiwi pizza in NZ but protected in Australia. We then drove to Waipu cove where we paddled and walked along the beach. Lots of small bits of seaweed in the sea so we decided not to swim, a seaweed bath despite costing a fortune at health spas was not for us today. We then went to a lovely bay called Bream Bay with views of Hen & Chicken Islands. We then turned off the highway to Ruakaka where there was a stunning beach of soft fine sand and no seaweed and fab views along the bay. You could walk for miles along this beach. Keef got the chairs from the motorhome which was a Britz Mercedes automatic (love this model had them a few times) and we sat on the beach until 5.45 p.m. Then we drove to the Top 10 camp site at Whangerei (pronounced fangari) and arrived at 6.45 p.m. Annie did 2 lots of washing and Keef cooked a nice meal with wine. It got dark at 8.30 p.m. We had showers at the site to wash off the sea spray and beach sand and then Keef checked the emails. We booked 2 nights at the Whangerei Top 10 site so we could rediscover the area, we had been here before with the boys and phoenix in 2007-8. Saturday February 9th 2013 Summary, Whangarei 79 degrees Fahrenheit 26 degrees Centigrade Woke at 9 a.m. Lots of Dutch and Germans at the campsite. Had breakfast outside and Anne collected in most of the washing. Another sunny and hot day in New Zealand, yippee. Drove the van to the Warehouse DIY chain store in town and bought a few extras for the campervan / motorhome such as pegs to keep curtains together, 2 hand towels and a plastic step for the van as 2 foot drop down to the ground out on the van was a little tricky for oldies like us at ages 59 & 58 respectively. This proved to be not such a great idea if you read on under Russell later. Then did a bit of shopping for bread, milk etc in the Countdown supermarket. We then walked along the boardwalk by the boats moored at the old quayside, and saw the old heritage buildings with cafes, restaurants, and shops. The whole area was very nicely landscaped. Surrounded by trees and bushes, and with fab views, we adore the marina and town basin area. Whangarei has a very large harbour and although it is termed a city to us it feels so much more like a small town. A comparison would be a UK city like Nottingham Population 794,000 whereas Whangarei’s population is 54,300, Erewash which includes Long Eaton is 115, 490… I rest my case my lord! We missed the craft market up on the hatea river bridge (sometimes known in Maori as the Huarahi o te Whai Hātea Loop Walkway, which had finished at 1.30 p.m. but went into some craft shops instead which had some very expensive items, so we didn’t buy anything. We then drove to the Kauri clock factory outside town on a small industrial estate, interestingly run by Germans. There were lots of massive kauri tree stumps in the yard looking very weathered. We took some pictures. They turn these into beautiful wood clocks, highly polished. We bought a kauri round bowl inlaid with NZ paua shell which cost £60, well worth it, it looks lovely and is highly unusual. Then we drove out along the harbour edge which was the residential area and a bit swampy. There was also a port with oil refineries. We then returned in the van back to the campsite. Anne did some ironing and Keef cooked lamb steaks on the camp barbeque. Annie also reorganised storage of some of our clothes in the van and put her undies in the microwave, hot, eh? 😉 to save space. Keef did some photos on the laptop. Got dark around 8.45 p.m. Showered and then went to bed. The England cricket team had played the Black Caps in Whangarei a couple of days before we arrive, shame would love to have seen it, Collingwood and McCullen era. Note we did see them do battle in Christchurch on South Island back in 2007-8. Our Kauri Bowl Note the inscription on the back of our kauri bowl “Far North New Zealand, swamp kauri , 35,000 years old, with paua shell , radar” Sunday February 10th 2013 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Snake, big love to Mr. & Mrs. Douglas in Singapore celebrating. Summary. Whangarei to Oakura Road Holiday Park & Motel site, Whangaruru South, located at address 4, Te Kapua Street Ōakura 0184. Whangaruru is a rural community and harbour on the east coast of Northland, New Zealand. Mokau, Helena Bay, Whakapara, Hikurangi and Whangarei are to the south and the Bay of Islands is to the northwest. Woke at 8 a.m. and had boiled egg and toast for breakfast. Drove out to Whangarei falls, Keef took some photos but as we had already visited them with Craig, Doug back in 2007 we only stood on the top platform rather than doing the circular walk around down to the bottom platform views. We then took a circular route to the coast north of Whangarei to Ngunguru and Tutukaka harbour. The harbour had a huge marina, and it was Sunday many kiwis were boating and sailing. What’s the line, one in 2 kiwis’ own a yacht. There were art and craft shops and cafés. We stopped at Matapouri beach, but it was very busy and difficult to park the motorhome, so we went onto Wooley’s Bay, a lovely long curved beach. We had lunch there then cooled off in the sea. People were body surfing on boards. Another hot day with blue skies and sea, ah bliss! There was so much lovely scenery along this coastline. We chatted to a Scot who had emigrated in 1965 to Auckland. We left the beach at 5 p.m. and intended to take the road to Russell but must have missed the turning and went 16 kilometers out of our way on State Highway 1. It was difficult to find a turning point on the highway but we eventually managed to and found a campsite at Oakura near Whangaruru South, on Oakura Road and not to be confused with the Oakura Bay near New Plymouth some 300+ miles away. Oakura was a tiny place with lovely views of the sheltered bay. The campsite cost $39 and was quite basic. Keef cooked pasta carbonara with chicken. We read for a bit and went to bed at 11.25p.m. Note and we saw lots of these, Pohutukawa trees have red flowers at Christmas and massive aerial roots. We saw lots at Tutukaka especially around the landscaped harbour area as well as naturally all along that coastline. Monday February 11th 2013 Summary Oakura site Whangaruru South to the wonderful Russell, one of our fave places in NZ. Anne woke at 7.30 a.m. Keef at 8.45 a.m. After a light breakfast we drove along the loop road to Russell through lots of bush with NZ tree ferns and many cattle and sheep farms. It was very twisty roads and hilly scenery but nice. We arrived at the Russell Top 10 site at 1 p.m. to book in. $23 per night, not bad with our Top 10 card discount. It is a lovely site overlooking the Bay of Islands and Paihia. The site is on 4 levels, and we were on the top level. We returned to the same spot in 2017. We wanted to do the Tall ships sailing excursion for 2 hours in the afternoon but on that Monday they only did a full day and we had arrived too late, becoming a bit of a theme that after craft market in Whangarei ha-ha. Anyhow after filling the motorhome with water, we walked into town and saw many wooden houses with verandas, some built up hillsides with decking on stilts. We also saw a weka, an NZ flightless bird, which scuttled away into a garden. We walked around the town and the jetty and then visited the museum along the front and saw a video about the town’s history. The town had been notorious in the Victorian era for lawlessness, drunk sailors, whalers, and prostitutes. It is however now very touristy but sadly not many historical buildings are left. We had fish and chips, yummy, the fish was tarakihi, a white fish, $10 each or £5, very tasty. We then walked back to the campsite and wrote some postcards to Craig, Doug, Margaret of 90 mile beach which we hadn’t reached as yet. We fed the ducks bread and a weka who came quite close by. He was a brown and black bird, size of a hen with long curved beak and 3 toes. Now the really bad news, Annie fell off that plastic step we bought at the Warehouse store to make getting out of the van easier, she was probably not concentrating, who knows , not nice, very painful and eventually developed into a huge bruise, way worse than the ones from the bouncy boat in Langkawi Malaysia. There were lovely views at twilight and beyond of the lights across the bay in Paihia. We talked to a couple on the next pitch from Cambridge who were also touring NZ. They had also just been to Georgetown, Penang, small world. We heard the noise from the nocturnal kiwi birds at dusk and in the night. They were in the bushes across from our pitch and up the hillside, we tried looking but didn’t find any, they are quite illusive flightless birds, but the New Zealand emblem and populations namesake. We have only seen them in captivity at the Otorohanga Kiwi House. Tuesday February 12th 2013 Summary Russell to Kerikeri Woke at 7.35 a.m. had showers then breakfast. Posted 3 postcards and then visited the church in Russell, allegedly the oldest in New Zealand. It was a hot sunny day again. We then drove through the town to see long beach a little sandy bay. We then drove to the car ferry catching it at okaito to opua, cost $18.50 which is about £9.50 pounds, saving a massive journey around to get to Paihia, foolishly we didn’t do it in 2017 and Chris slowly punctured his tyre on the gravel roads manufacturing itself fully near Cape Reinga. Paihia, we had gone on a boat trip back in 2007 with Craig & Doug to see the dolphins. We gave it a miss this time around. We then went to the Waitangi treaty grounds (1840) and Haruru Falls (meaning in Māori unlimited water). We arrived at the campsite in KeriKeri at 12.20 just after noon. It is a small town with lots of fruit and wine farms and spin off shops. We walked about a mile through the shops to St. James church where some of Annie’s Edmonds relatives were buried. We then walked to the Stone Store and paid $10 for a guided tour of Kemp House (mission) next door, and an upstairs exhibition about the mission and the history of Māori in the far north, all very interesting. John Edmonds born 1799 in Swanage, Dorset, England died Kerikeri 1865, was a stone mason who emigrated with his family to work for the Church missionary society in Kerikeri. He was Anne’s 2nd cousin 4 times removed as witness by our family tree, a man to be rightly proud of. The lady who did our guided tour around Kemp house for just the two of us was very chatty. Anne found records about John Edmonds but as it was 5 p.m. and the Stone Store was closing the kind shop staff said we could return tomorrow with the same tickets to continue our genealogical research, think really, they found it quite interesting to have visitors from the UK who had a link to this Stone Store and Kemp house. We chatted to Kawi, a Māori lady who worked at the stone store shop who told us she had 2 aunts who had married Edmonds. She was very smiley and helpful. She told us there had been an Edmonds reunion in Kerikeri the last year, which was a huge gathering from far and wide, plus there were still Edmonds families living in Kerikeri. Another kind Kiwi lady gave us a lift back up the hill in her car. We had dinner at 7.15 p.m., a busy but fruitful day with lots of history about both New Zealand and the Bay of Islands area, great fun. Wednesday February 13th 2013 Summary Kerikeri to Whatuwhiwhi (pronounced Fatufifi not as you might expect what you wee wee which always makes me laugh ha-ha) After breakfast we went again to the Stone Store as Anne wanted to look at some books there about John Edmonds. We took lots of photos. We then drove along the inlet road to Edmonds Road to the old ruins of the Edmonds family dwelling. Acres of land with black basalt dry stone walling, perfect for a stone mason. The house was a ruin, no roof, windows or doors but the walls and chimney were still standing. It is now registered as NZ National Trust as a heritage building. We saw old peach and fig trees near the house which was quite large for the time. It took 18 years to build in stages adding extensions. We then returned to town to see the other side of the water looking back at the stone store, wonderful views. We did not go into the Māori village as very touristy reconstruction and besides we had seen a more realistic one at Rotorua back in 2008. We spoke to an old NZ couple from Hamilton. We then visited Rainbow falls which is 27 meters high. We bought 4 avocados from a house on the inlet road for $2 a bargain. Fruit & veg and wine is grown all around Kerikeri. We then bought some vegetables and 2 steak and cheese pies from a local grocer. We then set off for Matuari Bay along the coastal scenic road and stopped for lunch as a viewpoint called million dollar view which was true, with fab view of Matuari Bay, the whole coastline and the Cavalli islands, just superb. At Whangaroa we drove 2kilometres further to the harbour, it is the Marlin fishing capital of NZ. We weren’t disappointed as some guys had just brought in 2 huge Marlin on a boat. One weighted 165 kg apparently took 2 hours to reel in and the other was large as well. The largest caught there was 195 kg, see the pictures to get an understanding of what a whopper these fish are. We understandably took lots of photos, what a privilege to have witnessed it. We then drove through Mangonui on a nostalgia trip re snapping the Mill Bay suites for old times sake. We then turned up the KariKari peninsular to Whatuwhiwhi Top 10 campsite arriving at 6 p.m. This was an expensive site costly $45 but in a fabulous position right on the beach. We walked on the beach and paddled in the sea. K cooked garlic prawns and coconut rice. It was 26 degrees Centigrade today. Thursday February 14th 2013 Summary Whatuwhiwhi to Ahipara via the top end 90-mile beach and Cape Reinga. 24 degrees centigrade. Anne got up at 7.30 a.m. and did some washing in the laundry. After breakfast we drove back down the KariKari peninsular and then took the route to Cape Reinga. We stopped at Waipapakauri beach to see 90-mile beach which is designated a road by NZ authorities, 4-wheel drive cars only of course. We saw an ordinary car stuck fast in deep sand by a kiwi drive, not a tourist. The beach is 64 miles long. We returned to the main road and continued north through farmland, mainly cattle as sheep no longer profitable. It was lovely scenery mostly coast and sand dunes. Another hot and sunny day but with sea breezes to cool you. We arrived at Cape Reinga and parked the motorhome and walked down the sloping zig-zag pathway to the lighthouse. Māori legend says this place is where the dead spirits depart and is therefore sacred to them. Also, the Tasman meets the Pacific here. We could not see any whales despite looking. We had lunch in our van, such great views. Anne got melted tar on her sandal it was that hot. We returned down the same route on State Highway 1 and stopped at a pack n save supermarket for groceries. The guy’s car stuck in the sand was now encircled by water, poor chap but maybe should have read the warning signs first. There are lots of Māori’s in this far north area, we tried not to stare at some of the Māori ladies with their faces heavily tattooed as that is disrespectful to their culture, but it was hard as to us anyhow so unusual. Found a Kiwi Park campsite at Ahipara (we joined this campsite chain as well) which is at the south end of 90-mile beach. Anne did the laundry, Keef did a lovely barbeque of steak, sausages, salad and grilled kumara (sweet potato) chips on the camp BBQ. We sat at a huge kauri table and bench , beautiful wood, to eat it and washed it down with a lovely kiwi Brancott estate sav blanc. We chatted to a retired couple from Rotorua. Tomorrow we are heading down towards Dargaville via the kauri forests. Friday February 15th 2013 Summary Ahipara to Matakohe Left the Kiwi Park campsite at Ahipara and went down a side street and parked and walked down to 90 Mile beach. There were vehicles using beach as a road, 4-wheel drive only allowed allegedly. There was big surf today as very breezy, however today there was no one surfing, kite or cart wise. We took photos of shipwreck bay and the sweeping 90-mile beach and then returned to Kaitaia and south on State Highway 1. Lots of mainly cattle farms and then dense scrub lands and tree ferns everywhere zig zagging up and down the mountain sides. It felt very “New Zealand”. The roads were very wiggly. All this area in the far north and I guess a lot of Northlands are very Māori inhabited including Ahipara and Kaitaia. We passed lake Omapere and then turned right to Kaikohe where we re-fueled $70 or £35 for ¾ of a tank of diesel which was somewhat cheaper than the UK at the time. Again, Kaikohe is mainly a Māori town with one road of shops running right through it. We then took the inland road to Dargaville near the west coast, a town we know well having 1st camped near there with the boys back in 2007-8 on our gap year. We stopped for lunch at twin bridge gorge. The weather was cloudy and much cooler than yesterday. Again, some very nice rural countryside heavily enhanced with the tree ferns which we love, do so wish we could get them back and growing in the UK (cheaply) but guess we don’t have the right climate for that. Arrived Dargaville around 4 p.m. and Keef posted a postcard to his Mum. Anne looked in a craft shop. Decided to move onto Matakohe to stay at the Kiwi Park campsite there, especially now we are fully paid-up club members, as we are with Top 10 sites, it widened our overnight stay options quite nicely as they are the major camping chains in NZ. The site was just down the road from the kauri pioneer museum which we had already visited with Craig & Doug in 2007. A very nice campsite with views of the Arapaoa river and surrounding farmlands. Annie did some ironing and chatted to an Aussie woman in the laundry. Keef did lamb steaks (just so good in NZ), and kumara chips on the barbeque again, becoming quite a staple meal for us, lovely cheap and fresh local produce, you can’t beat it! There were a few spots of rain this afternoon (arvo) but nothing much. NOTE This was the first meal we have eaten in the van since we arrived in NZ, rain, eh? Brian and Gina have returned to the UK from their holiday in Borneo / Malaysia. Saturday February 16th 2013 Summary Matakohe to Coromandel Town We travelled south on State Highway 1 (the kiwi’s main lifeline one feels!) then onto highway 16. We visited Muriwai beach, a black volcanic sand beach, sadly not very attractive but different. Summary is Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai Regional Park includes a nesting site for a large colony of gannets. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "water's end" for Muriwai It was cloudy at first again today and then cleared and turned very warm. All the grasslands and farms we passed looked very dry. Not much livestock either. We joined highway 1 again and stopped off at the Green Lane exit for Remuera, we stayed at the motel here on our last trip in 2007-8. The gay couple who owned it, lovely people, had sadly now moved on and it certainly looked a bit different. Such lovely memories and a nice suburb to Auckland, Sir Edmund Hillary came from Auckland and died in Remuera. We then continued south and across to the Coromandel peninsular. We purchased diesel at Thame cost 80p a litre or in kiwi money 60 cents. Keef chatted to a Pom from Leicester who worked in the garage. We then drove along the scenic road north with the bay on our left, all hair pin bends and very windy roads, then we climbed the Coromandel range, which was very steep, but lovely views in the afternoon sun. Arrived at the Top 10 campsite in Coromandel town , cost $45 per night with $4 dollars discount as members so not too bad but on the higher price side compared to other sites. This is where we had previously camped in a tent back in 2008 under the large tree there. We had a swim in the campsite pool which refreshingly was now heated. We had had a long drive today with some tricky roads on the peninsular where you really needed to concentrate, kiwis with boats towed certainly drive fast with no particular concern for what is coming in the opposite direction, just an observation folks’ tee hee. We showered and then had a chat to an old couple in an old-fashioned motorhome parked next to ours. She was 88 and he was 84 and they still loved travelling in their van, do hope we are the same assuming we get to that age. The campsite was full as a weekend with Aucklanders who have got away for the weekend. Coromandel was where the first gold was discovered in New Zealand. Sunday February 17th 2013 Summary Coromandel to Hot Water Beach, Joy’s birthday today Chatted to a couple from Welwyn Garden city who were camped at the Coromandel campsite. Small world as this is where Annie lived as a child for 10 years. We then had a walk through the town which on reflection we didn’t think had changed much in the intervening period. We then drove out of town on Highway 25 and turned off at Matarangi, a beautiful sandy beach which we walked along, with some very expensive holiday homes and golf resort. Hot and sunny but sea breezes. Then we went on to Whitianga and Mercury Bay where we had lunch and swam in the sea. It was a gently shelving sandy beach and therefore ideal for swimming and a much needed cool off. We bought boysenberry ice creams and walked through the towns and saw the shops although it was quite a small town really. Then we drove along highway 25 again onto Hot Water Beach and the Top 10 site there. It cost $41.40 to camp there. The site was very dry and dusty with the grass almost gone due to lack of rain, a true drought in NZ currently. There were water restrictions on the Coromandel in place. We had dinner and then drove the van to a car park near Hot Water Beach. We had been loaned two spades for digging from the Top 10 campsite for $20 deposit. We only needed them for that night’s sunset. We walked along the beach to where lots of people were digging in the wet sand at low tide at about 6.45 p.m. There are hot springs under the sand at about 2 kilometers deep and if you dig down to about 9 inches to a foot the hot water comes up, quite an experience. Steam was coming out of many people’s sand holes and they were sitting in them like baths. There were even some Japanese and Brazilian tourists as well as weekend Aucklanders and us Brits. It was great fun. The water was quite hot, but Keef loved doing some digging to create our own little bath. Deep Joy! We took loads and loads of photos. We then walked back along the beach and returned in the van to the campsite at 8.10 p.m. The sun had set. We had showers to get rid of the sand and retired to bed happy but exhausted. It had all been good fun. Monday February 18th 2013 Summary, Hot Water Beach to Papamoa Beach It rained at 8am but not for long. We left the campsite and drove to Hahei, Hahei beach and Cathedral Cove caves. Hahei is a small beach with lots of holiday homes most of which are closed, and empty given away by the shuttered blinds on windows. Clearly holiday baches. We then drove down along the highway to Waihi beach where we had lunch. There were steep roads crossing the Coromandel Ranges to get there. Some background info on Waihi Beach is it is a coastal town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island. It lies 10 kilometres to the east of the town of Waihi, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula. The main beach is 10 kilometres long. The town had a permanent population of 2,730 as of June 2021. At the northern end of Waihi Beach, the 145 hectares (360 acres) Orokawa Scenic Reserve offers several short walking tracks along the coast and to Orokawa Bay. While the main beach is backed by the residential area of the township of Waihi Beach, Orokawa Bay is undeveloped and surrounded by native bush including pohutukawa, puriri, and nikau palms. At the southern end of the beach is the small settlement of Bowentown and the northern side of the northern Katikati entrance to Tauranga Harbour. Waihi beach is a lovely sandy bay. We saw 2 men fishing with long nets from a few metres off the beach, but they did not catch any flounder or snapper which they said was what they were after. We then drove further on down Highway 25 through KatiKati which is the township with lots of wall art as murals. Often referred to as the Mural Town. This time we didn’t stop as we had seen them before, but we did pay a revisit in 2017 see out HOLIDAY2017 site with pals https://www.holiday2017.co.uk , thanks for looking We arrived at Tauranga , a very busy city with an oil refinery, harbour and port with many container ships, a real working transport hub for New Zealand. We drove through quickly and on to the wonderful Mount Manganui., which is a volcanic peak and along the beach stretching for miles to Papamoa. There are lots of expensive looking houses and apartments fronting the beach. We checked into the Top 10 campsite right on the beach at Papamoa. It cost $44 a night (£22) and paid an extra $4 for a beach plot on Ocean drive. Worth every penny, this is our fave campsite in all the world. Anne put some washing in the machine in the laundry costing $4 and then we both walked to the local shops to buy ice creams as by now it was hot and sunny. Anne hung up washing when we were back and chatted to a couple from Windemere, Cumbria , the Lake District, UK. Then we took our chairs onto the beach , we also went in the sea to jump the big waves, exhilarating, it is the Pacific Ocean. We sat on the beach and watched the surf club on speedboats and canoes practicing. We then had showers and dinner, it was a lovely day and a lovely place to be and the end of the day. Tuesday February 19th 2013 Summary, Papamoa Beach to Rotorua Light rain very briefly. Grass still very dry and brown everywhere as no proper rain for 2 months we were told. There were now some water restrictions in New Zealand as most reservoirs were low or running dry. Keef did dump station black water and took on fresh water in the van ready for our onward travels today. We drove onto the outskirts of Tauranga which had grown so big from our memories 5 years ago, then onto Matamata and Hobbiton. It is based on the Alexanders farm just outside Matamata. This is the Hobbit village movie set for the Lord of the Rings (and Hobbit) movies made by Peter Jackson. We had booked our tickets online the previous night $150 for 2 tickets i.e., £75 total in English money. We got the tour coach from the information centre in Matamata which drove 20 minutes to a local sheep / cattle ranch. The film scouts had searched for a location that matched the description in the Tolkien book and found this farm was ideal. Took 9 months to film and the farmers had to sign a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement so nothing leaked out into the public domain. The tour guides took us around the village, a lovely setting with a lake, mills, the Green dragon pub, all thatched, and hobbit homes set into the hillsides with quaint little gardens, just so cute. We saw a big tree up on the green and Bilbo Baggins and Frodo’s house, not inside obviously as those scenes were filmed in Wellington at the studios. It was very interesting to hear about the logistics of filming and creating the set. The tour was about 2 hours long and ended with a free drink in the Green Dragon pub. A real Wedding had recently been held on the set with the ceremony held under the big tree and all the guests get the option to wear the stick on ears, feet and hands of a hobbit, hilarious. We returned by coach to the town and had McDonalds and milkshakes as it was now getting late. We then drove to Rotorua which took about 1 hour and camped at the Top 10 site there by the Blue Lake. The price was $41.40. The smell of Sulphur as we drove past Rotorua Lake was most distinctive and what we remembered well from our last trip there. We shopped at Countdown for supplies, the campsite was fringed by bush and hills but sadly there were no kiwis calling, maybe they don’t like bad egg smells either tee-hee. Wednesday February 20th 2013 Summary, Rotorua to Gisborne via Whakatane Shopped at Pak N’ Save Rotorua and Anne went into Spotlight and bought some fabric. We then drove on Highway 30 past 3 lakes and saw someone swimming and schoolgirls canoeing / kayaking. The weather was warm and sunny. We stopped for lunch at Whakatane by the jetty and council offices. There were some heritage buildings in this town. On leaving the town for Ohope we went up a very steep curving hill. Ohope had an inner estuary with people sun bathing on the grass, it was a very hot sunny day. Some info on Ohope is Ōhope, until 1974 known as Ohope Beach, is a beach settlement in the eastern Bay of Plenty, on the northeast coast of the North Island of New Zealand, six kilometres east and over the hill, from Whakatāne We then went onto Opotiki, a very long beach with lots of driftwood and tree logs washed up on its shores. We took a photo of a Māori carved totem pole here. Some info on the town of Ōpōtiki is it is situated exactly on latitude 38° South. The climate is temperate. Summer temperatures reach the mid-20s (Celsius, mid-70s Fahrenheit) on the coast and encourage a continuation of the beach culture of the Bay of Plenty. Winter days are often cloudless, the daytime temperature never drops below freezing but there may be a mild frost at night. Winter snow falls along the crest of the ranges, and on the higher peaks (over 1000 m) may remain for a few weeks. Rain occurs at any season. Severe localised rainstorms ('cloudbursts') may occur in the high country and have caused flash flooding including past inundations of Ōpōtiki township. To give it is full name it is Ōpōtiki-Mai-Tawhiti. Here is a picture taken in 1871 at Opotiki, a very interesting township. We then turned south along Highway 2 to Gisborne, it was a very twisty road through the Kahikatea Range, a bush trees and forest area. Lots of lorries use this route we discovered, and many were loggers. We stopped for lunch by a picnic area near the big bridge over the gorge and river. The road then went through a hill farming area and again the grass was very dry and brown. We arrived in Gisborne late afternoon and stayed at the Top 10 site there, costing $32. This site was not as listed 4 stars but, in our opinion, only 2 stars. The facilities were poor and very old fashioned. We went for a walk along to the statue of Captain Cook and young nick who was his cabin boy who spotted landfall in New Zealand and is immortalised in bronze rightly for this. They landed in Gisborne and a Maori haka made them think they were being attacked so Cook’s crew sadly killed them. We bought boysenberry ice cream just outside Whakatane and some yummy plum wine from a Liverpool man’s house called White Goose winery, corner of SH30 and Luxton Road. Superb $15 a bottle he had won gold medals for it, he showed us around and even let us try his passionflower fruit that was growing up the side of his house, so scrumptious. Home of Feijoa, Plum and Berry Fruit wines, Whakatane's first boutique winery established in 1983. That’s all for now folks. Thursday February 21st 2013 Summary, Gisborne to Wairoa to Bay View just north of Napier We drove around Gisborne on the way to Wairoa. Gisborne had many palm trees down the centre of the main street, it is quite an old town, New Zealand of course calls it a city, despite in UK terms its relative size. We stopped in Wairoa which is on a large river. In 1930 it had been flattened by an earthquake although some of the buildings had survived. We used the walkway by the river which had huge date palms and cycads and Pohutukawa trees. It was very sunny, but our stroll allowed us to take in both river views and the architecture of the high street. We then drove through the town after our circular walk back to the van, out to a point where there was a beach, we had camped in Wairoa in 2008 and remember with some fondness the BBQ made from the back end of an old 1950’s car. Wairoa had seen better days, most of the shops were tatty and a lot were now sadly empty. We then carried onto Bay View, just north of Napier. Highway 2 which we traveled on was very twisty up and down mountains lined with a lot of bushes, also a lot of lorries transporting timber in the form of newly cut logs. We arrived at Bay View having stopped at a real fruit ice cream place on the highway as it was a very hot day and who are we to refuse the opportunity of yet another ice-cream, well not us ha-ha. We stayed at the Kiwi Parks Bay View Snapper Holiday Park (by 2022 it has been renamed at Napier Beach) Anne was not impressed it was supposedly 4 stars, she thought more like 2. Very overpriced at $44. The beach was black shingle and looked a bit like a highway roads depot gravel supply. As it was sunny weather Anne did some hand washing, the showers cost $1 extra which was a complete rip off as we thought the site was charging too much anyhow. Not impressed. It rained slightly overnight. Friday February 22st 2013 Summary, Bay View Snapper Holiday Park to Napier Town to Taupo. We slept in until 9.30 a.m. obviously tired. It was cloudy and overcast when we got up which made the site feel even drearier than it was. Drove into Napier which we have seen before but it is a lovely place. Very 30s after the earthquake forced a complete rebuild. The QE2 cruise ship was in port which made the place incredibly busy with American tourists. We walked along Marine parade gardens which are just lovely, and all the flowers were out in full bloom. Just so colourful. We then saw Scottish bagpipers in the shopping precinct, Napier has a strong Scottish feel , their influence is quite widespread in NZ but not particularly welcome in places like Waitangi where they exchanged vast acreage of land for a couple of sheep, now that is what I call taking advantage of the natives. There were lots of old vintage cars to take tourists on a trip around the town. We walked around the town and bought a small hand luggage sized flight bag on wheels costing $59 (or £31) in a deep purple colour. We stored it under the seat in the motorhome ready for use on our trip to Oz and Singapore to carry a few extras. Earthquakes, it should be noted that in 1931 Napier had an earthquake that was 7.8 on the Richter scale, in 1932 Wairoa had an earthquake that was 6.8 on the Richter scale and today (remember we were there only yesterday) Wairoa had an earthquake at 4.3 on the Richter scale at 7.15 p.m. a lucky escape me thinks! They don’t call it the shaky isles for nothing. The epicenter was actually 35 kms south of Wairoa but it was well and truly felt there. We then took highway 5 out of Napier heading north to Taupo on the Thermal Explorer Highway. We saw forests, gorges, and mountainous scenery plus a waterfall, all very nice. This journey took about 3 hours as we stopped for a brief lunch at a picnic stop. We arrived at Taupo to sunshine, a very blue lake which in case you don’t know is massive, the size of Singapore in fact. We visited it with C&D&P in 2008 where we attempted fishing not with much success, tee hee. Taupo itself is a very busy city stretched out over a wide site but with no high-rise buildings. We got to the Top 10 5-star resort campsite in Taupo at 4 p.m. We then spent the rest of the afternoon in the thermally heated swimming pool with a constant temperature of 30 degrees centigrade, just lovely. The weather was very warm at 24 degrees centigrade, and there were lots of tents, motorhomes and families on the site being as it was the start of a weekend and kiwis love the outdoor life. Saturday February 23rd 2013 Summary, Taupo. 26 degrees centigrade and overcast at first but sunny and blue skies by 10 a.m. Sadly a little girl in the tent on a pitch behind us screamed continually until 5.30 a.m. Annoyingly the parents did nothing to comfort her. Other campers made complaints to the Top 10 site office but there wasn’t much they could do about it and anyway the night was over by then. We went into Taupo to Pak N Save to do some food shopping and drew money out of a Westpac Bank machine. We then walked around the fascinating harbour area, with great views of the 3 mountains in the Tongariro National Park, one had snow on top. We then visited the rose garden and a small park beside the harbour. Lake Taupo looked fantastic, blue clear waters and surrounded by mountain ranges. The lake as I think we said earlier is the same size as Singapore. The country not just the city. It is huge. We then drove out to Kinloch round the lake and had lunch thereon our camp chairs. It was a shingle beach but there were lots of people swimming and riding on jet-skis. A lovely bay, we could not see Taupo as Kinloch sets it apart via a promontory. A man got cramp whilst wearing flippers and snorkeling off the beach, he called out for help and a family who had a jet ski rescued him and bought him back to shore, good stuff. We had an ice-cream (again tee hee) It was Tip Top again, the best in NZ in our opinion. Boysenberry obviously. We bought them from a café in Kinloch. We then drove back to Taupo and stopped at the Spa Park. Lots of people were walking down the hill to go to the hot springs and spa. We then went to watch the bungee jumpers down Spa Road, near our campsite. Besides dangling from an elastic band there was also a chair on a rope option. You wouldn’t get us on them but fun to watch even over the screams, ha-ha. They were jumping down a river canyon. Back at the campsite we went swimming. A very relaxing day and gorgeous weather. Back home in England it was 2 degrees centigrade with more snow, I think we made the right choice. Sunday February 24th 2013 Summary, Taupo to Tongariro National Park. We left the Taupo Top 10 site and went to see Huka Falls again. Despite drought the rapids and falls were still going strong, so majestic. We last visited in 2008 when we went on the rapids jet boat with the kids, great fun. 360 was the call ha-ha. We drove around Lake Taupo, there was a triathlon taking place today and part of state highway 1 was closed off because of it. We headed for Tongariro National Park. We stopped for a coffee break in a lay-by. We had lunch in a small village Ohakune with a giant carrot, supposedly the Carrot capital of New Zealand. Here there were lovely views of the 2 active volcanoes, one had snow on its top the other was Mount Doom (from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy of films), its real name of course is Mount Tongariro. They are both famous for the Tongariro Alpine crossing walk. We then called in at National Park village to the railway station restaurant and café to book a table for our 35th Wedding Anniversary coming up on the 25th .,tomorrow for 6 p.m. The station is the stop point for the Trans Scenic Railway. It is now called the Northern Explorer and if you like is the sister train journey to the TranzAlpine on South Island. Some words about this journey are: - The Northern Explorer train service is a scenic rail journey through the five unique geographical regions of the North Island - travelling between Auckland, New Zealand's largest city - home of the Sky Tower, through the central heartland of the North Island to Wellington - New Zealand's harbour capital and arts and culture centre. Along the way, you will see fantastic views of New Zealand farmland, rugged bush landscapes before ascending up the world famous Raurimu Spiral to the volcanic plateau passing the majestic volcanoes of Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu - the home of the North Island ski fields and descending through stunning river gorges to the farming landscapes and rocky seascapes of the lower North Island - all from large panoramic windows and the open air viewing deck of the Northern Explorer train. The Northern Explorer carriages have an advanced air bag suspension system for quieter and smoother travel, un-tinted, non-reflective, panoramic side, and roof windows to capture the dramatic coastal and mountain views of the magnificent North Island. GPS triggered journey commentary in five languages at your seat via headphones, plus information displays and overhead HD video and are centrally heated/air conditioned for passenger comfort. We then drove to Whakapapa village and Chateau Tongariro. We went to the campsite in the village and booked 2 nights at $38 a night, good value when one considers the amazing location. We did a walk along the river, rapids, and gorges with a bridge over the rapids. We then did a short nature walk near our van pitch, both great fun and great views. Anne did some handwashing and Keef cooked dinner, we then took our torches at dusk to look for kiwis along the nature trail , a full moon was helpful, we listened intently for any searching for insects, grubs, or worms in the undergrowth but disappointed to see nothing. Kiwis are amazingly illusive #fact We then returned to the van for boysenberry wine instead. Monday February 25th 2013 - Celebrate Emerald or Jade Anniversary Summary, Our 35th Wedding Anniversary Day at Whakapapa Village and tour around Tongariro National Park. Opened our anniversary card from Linda & Ian. K did bacon cobs for breakfast. We headed north for Turangi direction. On the way stopped to see the archeological remains of a Māori village by a lake which was deserted by 1850 after inter-tribal musket wars. Then we got the view of Lake Taupo and surrounding area from a lookout point. We saw Sulphur and steam coming out of an active volcano from the road, which were marked on the map as exploding craters. We took lots of photos. In Turangi we looked at shops, a small square of pedestrianised shops. Some were empty. We got hot pies and cakes from a bakery for lunch. We found out from the info tourist board that the Trans Scenic railway runs from Auckland to Wellington and vice-versa 3 times a week. Sat in the van and Keef checked emails as there is no wi-fi at the campsite, it is to be expected as so remote. Drove back to the site via Rangipo. Had showers and got changed for our Anniversary meal at the Station for 6 p.m. We had a lovely meal, 3 courses, wine, and coffee. Keef had a rack of lamb with cracked pepper, kumara and carrot mash, veg in blueberry jus and lime oil. Annie had beef strips in salsa. For pudding we both had banana and macadamia nut spring rolls in a caramel sauce with ice-cream and cream, just yummy! Podged we returned to the campsite and got changed and went kiwi spotting again with torches, or as it happened not spotting, tee-hee. We think however we did hear one calling in the bushes some distance away but not confirmed. Tuesday February 26th 2013 Summary, Whakapapa Village to the Republic of Whangamomona. It was a very cold night around the Tongariro region, which I guess is understandable with so many mountains. Today’s daytime temperature was 28 degrees centigrade. Nice. Stopped the van on the outskirts of the village to do the 20-minute waterfall walk. Its start was on the road past the Tongariro chateau and was called the Tawhai falls walk. We then went onto Turangi again and did some shopping at the New World supermarket there. We then headed to Taumarunui, a small town at the start of the Forgotten World Highway, a heritage tourist route. Keef checked emails and paid the Barclaycard whilst Annie went to the Tourist Information centre to get stuff about the Forgotten World Highway route. We called in at the McDonald’s for a McFlurry ice-cream before setting off on the heritage route. We passed a lavender farm and quite a few farms with sheep, cows, and deer. Venison is now so big in NZ I would suggest it outstrips sheep farming. One farm was sheep shearing in the sheds, we watched. The scenery was very unusual, hobbit-like hills, deep blue gorges and a river that was almost dry. Lots of abandoned sheep farm buildings. We drove through what was called the Hobbit hole, a tunnel cut through rock about 4.5 meters high and just wide enough for one vehicle, luckily not much traffic on the Forgotten World Highway. Lots of the hills were volcanic ash and pumice stone, now covered in grass where the Taupo area had erupted millions of years ago. About 12 kilometers of the highway was gravel road, we had no choice but to travel on it. Fab views of Tongariro in the distance. We arrived at Whangamomona at about 5.45 p.m. We took many photos of the hotel and other heritage buildings. The campsite was $20 in the grassed area of the old school. We had a meal in the pub and got our passports stamped as Whanga declared itself a republic in 1986. It cost $2 to get your passport stamped, rather a touristy gimmick but hey why not, its fun. The history is locals were angry about local boundary changes so went independent and elected a pig as the mayor and even have sentry boxes on the town’s outskirts, ha-ha. There were lots of historical pictures on the pub wall that were fascinating. All in all a great place to visit if you like quirky, we do! Wednesday February 27th 2013 Summary, The Republic of Whangamomona to New Plymouth. Set off along the rest of the Forgotten World Highway, State Highway 34. Climbed some very high mountain ridges and zig zag roads, with sheer drops to the river gorge and valleys below. Bit scary. Took lots of photos along the route. There was a small hamlet called Douglas in the valley, mainly farming made is chuckle and take a photo for later doctoring especially for Mr. Douglas. The Forgotten World Highway ended at Stratford. All streets were names after Shakespeare’s characters from his plays. We went into the Tourist information centre and met the local lady MP. The Glockenspiel town clock chimed several times a day, sadly we missed it as allegedly spectacular. Click on the link in the summary on the Taranaki page to get more details about this fascinating town. We then went through Eltham , which is an old town starting circa 1912 and turned to go into Opunake, a black sand beach with poor surfing conditions which is odd because it is on what was inaptly names the Surf Coast Highway, ha-ha. We then carried on the surf highway to Cape Egmont and saw a small lighthouse, with black basalt housing edging the Tasman Sea. We arrived in New Plymouth where we had previously camped with the kids , we drove through the city and the main shops to the Top 10 site which cost $43 for the night. We the n went for a swim in the site’s heated pool, very nice and relaxing. We chatted to a local farmer who bragged about his cars, farm, motorcycles etc., Were we impressed, guess? He then told us he was paralysed from jumping from a great height into a pond, brawn rather than brain but we did show some sympathy. Annie did wash in the laundry, a little black and white kitten was roaming around the campsite. We talked to some Aussies from New South Wales who were here on holiday. They were in a very tiny tent. Thursday February 28th 2013 Summary, New Plymouth to Waitomo Caves. Drove around the city centre and then visited the new wave design bridge called Te Rawa over the Waiwhakaiho river and board walk just north of the city centre. There were lots of landscaped parks and picnic areas. The board walk was used by both walkers and cyclists. We then visited Tupare Gardens, In 1932 Sir Russell and Lady Matthews started to create a garden from a gorse covered wilderness on the edge of the Waiwhakaiho River around their family home. It was very steep as built on a hillside , there were nice shrubs and plants and it had been superbly landscaped. We liked it a lot. We then drove to North Egmont visitors centre on a sealed road. Mount Taranaki as it is better and now know , using its original Māori Name rather than that bestowed by the Brits, is 2518 metres high. A dormant volcano which last erupted in 1755. It was covered in cloud today at the top. It was a very windy & winding road to get to the Visitors centre. In winter the volcano is totally covered in snow. We then headed north on the 3a motorway and then the number 3 highway east. Many farms then the scenery got dramatically hillier around Mount Messenger. We stopped for a very late lunch around 4 p.m. at Matau for a snack. It was a very scenic route on highway 3 up to Te Kuiti, the NZ sheep shearing capital, we saw a few sheep on farms, all of which had very yellowing grass, it was a large town but realistically not much worth seeing so we drove through reasonably quickly. We turned off for the Top 10 campsite at Waitomo Caves. Costing $41.40 so on the more expensive end but worth it. We had seen the glow worm caves before , use the link in the overview if you wish to see more. The campsite was quite modern with both a swimming pool and hot tub. Had a swim, shower and cheese and biscuits with the lovely Plum wine we had got from the White Goose Winery near Whakatane. Yummy. There were schoolboys in the cabins on an excursion, they were very noisy and that was added to by teachings trying to control them, and if I’m honest failing. Friday March 1st 2013 Summary, Waitomo Caves to Hamilton. 30 degrees centigrade or 86 degrees Fahrenheit. In the 5 years since we had been to Waitomo caves the area had changed a lot, the new Top 10 campsite, a café, tourist information office, and lots of other touristy things. Indeed, the area was now a Mecca for tourists because of the Glow worm caves. We then set off for Otorohanga, we called in at the Kiwi House to get a replacement kiwi for Phoenix as she had lost the one Doug had bought her here back in 2008. In fact we bought 2 kiwi’s one chirps when you squeeze it, novel. Saw the same noisy school trip again who had sadly landed at the Kiwi House, we left pronto. We then drove onto Hamilton, luckily our Sat Nav came in useful as Hamilton is a very big city, 2nd we guessed only to Auckland in size, Wellington feels more compact. Sprawling suburbs in Hamilton and plenty of road works. We did a shop for food at New World supermarket. We then had a bit of a nightmare getting to the campsite because of the major road works improving Hamilton’s ring road. Annie did some laundry $4, and Keef prepared lunch. It was another hot sunny day . We then drove off to park near the Botanical gardens so we could do the river walk along to them. The campsite owner had told us where to park, very useful. It was about a mile walk to the gardens but fun however the views of the Waikato River were not great as it was totally overgrown with trees and bushes. We found the gardens and it was free entry, which was nice. We saw a lot of roses then found the i-site information office and picked up a map of the gardens which proved very useful. We then visited lots of individual paradise gardens including , with the Indian garden with nice Mogul architecture in a courtyard garden with a fountain and raised terrace. The English flowers throughout the Māori garden were interesting, plus gourds and kumara growing and lots of traditional wood carvings. We then walked back to the motorhome; it must have been over 3 miles we had walked in the boiling hot afternoon sun in the end. We then returned to the Hamilton holiday park campsite, which cost $38 to stay at, we were both very tired. It got dark at about 8.30 p.m. Saturday March 2nd 2013 Summary, Hamilton to Papamoa Beach. 24 degrees centigrade. Another lovely summers day. Drove through Hamilton city centre to see it, nothing to write home about I’m afraid, just another busy city. We saw the Waikato River again from the other side. We would class Hamilton as a small town rather than a big city, but we come from the UK. The city centre had 3 main streets with some 1930s architecture. We then took Highway 1 through to Cambridge, which is a horse breeding area. We then headed for Tauranga on the Pacific coast and back to Papamoa beach again as we liked the lovely long sand beach and waves so much first time. We can now officially call it our fave campsite in the whole world having returned in 2017. Maybe that won’t be the last time. You never know. We arrived at 12 noon so before check in time for a Top 10 site so we went down the road to Papamoa’s shopping mall. Keef bought a Hawaiian shirt for $8 in the sale in the Warehouse. Then we had a drive around the area, some new houses on estates and saw all the colleges and schools, reminded us of California in look and feel. However, in our humble opinion Papamoa beach rivals any Californian beach. We eventually checked into the campsite at 1p.m. $45 per night, booked 2 nights as we like it so much, same pitch as last time with a view of the beach and so close to it, we even get an outside shower at the end of the pitch to wash off the sand, what more could you ask for. Spent the afternoon on the beach listening to music and watching kite surfers. We both went in the sea, there were some pretty big waves, so we didn’t venture far. Had a lovely dinner with the last of the plum wine , cheese and biscuits , our fave creamy mainland blue and we sat outside the motorhome at dusk watching the sun set and listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, just perfect, so love Papamoa Beach. Sunday March 3rd 2013 Summary, Papamoa Beach. 28 degrees centigrade, 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Spent a very relaxing day on the beach and the campsite. There were a few clouds first thing in the morning, but they soon moved inland. Then it was blue skies, sea, and sunshine all the way, yippee! The light sea breeze kept the temperature not too hot. We walked along the beach towards Mount Manganui, which is another supposedly extinct volcano., along the waters edge and foreshore for about an hour. Had lunch on our picnic table and then sat on the beach in the afternoon. There were kite surfers, body surfers , a surf lifesaving boat but only a few people on the beach considering it was good weather and a Sunday. We had changed our pitch site as caravans on either side of us had gone this morning so we could get the pitch right next to the sea. We were now Pitch S9, Beach Street, pole position. Previously we have been in S7 and S8. At 6 p.m. after a nice cup of tea Annie did some hand washing, Keef did BBQ chicken, bacon, egg and salad on the campsite gas barbeque up in the kitchens. We noticed it now gets dark at 8.15 p.m., still no lovely sunsets to photo though. The east coast of New Zealand is nicer than the west for beaches, apart from Napier and the Gisborne area. Monday March 4th 2013 Summary, Papamoa Beach to Manukau City. We left the campsite at 10 a.m. and drove to the mall at Manukau to look for a T-shirt for Doug. Sadly, we did not find anything at all suitable, so we drove on to the Top 10 site at Manukau City. Good job we had the Sat nav if not we would never have found it. Annie did some final hand washing after a late lunch. Decided we would pack our stuff in the Kiwi motel car park. Anne cleaned the inside of the motorhome. By 7pm the campsite was packed full as it is the nearest one to the Auckland airport. Tuesday March 5th 2013 Summary, Manukau City to Kiwi Motel Auckland. We had to hand back the motorhome by 2pm to Britz. We left the campsite at 10 a.m. and went to another shopping mall to look for a T-shirt for Doug. Had a look in Farmer’s a department store in the Westfield shopping centre in Manukau. We drove to the Kiwi motel at 12 noon but could not check in yet, so we packed up our belongings into our suitcases in the motorhome. We then checked into the motel and dropped our fully packed bags off into our room. We then drove the van to the motorhome depot to drop it off. The total mileage on the clock was now 250, 370 km. No damage to the van. We told the employee there about the squeaky brakes and a few other minor problems with the van, no doubt they would take no notice, however Keef managed to get 1 days compensation out of them, $180 was refunded, not bad really. We returned to the Kiwi motel, had a shower, and ate there in the evening. We had to complete the NZ census forms as visitors and handed them into the motel reception. Very tired went to bed as have to get up early tomorrow for flight to Australia. 250, 370 minus 246,253 kms equals 4,117 kms or 2, 559 miles driven in New Zealand. AUDIOBOOK

Created by KeefH Web Designs, May 6th, 2023, 9.15 AM A Travel Blog by KeefH Web Designs Motorhome trip No53: April 26th - May the 4th be with you 2023 NOTTS-> Brighton, Along the East Sussex Coast and ending up at Charles Darwin's house Kent, All Caravan and Motorhome Club Sites (M&CC site) or affiliated -> NOTTS 525 miles Prefer to listen than read a blog, click HERE for the audiobook. MENU Overview Diary Panorama's Brighton Newhaven, Eastbourne, Hastings, Bexhill On Sea, Fairlight Woods Campsite Pett Levels, Rye, Camber Sands, Lydd, Winchelsea Guillaume the B'stard, Battle, 1066 and Normanshurst Court Manor campsite Pevensey Castle, Crowhurst, Herstmonceux, Normans Bay Robertsbridge, Bayham Old Abbey, Goudhurst and Tanners Farm Park campsite Charles Darwin's Down House & Origin of Species Campsite Info for Others Audiobook Use of 4K UHD slideshows and Videos That's all Folks OVERVIEW We had a lovely 8 days away on the East Sussex coast and apart from the 2nd days very wet weather for about half of the day we had wonderful warm days with mostly clear blue skies. Sometimes May in the UK is a joy to behold. Keef even got a bit of a tan whilst sitting out chatting to the oldies at Tanner Farm Park on the second to last day. So to summarise this travel blog we set off on the Wednesday and travelled down to Brighton, you cannot get into Caravan and Motorhome club sites these days before 1 pm so we called in firstly at Handcross where Annie did her teaching practice all those years ago for six weeks at the primary school. She lived in digs up the road when at Brighton Teachers training college. Her view was in 50-ish years it had changed much. #smile After that we travelled to Shoreham by Sea to the west of Brighton. Parked up and went for a very blustery walk along the board walk on the sea front past what looked like an excerpt from Grand Designs, one even had an outside pool. After that we drove all the way along the sea front through the grotty Portslade to the magnificent regal splendour of Hove , then Brighton's sea front past Roedean where Annie work all those years ago up through Kemptown (do-dah!) to the campsite in East Park at Whitehawk. We set up and had french patisseries from Chef Phillippe (famous) who bakes on the site #yummy The next 2 days we had great fun with our dear pals Pete and Joy who arrived on the Thursday. Much catching up, eating, drinking and making merry. We used our old peoples bus passes to get into town on the Sunday from Whitehawk bus garage and had such fun revisiting the Lanes. No old vinyl shops for Keef these days its gone very upmarket. You can see our fun via the slideshows etc under the BRIGHTON heading. After saying our fond goodbyes we set off for Fairlight or Pett Woods campsite, another Caravan and Motorhome club site (M&CC site) We travelled through Newhaven, stopped at the harbour, Eastbourne, which was lovely and even found Keef's old paddling pool from trips with Mum and Nan back 60+ years during summer holidays, despite the pier guides at Eastbourne suggesting it must be in Treasure Island (Yuk!) it was in the Princes Park but now used as a boating lake, its even got the old metal railed bridge I remember so fondly. My little grey cells must still be working, which is a relief #smile. Fairlight is quite a nice site, full because we pensioners had forgotten it was a bank holiday weekend, we naively thought that was only going to be the Coronation weekend. Word of warning the single track and water logged road is not an easy approach, indeed we did it from the wrong end 2nd time when coming back from Winchelsea , not a good idea. My guess is that would be impossible if you were towing a caravan. Still the short side from Pett village isn't too bad as long as no one is coming in the opposite direction #hintsandtips Whilst going through to the site we went along the sea front at Hastings, very regency but impossible to park up at. Note most of these coastal town need you to download the parking app to pay and guess what the apps are all different depending upon which town you want to park in. Reminds me of the old Beta Max versus VHS era, come on councils get it sorted please! From Fairlight woods campsite we bit a circular tour along the coast , to see more please click HERE Revisited the old Pontins site at Camber sands we as a family stayed at years ago, I mean when I was a kid, it wasn't great then, its far worse now #haha Loved Winchelsea and Rye, although Mermaid street in Rye is getting a little steep for both of us especially downhill. Rye is fab. Must look up Henry James, a resident. The only book I remember is Portrait of a lady. After Fairlight Woods site we traveled onto Battle and took up where Harold and Guillaume left off, great fun. What concern us is no remains have ever been found on the site so seems unlikely it really was the Battle site but who am I to ruin a good story? With 7000 killed its hard to belief not even a solitary molar was found. Loved the fact that the Abbey was built allegedly where Harold was smote #haha After Battle, where we joined English Heritage as it was a great bank holiday deal, we went to the best campsite of the holiday at Normanshurst Court Manor. Palatial and pitch 110 had such great views. We then did a day out circular trip on our second day at the Battle campsite, shopping in our famed ASDA at Pevensey Bay (scones, tip tree raspberry seedless and clotted arteries for the 2nd time , oh dear , bad habits die hard (literally!) ) before Herstmonceux observatories, quite weird and old now , Pevensey castle, both Roman and Norman, it was invaded by french school kids whilst we were there, again restarting the 100 year way #smile Then onto Norman's Bay (the Conqueror William I guess rather than Wisdom) #funnyman NOT! before Crowhurst , a lovely village, where my Nan's second husband Harry lived and back to the Battle campsite, another great day of adventure. Our final site was at Tanners Farm Park over the border from East Sussex just into Kent. We did an early morning stop in the lovely historic village of Robertsbridge, give it some time if you are that way, you will not be disappointed. We visited Bayham old abbey on route and the village of Goudhurst, with its coronation celebration bunting everywhere and such a lovely peaceful pond full of fish and a floating wooden miniature wooden dove cote bathed in sunlight and the tranquility enjoyed by both of us from the comfort of the strategically placed town bench. The village hall sign said it was all medieval, wow! we liked it anyhow, then onto the campsite. Apple tree blossom every where, we had arrived in the "garden of England" The last day on the way home we stopped at Charles Darwin's home in Downe, Kent near Orpington, wow and was I jealous of his garden... forget the Origin of Species, that greenhouse was to die for #haha The journey back after that was full stop start, folks leaving early maybe for the Coronation weekend, who knows Feel free to read more under each travel blog subject heading, thanks, KeefH Web Designs #coronation Found this image all over the place in Goudhurst on our travels , this village was having a Kingly party to celebrate, being the ardent royalist that I am I felt the need to publish this logo for prosperity #fun #shorts #reels #fun Here is our promo short to advertise this new travel blog all in 4K UHD. It is an introduction to this Travel Blog by KeefH Web Designs there is also one to advertise the Audiobook. The origin of Fun or is it species, we loved visiting Charles Darwin's house and were drawn back again to his learnings on the Beagle, the first of dear pal KJ's short stories in his 7 ships series available on Amazon (or in all good book shops, other products are available #fun) Return to Menu DIARY Here is the diary of our trip. It was constructed prior to the trip to give us a plan of the adventure and post return i have updated it and turned it into our usual travel blog diary. A slides show with one slide from each place visited is also included. This slideshow of our travel blog headlines with text is set up to summarise the diary above, it shows one slide for each of the key places visited. If you wish to see more as a You Tube video that is available in the overview, to see it now, click HERE To start this slideshow of the headlines click on the first image, thanks Return to Menu PANORAMA's Return to Menu BRIGHTON 3 days 26-28th April 2023 Great fun , love Brighton, such a classy city. Remember Chef Phillippe, pals, travellers with nicked bin and nappies outside pitch oh and that camping portable washing machine a real first. Too much port, great food and conversation, the lanes, jewelry, clocks, old weapons, no vinyl stores (boo!) , regency architecture, the new BA tower, west pier, cold, wind and rain, plus sunshine a sitting out on the table and chairs at the site for the first time this year. Whitehawk bus garage and noisy crowd as they watched their team get promoted. Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. Return to Menu NEWHAVEN, EASTBOURNE, HASTINGS, BEXHILL ON SEA , COOBDEN BEACH, FARLIGHT WOODS CAMPSITE 29th April 2023 Really like this coast and especially enjoyed our walk along the front at Eastbourne, what a nice place. Had a walk on the pier to the very end, hugely sunny, great views back. Very Victorian. Oh and those ice creams at the Gelato shop on the way back to the van. We also visited the food and craft stores on the promenade buying a Moroccan mesa dish set in the process. Bexhill was posh Coobden beach the usual pebble beach all the way along this coast. Hastings looked nice but far too busy and after Eastbourne which we think we preferred, we didn't have the energy and that decision was made for us as all the way along the miles of sea front there was no where, literally no where to park, so we went onto the site, quite late in the after noon. The wardens were friends of Lawrence and Yvonne, our pals and said we were the last but one to arrive, filled with water and set up camp. Nice bluebells and wood anemones in the rather damp and soggy woods on the site. Very busy with kids as Bank Holiday weekend which in fairness we didn't know about. Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. Return to Menu PETT LEVELS, RYE, CAMBER SANDS, LYDD, WINCHELSEA 30th April 2023 Decided we wanted to take the van out for the day, much to see and clearly not an area we had been to for many a year. Started at Pett Levels with a walk on the pebble beach and learned about the wreck of the Anne off this area. Appropriately named we thought. Then it was onto Rye a great town we have been to before but at least 10 years ago. Climbed up to the high street along the cobbled streets, learnt about Henry James, snapped everything that moved, the place is , how do we say in old English, quaint! Used the look out, visited the shops, saw the castle and then braved going down Mermaid street, not a great choice, it was fine 10 years ago, not so now with my knees. #teehee Nice ice cream at the end though, well it is summer, just! After Rye we went to Camber sands, not great and Lydd plus airport, likewise, not great and as for the pot holes and road quality in East Sussex don't get me started. Winchelsea however was lovely. The site of Spike Milligan's gravestone , in Gaelic, I told you I was ill, #haha Then it was back to the campsite Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. Return to Menu GUILLAUME THE B'STARD, BATTLE, 1066 and NORMANSHURST COURT MANOR CAMPSITE 1st May 2023 We left the Pett Woods campsite having done ablutions and filled up with water. Yep you really needed that detail didn't you? Remember well buying our English heritage oldies yearly membership, even we couldn't resist that deal. We "did" 4 sites on this travel trip so we are quid's in and you don't have to pay for carparks, and we can take up to 4 grand children with us for free, if only they might be interested, unlikely I know. So Battle abbey and site great, great coffee and cakes to start the day. Loads of history. Spent hours there, very educational. It was David Starkey's voice as an overview on the audio units I think. Then walked up the hill to St Mary's church to find graves of Annie's relatives Sir Anthony Browne and Alis (Alice) Gage, they choir master was rehearsing. Loads of pics today. The 1066 country trail is interesting. Then onto the campsite, nice wardens, very helpful. They were painting chickens, coronation chickens, oh dear bad joke time, but it came from their lips not mine. Normanshurst Court Manor is a great campsite #recommendation Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. I've included the Battle site plan in this travel blog to show what you can see, its provided by English Heritage Return to Menu PEVENSEY CASTLE, CROWHURST, BATTLE, 1066 and NORMANSCOURT MANOR CAMPSITE 2nd May 2023 We had a day out in the van. Went to our usual ASDA in Pevensey bay first where we bought our usual fruit scones and clotted arteries to go with our Tip Tree raspberry seedless jam, hey if you can't have a cream tea or 2 when you are on holidays when can you. After that we went onto Pevensey castle which was both Norman and Roman. A hugely interesting castle and once we had been through most of their audio headsets and finally got two that worked we were off to explore. The Pevensey gun and Trebuchet cannon balls (recovered from the moat, what a messy and heavy job that must have been) were a must as was the various exhibitions around the site, so worth a visit. The car park this time was privately owned so had to pay. We got slightly blocked in by a coach from Czechoslovakia but my 2 wheel maneuver soon sorted that (NOT!). After Pevensey we visited Norman's bay, not great area, all private roads but there is a Camping and Caravan club site there although you would have to climb uphill to see the sea. We then went onto Crowhurst a very nice village and from there back to the fab Normanscourt manor campsite near Battle. Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. Return to Menu ROBERTSBRIDGE, BAYHAM OLD ABBEY, GOUDHURST and TANNERS FARM PARK CAMPSITE 3rd May 2023 We left the campsite about 9-ish having , what the expression, broken camp. On route we stopped at the fabulous village of Robertsbridge. It was very sunny so we had a good walk both ways through the town, many thatched and half timbered old buildings, a lot of history here. After taking a picture of the town sign (so love those about English villages) we got an Eccles cake and chocolate brownie from the bakers and ate them in the van. Quiz time: is a chocolate brownie more likely to be eaten by male or female. Answers have already been digested. #haha After Robertsbridge we went to Bayham Old Abbey, a 12th century monastery now somewhat dilapidated but hugely interesting. The same stone masons had worked on this as those for Westminster abbey and it showed in the craftsmanship. We spent quite a while here before going onto Goudhurst, another fine English village. As the weather was so nice we decided to head onto the campsite, very friendly lady warden, we did the grand parent chat and set up table and chairs to relax in the sun. We had a long chat with the old couple from Maidstone next to us mostly about genealogy and football teams. A great day on the farm. The site facilities are a little tired but perfectly adequate and half the price of the Brighton site. So with the sunshine a true win. Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. Return to Menu CHARLES DARWIN's DOWN HOUSE and ORIGIN OF SPECIES 4th May 2023 & BACK HOME Had breakfast , drained and emptied everything and set off for the village of Downe near Orpington. Took ages to find Charles Darwin's house as no English heritage signs anywhere from the direction we arrived in. Even a lady villager had no idea where it was. Eventually found a workman who knew exactly where it was, thank heavens. A truly wonderful experience, so worth a visit. Spent quite a few hours here, Beagle journey, Origin of species, garden, weird experiments, how nice to be rich enough to enable your passions. It took him 20 years to publish because of the damnation he felt he would (and did encounter) from the religious word but hey it makes a whole lotta sense to a mere mortal like me. We had a lovely lunch in the café there, tuna mayo jackets and Mrs. Emma Darwin cake for me and yoghurt raspberry cake for annie, yum yum. Post this visit the long (and I mean long) journey back, stop start for over 100 miles. So boring! Anyhow it was a fab 8 days. Take a look at the slideshows, it will give you a far better picture than my words. Return to Menu CAMPSITE INFO We collected the campsite info documents on our travels for use by others should you chose to stay at these sites. I have to say I would recommend the Battle site. Return to Menu AUDIOBOOK If you are the sort of person who likes to listen rather than read this is for you, head phones on! This is a slideshow with the audiobook as an overlay, enjoy Return to Menu 4K & UHD QUALITY BY KEEFH WEB DESIGNS From the Newhaven slideshow / video onwards I have used full 4K UHD functionality, now available to KeefH Web Designs (KHWD) when creation happens throughout, initially using the latest AVSVideo 4K functionality to link together all images, separated by a standard 3 second duration, then using Clipchamp to create clever intros , and text / music tracks added where Warner Bros allows, and publishing again in 4K UHD and then uploading to my You Tube channel and publishing in 4K. Overall for a travel blog enhanced picture quality is a great technique. See what you think? Maybe leave me some commentary on the Blog. I'm persoonally quite please with the result. Its amarked improvement on previous slideshows, however one word of warning there are still issues with it, possibly based on speed of creation which means we end up with some blurred fuzzy pink / purple coloured screens. I'm sure over time this issue will be sorted and eradicated. Lets hope so! #gremlins Return to Menu THE END Return to Menu

By keef and annie hellinger, Feb 22 2020 06:40AM Not the Motorhome trip No 13 : Feb 17th – 21st 2020 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Knockerdown Farm, Peak District, Derbyshire, DE6 1NQ ->NOTTS 103 miles This was our 4th visit as a family to Knockerdown Farm, twice when the boys were younger and then for Annie’s 60th and now again during the half term break with Craig, Leanne and Edie. Lovely time although the weather as expected in early February was not that great being both very cold and wet, however this did not dampen our spirits one iota. Our full list of visits is 1. 3-6 Dec 1993, Wisels Cottage 2. Feb 1996, Wisels Cottage 3. 3-6 Jan 2014, Farwell Cottage 4. 17-21 Feb 2020, Sabinhay Cottage Left home about 1 pm on the Monday and went to Carsington water (see BLOG 49) where we had a bit of a damp stroll to the Visitors centre and a lovely cup of freshly brewed coffee in the mainsail café overlooking the lovely waters. We could not get into the cottage until 3pm and were surprised how close to the visitors centre the Cottages were. This time we were in Sabinhay, the one over the archway. In the past we have stayed in both Wisels and Farwell. Leanne and Edie arrived very soon after us and we all spent a bit of time unpacking the cars from in front of the cottage and then reparking them in the car park out front. Having settled in we went off for our daily swim. A ritual (including sauna for Grandpa) that we re-enacted daily, one of the real advantages of Knockerdown when the weather isn’t so great. Edie is really coming on in the swimming stakes, won’t be long now before she is a fully fledged dolphin ;) The other advantage is the very close proximity of the Knockerdown Inn, 2 yards over the road where we ate on both Tues and Weds evening. A very friendly family run pub with great food and Edie loved their doggies. We also discovered they run a campsite with facilities at the back of the pub so we may well yet we back in the motor home. Craig arrived after work at about 5.30pm. Grandpa cooked halloumi burgers with salad accompaniment for tea. We all retired pooped fairly early which was quite a theme throughout the hols , mostly a combination of fresh air and relaxing in my humble opinion. On the Tuesday C&L cycled around Carsington Water, a distance of about 8 miles. We took Edie to the playpark, Stone Island, button pressing in the Severn Trent exhibition area and then for a massive slab of choccy cake in the mainsail café. C&L joined us there after their ride. Wednesday we visited Matlock Farm park where Edie cuddled a guinea pig called Cinnamon. We saw lots of other lovely animals but it was seriously cold so we warmed up with lunch in their café then some indoor fun for Leanne and Edie in the Rainforest shed on the big slide. Thursday Leanne left for her spa days with Claire and we headed off to the Crich Tramway museum only to find on arrival it was sadly closed. Maybe we should have checked first, DOH! Anyhow no worries we spent most of the day at the Unesco World heritage site of Sir Richard Arkwright’s Cromford Mills, great fun and educational. Grandpa cooked Hunters chicken, Jacket pot , Cauli cheese and carrots for tea. Friday morning we were all up early to breakfast and pack the cars, then we visited the National Stone Centre at Wirksworth where Granny bought Edie some polished stones. Quite an interesting walk around and somewhere we had never been before. We then returned to the Priory at Loughborough for a final family lunch together before heading homewards. All in all a fab family break. Annie and I loved spending time with family! If you would like to see the slideshows and videos please CLICK HERE Historical view of our current and previous visits to Knockerdown farm, love it! #family

By keef and annie hellinger, Oct 8 2016 08:23AM Motorhome trip No29 : Sept 26th- Oct 6th 2016 A KeefH Web Designs Travel Blog NOTTS->Dawlish (Devon) to Fraddon & Bude (Cornwall) & Stonehenge (Wiltshire) ->NOTTS 698 miles Amazingly good weather for this time of the year in the UK or maybe not, our Motorhome experience tells us that May & September are generally great months to go away weather wise! Anyhow travelled to the lovely Cofton Country Holiday Park (ACSI site) near Dawlish in Devon where we stayed for 4 nights. We called in on Dawlish before making camp and had a good look around. This is the coast where the railway was washed away by sweeping seas not that long ago and is a traditional seaside town , slightly run down but we liked it. At Cofton there is lots to do and lovely large grassy pitches, only a few hard standing. Met nice couple from Leicestershire of all places. One outdoor and one indoor pool, indeed on the last day we had it to ourselves for most of the time, plus games rooms, keep fit (you are joking?), bars ,cafes and restaurants . On our second day there we caught the Stagecoach bus just up the road to Starcross and took the ferry over to Exmouth landing at the fabulous marina. Great fun day out – well worth it. The next day we did the short country walk from Cofton to Cockwood passing very interesting wild flowers, nature gardens and loved seeing the wild pink orchids. It was a lovely sunny day and you come our at the boat moorings inlet of the river Exe. We did our own version of a pub crawl visiting both pubs in Cockwood. The Anchor (an old smugglers inn) did the better beer but the Ship had the best gardens and flowers. After our fab 4 day stay in Devon we set off to visit my sister Linda and her husband Ian in Fraddon Cornwall for 3 nights parking the van outside their lovely new house. On route we used our English Heritage concession membership to visit both Okehampton Castle (still Devon), originally owned by Baldwin de Brionne of 1066 fame and Launceston plus town. Launceston was the original capital of Cornwall (Kernow) and has lovely panoramic views from wherever you look and a load of history, namely St Cuthbert, the messenger who delivered details of Nelsons death at Trafalgar up to London and its place in the Civil war. We know the one in Tassie , Australia but not this one on home soil. They are quite unalike but we love them both. At Linda’s we went out for a lovely meal, visited Pendennis castle with lovely views of St Mawes, Fraggle lighthouse, Falmouth and the river Fal…. Views to die for! We also went to the very tropical gardens of St Marys and a café at Gyllyngavase beach , Tribute from a barrel, bliss and a nice drive around some great places they knew especially Chapel Porth. Only October but we also had a nice Xmas dinner including our nephew Adam. Saying our fond goodbyes we drove off to Wooda Farm (ACSI) site just past Bude (Cornwall) visiting the recommended Widemouth (pronounced wid-ee-muth) bay and the lovely Bude. Bude is fab, nice walk along the canal to the sea where it joins with the river tributary. Great craft shops as well and Annie got talking to the lady in the wool shop. We had 3 nights on pitch E50 at the site with a perfect view of Bude castle and coastline from our pitch, whilst very sunny it was mega windy on occasions forcing us to “come inside”. The site is great with many facilities – farm yard animals, woodland walk (with pixie dell see the pics if you don’t believe in them), lakes galore, 9 hole pitch and putt (big course probably golf really I’m no expert), restaurants bars and craft shops. We went walking 2 days in a row. Would highly recommend this site also its proximity to Bude. #family #motorhome #motorhometravels #travelsin2016 #campsites

Created by KeefH Web Designs , July 3rd, 2023, 8.04 AM Incidentally between Canada day (1st July) and Independence Day (4th July) A Travel Blog by KeefH Web Designs Motorhome trip No55: 2nd July 2023 NOTTS-> Gainsborough Old Hall and back, mostly to try out the very expensive fixes on our T4 engine, have to say it was a success and a great day out, including Tuna mayo sarnie lunch with Nectarine and Choc brioche, oh and a coffee in the English Heritage café -> NOTTS 131 miles Prefer to listen than read a blog, click HERE for the audiobook. MENU Overview Travel Route Videos Panoramas Audiobooks The End OVERVIEW As you can tell from Blog 194 we had some severe problems with our lovely Wendy house van based on a Volkswagen T4 transporter in the last few days in Eire. Basically the oil warning light came on whenever you accelerated or slowed down and when it starts it is accompanied by a loud warning beep, extremely annoying. Anyhow we did top up with oil as directed by the manual, but could find no oil leaks so assumed on google searching it , it was an error with the oil pressure indicators. Anyhow to cut a long story short, we managed to nurse it back home and book it into our local garage. When I came 3 weeks later (as soon as they could fit us in) to start it up, smoke billowed out of the engine and it was mis-firing like crazy. Got it to the garage who discover the bolt on a fuel injector 5 had bust and needed work and piston regrind etc. etc. (sorry right over my head, I'm an IT guy not a mechanical engineer for my sins) #help So after a very expensive repair, way more than sticking plaster, we took it out for the day allegedly to Gainsborough but after 40 miles the same oil warning light and mega beeping was happening, so guess what, we took it back, 2 days later and yet more expense we got it back again. Oil sensors inside the engine replaced plus all wiring de-oiled (if that is a word) #hintsandtips The whole affair cost £2k, way more than we had anticipated so mega poor times to come #smile All the worked was charged at £60 per hour and supposedly (who can prove it?) took 15 hours, but I guess they had the engine head off on 2 separate occasions so maybe not unreasonable, any one out there with more experience or skillset care to comment, it would be gratefully received, thanks in anticipation. So once again full of trepidation for "what else can go wrong" we set out for Gainsborough again. This time, thank heavens, all was well with our lovely Wendy House #hooray So basically travel blog 195 is all about testing out the van and visiting a slightly nearby English Heritage property. This is our Travel Blog created by KeefH Web Designs for motorhome-travels dot net site, featuring a day out in the lovely Wendy House Van to English Heritage's Gainsborough Manor and Old Hall , plus lunch in the van in a side street, and we had our own loo, what more could you ask for, tee hee oh yes a van that work!!! To get a true overview of the manor house and hall click here . One word of advice, if you are visiting Monday to Saturday there is no car park as such and limited one hour parking on nearby streets, there are of course many public car parks in town you can walk from (10 mins max) BUT if like us you go on a Sunday there are many local streets you can park on for free for as long as you like #result Through out this travel blog all images can be seen by just clicking expand on any then scroll forward or backwards thru them, hope that helps? #help There is a lot of history in this fine medieval hall / manor house. Starting in the 1400s with Thomas Burgh who served Edward IV, and was given this land for his loyalty. Richard III stayed here with his wife (I bet that was an expensive visit for Thomas) stayed here, then Henry VII made one of the Thomas' a Lord so he was entitled to make it a castle, so he added the turret end as a sort of "I think I'm richer than though" moment. One of the Burgh line was the 1st husband of Henry VIII's 6th wife Catherine Parr. The old hall then went to the Hickman's and Bacon Hickman's until it was eventually used to home the destitute, and even became a theatre and market place, as well as being used as rooms for stage coach travellers at some point, boy its seen a lot. Walking the upper area was like being on a ship as the crooked walls and floors gave you that feeling. I've even learned more about the separatist movement and John Wesley so can't all be bad, learn something new every day #fun #hintsandtips Annie bought some lovely historical tea towels in the gift shop showing English monarchs through out time, class and adds to our respective DNA journeys via genealogy. Return to MENU TRAVEL ROUTE This was our travel route to Gainsborough old hall, up the M1, M18, A1 south to try out the van at speed and pressurise the engine to check all is fixed, then back through Retford and Worksop in Nottinghamshire and all the lovely villages before rejoining the M1 just past Rother Country Park. See it graphically now on a You Tube short. Return to MENU VIDEOS and SLIDESHOWS Here are a set of travel blog videos constructed from the day , some using newly found AI techniques, created by KeefH Web Designs (KHWD) This one is the complete set of images, hope you enjoy This one shows all the historical info for you to read at your leisure should you chose to do so, just stop the video at any point to read any board in full at your own speed, maybe even make it full screen to help, click the square in the bottom right hand corner, thanks This one shows just us on our day out, 4 videos, 3 of which are short reels in portrait mode and one in landscape, they are all only 3/4 of a minute long, the first 2 are created using AI and have been done to show the art of the possible by KeefH Web Designs, the rest were manually constructed. #enjoy Feel free to run these as full screen slideshows, thanks Here is a slideshow of some of the menus that featured in this house of 120+ kitchen staff back in the 1400s. It also shows a comparison over 129 years of the contents of a bedroom. Return to MENU PANORAMAS Here are a few of the panoramas I took inside the manor house including the old hall, what a spectacular building. No wonder it counts as one of the "finest" and "best preserved" medieval manor houses. The clever use of dangly cards, info bowls, info bedspreads and tablecloths and downloadable audios certainly grabbed and kept your attention and was a great way to learn. So well done English Heritage, we were impressed. Return to MENU AUDIOBOOKS The first of which is the audiobook of this blog collecting together the text to save you having to read it, some like that! This is a full slideshow with the audiobook as its audio overlay. Here are a few of the SoundCloud audio books that are available from English Heritage, the 3 we actually listened to on site don't seem to be readily available, maybe they are private, but as I still have the links on my phone, and these were specifically what we listened to I have added links for them whether they work or not for you is debatable as I sense it is clever enough to expect you to be in the building #audiobooks An overview, very nice gardens and surrounds We spent quite a while in the kitchens, the feast menus were amazing This couple were featured in the upstairs long room Here are the 3 we listen to, good luck, they still work on my phone but not necessarily for you, sorry 1. William Rose , wrapping machine maker and legend that is Cadbury's Roses chocolates, he lived in this building until the age of 17 with his parents His Candy wrappings patented machine can be read about HERE 2. Mrs. Smith , the resident who almost set fire to the whole building, oh dear 3. Mr. Sankey , an actor or impresario who performed in the great hall (I'm guessing!) not one of the many lodgers and destitute' s who lived here for a while although mostly it was a travellers inn after being Burghs/ Hickman and Hickman Bacon residences. Return to MENU THAT's ALL FOLKS! From the manor house Return to MENU

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 2 2021 14.21 pm Between 11th August and 4th Sep 1999 picking up our hired motorhome near Vancouver airport, we had initially stayed in a hotel in a somewhat dodgy area of downtown Vancouver. Keef had booked it online so had no idea... druggies, drunks and hookers (sounds a bit like a Neil Young album title 😉) anyhow once into the old town area which wasn't that far it was fab, totem poles, gas town water street and Gassy Jack's famous exhibit the steam clock, the harbour area, lions gate bridge, sea planes, Stanley park (pretty sure there is an ice hockey cup called the Stanley Cup... who knew 😉, plus Canada Place their attempt at the Sydney Opera house! If you would like to read the full diary please click HERE or to listen to our adventures as an Audio book if you would prefer please click HERE thanks See the full site entry HERE As Moonfruit died on 7th December 2021 my previous HOLIDAY2010 site which contained our trips to Florida in 1997 and our trip to British Columbia in 1997 (plus briefly visiting pals David & Cathy & family in 1999 in Edmonton, Alberta) was migrated by Yell to WIX. I have decided to incorporate it here into my motorhome-travels blog site as an insurance against Yell increasing site charges quite substantially once a year is up, it will then be easy to remove the migrated site. In January 2022 I decided to work on the HOLIDAY 2010 site that had been very badly migrated i.e it did not work but after quite some effort I am happy to keep it in its new guise, click HERE to see the new version of Canada 1997, enjoy or just carry on with the blog here CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 1999, British Columbia & Vancouver Island Plus Alberta to Edmonton to stay with Friends, plus we travelled with Doug who was so into fishing at the time esp. around the Kamloops area, not sure he enjoyed my snoring though 😉 Time to see and hear about our trip in 1999 Slideshow of Provincial Flags of Canada 1999 holiday slideshows the 1997 talkies video Full Diary Canada 1999 Mostly British Columbia , Some Alberta to Edmonton and back Summary: We spent 25 Days in British Columbia and a bit of Alberta We took 185 Photos, all of which are included in the summary slideshows. Our trip to Canada in 1999 was from 11 August to 4th September, 25 days in our hired All Drive Classic 3000 3 berth motorhome combined with a hire car at the beginning for use to get around Vancouver Island and do the Inside passage loop from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and then back down to Vancouver to swap the car for the camper van, when we had the car we stayed in B&B’s mostly and some motels, clearly once we had the van we stayed at campsites. Initially we started in Vancouver downtown in what was definitely not a nice area but was cheap and afforded us the opportunity to see the City of Vancouver quite easily, then across on the ferry to Vancouver island where we went to Tofino to do some whale watching in the Salish sea, actually saw a pod of Orca's just magical from our boat that left Telegraph Cove, after returning from Victoria, Vancouver Island and picking up the motorhome we went to see the Rockies, then much more of British Columbia eventually travelling up to Edmonton in Alberta to visit our pals David & Cathy & family, magical times with Doug who was 15 at that stage, fishing and chopping logs for our wild camp fire cooking was a true highlight. We stayed in some very remote campsites and managed to avoid the bears! In summary some of the highlights and places visited were Victoria, Vancouver Island, Vancouver City, Burnaby, West Vancouver, Cypress Provincial Park, inside passage by ferry, Prince Rupert, we drove much on the fab remote Highway 16 thru BC back down through some fabulous scenery to Vancouver swapped car for motorhome and then across to friends in Edmonton, plus we saw at various stages and in no particular order, Prince George, the BC ferry Tsawwassen thru US waters, and various Islands to Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen terminal is a 36 km drive from downtown Vancouver and is located at the southwest end of Highway 17 in Delta. Sailings departing from Tsawwassen provide service to Swartz Bay (Victoria), Duke Point (Nanaimo) and the Southern Gulf Islands. Visit the Tsawwassen Quay for shopping and a range of food and beverage options. On Vancouver Island we visited Sidney, Cassidy, stayed in Duncan, Crofton, Swartz Bay, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, Nanoose Bay, Port Alberni, Beaver Creek, Long Beach, Tofino and then returned to the Islands Capital Victoria which is just such a lovely place with the historic Empress Hotel. We returned via the fabulous Shawnigan Lake, we also visited Sooke on the island where our B&B landlady told us a about the replica Captain James Cook ship the Endeavour on its re-enactment voyage, just wonderful especially as Captain Cook is our hero and we have tried on our travels to visit many of the places he went to , from Middlesborough to 1770, big tick, plus we remember the sordid Patricia Hotel, North Saanich, Cordova Bay, Thetis Lake Regional Park, Esquimalt, Millstream, Squamish, Whistler, Banff, Pemberton, Mount Currie, Lillooet, 70,100,150 mile house, Quesnel, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park, Hazelton, Seven sisters provincial park, Chemainus and all the wall murals, bit like the place in New Zealand called Kati Kati, Giant Sequoias, McBride, Athabasca Falls, White Water Rapids, MacMillan Provincial Park , the Canopy Bridge at Grouse Mountain and the Lumberjack games display there, The Fraser River, Gaslight Jack and Granville island, ferries galore, Moraine Lake, Robson Bight, Banff Springs Hotel, talk about posh, Jasper National Park, We camped in Kamloops where despite the time of year one of the residents in a caravan had their Christmas decorations up, bizarre but very festive, Kelowna , the pacific rim national park on Vancouver island was spectacular, we camped at gold river and visited Campbell River (later we discovered Annie has current rellies living there, shame we didn’t know at the time, Strathcona Park. We then drove up to Port Hardy staying in this old house B&B there before getting up very early to travel on the ferry up to Prince Rupert , this was the famed inside passage, we headed up the coast having set sail from Port Hardy through the magnificent glacial fjords of the Inside Passage to the stunning and wild destination of Prince Rupert. It passes through the Queen Charlotte sound but for us the weather sadly was appalling so we were a bit restricted in what we managed to see. We stayed at the Tall Trees B&B in Prince Rupert run by the lovey Kathy Butterfield who was so welcoming and told us quite a bit about the local area. Travelling back down to Vancouver in the car we stayed at a B&B in 100-mile house having had a quick look around Prince George after leaving Kathy. On the 22nd of August we made our way back to Vancouver having seen Whistler the previous day , remember mountain bikers coming hurtling down the now snow clear mountain sides, frightening, even in my hey day I would never have had the bottle to travel quite so fast, overnight we stayed in a B&B in Squamish, we then swapped the car for the motorhome before heading off to Edmonton. In the motorhome we visited Banff, Lake Louise which is where sadly our water tank came detached from the underside of the hire van, a very kind Canadian stopped and applied a rope he had to it to strap it up enough for us to get back into the town of Lake Louise where we took it to a garage having rung the hire company and had it welded back on, we kept the receipt so we could claim back later, on route we also saw Kootenay, Waterton, Roger’s Pass National Park, Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk, Seaplanes over Vancouver North Harbour, Spray Can Art, Bungee Jumping (not us just watching) near Nanaimo, Yoho National Park where we visited and went for a swim in the Radium Hot Water springs pool, it may have been chilly outside but in the water was heavenly. We also saw the Columbia Icefields Park where we travelled on a snow mobile / coach called the ice explorer out to the Athabasca glacier one of the ice fields 5 toes, do remember them specifically telling us all to stay within the perimeter rope for our safety, folk had died falling down the many crevasses, a foolish tourist in our party didn’t follow this advice and hoped over the fence to get a better picture, he was lucky. We also saw Aspen Grove, Art Ksan at Hazelton, the wonderful Butchart gardens, so loved that what an experience, Cathedral Grove, lots of wildlife along the roadways edge especially in the Rockies National Park, fishing on Nicola Lake outside Kamloops, Glacier National Park, Sulphur mountain which we took a cable car known as the Gondola to the top of , amazing views looking back down at Banff, Keef of course got his Hard Rock Café T-shirt from Banff, why not, smile, we also took the van into Calgary but it was just so busy we decided not to stay long and headed off to Edmonton, remember David clearly saying when we camped some 300 miles down the road, hey you were so nearby, Canadians have a different view of distance, their country is just so huge in comparison to the UK. Also visited West Ed Mall, amazing what was in there, Annie going down the hugely deep-water slide is one memory, the other is denting the side of the van on a bollard in the car park which I didn’t see, oh dear. We eventually drove back to Calgary to hand the van in there and did a deal on receipt against busted water tank and dent in van, so quits no charge for either party, result. All drive hire company gave us a lift to Calgary airport, part of our one way hire agreement and we flew back into Manchester I think via Keflavik in Iceland (but that may have been on the way out, can’t remember) but what I do remember is buying the Reykjavik T-shirt from the Hard Rock Café in the airport tee-hee and then home to Nottingham. A lovely trip with some great memories and shared with Doug in his teenage years, Craig was in Spain with his mates. That’s all folks, I think its quite enough but memories reconstructed in 2022 by KeefH Web Designs, thanks for listening folks. AUDIOBOOK

By keef and annie hellinger, Dec 1 2021 14.13 pm Day 161 - Thursday 3rd April 2008,Christchurch After wasting 3+hours packing, unpacking and repacking stuff to be posted off to Craig, numerous U-turns on SH and 3 visits to the post office we finally got off to visit the city center. Parked up behind the Science alive on Moorhouse St and caught the free shuttle into Cathederal Sq. walked passed market, river Avon to Art Museum (lovely building) Colin McMahon stuff no good but Goldie and Gottlieb on old Maori’s ace,Art museum, cathedral and graffiti freeze for City of flowers (now complete).Slightly effiminant gent desk at museum.How long it takes to get a parcel off including guy I rang for shipping freight who said when I asked about personal effects ‘that as long as they were horses that was fine!!!’ hoho a horse merchant.Remember a couple of Kiwi speedway giants Day 162 - Friday 4th April 2008,Christchurch Day spent at the Botanic gardens and packing. See NSW (Oz) for Day 163 a flight day. Day 163 - Saturday 5th April 2008,Christchurch to Sydney Got up early, did the final bits of packing. Had scrambled eggs, checked out of our motel and went to Northwood Mall. Mooched around, K bought Opshop CD then we filled up with petrol and took car back to NZ rentals. Guy said he wasn’t expecting us and we would have to pay $10NZD for transport to Airport, we put him straight, but he did prefer to panic about picking up domestic passengers and drop us off early, still np as Christchurch is a very small airport, smaller indeed than Auckland. Nice flight over to Sydney and really clear as we landed.Coast line of NSW, busy inner city, pails anything in NZ into insignificance in terms of size.Met really nice and helpful Air NZ check in lady, who was surprised we could ‘do’ round the world with so little luggage,not much to remember, but catching the shuttle from Sydney airport to the travelodge, cnr wentworth & goulburn was fun as the thai guy tried to cram in every last space Day 164 - Sunday 6th April 2008,Travelodge, Sydney Gr8 day, see the piccies but basically did the tourist bit 2day. Went on the city sightseeing open topped bus firstly around the City route then out to Bondi, via SCG and Fox studios. Ended up having a gr8 meal at Ice Cube on Darling harbour.Met lots of Japanese taking piccies everywhere.Gr8 walk on Bondi beach, spoke to Doug on MSN msg Day 165 - Monday 7th April 2008,Travelodge, Sydney, Cnr Wentworth & Goulburn Bit of a wasted day really but as bad weather not so bad. Got phone sorted but not vodem,wasted lots of time and bureaucratic nightmare,had to open a westpac bank account but still don’t know if it will get us thru the reqd 100 points for credit history, we will see in Tassie.World square, Irish pub and many vodaphone stores. Remember frustration oh and not a bad micro wave meal. Day 166 - Tuesday 8th April 2008,Travelodge, Sydney Gr8 day weather variable Got 3 day pass for monorail & light railway went to Darling harbour HMS Endeavour and Nat Maritime museum then onto the Imax to see the new 3d whales & dolphins Gr8 views of and from Darling harbour, we love Sydney Met Gr8 old Kiwi great granddad ex Navy on HMS End plus £15 paddie who was doing the same volunteer job. Alas Annie getting a really bad sore throat, really enjoyed the HMS endeavour. Day 167 - Wednesday 9th April 2008,Travelodge, Sydney Initially traveled by underground from museum to circular quay. Got the $16AD ferry ticket day tripper 2day and went to Watson bay, Manly & up the Paramatta river Had coffee/ ice chocolate at Risonni’s on Circular Quay at the end of the day Weather was mixed Sunny & Drizzle ranged from 18c to 24c.Lots and gr8 it was to, see the piccies, there were rather a lot of them. You will only get a limited set on the site.Met all the eastern European waiters at Doyle’s. Highlights:Seafood platter at Doyles Watson bay Annie rang Margaret and Brian at the end of the day,now used up all our Kiwi Vodaphone credit, Australian one working fine and online account set up. Our Westpac online banking will not work until we get out ATM cards (note write down the Handy card no 19 digits and BSB in our ‘little book of banking’ when we get them in Tassie + set up Vodem) Day 168 - Thursday 10th April 2008,Travelodge, Sydney, Taronga Zoo/ Opera House Taronga Zoo via Matilda ferries cruise and Swan Lake ballet at the Opera House ,Saw zillions of native animals. Enjoyed Express Thai nr World Square, gr8 meal and being exhausted by climbing stairs Day 169 - Friday 11th April 2008,Travelodge, Sydney Up not so early, used the last of our 3 day monorail/ light railway ticket to go to Victoria Galleries, Harbourside (Darling Harbour), Chinese gardens, Chinatown, Paddy’s Market, Lillyfield/ Rozelle Bay (ugh suburbs along with Glebe and Pyrmont),Chinese Gardens are superb, very tranquil,Met folk in Chinese restaurant in Chinatown,plus the ‘live’ tanks. surprised that we were the only non asian folk in Paddy’s market, its a great foodhall there for fresh produce. 2nd stay Day 226-228 Day 172 - Monday 14th April 2008,Huonville, Tasmania Family tree day, completely today. Given over to reserach and discussion with Diana. used PC a lot. We stayed in all day with John & Diana. Most memorable was the Calel/ Solomon saga. Day 173 - Tuesday 15th April 2008,Huonville, Tasmania John & Diana took us into Hobart so we could pick up our hire car. We then visited Mt Nelson, Mt Wellington, City center Hobart and Battery Point and spent the evening with J&D. Day 174 - Wednesday 16th April 2008,Huonville, Tasmania Went to see Tasman peninsular including Port Arthur, Tasman arch, blowholes etc Day 175 - Thursday 17th April 2008, Huonville, Tasmania Visited Bruny Island,gr8 day Up early caught 9.30am ferry from Kettering and came back on the 4.30 one from Robert point and then drove around the headland up to Cygnet again . Loved Adventure bay, Clement link rd, Nebraska beach, oh and a whole lot more. We even saw the fairy penguins footprints and met an Ozzie couple at top of the 164 step lookout at the neck , we took their picture, they took ours. Most memorable was having an Eastern Grey Roo run out in front of our car on the Clement Link road Day 176 - Friday 18th April 2008,Huonville, Tasmania Quiet day spent with J&D, not much to report Day 177 - Saturday 19th April 2008,Ranelagh to Strahan/ Queenstown , Tasmania Off on our trip around Tassie. Up at 6 (nice to leave J&D) left by 7.10am Drove via SH1 & A10 stopping at Hamilton for an early morning pie and coffee Then thru Derwent River down thru Queenstown into Strahan and then back to Queenstown having filled up with petrol alongside the Targa Tasmania classic cars The whole area is packed out We paid $150AD (£70+) rip off for an appalling accommodation Silver Hills Motel.Most memorable Wall in the Wilderness gallery (hand carved wooden designs/ murals from Huon pine) at Derwent Bridge.Lovely drive.Wall in the Wilderness was superb, Fraser-Gordon World Heritage nat park, Queenstown, Strahan.Met lady in motel with Rally driver hubbie plus stewards who taped off every dirt track entry to the road from Strahan to Queenstown, in case they came out and bashed into the rallyall roads are closed from 5.30pm thru to 12 noon 2moro Both night and day legs. Day 178 - Sunday 20th April 2008, Queenstown to Tullah , Tasmania Got up about 8-ish, had a leisurely breakfast as Targa Tasmania was still on and all roads closed until 12. Finally left at 12 after nice lady told us about the roads reopening. Had to return as oops forgot stuff in the fridge (déjà vu for New Plymouth) Then onto Strahan again. Weather excellent. Had a good walk around edge of lake. Saw seaplane land. Not that much to see and do at Strahan although we went down to the old Railway. Then drove onto Zeehan & Tullah. Budget motel booked and paid for online with Innkeepers but Lakeside Chalets have no record. Budget place. Lots and lots of ‘controlled burn’ plus Zeehan, Rosebury & Tullah mining towns plus had a walk on Henty sandunes and saw the lookout, found our way back by my footprints, it was very confusing.Met guy with ute and caravan at lookout , I had to move the car as he couldn’t do a U-ey.Getting very fed up paying between £60-80 per night for frankly crap accommodation, very overpriced and someone trying to charge one twice is also not good news. Got a bit lost at Henty Dunes. Day 179 - Monday 21st April 2008,Tullah to Smithton , Tasmania Up early to see workman walk past our window. We were trying to look at Lake Rosebury from our chalet window and see the wombats (alas none) After arguing over paying twice lakeside Chalets Tullah ($80AD Budget) we sorted them out and Annie drove all 250kms today via Cradle mountain to Wynyard, Rocky Cape into Smithton Reasonably good weather again 22c and v sunny Stayed Bridge Motel ($99AD).Saw controlled burn, Cradle mountain Nat park, gr8 north coast along the bass straits highway.Met a welsh lady who served us in restaurant at motel who has been here 20 years and is married to a local fisherman. She got me vinegar to go with our huge flake fish and chips McCains is in Smithton.Nice bottle of Oxford Landing (eve). At Cradle Mountain as Annie said the wildlife was ‘one blackbird and some wombat poo’. Day 180 - Tuesday 22nd April 2008,Smithton to Burnie via West point and Stanley, Tasmania Out of Motel by 10, drove west to Marawah Beach via the Dismal Swamp which sadly was closed as storm had bought trees down over exhibits (i.e slide) Spoke to guy but had no confidence it would reopen the next day. Then returned along Bass Highway visiting various beaches, Stanley & the Nut (Ace), Rocky cape nat park, crayfish creek, Egcombe.West point from Marawah beach, next left is Argentina. The Nut plus from the top by Chairlift. Gr8. Guy in Burnie motel office who had played music in the ‘Trent Bridge Inn’ Notts when 19.Views from top of Nut, Stanley, Controlled burn that looked like Hiroshima (tassie carbon footprint ain’t good) Annie saw gecko/ lizard at top of the Nut. 5th Chairlift we have been on ($10AD both). Day 181 - Wednesday 23rd April 2008,Burnie to Launceston, Tasmania Out by 10 from our upstairs apt in the Ocean View Motel, drizzling. Drove down to Penguin lookout, no chance , too built up and Burnie Dockers AFL ground. Burnie is almost the pits but not quite. Filled up with petrol and drove out along Highway 1 to Launceston then diverted off onto scenic route via Penguin (a hoot) Ulverstone, Delamoire and Gr8 Western Tiers , then on into Sandors on the Park Motel 2 blocks up from CBD, Brisbane St. Loads of fake penguins, even adorning the bins. The Western tiers lookout where we had lunch and the lovely Pine lake boardwalkthat was superb but the weather changed just like that from sunny to cloud and cold.Western Tiers Gr8, Nice meal and brulee in Launceston Motel plus 2 pts of beer - Cascade (Hobart), Boags is from Launceston (and you can smell it) Probably as the tassie’s will tell you ‘the best beer in the world’. Pencil pines were wonderful. Day 182 - Thursday 24th April 2008,Launceston, Tasmania Laid in had brekkie in the room, Apricot weeties in a mug with milk, how we have learned to cope and peanut butter on Helgas (bread). Then walked into town, got stuff for k’s Jocks Itch, Vodaphone $29AD cap (gives you $130AD) and then bought pair of trus to replace those that had disintegrated. Had lunch in bakers 13 dozen of pies, cakes (yummy apricot custard) then off to wildlife park – Devil’s haven (ace) and Cataract gorge at twilight.River Tamar.2 wallabies wild in Cataract Gorge reserve One let Annie get real close Plus all the lovely animals at the Launceston Lakes Wildlife park.Saw skippy, baby echidna, and many lovely birds oh and dumbie the wombie who wouldn’t come out of his pad.Ate in restaurant at Sandors on the park (again). Day 183 - Friday 25th April 2008,Launceston to St Helens, Tasmania Anzac day, checked out of Hotel in Launceston, $340+AD, filled with petrol and drove down the A3 thru Scottsdale, Derby and the tin mine valley to St Columba falls , Pyengena.Saw Derby bank and radio station, Dunes and beaches of St Helens, St Columba falls and cheese tasting,Priscilla the beer swilling pig at the pub in the paddock, Pyengena.Keef did 5 laps of the indoor pool, watching Kev Costner movie and Anzac day oh and grotty Bayside motel that cost as much as Launceston and is really tatty. Day 184 - Saturday 26th April 2008,St Helens to Swansea, Tasmania HOORAY, we have now been away 6 months. Left 10am v sunny 22c Shopped at local supermarket in St Helen’s then drove thru all the East coast beaches Diana’s, Sumpter, 4 Mile creek, Denisons, Bicheno, Coles Bay.See the piccies of beaches and wineglass bay, ace.Met no one in particular, guy on bike and woman with van who were fishing at Denison Beach plus dipstick in car who roared onto Diana’s beach to avoid getting stuck in the sand.Gravel track to Friendly Beach , had to turn back and that’s not just cos we didn’t pay our national parks fee. Annie looked for Penguins in the Rookery from our balcony in the Waterloo Inn Swansea.good value $97.50AD Wedding going on. Loved Freycinet NP. Day 185 - Sunday 27th April 2008,Swansea to Port Arthur, Tasmania Staying in our cottage for 2 days. Four seasons ‘Summer’ cottage in Tarrana on the Tasman peninsular. Lovely place but one is sure paying for it at £92 a night.East coast very interesting. Maria island ferry from Timmburra. Gr8 road from Orford, v rocky and hilly. Whole area very dry with CRITICAL water warnings everywhere. Met Noreen owner of cottage whose son had died in Illinois and husband with cancer. Her little grand daughter Scarlet was cute. She helped us get the Heater / Cooler working Very overcast all day.Had McDs in Sorrell, 1st in Oz.good tea first we had been able to cook for a while. Day 186 - Monday 28th April 2008,Port Arthur, Tasmania Staying in our cottage for 2 days. Got up late had full cooked brekkie Raining hard initially then brightened up Spent the day chilling, watching TV, reading, PC, gentle walk, very relaxing. Day 187 - Tuesday 29th April 2008,Port Arthur to Hobart, Tasmania Spent from 9.30 to 3.30 at Port Arthur, excellent day in the convict colony. Rain am, sun pm did guided tour , boat trip to Puer Point (boys prison island) and Isle of the Dead (12000 buried on this tiny island) and walked round most of it, asylum, severe etc etc then drove back via Sorrell (got cash from Westpac) into Sandy Bay. Stayed at 429 motel (Hobart), upgraded to exec overlooking the bay all for $85AD a bargain Saw lots see all 78 piccies.Well highlights anyway.Met gr8 lady who did the tour, born in Tassie, traveled as a kid to Papua New Guinea and Qld, discussed family trees.Remember Port Arthur plus wild Rosella’s, beautiful colours Day 188 - Wednesday 30th April 2008,Fly from Hobart to Perth, WA V long day, sunny but 11c in Hobart Drove up Sandy bay road to Shot tower and back to dump off car Gr8 scenery Met Diana & John. Visited IXL jam factory / wood design studio in Hobart harbour (ace!) Then to Mures for lunch Ace again Then to airport, said long goodbye Day 188 - Wednesday 30th April 2008,Fly from Hobart to Perth, WA Mid afternoon-ish Then to airport, said long goodbye, flew to Melbourne, 4 hrs wait rang Mum then 4 hrs flight to Perth with 2 hrs western time was really 3am before we got to bed Hotel not good we paid $105AD to Discovery west it is $75AD if you pay yourself still only here short time and out for most of it .Planes oh and 27 dresses movie (crap).Met Granny next to me from Melbourne to Perth who hadn’t seen her grandchildren for 3 years. Loved Getting to WA but sad to leave Tassie, pleasant memories. Day 189 - Thursday 1st May 2008,Perth, WA Got up late after very late to bed, 1am Western Time but 3am Eastern time (Tassie) Hotel not great 22c and sunny Made use of our time Walked thru town (lovely) went to Tourist Info (iCity in Oz, iSite in NZ) got stuff Then walked down to Barrack Jetty and got 2hr return ferry trip to Freemantle Lovely trip (see Piccies) Then caught Tram around Kings Park, got off at Murray st Went shopping for brekkie things in Woolies Then nice meal in Bobby Dazzlers.Met ferry crew and driver Real Ozzies plus Tram driver a hoot who embarrassed newlyweds.Remember Gr8 day, ferry and tram trip plus scenery. Roo steaks Day 190 - Friday 2nd May 2008,Perth, WA Nice hot day (24c) up earlyish cos of time diff from East coast. Had brekkie in Motel then walked into Murray St again via the various jetties and hopped on the tram Did the complete circuit, town, burswood area, jetty, kings park with various 10 min photo opportunities / leg stretch Very enjoyable Got back intending to get on Open topped bus they said it was gone, had lunch in Asian express (v nice and relatively cheap) then waited 1+hr still didn’t arrive Keef rang company and got stroppy when they said the guy hadn’t turned up/ had to leave early so got money back (hooray 2 free trips and a good evening meal) plus we had time to research our campervan trip. Visited Tourist info iCity , got loads of brochures to help start planning our round trip Perth, Wave Rock (Hyden) , Kalgoolie-Boulder, Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Freemantle, Rottnest Island.definitely outback and needs treating with respect, leaving notes on Website. Met Guy in iCity, most helpful again. Remember Keef getting stroppy when they told us the bus wasn’t running, got all our money back $58AD, Meal in eve . Day 191 - Saturday 3rd May 2008,Perth to Quairading, WA Good & bad times with Britz!!! Got up early still suffering from 2hr jetlag. Packed and took stuff down to front of Mountway apts, which although budget were on reflection really close to the city center. Swan taxis (+61 131330) took us to 471 Gr8 eastern Highway (SH94) Britz, cheaper at $28AD than guy from Airport and further Hmmmm Britz in disarray, had a bit of a go after being made to wait 1hr for paperwork oh and our van not available, despite me having rung them the day before anyhow all ok in the end cos free upgrade gave us an automatic which is easier to drive and both of us can drive. Despite higher diesel prices.Then went to Midtown mall had lunch and did lots of shopping in Woolies Then set off for Quairading (half way to Hyden and Wave Rock). 150+kms nice drive, red dirt scenery and bush with ‘black boy’ (politically incorrect) trees. Campsite good and currently free Most memorable Getting free van upgrade Day 192 - Sunday 4th May 2008,Quairading to Narembeen via Wave Rock (Hyden), WA Nice long day Hot 28c at Wave rock Drove down highway 40 thru to Wave rock and then back part of it to go up to Narembeen ready to rejoin the Gr8 eastern highway to Kalgoorlie.Saw Wave rock plus a lot of red soil.Met guy at Quairading site who suggested a pub to visit outside Kalgoorlie cos wait for it there had been 2 murders there Hmmmm Oh and old aussie couple at Narembeen who gave us the once over. remember York, Midtown & Quairading. Young Brit couple who waited 5 hrs for their campervan and were supposedly going to Geraldton that day, not likely. Lady from Leeds working for Britz whom I gave some grief. Aussie in caravan at campsite (only other person) who ensured amenities were open for us Remember Wave rock, gr8 terayaki chicken evening meal cooked in our camper van Day 193 - Monday 5th May 2008,Wave Rock (Hyden)to Coolgardie, WA Been in Oz 1 month now. Up early cold night put heating on in campervan Left site about 10-ish 2nd day of not paying as no one about to pay. Visited Narembeen Town nice little historic plaques from gold mining days everywhere and some quaint old buildings (see the piccies) then drove 71kms straight (and I mean straight 2nd longest straight road in Oz after Nullarbor plain bit) single tar sealed with wide red gravel edges.only one road train, did WA travelers salute one nonchalant finger off steering column. Then at Merredin turned left onto Gr8 Eastern Highway 94 all the way to Coolgardie. Filled up at Roadhouse in Southern Cross and stopped at various places for tourist spots/ piccies Staying at campsite in Coolgardie (39km from Kalgoorlie-Bolder) $22AD not bad Dark by 5.30pm boo hiss Had a nice meal of 1st course: corn on the cob, Mains: spam, fried kumara, spaghetti followed by Cheese & Bikkies, saw RPF (Rabbit Proof Fence) No1 at Burracoggin, Yellowdine, Golden pipeline, Camels at Coolgardie, Road trains galore, met no one in particular,oh ozzie at Coolgardie campsite who sleeps out under the stars (cold) on a put-u-up bed, hoot! Day 194 - Tuesday 6th May 2008,Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie - Bolder, WA Up early-ish, v sunny and hot 31c although campervan said 38c at one point Annie did the washing 2 lots in machine Had a quick look at Coolgardie then drove into Kalgoorlie Lovely place still lots more to see went to Superpit and the Hall of fame mining museum Stayed at Prospectors Campsite $27AD, met folk in the next door caravan to us from Adelaide who have been travelling for 7 years and are from Kangaroo Island in SA They ran a store in Leanora and have been prospecting for gold They showed us a nugget they found. Remember the mines and the superpit Day 195 - Wednesday 7th May 2008,Kalgoorlie – Bolder to Norseman via Kambalda West, WA Up early, only cereal for brekkie Then went into town again, Woolies (food), iCity ,bank , post office (PC to Mum) then all the way up the historic Hannan St, and back again. Bought Tshirt and T towels We really like the feel of Kalgoorlie Then out to Bolder airport again to join the 11am tour When we came yesterday there was a private function so not on for the day Gr8 film and lecture then we saw the plane take off They do a gr8 job with v limited resources then drove down SH94 thru Kambaldi (where we had lunch) down to Norseman where we are staying at the Gateway campsite $23.50AD.Saw K-B towns, Skimpies (I wish), RFDS, Kambaldi new town, Norseman.Met folk from SA sheep station she was a governess, 10 people (oh and 40 aboriginals) on a farm the size of England. Plus Kiwi we gave a lift back into town who was born in Bromsgrove and lives in Hamilton, didn’t like the Oz landscape. Bad news from Belvoir, swietelsky only want to stay until June now, but hey hoe will continue to pester to see what they do for their £180 a month. Keef's first haircut since leaving the UK plus memorable meal and wine (home cooked) oh and played scrabble Day 196 - Thursday 8th May 2008,Norseman to Esperance, WA Good day (again) Showered had yogurt and croissants for brekkie then went off to look around Norseman. Camels, gold mine and great views from Beacon Point Lookout Then drove down highway 1 thru Salmon Gums, Grass Patch, Scaddan, Gibson past dried up salt lakes into Esperance. Wheatbelt change of scenery about Grass Patch But the major contrast from red outback to blue seas of Esperance was immense We like Esperance and twilight beach drive is ace, loads of beaches, saw lots of Road Trains, met Kiwi lady running campsite, nr beach $20AD.Remember Not so good Fish & Chip supper, worst yet! Beaches of Esperance and sealion showing off by Tanker Jetty Day 197 - Friday 9th May 2008,Esperance to Jerramungup Over 300k of driving Started out fairly overcast ended v sunny 26c had icecreams at Munglinup roadhouse, stopped off at Ravensthorpe for Tourist info and bottle shop Then on thru world famous (we think not!) Fitzgerald river Nat Park and onto J campsite ($23AD) Tame roo Priscilla we didn’t see but the gallah who said hallo On pc added money to MP3 RU and downloaded some new music Young Knives and Madonna, saw lots and lots of SH1, met guy with Rottweiler in next site.No water fill allowed at J campsite as dam only caters for 200 people oh and emptying the ‘potty’ for the first time, yuk and heavy,Jail at Ravensthorpe last used in 1962 and reminded me of a dunny Day 198 - Saturday 10th May 2008,Jerramungup to Albany Left campsite at about 11am after brekkie of yoghurt and bacon sarnies. Filled up with diesel in Jerramungup, $69AD took ages in shop only a queue of 3 but staff had an IQ of 3. Annie paid $4.65AD for loaf of bread WOW!!! Drove thru Gairdner, Boxwood Hill, Wellstead & Many Peaks (where we had lunch in a layby) into town Albany Nice place Drove round a bit then out to Torndirrup Nat Park, saw Frenchman bay (family BBQ but would be about to get wetGr8 granny down to kiddies, with camera on tripod) then blowholes (not windy enough) Tooks some interesting piccies then back to Acclaim campsite at Emu Point raining but gr8 weird sunset with rainbow. Ringng boys to use up Vodaphone allowance, saw lots but now back from the outback. Filled up with water which we were not allowed to do in Jerramungup Drove to Middleton beach which has a LED sign saying BEACH CLOSED DUE TO SHARK IN THE AREA,loved Torndirrup Nat Park Day 199 - Sunday 11th May 2008,Emu Point Albany to Northcliffe Channel 7 news, great white at Middleton beach eats 37 year old teacher We were there at 3pm and again 2day It happened 7.30am y’day we saw the sign about beach closed but hadn’t realized someone had been eaten He punched the shark and poked his fingers in its eyes and a mother of 3 swam in to help him, Mrs Lucas (v brave lady).We did tourist route round Middleton, Albany (packed with shark spotters although we didn’t see much) then on thru Denmark (ocean beach had a walk) thru Walpole/ Nornalup nat park and walked the Canopy walk in the Valley of the giants (ace 40m high) huge trees Tingle trees (tingle meaning red in Aboriginal) Getting late so pulled into RoundTuit Eco Campsite ($25AD) Best site so far They raise orphan roos and there were lots of wild ones even in front of our van plus Alpacas, saw lots but roos especially great as so close to our van, met couple who ran camp site, lovely people, remember Great white shark / Roos/ Valley of the Giants Day 200 - Monday 12th May 2008,Northcliffe to Margaret River Drove into Pemberton (filled with diesel narrowly avoiding taking top of campervan off as low roof at garage) went to Gloucester tree (60m high Tingle tree with footrung lookout) Didn’t go in as $20AD and no time Then down SH1 missed turning ended up near Nannup (41 extra k) and onto Augusta Nice seaside place and Leeuwin point where Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean and lighthouse then up Tourist route 250 via various caves (didn’t go as mostly closed and running out of daylight) via Hamelin bay into Margaret River (wineries by the score) Camping in town site $24AD + $10AD deposit, hard to park on limited site (steep edge and tree) but did it. 22c 2day some rain again 3rd day running and getting dark now by 5.15pm, Annie saw 2 roos in winery , emus and one roo running along fence, all in all a good animal day, saw o one in particular apart from the roos,Mummy roo & Joey o/side our campervan in the morning (Ahhhhhh – see the videos and piccies), Sand blasting at Hamelin Bay, Wyre Estate Shiraz (Margaret River) $20AD Wonderfuland v drunk making! Oh and hummus and toast, chicken teriyaki & rice and Belgian choc puds (yum!) Day 201 - Tuesday 13th May 2008,Margaret River to Bunbury Left in rain Visited the town of Margs Then onto Prevelly beach back up Caves road along the coast seeing various bays and into Yallingup Incredible surf beaches V high waves then lunch at Busselton raining then sunny Quite cold 2day only 16c max 20c Did walk on beach and pier then onto Bunbury Bought wine M/R and blue cheese and other stuff in IGA Margs and Coles Busso Gonna have a good tea Did PC stuff Modem stopped not sure why. Annie did washing whilst we both tried to photo the green parrots flying round Eucalypt trees near our van, met no one in particular, saw lots of Japanese tourists. Remember than we are not gonna let our house for 2.5 months so loan to family & friends, plus big surf. Day 202 - Wednesday 14th May 2008,Bunbury to Freemantle (Freo) Up late. Showered, breakfasted on good coffee and croissants, then off to Fremantle via SH1 past Cape Bouvard, Mandurah (really speading waterfront properties) Safety beach, Penguin island, City of Rockingham into Fremantle. Drove around the town, v busy, interesting buildings however then out via south beach to our posh campsite (4 stars) at Fremantle village. Sat out for first time on table and chairs. Sunny and rainy 2day. Has been like this now for 4 days 15c at night same as Long Eaton today, max however only 19c. Saw lots of expanding Perth via cities (and train for commuting) up to 74k away. Met surfer dude at campsite who set up our Rottnest express trip for 2moro, off to see the Quokka.Campsite, best yet but $31AD per night. Day 203 - Thursday 15th May 2008,Rottnest Island Coach trip around island plus walking. Rottnest (rats nest because germanic sailors thought the Quokka was a giant rat). It is a holiday isle now. Forgot camera battery (still in laptop) so bought Rottnest Island book instead. Day 204 - Friday 16th May 2008,Freo to Perth to Broome Did all the clean up stuff on the campervan, left about 10.30am and went back thru Freo town Annie took a load of photos Then drove back along H12 to Perth, avoided going right thru the centre although only just by going on the North Highway and then off onto the right Highway to find the Gr8 eastern highway and back to Britz. Sorted good ish deal (£4600+) for 3.5 months campervan from Adelaide to Sydney via Queensland.Then taxi (mad git that Anne had to shout at) to airport, good Fish & Chips lunch then onto Broome. Really hot when we arrived at 6pm 33c taxi to Ocean lodge hotel. Saw Movie on free tv – "PS I love you" OK-ish! Met Lady in motel plus many more aboriginal folk in Broome and on the plane than we have seen so far. Remember Freo & getting campervan back in one piece. Day 205 - Saturday 17th May 2008,Cable Beach, Broome All day chilling by the pool at our Ocean Lodge hotel.Gr8 day some shopping which was HOT walking to Woolies 35c. saw sun, sun and sun V relaxing. Weird movie called the Raging of Placid Lake . Met guy in England footie shirt.Listen to loads of gr8 stuff on the iPod Day 206 - Sunday 18th May 2008,Cable Beach, Broome Another day chillin by the pool, cooked brekkie to start us off and then lunch by the pool with earl grey. Oh then caught bus ($3,50AD) to cable beach, walked and photo-ed and came back for meal and wine, superb day (again) in Broome. Saw sunsets by the score. Met bus driver. Loved CSN&Y, CSN & David Crosby plus cable beach sunsets, we absolutely adored cable beach, fab place, fab pictures, fab weather. Day 207 - Monday 19th May 2008,Town, Town beach & Cable Beach, Broome Hot day 35c. Got $10AD all day bus pass Visited the town, nice and small Lots of vagrant aboriginal buying booze only and some v drunk at say 2pm Shopped for #Tshirts Then had lunch in Aussie pub plus watched Eng Vs Blackcaps cricket from UK Then onto Town beach (not gr8 after cable) then shopping at coles and post office (postcards to Mum , Craig & Doug) then onto Cable beach by bus. Drinks at Sunset bar then back to hotel for a swim and get ready for meal in town. Back by 7pm on last bus then Chinatown taxi home for 8.30pm. Saw lots & met staff in restaurant very friendly. remember the weather £6 for a ¾ pint glass of Matso’s (local brewer) ginger beer but quite alcoholic. They did a mango beer but at that price gave it a miss , Meal at Som Thai and lovely bottle of Watershed Marg river SavBlanc ($17AD and reduced from $21AD) bought in bottle shop over the road. Day 208 - Tuesday 20th May 2008,Geikie Gorge Trip Up at 5.30am caught new tour bus with Adam to the Gorge via Willare Roadhouse, Old Boab Tree, Fitzroy crossing (old & new) then the gorge. Trip by boat with Bill our indigenous guide, remember the 4 skins (aboriginal trad wisdom) ..boat trip, crocs, meal at road house very late back 11pm long day but a good one. Saw freshies and a whole lot more. met too many folk but Adam and Bill (guides) and couple from Sydney who had crossed the Nullarbor and had 8 weeks in WA. The whole day was gr8 eating boab fruit The views, everything, splendid trip well worth it Day 209 - Wednesday 21st May 2008,Broome to Darwin via Kunanarra by Airnorth Up 8-ish packed made sandwiches Taxi to airport left about 3.40 (20 mins late) Flew 1hr to Kunanarra deplaned 30mins then 40mins to Darwin taxi to Barossa street V close to city center Lorraine (lovely lady) met us.Saw River Ord, Lake Argyle.Met nice lady taxi driver, lots of info on tropical plants in Broome. Lorraine Swan in Darwin (and she had seen Elton John live in Darwin the week before). Remember Kunannarra, flight and Darwin (a big growing city) Day 226 - Saturday 7th June 2008,P/Boro (SA) to Broken Hill (NSW) Day 210 - Thursday 22nd May 2008,Darwin Walked into town, about 12ish then Hop on hop off bus, with drivers mum present $60AD saw most sights Stopped at Sky city casino had some drinks by the infinity pool then walked over to the Mindil Beach Sunset market (ace) Darwin is a nice city better than we expected.Loved the Mindil Beach Sunset market,Loads of folk at market which we went to in the eve and watched the sunset across the beach,Mindil Beach Sunset market, spray can artist, eMDee band, sunset and many many revelers (5k+), Day 211 - Friday 23rd May 2008,Darwin Went by taxi to the Museum & Arts center, spent about 2.5hrs there V interesting especially the Cyclone Tracy stuff then walked back in 33+c heat to bus stop where drunk and his even drunk aboriginal partner told us about buses Caught no4 into City center Did shopping My BNT Mosquitos shirt, Annies Tshirt and perfume plus food shopping 4 Ghan trip Then back to Unit 1, 4 Barossa st, Larrakeyah to chill ring Chris & Mum Thai meal Massaman chicken and 2 bed not too late after packing. Loved My NT rugby shirt, sweetheart the croc.photo of of ‘Tracy you bitch’ car a treat from cyclone experience in museum Day 212 - Saturday 24th May 2008,The Ghan, Darwin to Tennant Creek via Katherine White Cockatoos,Brummy bus driver in Katherine, 2 ozzie ladies in seats behind us on Ghan , Loved the Red North, long journey with very little sleep after a very early start. Day 213 - Sunday 25th May 2008,The Ghan, Tennant Creek to Alice Springs Moored up at Tenant Creek (John Flynn – 1st RFDS) from 1.30am to 6am Noone allowed out weird station no platform Neither of us slept that well in our Day/Nighter seats but gr8 trip Lots of red soil as we moved thru to Alice Springs by 11.15am 26c Caught shuttle to hotel had to wait 35mins to check in (not best pleased) but Uluru trip receipt had been faxed by Vaitor.Saw 5 red roos, 2 to keef, 3 to annie. Met 2 ladies behind us on red kangaroo (steerage class) cabin R seats r13-14 daughter in Esperance son in Darwin oh and Sid the Sloth He and his girlfriend slept (supposedly) all 27 hrs. Remember the Ghan, Annie slept for 2.5 hrs when we arrived at Aurora A-S hotel (v good with pool) deluxe room. Henley on Todd (boat race with a difference, no water so they have to carry them with their legs thru as though the River Todd had water in it which it does for very few occaisions a decade, let alone a year. Loved the the soil getting redder and redder as the Ghan travelled south. Day 214 - Monday 26th May 2008,Alice Springs Now been away 7 months,1st day on round Alice bus ticket. Telegraph station. Hot , Lovely views over Alice and trip round. Day 215 - Tuesday 27th May 2008,Uluru/ Olgas trip from Alice Springs Very long day 19hrs Got up 4.50am (having stayed up previous eve to see England thrash the Kiwis at cricket 2nd test) 1000k (625m) round trip. Just a very special day back in bed by 12.30am having washed our feet and red dust.Saw Mt Connor, Uluru & The Olgas, plus we did 3 walks.Met Brian the guide, pint sized ozzie who was v friendly but it was his first day guiding.Loved Uluru but really the whole day We had sparkling wine and a picnic as the sun went down over Uluru Really strange colours on the rocks. Day 216 - Wednesday 28th May 2008,Alice Springs Up late after long trip yesterday. Had brekkie (full English) at the Red Ochre Grill attached to our hotel, the Aurora, then showered, caught 2nd day on the Alice explorer out to the Old Ghan Museum (gr8 fun) then back into Alice and the Todd mall. Did Didgeridoo lesson booked tickets for evening show. Nice 3 course meal in restaurant Barramundi & Ginger, Steak/Fish&Chips, Pear & Apricot strudel & homemade ice-cream all for $38AD reach. The food at the hotel was very good value. Met Andrew Langford – Didge show, which we both saw and practised didge playing, fun but hard especially circular breathing. Sounds of Starlight Theatre.Plus no one in particular apart from drunk Aboriginal lady who wobbled into restaurant (sad) and security called the police. Day 217 - Thursday 29th May 2008,Alice Springs to Adelaide Up 8-ish Had gr8 cooked brekkie, then over to see Andrew and bought a Didge. Very pleased with it, made by aboriginal between Katherine & Darwin. Had it mailed home with free booklet. Then sent Craig note to say it was on its way Checked out of Hotel about 10.15 took longer cos I thought we had paid, we had not. Then shuttle bus ($34AD) to airport V nice airport Then flew to Adelaide Shuttle bus to Rockford. Not bad room although had to ask for 3 bits of maintenance Supposedly an upgrade and view of river Torrens, maybe!Annie took loads of gr8 piccies out of the plane of the Simpson & Mackay deserts and Lake Eyre.Met Andrew Didge man , plus yanks on shuttle bus to hotel in Adelaide who were very loud & opinionated. See SA for next day. Lots of driving 2day, overcast and windy/cold initially but warmed up. Only about 16c Very desolate landscape with a few Roadhouses and abandoned dwellings but the rivers ran with water and a red hue The Indian pacific railway line kept us company most of the way 300+k in all we have done over 18k miles since being away X-ing the border was fun No fruit/veg bins as we had expected having frantically used everything from SA up we needn’t have bothered Camping in Broken Hill for 2 nights Interesting town Went to Woolies to get loads of stuff and Westpac in Argent St (Silver?) to get cash Had nice Pork Korma for tea.Very desolate flat landscape with hills on the horizon (Barrier Ranges) plus 4 emus and countless wild goats.Vastness of the scenery, just imagine it in 45+c (no thanks) v desolate landscape Day 218 - Friday 30th May 2008,Adelaide Up earlish, showered, cereal in room then onto Adelaide Explorer tourist trip at 10.30am in King William St City tour thru N, E, S & W terrace plus a bit further out. North A the best Lots of piccies incl Sir Don Bradman and Adelaide Oval. Then went out to coast at Glenelg Only had 20mins there time to see beach and grab a sarnie.Lots to enjoy,Adelaide is ‘older’ than Perth and free settler built We liked many of the older buildings and parks. 22c and sunny.Met Annoying ozzie from Canberra who never stopped talking or contradicting the poor lady driver. Remember Indian meal opposite Rockford, Hindley St. New place had south Indian tikka & real samosas starter, rice&lentil pancake filled with chicken & pots with clamer (veg curry sauce) and coconut sauce, mango ice-cream (homemade) all for £26 for both of us. Ace! We will be back Day 219 - Saturday 31st May 2008,Adelaide Up very late Then off to rooftop pool and sauna at Rockford Hotel Roof open and v sunny Had to use sunscreen spent about 3.5hrs getting nicely roasted Then showered and walked into Rundle Mall to get books and maps for rest of trip Plus a bottle of Wolfblass (Riesling) and stuff for Tea oh and had Nandos for lunch. Did lots of Chillin, met lady in Haigh’s choccie shop with gloves.Remember not much apart from the words ‘chillin and someones gotta do it’ ace read in eve and watched movie Elizabeth with Cate Blancett. Day 220 - Sunday 1st June 2008, Adelaide 1st day of Winter and we spent most of it chillin by our Rooftop pool at the Rockford 23c and v sunny again Then went to Curry house opposite for a final meal.Meat Thali and Chicken Korma respectively A good new place Then back to pack and retire early.Loved the winter sun, met really friendly guy in Curry house who gave us free poppadums.Did Mums DVD video intro. Day 221 - Monday 2nd June 2008,Adelaide to Tanunda Checked out of hotel at 10 Caught taxi to Britz in Don Brad drive and paid for and picked up our home for the next 105 nights A Britz Elite Much better bed and driving than the other one but not so much storage or room Drove out to Elizabeth, odd as first manual in about 5 months. Did shopping in mall (Woolies) and got cash out of Westpac ATM oh and had lunch in food hall Then drove onto Barossa Valley had a look around bit of tasting and then bought gr8 bottle of Gramp’s (name of JC first Lutheran owner) Shiraz Up market wine price not too bad at $17AD Best wine we have had yet Stayed at Tanunda Family parks site.Jacobs Creek and Grant Burge Wines (5th gen).Barossa valley and the bottle of Gramp’s. Day 222 - Tuesday 3rd June 2008,Tanunda to Clare Left site at 10.30 Issue with hose, alas had to nick an attachment than someone had kindly left around. Drove into Tanunda, nice town, posted DVD to Mum. Did some shopping for pillows and a table lamp Then off to Mengler Hill lookout, superb views across the Valley Drove round most of Barossa then onto Clare arriving just at dusk many Riesling vineyards in Clare valley (all Lutheran).Lots of vineyards including Barossa Valley estate, Penfolds, Seppeltsfield Rd, Seppelts, Wolf Blass (alas Rockford & Bethany which were recommended to us just too expensive at $45+AD).met Wolf himself, touched me on the shoulder and talked to me, I shall never wash my shirt again.Bought 3 bottles.1.5 JC Shiraz reserve , JC Riesling and Penfolds Koonunga Hills, Drank 2 and had steak, hic! Day 223 - Wednesday 4th June 2008,Clare to Quorn Left about 10.30am Bit of a rush again Filled up with diesel and got some milk. Diesel only $35AD for ¼ tank, Better than the other Campervan Then drove off thru many little townships, mostly farming, including Gladstone, Laura (home of the sentimental blokebought pie and apricot slice from home of North Ice-cream) , Mt Remarkables Nat park, Goyder’s line, Horrocks pass, South Flinders range, semi arid lands up near Pt Augusta on A1, Old Ghan railway then Quorn for the night Annie did some more washing.Had to wait for 2k goods train in foothills of Flinders Range. 3 Roos on campsite, numerous Galahs and Rosella’s oh and gr8 sunset. Met Bronwyn at the campsite who told us about Quandong pie (we will try 2moro). Flinders range ace! remember the run down house at Gladstone and the sunsets at Quorn Day 224 - Thursday 5th June 2008,Quorn to Hawker Been in Oz 2 months 2day! Up about 8.30 Had full English left about 10.45am Had a good look around Quorn V interesting little place Bought Quangdong pies from café and some cobs for lunch Then started in drizzle driving to Wilpena Pound Alas heavens opened , very wet Mud desert rivers run so decided to stop at Hawker Big 4 campsite Hub of the Flinders Did laptop, read, cooked and chilled.Rain and lots of it for us we have been very lucky This is only our 2nd days rain in Oz We had about 4 ½ in NZ. Met campsite owners who had only moved in from Brisbane 4 weeks earlier.Remember rain and roads awash, semi arid desert, quangdong pie and bush melons. Day 225 - Friday 6th June 2008,Flinders Ranges Lovely day in the national park and Wilpena pound, saw loads of wildlife, 20+ emus, 50+ roos, 2 wedge tail eagles and numerous other birds, up early bought petrol in Hawker weather improved throughout the day and positively hot and sunny by late afternoon, i.e the clouds cleared off the ranges Drove from Hawker to Wilpena pound 57k stopping at every lookout on route Annie drove back to Hawker then I drove to Peterborough where we camped for the night Nice campsite Very windy at night though and thus cold. Saw the magnificent Flinders Ranges Nat Park.Lots of roos, many ozzies who didn’t pay the A$7.50 to go in the park, we did so felt smug but ripped off, still for what we saw it was well worth it.Loved The wildlife and the views Day 227 - Sunday 8th June 2008,Broken Hill & Silverton Pissed with rain all day! (can i say that here, YES, just have!) Got up late showered and had cooked brekkie Then we went off to Silverton – Ghost town about 25k from Broken Hill Cos of the rain some of the ditches were starting to flood .Luckily although red dirt on road still easily passable Visited Museum, saw Mad Max landscape Then came back to BH did bit of Tourist route Up Pat Keenan’s lookout Tourist Info then off to Silver City Cinema to see new Indiana Jones movie (v good) and back for Corned Beef hash and check on roads for 2moro.Saw wild camels. Met most unhelpful lady in Tourist Info.Silverton was gr8 as was its Museum. Day 228 - Monday 9th June 2008,Broken Hill to Mildura (Victoria) Left in heavy rain after sorting out camp loo (ugh!) Drove part of Tourist Route (TR) round Broken Hill Took some piccies Then shared driving along Silver City Highway 300k to Mildura just across the Victorian Border via Wentworth Nice campsite for 2 days Apex family park Booked Melbourne paddle steamer trip on Murray river $50AD.Saw 3 emus, 2 roos, 2 wedge tailed eagles, countless wild goats & 2 swagmen one on a bike (with dog in pannier), one on foot Both had cowboy hats, boots and one was carrying a saddle as well as his swag (sleeping bag). Junction of Murray & Darling rivers at Wentworth (which was a nice town).It pissed down most of the way and was 16c. Had Mainland creamy blue cheese & bikkies, fruit juice, apples and old gold roasted almond dark choc 4 lunch in a Outback lay by, deserted. See day 229 under Victoria next. 3rd stay Day 253-273, See Queensland for 273 Day 229 - Tuesday 10th June 2008, Mildura, Paddle steamer trip on the Murray GUp late, had cooked brekkie, went on the PS Melbourne paddle steamer thru Lock 11 on the Murray up past our campsite, v relaxed and pleasant journey in nice sunny weather 16c,Saw lots of the Murray river.Met Captain of boat, brief chat. Loved the whole boat journey We almost missed it It was just leaving the dock and we had to step on over the ropes $50AD. Day 230 - Wednesday 11th June 2008, Mildura Up late again (naughty campers!) Very sunny 17c, went into town Had a good walk around up Deakin (the main street), pie in Hukey’s then ice cream sundae whilst sitting outside in the sidewalk chairs. Then drove around tourist route and saw the various new expanding housing estates. Visited camp shop for 2nd time, had to get curtain things (from Spotlight) then cap for water that had (we assume) fallen off somewhere between Broken Hill and Mildura. Then returned to site new plot overlooking river for T (chicken Satay and rice).Visited the town. Met Odd couple from Adelaide in Millard caravan who tried at least 4 sites she with a toaster to check electrics (weird) the plug attachment is different.Mildura we liked, and the olmpic sized swimming pool, which we didn't have time to go in alas. Final Stay Day 231-240 in South Australia Day 231 - Thursday 12th June 2008, Mildura (Vic) to Murraybridge (SA) Up early, showered breakfasted and on the way by 10am Posted Mums card in Mildura on route Then across the border via Yamba (fruit fly inspection for fruit and veges), Paringa, Renmark (went for a walk and inside Tourist info site, watched film on 1956 Murray flood 38’ 1“), Berri, Karoonda and into Murraybridge where we are staying at Long island caravan park by the marina. Weather gr8 to start, sunny and hot, raining by the time we arrived. Was in shorts all day but still warm.Both reading books fast, soon with have finished the 3 extra we got in Adelaide.No one really unless you count the lady who came onboard to check our fridge at the border x-ing and the 3 Indian guys at Renmark lookout who were trimming the vines. Remember the Pelican at Renmark Day 232 - Friday 13th June 2008,Murraybridge to Aldinga Beach via McLaren Vale Went on M1 towards Adelaide, then to Hahndorf (odd twee German tourist place, but with gr8 houses) , Mt Barker , Adelaide Hills (could be the peak district with Littlehampton and Macclesfield) then into wonderful McLaren Vale and onto camp at Aldinga Beach. We tasted.d’Arenburg lovegrass/ laughing magpie.chapel hill; mclaren vale shiraz 06, the vicar06 and 18 year old port bought 1 d’arenburg and 2 chapel hill, 1 mvshiraz 06 and port oh plus we saw the rosemount estate, met Brit who ran campsite, real Londoner part of balmy army (cricket supporters). As I spoke London he gave us the prime site. Remember Shiraz plus lovely country views, booked kangaroo island trip to take campervan over 3 days £365 including 10% discount. Day 233 - Saturday 14th June 2008,Aldinga Beach to Cape Jervis, Fleurieu Peninsula Got up reasonable time, had shower, breakfast , did campervan ‘essentials’ and left site. V sunny / drizzly so a gr8 rainbow The whole day was a bit like that Got burnt whilst having coffee & banana muffins on bench outside at Normanville Beach (Annie fed sparrows) then wet when driving 10 mins later.Saw Aldinga beach with rock sand dunes (did a little walk, the climb back up was steep), S? beach were we drove around the smart 2nd holiday homes, Normanville, Second Valley, Cape Jervis (diesel real steep here1.90 , worst 1.93 (Hawker), best 1.71 (Paringa)) Saw 4 roos and white cockatoos at Cape Jervis plus our ferry. As we had already booked our Kangaroo Island trip rang the 2 campsites to ensure we get in. They said now empty as winter Found we gotta jettison all potatoes (quarantine) rang Craig in eve to tell him about David’s visit to 143. Loved wonderful, lush and undulating Fleurieu peninsula Day 234 - Sunday 15th June 2008,Kangaroo Island Travelled by 9am ferry over to Penneshaw Kangaroo Island (KI) Smooth as anything and sunny had to reverse campervan up ramp and into hold which wasn’t easy Channel 9 making Postcard travelogue on the boat Arrived and had a look around Penneshaw then American river, Kingscote (Reeves point), Emu Bay, Seal Bay, Visconne Bay and stopped at Western KI caravan site for 2 days, nice site,had a chat with ferry guy who said that ferrying was his winter job and he was a fisherman normally.Loved the Koala walk.Diary continued Day 235 - Monday 16th June 2008,Kangaroo Island Stayed most of the day at Western KI caravan site Had cooked brekkie V sunny Then watched Cuddles (our personal friendly Koala) who shinned up a tree outside our campervan and was there most of the day, admittedly after his 4 course eucalypt dinner, asleep! Afternoon / Evening went into Flinders Chase Nat park ($16AD) and saw Remarkable rocks and Admiralty Arch and lots of burnt bush, reasonable sunset. Saw Cuddles, met couple at Remarkable rocks for piccie taking swapping, him from Perth, her US. Day 236 - Tuesday 17th June 2008,Kangaroo Island Up early, another sunny day although v windy Had one last walk around the Koala walk in the park and saw 4 more Koalas Then drove down to visitors center in Flinders Chase Nat Park and then on round Western Hwy thru Paradana into Kingscote for lunch at the Ozone hotel.Saw a few things, burnt trees, dead echidna, wallabies, koalas, seed pods, met Chef at hotel and other simpering apologists! Worse Fish & Chips ever!!!! Asked for them to redo they did but still no better hake (ugh!) they offered us complimentary meal but we walked out Day 237 - Wednesday 18th June 2008,Kangaroo Island to Victor Harbor Stayed at Brownlea Caravan Park outside Kingscote. $25AD Up late had breakkie mossied around a bit and then left about 11.30 Just started to rain Drove about 45k to Penneshaw and set up camp overlooking Hogs bay for the 2hr wait for the Ferry. Had lunch and read after a little walk around reversed back onto Ferry Much better this time and had a somewhat bumpier crossing as rained the whole time Got off and drove onto Victor Harbor (a city – much bigger than we expected) 12000 people Stayed at family park £25AD. Saw sheep truck next to our van Alas we had left the window open so some nice smells on getting back to mainland. Met a whole lot of sheep,note Harbor mispelt as that’s the way the original oz official spelt it (oh dear!). Day 238 - Thursday 19th June 2008,Victor Harbor (VH) to Milang (Lake Alexandrina) via Middleton & Goolwa Left VH campsite at 10.30 Went to Bank and Telstra shop in town as well as Tourist Info site.Saw Victor Harbor, Granite Island including Horse drawn tram (Thomas& Carmel were the horses that drove us.Thomas@horsedrawntram.au.com etc), Port Eliot, Middleton (and kite surfers) Goolwa (and steam engine brewery, bought 6 assorted beers) and round Murray river termination in Lake Alexandrina to Milang where we stayed in the Oz parks caravan park on the shore ($19AD).Nice lady in iSite VH who had been to England Told us the 2 whales (southern right) we had seen in Backstairs passage between KI and Cape Jervis was in VH y’day (damn).Windy walk on cliffs at Granite island Day 239 - Friday 20th June 2008,Milang to Mt Gambier via Princes & Southport Hwys A day spent chasing rainbows, much sun and much rain but quite chilly. Left Milang, Annie drove 270+k, Keef 180+k so a long days drive, indeed further than we expected. Drove via Langhorne Creek, ferry at Wellington, Meningie, Policemans point, salt creek, Kingston SE, Robe, Beachport, Millicent and into Mt Gambier. Staying at Central Caravan park, run by Scots lady $22AD, saw lots of Road. Larry the Lobster @ Kingston SE (Naff caff), Old wine growing area (v thick stems) and Younghusband peninsula sand dunes/bank and lakes Lots of Chinese in coolie hats trimming grapevines plus Asian lady at beach port selling artic trout by the edge of the road.Met poor couple in caravan site next to us who like us couldn’t find the office had their plot 33 nicked and then got drenched setting up, we were inside looking on.Mac’s Fish & Chips @ Robe, flake in corn batter Ate them by the beach yummy Finished On Chesil beach audiobook on iPod, rubbish but made us both chuckle at how pompous Ian McEwan is. Took vey few photos but mostly of ferry crossing on Murray at Wellington. Day 240 - Saturday 21st June 2008, Mount Gambier (SA) to Ararat (Vic) V sunny when we got up about 15c Left town center caravan park and went up to Dormant volcano crater lakes (valley, leg of mutton (dry), and blue) drove around them all then Annie found a strange tree fruit (need look it up but similar to one on savaii) then drove out and over the border into Victoria.Met Scotch lady who ran the Mt Gambier Central site, been here for 30 years. Loved the lakes @ mount gambier. Stay 3 Day 240-253 Day 240 - Saturday 21st June 2008,Mt Gambier (SA) to Ararat (Vic) Then drove out and over the border into Victoria thru Casterton (diesel $1.90AD, expensive, lucky to get as closing sat lunchtime), Hamilton (shopping in Safeways $100AD, which is a subsidiary of Woolies), and whilst getting dark (time change to AET) thru Dunkeld, Glenthompson (NOTE everything is Scottish here in Grampians) , Willaura and into Ararat in the dark (Gold town) vaguely near Ballarat Stayed at Family park (nice) £22AD. Saw Grampians in the distance and some old interesting towns. Met . 3 old ladies (knitting bobble hats) at Casterton Tourist info Nice lady gave us both a stick pin (mine map of oz, Annie a roo). Lunch at 4pm (naughty) Day 241 - Sunday 22nd June 2008,Ararat, Victoria Mixed day weather wise, sunny & cold & drizzly Did washing then went off to explore the town Got back at dusk Nice day.Saw J ward in Ararat goal, notorious! , Views of Grampians, Ararat & Pyrenees from One Tree Hill plus Gum San (tribute to Chinese miners who founded Ararat).Great guide for J ward (Keith) who we chatted to for ages, even showed us names register to ensure none of our relies had been in J ward (Lowlights guy who was 108 and had been institutionalized for over 60 years – William Wallace, plus 2 other ‘celebrated’ cases Joey Clancy, in from 13 and guy who was a self harmer and managed to kill himself with a biro (ugh!) all v depressing), met nice ladies in Gum San.Loved views from one tree hill. Day 242 - Monday 23rd June 2008,Ararat to Port Fairy via the Grampians Nat park Cold but mostly sunny day, approx 14c Filled up with diesel at Ararat and drove on tourist route thru Moyston to Halls gap (v touristy) then Mount Victory road steep and windy then back to Halls gap, onto Aboriginal center and thru the Nat park back to Dunkeld, Penshurst (past Chatsworth) and down v farming C-road to A1 (Princes Hwy) and Port Fairy where we are camping at a Family park , swish loos, $28AD but lots of mossies Gr8 day view wise .Boroka Lookout, Reed Lookout, walk to the Balconies, Mackenzie falls (although we chickened out after so much walking already) and went to see the nearer Broken Falls All ace views. Met lady at Port Fairy campsite who had been to Nottingham forest in 1987. Japanese at all lookouts (jumping photos) Couple from Ararat campsite who seem to follow us thru the park (left their caravan behind in Ararat). Remember wonderful views in the Grampians, trying Tawny port from Chapel Hill winery with Mexican meal in eve Day 243 - Tuesday 24th June 2008,Port Fairy to Warrnambool Raining in the morning (and most of the night) Went into town did some 2nd hand book browsing bought 3 then shopping in IGA and bought 2 bulbs from backstreet mechanic for campervan Then off to explore Port Fairy Quaint old shipping harbour Managed a good walk along old wharf in sunshine Then out to Griffiths island causeway and south beach Raining again Then we headed off to Warrnambool TI site plus booked into Flagstaff hill (light & sound show in eve) $51AD similar to Sovereign Hill show at Ballarat 13 years earlier only much much better laser show projected on water wall and story about Loch Ard shipwreck rather than gold mining. Nice evening Walked up hill from campsite. Campsite cost nothing as owners not there. Would have been $A27 which is expensive. Show plus drove out to Logan Beach whale nursery but pissing down so turned around and went back and had a look at old wharf before checking into campsite. Saw 2 bicyclists who were in a tent, poor souls! Met then again at Port Campbell.Too much Chapel Hill port sent us to sleep early! Day 244 - Wednesday 25th June 2008,Warrnambool to 12 Apostles and back to Port Campbell Gr8 day, Gr8 Ocean road, in our humble opinion one of the world sights! Very sunny but windy Went to Logan Beach whale nursery, saw mother southern right whale and her calf (spectacular) alas camera not really good enough but binoculars were. Serious waves for surfers. Then bank in town and off to the Great Ocean Raod (GOR) Warranambool was where Doug had to go into hospital for tetanus injections all those years ago (13) Then Hopkins (Doug) falls , Bay of Islands (pboro) , Cove bay east, Bay of Martyrs, the grotto, the arch, Port Campbell, Loch Ard gorge, 12 apostles..HOORAY!!! and gr8 sunshine.The best views ever! GOR!!!!! especially the 12 Apostles saw way more this time than we did in 1995 but it is now much more built up. Day 245 - Thursday 26th June 2008,Great Ocean Road Been away 8 months 2day! Up early-ish really bad night with wind and rain rocking the campervan Severe weather warning Did cooked brekkie plus all the van things and we left the site at Port Campbell by about 11 Drove back to Loch Ard gorge area Did 3 new viewings then back to 12 Apostles then Melba gully (couldn’t go, dirt road) Laver Hill (motel we stayed in 12 years ago), Apollo bay and Kennett River where Annie saw Koalas,Loch Ard wreck point, Blowhole, Thunder Cave and a whole lot more! The GR8 Ocean Rd is SUPERB!!!Saw lots of Japanese tourists doing stupid things especially the guy who lost his hat at end of 12 Apostles viewing spot and leapt over the fence to retrieve (mad!) whilst his pals took piccies of him Oh and coach driver who almost hit us after drifting across the middle line Too many Aussies drive on that line! Wind and rain at 12 apostles we got drowned! 5 Koalas in Otway Nat park (park behind Kennett River campsite) Day 246 - Friday 27th June 2008,Great Ocean Road Kennett River. Spent about an hour walking around the campsite ‘spotting’ the wildlife 4 Koalas & many birds Ace time (see the extensive piccies which tell the tale) then on down the GOR. So wonderful we had to keep stopping. Pattons & Mt Defiance lookout etc Lorne saw cockatoos, Fairhaven the sign for GOR (built by WW1 vets) then lunch at Torquay after looking in on Bells Beach (no surf) Then lighthouse at Aireys inlet then thru Geelong (Kiaranda Park, go Cats go!(ozzie rules footie team champs)) and up to Macedon, where we camped in family park ($25AD) with budgies in cage We were more or less the only folk there and cold as in Mountain ranges.Old car (RR?) just happen to go under the GOR sign as we arrived oh plus wonderful views down this stretch of the GOR, Met oOnly lady in campsite from Swan Hill whose husband was from Port Campbell Day 247 - Saturday 28th June 2008,Hanging Rock Left Macedon campsite about 11 Cold at night!!! Drove thru Woodend to Hanging Rock (Mt Diomedes) Climbed to the summit Took 1 ½ hours return Gr8 views Keef in real pain on return left knee Had to create a walking stick out of eucalypt branch to aid descent On reflection grade 3 strenuous not wise to do again! Then drove onto Bendigo (ok) and visited Mitchelton vineyard at Nagambie Lakes Gr8 lookout tower and art collection Print labels from artwork Bought 3 (2 Preece & 1 Mitchelton reds) Stayed at new Nagambie Lakes campsite (showers best yet).Met Essex boy manager at Nagambie lakes campsite who let us stay for free (saved $30AD) cos Annie mentioned Stanford le Hope (he came from Southend in 1981).Tried to buy a copy of Picnic at Hanging Rock but they had run out. Our i/net research showed the last missing chapter has some rubbish ending about extra-terrestrials and them getting stuck in rock cave , twaddle good job editor took it out! Day 248 - Sunday 29th June 2008,Nagambie Lakes to Melbourne Short day went into Nagambie bought lots of fruit and eggs , gr8 value $5.30 then drove down to Melbourne took just over 1 hour via Seymour where we stayed 13 years ago, think we recognized the Motel Got into Big 4 campsite in Coberg after visiting Lalor (between Epping & Thomstown in the City of Whittesea) Arrived at campsite about 3-ish. Did washing Had tea Watched really odd 1960 DVD with James Brolin in it set in Capetown (Haha), saw Lalor and 18 Derrick St where Keef lived as a kid Day 249 - Monday 30th June 2008,Melbourne A wonderful day out in Melbourne The place has really come on in 13 years walked 15 mins Picked up West Preston to St Kilda tram (112) into Collins St in the city used the free City loop tram and trams 70/48 to get around Got back to campsite at about 9pm.Saw Greek quarter, Flinders St station, Federation sq, Yarra river, MCG, Immigration Museum (in old custom house) & new docklands area.2 meals out, Greek at lunch in Tsindos (yummy) and Moroccan at MeccaBah on New Quay Docklands the eve Annie had a Monkey Business cocktail. Weather not gr8 cold and windy with a few spots of rain. Day 250 - Tuesday 1st July 2008,Melbourne to Mornington Late up, showered and left by about 11 Very stressful days driving thru Melbourne, Alas our map not quite good enough V sunny initially which gave way to some (limited) drizzle getting cold 13c made it 2 St Kilda after 2 false starts Then onto Elwood and saw where Keef used to live walked down Pine ave to shops bought some lunch from bakers delight (nice) then saw beach, high waves Then drove down coast.Baumaris etc etc Nepalean way (Highway 3) to Frankston and Mornington Did shopping in City of Frankston at Seaford. Got cash from Westpac bank machine in Mornington Saw beach Had 2 Apricot Danishes. Then back to Frankton to get 2 bits of foam Stayed at Mornington campsite $28. Saw the wild coast. Ladies in Mattress shop (v helpful) Lady at Rubber & Foam shop (ripped us off 50c, joke!). STRESS can become a 4 letter word when u are driving thru Melbourne. Trams are an added distraction trust us, we know , Saw Keef’s old house Day 251 - Wednesday 2nd July 2008,Mornington to Sale via Gippy Hwy & 90 Mile Beach Left by 10.20, Keef had to do the yuccy loo changing job how I’ll miss that NOT! Went into Mornington to post Mums postcard, got some more fuel ($180.5 cheapest yet!) and then traveled on thru Tabbah, Leonortha, Yaccam, Woodside, Stokeside down to Seaspray on 90 Mile Beach, then Golden beach, Paradise beach , Longford into Sale. Fairly long days drive. Annie did the long bit between L & end of 90 Mile Beach. Mixed weather sun and very strong wind & rain gales max 14c had lunch at Woodside Joined Top Tourist campsites at Sale $25 (just like Family parks) we are now members of 3 chains Note the South Gipplands Highway is shortened (as everything is) by the ozzies to Gippy Hwy (and on the signs). Saw 90 Mile Beach plus saw 2 huge sea eagles, one of which alas had a baby lamb in its grasp! Met hippy couple in camp kitchen at Sale. Bald gardener with shorts, moustache and boots/sox combo at Mornington site.Enjoyed 90 Mile Beach – is a little cold & windy (Antarctic cold) Day 252 - Thursday 3rd July 2008,Sale to Mallacoota Big days drive thru very varied scenery 320k. Saw port of Sale, got petrol then went via Bairnsdale, Stratford-u-Avon, Lakes Entrance(LE), Orbost (and the Snowy River) Cann River (more petrol) then thru the Croajingolong Nat park to Mallacoota where we camped at the Swampgully caravan park (family park $20 with discount) Cold and windy day 13c some sun, saw Port of Sale, Wood carvings @ Lake Entrance Marine parade, Pelicans, gr8 views from LE lookout before the town, Orbost wooden hut.Gr8 fish and chip lunch (our fave Flake) at Lakes Entrance the town of which is quite touristy, loved pelicans (lots) @ LE Day 253 - Friday 4th July 2008,Mallacoota (Vic)to Tathra (NSW) INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! Brilliant day Weather superb and warm 17c plus oh what wonderful views in Victoria’s Wilderness parks – Mallacoota & Gipsy Point (M & GP) were lovely. So peaceful,so scenerific, so lucky we are! Roos chillin' on the grass. Got up early braved the cold shower (10mins to get water to run hot!!!) then had cooked brekkie whilst watching a Kookaburra near our van Then to M & GP then back thru Genoa and on over the border into NSW We have left Victoria for the last time. Day 253 - Friday 4th July 2008,Mallacoota (Victoria) to Tathra (NSW) We have left Victoria for the last time had lunch at Eden beach (alas scene of recent dad who killed himself and kids, there have been a few whilst we have been here! Sad!) then on via the Sapphire Coast Highway thru Merimbula (shopping in Woolies & port/ beer from Bottle shop) into Tathra. Staying in family park $28 am right on the beach went for a late walk after Annie had done the laundry (cheapest machines yet $2 a wash!).Met Guy in woolies who was v friendly and chatty, looking fwd to his weekend off. Memorable Sun & Scenery. Day 254 - Saturday 5th July 2008,Tathra 2 Batemans Bay Up showered, breakfasted and gone by 10.30am Saw Tathra old wharf, walked thru memorial gardens (dead golfers) watched dolphins from T,Head lookout point whilst chatting to Irene & Liz. Drove on thru Sapphire coast scenic routes to Bermagui, Tilba, Central Tilba, Camel Rock, Mystery Bay into Batemans point (which is v touristy) Staying on Top Tourist site Cost $26 Not the gr8-est site too cramped weather good again for 2nd day 18c.5 gallahs (pink & grey parrots), 1 roo, heard bell birds (clear as a doorbell), dolphins and may have seen a platypus plus scenery, bank of red wildflowers.Met Irene (Canadian from Montreal who met and married her ozzie husband , nurse, in Scotland and lived in Aberdeen, which she loved) and Liz (born in Bradford) Both residence of Tathra. Nice ladies, younger than us Chatted with them for over and hour whilst we watched the Dolphins playing in the bay.Remember Dolphins in Tathra bay, weather Day 255 - Sunday 6th July 2008,Bateman’s Bay(BB) to Shoalhaven Heads Up 9-ish very sunny again hit 19c 2day left site at about 10.30am BB is big drove thru the various beaches stopped for a walk thru the reserve onto Surfside, almost completely deserted. Then on thru tourist route 4 as listed below eventually joining the Grand pacific drive at Nowra and staying at Shoalhaven Heads campsite Top Tourist expensive $29 plus 20c coins for 3mins shower , 1st such in Oz bad news.Surfside beach BB, Basin View, St Georges Basin, Sanctuary Point, Jervis Bay Nat Park, Hyams beach (gr8) and Bouderee Nat park (although at $10 to travel 5k down gravel roads we declined and went to the visitors center instead). Met guy with blue ute opposite who had occupied our camping slot when we arrived (bad news!) quite pleasant worked out of Goulburn as a lorry driver delivering fridges. Annie and I reckoned he was at the campsite with his piece of fluff (well mutton dressed as scrag-end).So hot Keef back in shorts and Tshirt. Annie in skirt Pelicans and 2 brightly coloured Rosellas. Squeaky sand at Hyams Beach, officially one of the whitest sand beaches in the world. Just loved the oh-so-wonderful Hyams Beach in Jervis bay Nat park. Day 256 - Monday 7th July 2008,Grand Pacific Drive (GPD) Shoalhaven heads, Seven Mile Beach, Gerroa, Gerrigong, Werri Beach, Kiama & Blowhole (weak on the day as not big swell in sea or blowy) Shellharbour, Port Kembla yuckindustrial, steelworks etc) Wollongong (fairly big) Lunch at Bellambi, Bulli, Sea Cliff Bridge, Coalcliff, Bald Hill lookout, Otford lookoutthen into Sydney thru Royal National Park Couldn’t find a campsite, looked in Cronulla (southern suburbs) so stayed in motel at Sutherland. Nice to watch mindless TV (US cop junk!)CSI Mon thru Fri! Saw lots, although spectacular in places the GPD is no where near as good as the GOR, met guy swimming in outdoor pool at Shellharbour who wanted to take our piccie, cold or what. Brewery in Woolongong that couldn’t sell me bottles of ale as didn’t have a license, how bad is that. In the end didn’t get any as had to go to drive thru bottle shop. Day 257 - Tuesday 8th July 2008,Botany Bay & Blue Mountains, Camped at Katoomba Up and out from out Motel by 10 despite Asian cleaner knocking at 8.30 & 9.30 She got a cheery P**S O** from us. Then drove down to Botany Bay at Kurnell which is where James Cook first landed. V interesting. Then back out thru paradise ave and kingsway to Princes Hwy and Highway 6 (Heathcote rd) towards Penrith. Almost stuck with toll freeway M75 where only e-tags accepted i.e no cash Then thru Campbelltown to Penrith filled with fuel Now takes about $50 for ½ a tank. On M4 to Katoomba after nice lunch in Silver Spur (Steak chain) on outskirts of Penrith went to Echo point, great views of 3 Sisters, Jamison Valley, Solitary Mt, Orphan Rock, Katoomba falls and a few Cockatoos last 4 from Reids Plateau which was opposite our campsite Walked up there late in the eve. Saw lots but the oh so wonderful Blue Mts. Sunny in Sydney, v cold at Blue Mts 4c at 7pm and biting winds. Met Ozzie couple with 2 daughters who took our piccie at Reids plateau, Blue Mts.Some real angry unfounded grief from 2 aussie drivers cos I was doing the speed limit on single lane and they couldn’t get past (didn’t really understand what else I could do) apart from accept them as arrogant b’stards. Day 258 - Wednesday 9th July 2008,Katoomba to Lithgow taking in Blue Mtns & Jenolan Caves Real cold night Left by 10 sunny so went over the road to see 3 Sisters, Orphan etc in sunlight What a difference from y’day then onto Blackheath and a different view of the Blue Mtns from first Evans Lookout then Govetts Leap Lookout, then on thru Mt Victoria (high), Hartley, Hampton and Jenolan Caves Got out about 4.30 and drove to Lithgow where we camped ($25) Started about 10c ended about 1c we need head north quick.3 gr8 views of the Blue Mts from Katoomba falls, Evans lookout & Govetts leap lookout. Plus Bridal Veil falls and the Pulpit then Imperial Cave tour ($40 with discount) at Jenolan Caves Parked alas in 3rd car park so 30min walk down (steep) luckily got a lift back up as Keef’s knee hurting by then (even after taking pain killers).Met guide for cave drop at Jenolan who gave us a lift back up at the end of the day. Amazing SNOW in Oz as we drove back up from Jenolan caves about 4.30pm The guy at the caves said Katoomba had had 2cms and in Lithgow campsite the lady said they had had some in the morning Day 259 - Thursday 10th July 2008,Lithgow 2 Narabeen, Sydney North Shore & FRENCHS FOREST Left by 11 after kerfuffle with gas cylinder Got petrol, asked to pay for 2 lots I said no Very cold again overnight (poss 2c) way better by the time we got to Sydney Long drive thru suburbs Not too bad apart from once getting lost on Pennant Hills Rd (HW7) After Lithgow, Bell, Mt Tomah (gr8 scenery thru Gr8 dividing range) Bells Line of Rd, Kurrajong Heights (gr8 long distance view of Sydney CBD) and Wollemi Nat Park then Richmond, Windsor (now suburbs of Sydney in our opinion) into Baulkham Hills shire then Chatswood, FF , Dee Why, Colloroy and camped at Big 4 Narabeen lakes campsite (20% discount winter, normally $45, expensive but good) May stay here when we come back to Sydney at the end. Saw about 150 km of gr8 scenery and fruit trees, apple pie a speciality, plus where Annie used to live and work. Met guy at Lithgow campsite who sorted out the gas container, $10 for ½ tank. Nice lady from Tassie (Cygnet) at Sydney campsite. Loved taking Annie back to where she lived and went to school for 4 years-ish in French’s Forest. Fish & Chips at Dee Why beach. Pics of Myers (ex Grace Bros, 49-51 Albert St, Chatswood) 148 FF Rd West and High School. Day 260 - Friday 11th July 2008,Sydney Narabeen Lakes to Anna Bay Port Stephens Left by 10 Did dump station (luvly NOT!) the to Pittwater/ Palm Beach/ Whale Beach (superb) drove back thru Sydney suberbs to Pymble (not 2 bad) then up Hwy1 to Nat Hwy 1 and lots of motorway (or equivalent ) Got off at Gosford (nice harbour) where we filled up with petrol and ate at our 1st Red Rooster (not bad) Drove around Tuggerah lakes inlet, the entrance, Norah head etc Really really nice, saw lots and met lots of Pelicans being fed at the Entrance Oh and some gr8 houses at both Palm Beach and Norah Head. Remember DVD from campsite that was reg 4 so couldn’t watch on laptop, watched laughably bad early 70s Leslie Nielsen movie instead (Power Kill). Day 261 - Saturday 12th July 2008,Port Stephens peninsular Had a cooked brekkie went to see Nelson Bay , Anna Bay and Stockton sandunes (Port Stephens area , gr8) then lots of driving up Pacific Hwy via Taree to Edgewater Holiday park ($24) in Port Macquarie where we stayed the night.Saw lots of motorway.Met a guy who ran out of fuel in front of us in Taree ‘almost made it to the servo’ Horrid Russian at Top Tourist park in Port Macquarie who off handedly said she had no slots. F1 powerboat championship in town this w/end. Remember getting hot, 20c Had picnic lunch in lay by on Hwy1. Loved Anna bay. Day 262 - Sunday 13th July 2008,Port Macquarie Brilliant warm sunny day,we are supposedly now in spring About 21c Spent another night in PM Gr8 place left campsite at about 10.20am Went along to the Koala Hospital. Saw cuddlies, Beaches and tropical plants plus 2 rabbits outside our van at Top Tourist site ($26).Met ex Airline pilot who worked as a volunteer at the Koala Hospital Most informative V sad stories about Billy, Birthday girl and a few other Koalas. Remember Beaches of Port Macquarie (7 of them) plus getting table and chairs out for 1st time in 6 weeks. Sat outside and on Flynn beach. Even got some minor sunburn. Day 263 - Monday 14th July 2008,Port Macquarie 2 Kempsey Left site at 9.45 am and drove off up Oxley Hwy to Billabong wildlife park Ace place Initially sunny then cold then sunny then rain, weird day After lunch in town shopped at Coles on the outskirts then drove to Kempsey (45k) and stayed in not so gr8 site (K Tourist Village) $25 Limited T as still full from lunch.See the many piccies but it was a gr8 wildlife day Oz has so many unique and interesting animals. Remember all the animals but especially the baby joey and Clancy oh and a huge lunch in town in the pancake house Day 264 - Tuesday 15th July 2008,Kempsey to South West Rocks via Tourist route 12 Very relaxing day. Tried recording kookaburra vocals at Kempsey Tourist Village camp site but they would not oblige. Left site at 10.30am went 5km up Pacific Hwy 1 to Fredericton (Fredo) and bought some of their world famous (?) pies, v good Had Buffalo, Beef & Burgundy, Chicken-Chilli-Honey, and 2 lemon meringue pies They also do emu,croc, roo etc may call in again on way back v good then returned to outskirts of Kempsey to get tourist route 12 to Crescent head the longest right hand break in the world, ideal for Malibu longboardssee surfer dudes that we are. Spent quite a few hours here paddling and chillin on the beach Really hot morning 23c with winds developing afternoon. Left here about 4pm and drove alongside river to Southwest rocks where we are staying for 2 days in Top Tourist park overlooking the McLeay River, fish jumping everywhere. Saw Gr8 surf beach, good waves, nice scenery alongside river drive. Loved Ozzie pie fanatics at Fredo’s pies oh and 2 Marilyn Munroes. Met Clancy, Stu the park guide, Eddy the dingo. Remember "Matthew tonight I will be.." plus sent next Newsletter to everyone Belvoir tried to closed down the case. Not having it! Day 265 - Wednesday 16th July 2008,South West Rocks Spent all day at the campsite (TT) relaxing reading and doing washing Initially sat out after cooked brekkie but then found it too cold so came in. Tried to get a DVD but region 4 did spaghetti & beef mince sauce for T with our favourite Mainland Creamy Blue & Tawny Port.Saw the river and @ sunset.Met no one apart from all the fisherman at the site. Reading ah what a luxury Annie did email to Brian & Gina BLOODY HELL Insel Fehman hotel in Samoa have billed us thru Visa 8 MONTHS LATE (thought we’d got away with that one for £85). Day 266 - Thursday 17th July 2008,South West Rocks to Nambucca Heads Changed loo (as Annie said ENJOY!) left campsite Went down to see SWR beaches There are 4 of them but the small surfing one is in our humble opinion the best Then onto Trial Bay gaol (named after the brig Trial which was stolen and sank) Then Arakoon and Gap beaches down to Smoky Cape Lighthouse (named by JC) then tourist route 14 thru Stuarts point/Grassy head/Scotts Head (all in yarrabini NP) – not as good as tourist route 12 although all beaches good Then onto Nambucca Heads Gr8 views from JC lookout and arrived campsite about 3 (having bought a load of booze from Liquor store in town) Had salad lunch outside on table and chairs, v sunny but soon dipped below hills was 23c 2day and after y’day a gr8 day weather-wise.Saw 2 Captain Cook Lookouts with ace views One at Smoky Cape Lighthouse and the other at Nambucca Heads.Remember Salad outside Buying local produce (Avoes & kiwi fruitavacados were 25p each) plus finding out what the red deciduous tree we like is.Coral (Erythina) Tree Day 267 - Friday 18th July 2008,Nambucca Heads 2 Darlington Beach Nice and sunny all day, drove not too far up past Coffs Harbour to Darlington beach big 4 campsite Initially staying for 2 days Nice site $35 a night.Saw various beaches, Sawtell, Bongil Bongil Nat park (but no Koalas), lots of roos, Coffs Harbour, The big banana (yuck!) and Darlington beach site,met couple from Crescent Head,terry (shop keeper) and his wife (nurse) chatted for quite a while they invited us over for a beer, we declined as had none to offer in return. Remember reading and lots of hot sunshine and amazing tropical plants. Day 268 - Saturday 19th July 2008,Darlington Beach campsite Gr8 day 2 showers superb weather and a gr8 meal in the eve at the campsites restaurant. Started with brekkie outside in the sun, melon: croissants and real coffee then ALL DAY reading round the pool with the occasional dip to cool off V hot and sunny 24c got sun burnt a bit, even tho used loads of sunblock! loved the pool & the sun.Met lady in restaurant who told us about a liqueur Madeira coffee.Finished CRISIS by Robin Cook (Keef) Started triple Agatha Christie (Annie) Oh meal cost $114 included 3 courses, bottle of sav blanc and 2 beers and 2 liqueur coffeesgarlic Turkish bread , Seafood basket (A), Steak (K), lemon & lime cheesecake (A) Macadamia/ Mango pie (K) Day 269 - Sunday 20th July 2008,Darlington Beach campsite Not as gr8 a day as y’day but still pretty warm in places 20c Sat out reading after going for 2k walk on Corindi beach, fun. Flora & fauna plus gr8 beach, tried some dumb japanese-type photos to prove we are younger than we are, alas failed with the jumpshots! Met again the 2 aussies terry (supermarket mgr) and his wife (nurse) from Crescent Head who work in Kempsey and were on hols here for 4 days, very pleasant. Talked to Doug via voicecall over i/net very clear and fast. Day 270 - Monday 21st July 2008,Darlington Beach Campsite Got up about 10, dirty stop in beds but we were up late last night on roo watch. Our friendly ma, pa and joey returned again 2night for the 3rd day running our campervan pitch must be their site Anyhow had cooked brekkie then went for a walk on Corindi beach again V sunny and hot 23c but windy then back Did some washing and went swimming and in the spa and read round pool. Most relaxing Had veal & veggies with Avo starter (50c) and cheese & bikkies pud with Rum & Bundaberg (A)VB bitter (K) to wash it down, gr8 day Shame we have to leave 2moro.Gr8 beach here named corindi beach. Met couple in Spa from near Gosford who were on hols. Remember Roos at our door! Day 271 - Tuesday 22nd July 2008,Darlington Beach to Ballina via Grafton, Casino, Lismore to Ballina Sunny when we left campsite (sadly) after 4 days, really enjoyed it there. Cold and overcast when we arrived in Ballina, saw lots of farm land, a few beaches and some older style towns. Met Ozzie from Coffs harbour who was working in Tweed Heads and motelling it in Shelly Beach Ballina. I’d stopped him to ask about the strange ‘bread fruit’ style palm he didn’t know what it was but we had a long chat about places we had each been to, especially in NZ. Remember Avo trees.Loo water running out Refilled in Lismore after sussing what was needed. Day 272 - Wednesday 23rd July 2008,Ballina to Tweed Heads Out by 10, grayish , wet and windy day went along the tourist roads (mostly) apart from Pacific Hwy (1) when we had no choice ending at Family park in Tweed Head just over the bridge Expensive for what it is ($33 but hey it’s a touristy area).Saw Lennox Head, Suffolk Park, Byron Bay incl Lighthouse (posh houses or what), Cape Byron, Brunswick Heads, Pottsville, Hastings Point, Kingscliff (v up and coming retirement / seaside area) into South Tweed Heads and cinema to see mamma mia (ace) and shopping at Coles. Enjoyed Hastings point waves, immense plus bought 3 new reading books,post mortem & blind faith by Ben Elton and the quest by Wilbur Smith Final stay Day 310-326, See Queensland for 310 & Singapore for 326 Day 273 - Thursday 24th July 2008,Tweed Heads 2 Labrador, Gold Coast Awful weather rained all night & day, hard so cut our loses and went to Harbour Town shopping mall for some retail therapy (bought boys & Phoenix stuff from Rip Curl) oh and went to Reading Cinemas to see X-files movie (ace) Staying at Treasure Island park Big4 Biggera Waters. Much movies & rain.$35 per night for Big4 site and we are in for 2 nights (forgot to get our deposit back, DOH!) Day 274 - Friday 25th July 2008,Treasure Island campsite Biggera Waters Nr Surfers Paradise Wet all night Dried up in the morning some sun and some overcast Decided to stay in did the washing DVD for Mum etc Reading, Chillin etc etc Off to Surfers 2moro Sorted out trip to see Peter B& family,Sun came out again hoorah, saw the campsite, Harbour town mall and Woolies Day 275 - Saturday 26th July 2008,Surfers Paradise (SP) Gr8 weather Left Biggera waters after 2 days Forgot to collect our $20 deposit, blast! Did loo stuff etc went to SP via Southport and had a choc milkshake in HRC 18c sunny Camping at Aspley (North Brisbane) for 2 days as near the Birtles home in Warner. OK site nothing grand but also convenient for train at Zillmere. Main Beach, Burleigh Heads, Miami, Isle of Capri, high rises etc. Met Surfer dudes and guy in Hard Rock Cafe (HRC). Remember HRC Tshirt the only one in Australasia but guy said those in Sydney & Melbourne were due to reopen in 2009. Police had cordoned off the bank area in Aspley as some foolish hoods had tried to dynamite it,they used too much explosive and in the end got away with nought but one guy almost blew his leg off police lorry had metal ATM on it! Day 276 - Sunday 27th July 2008,Brisbane Sunny to start with Visited Peter & Lorraine Birtles and their kids Alex (12) & Victoria (16)(daughter out) and had a very nice BBQ and chat They bought their land 8 years ago and built their house and pool Plus have beach house at St Agnes nr 1770 in QLD Had a gr8 chat really like them left about 3 having arrived at 1130 on the dot went to ATM nearby first Then came back to the campsite having first checked out Zillmere station b4 our trip into CBD 2moro Got table and chairs out and read in hot sunshine for about 1hr 20c 2day although lunch on Peters veranda was in the shade, liked Warner where they live is very out in the bush, liked seeing peter again. Day 277 - Monday 28th July 2008,Brisbane Up at 7.30am (wow!) Overcast Drove down to Zillmere station on City Rail and caught the train into Central Brisbane, spent the day in town Got Cheap off-peak tickets Zone 3 ($4.80 each, good value considering it was 25mins and 12 stops in – way easier than driving) Got off at Central station and crossed over to Anzac Sq (Ann St) and bought 2 all day Hopon Hopoff tourist bus tickets ($50 for 2) Great way to see the city 1 ½ hour trip went round once fully then got off at stop 4 Riverside Had lunch in Jade Buddha then hopped on the City Cat and went down river Brisbane and across to South Bank Had a nice stroll along here Sun came out but brisk wind made it v chilly Guy on bus said constant temp in B 21-29c, not true way colder than that with wind Eventually re-boarded bus at Gray St SS and back to stop 19 Central station Returned to Zillmere and drove out of B to Sunshine coast past Steve Irwin Way to Caloundra Finally got in at 4th site after Annie (thankfully) rang ahead Why was it so busy no-one could say and apparently not cos its nearest to Australia Zoo, saw City Beach with lifeguards Weird. Gr8 views from both Mt Coot-tha lookout and Bougainvillea way, met helpful lady at restaurant. Complained about Annies teriyaki chicken (all grissle) Got new meal (gr8 chicken) free plus 2 flat white so good value lunch, must try it again (not really!) Took loads of pictures, bloody tourist! Day 278 - Tuesday 29th July 2008,Steve Irwin’s (SI) Australia Zoo Beerwah Gr8 day at the zoofed elephants which we haven’t done b4 oh and a whole stack more see the pictures and video Full day , left after 4,15 and went to see the glass house mtns briefly named by our hero JC, saw loads esp animals of all sorts, baby tassie devil on lead (help), met Steve Irwin impersonator Michael, and Monty & Weipa the crocs Day 279 - Wednesday 30th July 2008,Caloundra to Maryborough Hot day again, 23c sunny, bit of driving Went to see beaches at Caloundra, filled up with fuel and then set off to Maryborough, tried ringing on route to book site but phone lost signal No worries as space when we arrived and nice helpful guy who told us about market , buildings, steam train etc etc to see in Maryborough $22. Saw Ettamogah pub, big pineapple, buderim ginger , nutworks, met a few folk.Remember ginger & cinnamon bliss ice cream, possibly the BEST ice-cream ever! Plus 1kg of hickory macadamia nuts for $23 gr8 value plus we tried all flavours until keef told off by lady for not using the tongs (naughty) Day 280 - Thursday 31st July 2008,Maryborough to Bundaberg Yet another hot day, 26c spent whole morning in Maryborough Lots to do, nice town and way better than Lonely planet made out Then went to Hervey bay (we will be back for whale watching when they arrive) Shelly & Torquay beaches plus marina then onto Bundeburg via Childers on the Bruce Hwy Stopped in Big 4 campsite $27 with discount Nice quiet tropical site A did washing We had spam, couscous and sweetcorn 4 T with passion fruit yoghurt and dark fruit cake for afters,saw lots.Mary river, Mary Poppins, old houses and store.MB is GOOD! Then Fraser island from Hervey bay, mud crabbing, pineapples, sugar cane. Market in town bought stuff including pineapple ($1.50), met Mary Poppins, PL Travers,had no idea she was from QLD, lived most of her life in London , remember Sun, sun and more sun, MB and Brockwurst in market. Annie remembering Childers pub with swing cowboy doors Childers was only a one pub township 40+ years ago, now big Day 281 - Friday 1st August 2008,Bundaberg to Benaraby (just below Gladstone) Another v hot and sunny day About 28c and we both had heat stroke headaches (alas) drinking lots more water which should help Visited Bundaberg Rum & Bundaberg Drinks Ltd (home of the ginger beer) Bought Doug a shirt (hope he likes it) plus 6 assorted drinks. Not interested in the Rum place although it had a nice old QLD building Then visited Agnes Water and 1770 then onto Benaraby. camping Big 4 empty $29 Had a 30min wait standstill on Bruce Hwy just outside Benaraby as road train off road and overturned Apparently happened 2 days ago and they were taking load off as couldn’t upright it.Used public dump station in Bundaberg then did tourist stuff in Bundaberg Cook 1770 (only a Lieutenant then), met lady from Abingdon in Bundaberg Rum Ltd who had been in Oz for 21 years (still no accent tho), saw Lorry overturned. Lizard on road (large) and lots of roos at 1770 Day 282 - Saturday 2nd August 2008,Benaraby to Mackay via Rockhampton Another hot day 24-26c tried out the aircon for the first time in the vans cab, cool! Had a nice walk around Rockhampton, nice place then lots of driving in heat, guess 350-ish k 2day arrived at site in Mackay but couldn’t get a power site so ended up on yucky site, tourist village Luckily only one night, saw Tropic of Capricorn (TOC), somewhat over touristy Annie said was much understated back 40 years, met 2 students taking photos in Rockhampton, enjoyed Crossing the TOC Day 283 - Sunday 3rd August 2008,Mackay to Airlie Beach (Whitsunday shire) Another hot sunny day, 26c left site at 9-ish horrid site pleased to go. Went and saw Mackay marina, beach and drove on breakwater Then saw 5 of the 31 beaches it boast Some were v v good and we went for a paddle on 2 saw some very interesting tropical plants see piccies Then onto Proserpine for lunch and into Big 4 Airlie cove site for 3 nights Expensive at $39 per night and not as good as Darlington Beach site. Did go for a swim (cold) and read books in sunshine from about 4pm Get dark slightly later this high up. Remember the beaches around Mackay ace after thinking Mackay wasn’t all that much i.e quite industrial, how wrong we were. Day 284 - Monday 4th August 2008,Airlie Cove Campsite Spent all day on site and boy was it relaxinggenerally chillin reading books, mags and listening to musicoh and we booked a day trip to Daydream island on the Whitsunday isles 2moro.4ft+ female goanna just next to our campervan plus mountains sunshine and lots of big green ants that we think bite, but not sure. Met nosey Germans in next campervan. Loved seeing the goanna at close quarters plus our pair of friendly bush turkeys Day 285 - Tuesday 5th August 2008,Daydream Island, Whitsundays The most wonderfully romantic place and day,no more to say See the piccies lots of them Idyllic plus whole day cost about $200, Oh so much, see the piccies, met bloke with ozzie wife from Hull who ran a restaurant in Penrith Sydney called the ‘Major Oak’ he had obviously been in showbiz as introduced a whole stack of 50s ‘names’ His wife drank green cocktails, loved Everything..gr8 trip, gr8 weather, gr8 lunch, gr8 company, gr8 swimming, gr8 fish ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Day 286 - Wednesday 6th August 2008,Airlie Beach, Whitsundays to Townsville Up early 7-ish washed and ‘decamped’ by 8.45 a record Did the dunny then drove down to Shute Harbour (nice) and onto Bowen rejoining Bruce Hwy 13k on from Proserpine Visited Bowen, interesting place but not gr8 beaches, then thru Home Hill, Ayr to Townsville.Saw the big mango @ Bowen and the 2nd naff thing in one day the big Brolga @ Townsville Tourist Info (TI). Met no one in particular apart from our ozzie pal with grey hair and outback beard who seems to be following us around (mackay, airlie beach plus asked us about trip to daydream whilst supping his alcopop from his cooler and now he "reckoned" townsville) , bought a Baz Lehrmann T-shirt in Bowen from the Australia movie. Remember Mango ice-cream Buying fresh fruit and veg produce at Bowen plus making a lamb rogan josh that will probably last for 3 meals.oh and gr8 views from Flagstaff Hill lookout at Bowen. Day 287 - Thursday 7th August 2008,Townsville & Magnetic Island Up about 8, gr8 sunny day again 28c and hot sun Drove down into Townsville along Ingham Road (9) to Castle Hill Lookout, v steep and windy but oh what views of TV and MI then back down into the strand (water front) parked up van all day $5 then caught sunferries ferry to MI 11.30am trip $29 each plus all day bus pass on MI cost $6.20 each so a gr8 cheap day out on a Barrier Reef island (honeymooners go here, although v different to Daydream island) Back on 4.25 boat and back to Westwood campsite 12 k north of Townsville. Saw (All on Magnetic Island):Nelly Bay, Arcadia, Gregory bay, Horseshoe bay, Picnic bay,the last was the best Paddled here, walked the length of the beach and read in the sun whilst watching flying fish (silvery) and a guy snorkeling with a harpoon and float with fish capture box attached. Met drunk ozzies, bad news, remember drunk ozzie and I mean drunk driving mokes and scooters, bad news plus keef driving like an ozzie and overtaking and turning on the inside, better not do that in the UK!!! Day 288 - Friday 8th August 2008,Townsville to Rollingstone via Saunders Beach Up about 8.30am Breakfasted and left site by 10 having pre booked 3 nights at the Big 4 Rollingstone beach site about 60k further up the Bruce Hwy towards Cairns Drove to the strand, walked along the beach front to the pool and had a nice swim Then retail therapy and off for lunch at the very nice Saunders beach Then onto our campsite and yet another swim V hot and sunny again 2day 28c, saw sea water pool @ townsville, the strand, river, botanic gardens and a great fabric shop (spotlight where Annie became a VIP member). Met danish? family that we last saw at Darlington Beach with teenage daughter and very young son. Day 289 - Saturday 9th August 2008, Rollingstone Day spent chillin Not a good night sleep wise for Keef, had nice brekkie of croissants and sat outside reading / listening to music with the table and chairs near the lagoon next to our van Alas this was after we’d been for a walk on the beach and done the washing ($3) and seen sign the signs about crocs We are well and truly in salty territory After reading and great smoked salmon salad lunch we chilled by the pool The pool here is ace It’s a RESORT and probably 2nd to Darlington Beach, saw Croc sign/ beach/ pool, met Germans, French oh and the odd ozzie plus ice-cream lady ringing her bell round the site selling prawns and fresh fish (mangrove snapper & reef fish), little budgie outside our van was fun in the eve. Day 290 - Sunday 10th August 2008,Rollingstone Whole day chillin and v nice it was to. Up late 9.30-ish had brekkie and read paper all about Olympics Then over to the pool and a dip followed by more chillin hard work but hey someone’s gotta do it 28c hot and sunny with pleasant wind off the sea. No crocs today! (or any other for that matter but sign at campsite a warning) Rang and booked 1 day Fishery falls (Cairns) and 3 days Cairns Crystal sites.Saw the pool, the sea and sun,lots of sand flies that seem to like Annie but not Keef (hooray!). Salad, listening to Led Zeppelin & CSN (&Y) on ipod, heard guy at the pool cheer cos ozzies had got their 1st gold in the swimming pool (beijing Olympics) Day 291 - Monday 11th August 2008,Rollingstone to Fishery Falls Left about 10 after being the dunny man. Poor Annie very badly bitten by sand flies so lots of tea tree cream used to soothe. Drove up coast 320k with a few detours All in all a very nice day Stayed at FF campsite where we stayed 13 years ago Very much changed, new pool but winner of best gardens V Tropical, saw Cardwell, Hinchinbrook island, Tam O’Shanter NP, Mission Beach, Dunk island, Innisfail, Tropical fruit winery at Murdering Point, met lady in Winery, v nice let us try the lot plus nutty guy who sold us the bananas ($1 for 1 kg, $2 for papaya (big)) who spoke with a plumy British accent who said “my mother was taken up the Khyber Pass by a British army officer” too much info really, hard to get away from him. Remember seeing all the gr8 islands and having a drink in the Fishery Falls pub and watching Tom Daley in sync diving on Ch7 Olympics big screen Day 292 - Tuesday 12th August 2008,Fishery Falls to Cairns Slightly overcast day today but muggier First since we have been in the Wet Tropics Left FF by 10 Drove to Gordonvale, 1st place we visited 13 years ago as needed bank (aboriginal guy with budgie on his shoulder) Not changed that much but bigger square than we remember and huge Sugarcane processing factory Then on into Cairns walked along the board walk, into harbour, past new lagoon , nice new boardwalk and off up Spense st to Hogs Breath Cafe (HBC) then down Grafton back to Esplanade and our Campervan Arrived at campsite – crystal cascade about 3pm read and chilled oh and drank copious amounts of Passion fruit wine (yummy) from Murdering Point winery. Tourist Info(TI) , Board walk, The Pier, Lots of high rise hotels and apartments (cairns is now a big city), CBD, Cafes & Bars, Fruit bats and some sun only 26c 2day Westpac to get out some dosh plus filled up with fuel So much cheaper in QLD with Coles/woolies 4c off voucher about $1.63 a litre,met Irish waitress in HBC, ranjit the crooner (we didn’t go but heard him) aweful,apparently had played with Glen Campbell, Helen Reddy & Barry Manilow - really! Went to Hogs Breathe café (HBC) for lunch V good and value wise also 2 beef wraps with hickory sauce, HBC curly fries & salad, followed by Mud pie/date pud and washed down with beer/ fruit juice All $60 (i.e £30) Nice Campsite v tropical , some new plants we haven’t seen before Day 293 - Wednesday 13th August 2008,Crystal Cascades Campsite, Cairns Up late, cooked brekkie then off to Kuranda for the day. Very good day, sunny again although some strong winds. Barron Gorge NP & Falls, Surprise Creek Falls, Lake Placid, Gr8 tropical plants, Cannonball tree, Butterflies especially Ulysses Blue,met no one in particular Annoying UK couple next door with 3 kids and one crying baby. Loved the sweet perfume smell of the plants of the Cannonball tree. Seeing Kuranda again Aussie Butterfly Sanctuary Day 294 - Thursday 14th August 2008,Crystal Cascades Campsite, Cairns A day of 2halves. Spent morning at site doing washing, reading, getting sunburnt (K) and then after a dinner of lemon pepper tuna salad wraps and mini bananas washed down with ginger cordial we went off on an expedition to see Lake Morris and the Copper load falls dam 16k thru the Isley Hills wet Tropics up very windy hilly roads not ideal for a 6.6m campervan but what a view.Some gr8 views of Cairns & the Wet Tropical Forest up Lake Morris rd,Ozzie drinkers at Rednault.girl in IGA said there were 300 males in the pub, must have been pint and sausage eve cheap, Dark Equador magnum ice creams at lake Morris, exchanging 10 books in Cairns ($20) for 4not a gr8 deal but we can’t carry them Day 295 - Friday 15th August 2008,Glengarry Holiday Park, Port Douglas Left Cairns about 10.30 Went and visited various beaches on the way up to Port Douglas (PD) and the AJ Hackett bungee jumping Then along coastal road, ace views past Rex Lookout and Hartley’s creek crocodile farm (v different from 13 years ago) to Port Douglas Aim to stay here 4 days and see Daintree, Mossman, Cape Trib & PD itself,Trinity beach, Yorkeys knob (much built up after 13 years), Clifton Beach (good) & Palm Cove (posh & expensive, similar to Noosa Heads),Very clammy and overcast for much of the day. Gr8 views along coastal road, similar to Great Ocean Road & Big Sur (US) Day 296 - Saturday 16th August 2008,Did lunch in Port Douglas Up about 9 washed did the dunny stuff etc on the van and then drove into Port Douglas. Hot & Humid 28c and 48% humidity no wind Parked up along the front WOW has PD ever changed in 13 years It is now a massive thriving tourist metropolis with resorts everywhere A shame really walked up main street then had lunch. Flagstaff Hill Lookout, 4 mile beach, Marina, Wharf, Church Shops, restaurants & resorts, met French waiter who told me ‘le red emerald feesh is orf’ so had to have Gold Based Snapper in Thai tamarind curry with macadamias Annie had Tempura reef fish with spiced coconut sauce and garlic mayo. 2 drinks, Ace meal and posh sea front restaurant $67 not bad and brits in next campsite from Yorkshire who had emigrated 2 ½ years ago Victorians escaping the winter, Gr8 meal Gr8 weather loved 4 mile beach. Day 297 - Sunday 17th August 2008,Cape Tribulation Named by Mr. JC again we had a wonderful day on Cape Trib See the pictures lots of them Not quite as hot and sultry as the previous day Indeed we shut the windows on the campervan at 11pm and turned off the aircon. Mossman, Cape Trib, Daintree River, Wonga Beach. met Solomon Islander (drunk) at ferry crossing at Daintree on the way back Claimed to be descended from a sugarcane plantation slave, loved all the lovely beaches and rainforest Day 298 - Monday 18th August 2008,Daintree Overcast and not so muggy. 25c went back to Daintree river x-ing to do a 1 ½ hour trip on the River train, gr8 fun Then onto Daintree town (not burnt down as far as we could see) not much there though Then back thru Mossman , down towards gorge, stopped as Aboriginal community area and back to site to read Did some shopping in Mossman Woolies,saw Crocs, lots 4 females 1 juvenile and Scarface, king of the patch 52 yrs old and the one we saw last time, met guides on boat, Japanese doing photo salutes Female Aboriginal drunk in road back to their ‘ghetto’ just outside Mossman (sad), salty crocodiles, tree snake, brahma cows Day 299 - Tuesday 19th August 2008,Port Douglas 2 Cooktown Up, showered and gone by 9.30. Started muggy and overcast, then got v hot & sunny, then real tropical winds whilst ascending some of the mountains and at campsite in Cooktown. Good journey arrived at about 1.30am This is as far north as we can go in QLD The rest is gravel road and mostly shut in wet season up to Weipa on the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York and the Torres Straits Islands, 150k south of Papua New Guinea ,saw bush lots of it and much burnt plus a yellow sunbird at site in Port Douglas. remember wind that rocked the campervan,wax gum/ palm fruit,said goodbye to Swiss guy (he and his wife been in Oz 22years, sold up in Brisbane, been traveling 18 months and now having a house built on the coast nr Childers) plus UK guy from Yorkshire been in Oz 2 ½ years Day 300 - Wednesday 20th August 2008,Cooktown Drizzly and windy day but at least it now doesn’t get dark until 6.30pm (prev 5pm) Wind so strong overnight it shook the c’van. Went into Cooktown for the day, nice time with lunch at the bakery and a bit of shopping in the IGA,James Cook (JC) Museum, JC Statues / Plaques (3 in total) Monument, Statue of the gr8 man and cairn where he beached the HMS Endeavour for repairs after holing on the reef off Cooktown, met old guy in campervan behind who suggested beach & museum (we will go 2moro) and Fisho man. Now been away 300 days plus Annie did the washing and it dried in the rain, honest the wind was so strong! Guy at reception said this is typical Cooktown weather (Hmmm it says they have 7hrs of sunshine a day). Not long after we were back a brit was eaten by a salty when he was mud crabbing in the Endeavour river, the warninsg are everywhere, poor foolish soul. Day 301 - Thursday 21st August 2008,Cooktown Lazy day really, little hotter and mixed sunny / overcast but NO rain 26c went up Grassy hill (Cooks lookout) about 2/3rd then dirt track Went to Finch Bay (nice) Botanic Gardens, Bakery (pie and banana cakenot as good as Nadi Airport) then back to site for lunch Then off as far as the tar sealed road would take us north of Cooktown, about 22k past Marton and beyond Endeavour River crossing ,loved all of this + Cooktown airport (sweet) lots of tropical plants plus the lovely smell of Bush Mrytle + termite hills saw 6 roos at Botanic gardens and 1 in the wild near Marton (presumably named by JC after area of Middlesborough, his hometown), Annie made fresh lemon from bush lemons loved campsite mangoes Day 302 - Friday 22nd August 2008,Cooktown 2 Atherton Didn’t sleep so well, far too hot Up at 7.15 and showered etc and ready to go by 8.50am Went back thru Blackrock Mts to Lakeland where took photos of development road up to top Cape York (dirt track alas) and flocks of noisy white cockatoos Then onto Mareeba and Atherton. High roo count 2day plus one light brown dingo after roadkill. He was a little too fast to photo Did about 350 k and got to Atherton by 3.15pm including shopping, fuel and post office (sent 2 DVDs to Mum) Hot humid and overcast in Cooktown (blowy as always) but cooler in Atherton,Coffee world, roos on golf course at Mareeba, red rooster dinner, lovely tropical hut for BBQ by pool at campsite in Atherton, met guy on golf course at Mareeba popped up again 3 caravans down at our site in Atherton,hoots.’take a picture of you taking a picture of the tourists taking a picture of the roos on the golf course’, loved Roos on golf course Day 303 - Saturday 23rd August 2008,Atherton 2 Charters Towers Up at 7am (and it’s a hols, my life!) left by 8.30am Drove initially up over hills & rainforests of Gr8 Dividing range and past QLDs highest Town then via Kennedy Development road Hwy1 (single track tar mostly on top of wide gravel road) thru to the Lynd Junction on HWY40. HWY1 split at savannah way then onto Normanton & then onto NTs (the road round oz) so slightly less busy for us on what is called the Gregory Developmental rd We were well and truly in outback QLD Went thru (and stopped at for lunch and ice-cream respectively) Greenvale Road house and Bluewater springs roadhouse Got to Charters Towers at about 4-ish had driven 550+k today and reasonably warm Stayed at Big 4 site went to Drive in movie in eve Only 1 of 6 now left in QLD.Saw cattle droving, road trains, miles of outback roads, kids and adults in backs of utes with duvets, pillows watching drive in movies,Poirot, Hastings and the Big 4, got cracked windscreen from stone from road train, best loo paper in our whole trip oh and our 1st drive in movie saw double bill of Kung Fu panda and The Incredible Hulk Had fish & chips, wine, beer, rum and coke sweets galore Gr8 eve and all for £3.75 each WOW and the stars Day 304 - Sunday 24th August 2008,Charters Towers Up late, warm day but not humid Had bacon sandwiches Visited lookout walked town center Annie had done washing and alas broke big toe nail V painful Went to Charters Towers hospital to ‘have it sorted’ stayed 2 night in CT campsite to cut down the daily drivingCharters Towers Lovely old buildings At the goldrush had its own stock exchange 30k people and called itself the WORLD no need to go anywhere else for anything else, saw nutter cowboy / dangerous if you ask us Must have been the town loony, ugh Annie had to go to Charters Towers Hospital to have her busted big toe nail cut off Day 305 - Monday 25th August 2008,Charters Towers to Emerald Up at 7 Travelled over 500k 2day mostly on the Gregory Development road which apart from 20k was all normal 2 lane road if a little bumpy in places Not much township wise on the road Went thru Belyando Crossing roadhouse, Clermont (Blair Athol) both mining , Capilla into Emerald (both sunflower production seeds and oil) Interesting trip Staying in Top Tourist Lake Maraboon site ($27),Dried up rivers, brahma cows, brolgas , cotton fields, sunflower paintings, boab trees and at the campsite the friendliest rainbow lorikeets and Major Mitchell cockatoos, met camp site owners (gay couple) who did the evening sing song, note we did NOT attend but heard it,Hmmm, remember with fondness Annie feeding the lorikeets 2 Brolgas flying past our windscreen (close) Day 306 - Tuesday 26th August 2008,Emerald Gem Fields Left site at 10-ish having tried to coax the Lorikeets out with some melon, alas it didn’t work V Hot and sunny day 2day 25c Went to Emerald for a look around the Cattle market (fun), station, 2 fabric shops, bought some Koala buttons, Botanic gardens (not so hot) then shopping in Woolies (£10 for 50 glucosulphamine tablets, 4 times UK price) then drove onto Anarkie (yep pronounced that way) and Sapphire – did fossicking at Pats Gems gr8 fun found 13 sapphires which we keep for $8 bucket of WASH.saw loads see piccies, claim sites at Sapphire amusing,met cowboys at steers sale (emerald peak downs municipal sales yard) , all v friendly. We have now been away 10 months, loved finding 13 sapphires Day 307 - Wednesday 27th August 2008,Willows Gem Fields Up late, had cooked brekkie Read a bit then hired prospecting gear from the campsite $10 then drove off past the township limits past the cattle grid and set up ‘camp’ Bloody hard work and blistering sun – 27c (oh and we didn’t find any sapphires) but had a go for about 2hrs Then back for a shower etc before relaxing reading and tea (beef schnitzel, new pots & carrots ) ,Kookaburras, the diggings, met lady in campsite who ‘sold’ us the prospecting gear, loved Diggings, email from Craig, Margaret and John & Diana Day 308 - Thursday 28th August 2008,Willows Gem field 2 Roma Up at 6.45am Gone by 8.15am Visited Rubyvale, Anarkie (and Saphire again) Stopped briefly to shop in Emerald and get fuel ($1.53 incl the 8c off coupon, cheapest yet in OZ) Then on down Gregory Developmental rd to Roma thru Springsure, Rollerston (where we had lunch) and then a v long stretch with NOUGHT to Roma Nice site at Roma with lots of bottle trees (now are these Baobabs?).Wildlife count Emus=2, Wallabies=2, Roos=1, met no one in particular, miner with long grey beard & hair in Rubyvale,remember some of the ‘architecture’ in Rubyvale plus a plethora of naff ozzie icons! Day 309 - Friday 29th August 2008,Roma 2 St George via Surat Up reasonable time, left just b4 10am Then went into Roma for a look around Visited Westpac and drew out some money and closed our account Town had a good outback feel but not quite so classy buildings as Kalgoorlie. Annie bought 3 really good fabrics in huge higgledy piggeldy store in Roma ($175) We visited tourist info and the site of the Big Rig Roma is famous for Gas & Oil K bought a class (?) stubby cooler then drove on down Caenarvon Hwy to Surat Had lunch here of our fave C&B’s and visited township and Cobb & Co museum Weather mixed hot but for the 2nd day running heavy rain Clears the air though! Wildlife count Emus=1, Wallabies=1, met lady in westpac bank in Roma who had lived in London and was off on hols for 3 weeks with her family to South Island, NZ we traded info V pleasant Plus old lady in Roma TI , remember being told off by campsite owner for running grey water, 1st time in 88 days Cobb & Co museum in Surat (v good and interesting) Reopened tap just outside of site Day 310 - Saturday 30th August 2008,St George to Lightening Ridge via Dirranbandi & Hebel on the NSW border Very hot day 29c+ Went into St George, drove along St G terrace and Balonne riverside Then visited Emu Egg carving studio ($6 for both) Got diesel ($1.60v cheap) and shopping in Foodstuff .Then about 260k driving to Lightening Ridge. Met greek guy with Emu eggs Lunch at Hebel riverside and surprisingly NO wildlife and met Capt birdseye loudmouth / boring words from WA who never stopped talking plus nice scotch couple who have lived in Sydney for 20 years.Highlights Getting Annie her black opal necklace in Lightening Ridge plus lamb, mint & rosemary sausages from award winning butchers in St George. See NSW for next day Day 311 - Sunday 31st August 2008, Lightening Ridge Very wet day and previous night Only 14c unheard of for LR which is generally hot & humid. Gravel roads and others flooded We did a 3 hour Black opal tour which was great fun saw loadsmost routes around the diggings/ dwellings (well hovels) is by colour coded old ute doorsbizarre In the afternoon we fossicked in the mud A lot easier than sapphire digging.Hot springs baths, diggings plus a whole lot of hippies / eccentrics and hippy houses Quite like nowhere we have seen before has to be visited to be believed.Met American lady who did the Black Opal tour plus odd hippy couple her US/ he oz who do the Black queen plays (based around their collection of old gas lamps) Whacky backy or what? Oh plus old bearded miner (on diggings) who waved at us whilst hanging up his long johns in the rain. LR has a very high ‘mental health problem’ limit.Remember the tour plus doing the digging in front of the TI center Muddy or what as opal is found in clay we think we did quite well but only having our ‘pieces’ looked at will prove it. Sherman the teddy with sunnies has to be seen to be believed. Day 312 - Monday 1st September 2008,Lightening Ridge 2 Bourke Up at about 8 Checked out by 10 (after using palette knife to squeeze our van out from our rather over friendly next door neighbour) Went and had another look around LR in the sun. Bought some pressies in Opal shop and Annie did some more fossicking at TI Had our ‘gems’ valued at shop, most alas black or grey Potch (boo hiss) Then 290 k via Walgett into Outback NSW and Bourke Stayed at the Mitchell Campsite ($26 incl on suite) V nice site Wildlife Count: 1 skink, 9 emus, 1 tortoise/terrapin, many wild goats, Colorful birds LR: Bottle house, Hot bore water baths Brewarrina (slums and takeaway that was dodgy costing $9the road signs asked you to spend $20 in their town) why most folks just haired thru Bourke Wharf, River Darling, Town and TI/Shops.Met guy next site to us at Bourke from Adelaide Hills who had hit a carcass in his 4WD and therefore had to stop in Bourke. He reckoned dangerous Indigenous place, not that bad in our book Certainly not like Brewarrina where we stopped for lunch, everything with metal shutters, huge aboriginal population (note made Boro look like a picnic). Remember Bourke: Pop 3000 and shire is the size of Denmark (wow) Day 313 - Tuesday 2nd September 2008,Bourke 2 Dubbo Up at 7 Showered in our private on suite, good site The folk next to us had already gone Left about 8.45am went and took some piccies of town, bought stubbie cooler and award winning pies ($8for 2 way expensive!) Then onto Dubbo (400k total) via the straight (199k) Mitchell Hwy to Nyngan, then on via Nevertire, Trangie (had lunch here and bought some nice cakes in bakery) then Dubbo Weather good 26c and sunny (again).Wildlife Count: 13 emus& 4 chicks (alas didn’t get to photo) Colorful birds & a huge eagle perched roadside on a road kill roo. Remember Hotel Nyngan plus disused railway line all the way from Bourke to Nyngan oh and 3 coach ,loads of school kids visiting from the Port Stephens area Dubbo has a good zoo & old gaol Dubbo is a city and has 39k+ pop It is only 4 hrs drive from Sydney but we are going back up.Alas some very thin cattle that looked like they were starving and the herdsman on a trials bike had let them loose on the main Mitchell Hwy as there was at least some grass there Day 314 - Wednesday 3rd September 2008,Dubbo 2 Gunnedah via the wonderful Warrumbungle NP Up at 7 had been v cold overnight central NSW is apparently famous for hot days and cold nights esp at this time of year Left about 8.45am Did some quick shopping in Coles Dubbo and got some fuel Now $1.87 in NSW way more expensive than QLD Then drove onto Gilgandra had a look around Visitors center Then onto WNP, breathtaking see the piccies The Whitegum lookout walk especially Then across into New England, NSW (nice landscape & colours esp the flowering yellow oil seed rape against the brown sun dried grass) and into Gunnedah, Koala Capital of the Worldhaven’t seen any yet though Staying at Top Tourist site here ($20) Wildlife count: 5 emus, 16 big red roos, 5 feral goats (they were shooting them from copters during our visit to the Warrumbungle NP) and 3 wallabiesnot alas the rare bushy tailed ones.Met guy from Victoria in Dubbo whilst washing who had taken 8 weeks off work, got as far as Mission beach and had to turn back His daughter lived in Mildura.No one else really. Remember the absolutely wonderful Warrumbungle NP A real highlight oh and as spring the bright yellow of the Wattle , Dubbo hugely disappointing.Ranger (cop?) in Gunnedah who was gonna book Keef until he discovered he was a Pommie Tourist for parking campervan the wrong way roundwhilst going to Westpac ATM for cash. Alas some very thin sheep that looked like they were starving Day 315 - Thursday 4th September 2008,Gunnedah to Armidale Linda's birfday. Up about 8 Washed and breakfasted for the heavy Koala spotting day ahead. Went into Gunnedah Called in at Tourist Info and talked to Steve the full time Koala spotter Supposedly up at 4am spotting he gave us a long list of sightings and good spots both in and out of town Apparently there are about 5000 in the town So we set off and drove to all his certain locations NOT ONE After 2+ hours we left town almightily disappointed but happy we had at least seen these wonderful creatures in the wild on KI, SA and at Kennetts River on GOR, Vic. Then drove onto Tamworth thru Liverpool plains along Oxley Hwy Stopped here briefly for Red Rooster lunch and a quick look at the Country & Western Museum (outside only)its what Tamworth is famous forthen on across the Great Dividing range (v hilly and huge bolder rocks) thru Urella (home of bushranger or was it whacker?, Thunderboltsimilar to Ned Kelly but supposedly not so nastyand if you believe that) into Armidale. Shopped at Woolies, camped at Top Tourist site on outskirts $26. rained a lot. Saw Koala’s NOT!!!! No Koalas oh and Steve the Misleader! Guy at campsite in Armidale who was a Doc of Linguistics at the NSW New England Uni here He was nice chap and v interested in Pom accents Plus told me Ozzies do have accents i.e those from around Adelaide have a Pommie one, hee hee! We renamed Gunnedah the World Capital of NO SHOW Koala’s Day 316 - Friday 5th September 2008,Armidale 2 Darlington Beach Staying at DB campsite again for 3 days. The best site in all our travels. Site D6 this time (was D8 last) just outside the pool Up and gone by 10 V wet day all daymost of the New England and North NSW Coast was floods. Traveled along the Waterfall hwy , most appropriate although most were off down gravel tracks so not accessible, especially in the wet did about 260 difficult kilometers arrived about 2.30pm. RAIN & FLOODS:Armidale,Dorrigo, Sherrard falls, Guy Fawkes river, Bellinger River (burst its banks big style), Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga (Indian area 2 mosques), Darlington beach, met guy from Grafton , next pitch, regular annual holiday for son from Vic (Byron Heads) and daughter from Qld (Atherton).had a lengthy chat with him about crocs, snakes and his trip by 4WD to Cape York (v hard). Remember ace pies in Dorrigo, being back at our fave campsite Day 317 - Saturday 6th September 2008,Darlington Beach Day of Chillin, just SO relaxing! Up late, had cooked brekkie Then Ozzie guy next door gave us his copy of the Weekend Australian which we read all day Annie did some washing Weather mostly good with several shower spots We brought washing in a one point and then put it back out again then guy gave us copy of The Sydney Morning Herald Papers here cost about $2.20 Had spag bol and chilled again, saw the sun and 2 newspapers, bliss! Met nice old guy in next caravan who seemed to have throat cancer Chatted for a while he had taken his young family to UK and Europe in 70s His wife was off back in Sydney saying goodbye to their daughter and family who were off for 3 weeks to UK Son in law worked for Ernst & Young, funded business trip then she was gonna fly up to Sunshine coast to meet him.Loved Chillin..... Day 318 - Sunday 7th September 2008,Darlington Beach Another fine day in DB 24c and v sunny Got sunburn despite now ‘all over’ tan Spent day reading papers and books V relaxing after dinner of wraps went for a stroll on Corindi beach, bit blowy and tide much further in than last time we were here then back out to main road and water lily lagoon, saw Roo family that were probably on our plot last time. Lorikeets and loads of banksias and other colourful plants, met a few folk from the site down by the beach plus helped guy who gave us yet another paper with his caravan hitch up. Loved just spending more time at our fave campsite and sad that we are leaving soon Day 319 - Monday 8th September 2008,Darlington Beach 2 Diamond Beach Near Forster-Tuncurry Up at 7.30 Showered, Brekkied & watched the duck and ducklings. Then set off for F-T via Coffs harbour, Fredo’s pies, Port Macquarie to Billabong to buy a 2nd Koala, then along the coast road to Laurieton we hadn’t done before thru Lake Cathie, Bonny Hills, North Haven and the Ocean Rd finally rejoining the Pacific Hwy just beyond Laurieton then onto our Big 4 campsite at Diamond Beach. Great facilities, pool but lousy sandy unleveled site at $30 per night Staying 2 nights before moving onto Sydney gets dark down here about 5.45pm bad news reasonably sunny today 22c.Saw baby ducklings (ahhhh).Met really old lady with the shakes in campsite who couldn’t work the mouse so I showed her how to use a bit of plain paper as a mouse mat. On plot 254 (rubbish) so moved. Remember finally getting thru to Australia post (cheated after 2 booked phone backs, hit the VIP/Expensive service and got thru..parcel left oz 5/6now check in UK) Day 320 - Tuesday 9th September 2008,Diamond Beach Got up 9.15am Showered Had bacon sarnies for brekkie and cereal (ah luxury!) Then went for a walk on the beach just in front of our campsite. Note the campsite is empty. Us and one other Gr8 facilities but really poor sandy, sloped pitches Beach nice then came back and read all day K finished Marker by Robin Cook, A finished Rage by Wilbur Smith. Had lamb steaks for T yummy.Saw galahs in flight, the beach, and on beach (deadly & dead) puffer fish. Remember walk on beach, good weather if somewhat windy 24c Day 321 - Wednesday 10th September 2008,Diamond Beach 2 Sydney (Narabeen lakes) via Forster-Tuncurry Drove along 2 loop roads we had not been along when we first went up the NSW coast, then thru Ku-Ring-Gai Chase NP and down HWY3 Mona Vale rd into Narabeen and the Big 4 lakeside camp site we stayed at b4 We are here for 4 final days in Sydney Weather warm and sunny, 23c but chilly at night.Saw Forster-Tuncurry, nice sea lake, Booti-booti NP, Myall lakes NP, Pacific Hwy/freeway (1) and loads of road widening (poor Koalas!), Gosford, Terigal, Avaco Beach, Copacabana beach, Woy Woy, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase NP and Bobbin Head, Narabeen. Met guy at Diamond beach campsite who said he was off to UK for 1st time in 3 years time to visit Dundee where all his rellies came from.Stopped at Stanford Forster retail park to do final food shopping in Woolies and bought an additional suitcase in K-Mart ($29.99 + lock $2.99), getting thru Ku-Ring-Gai chase NP and not paying the $11 as offices closed plus just making campsite at 5.50pm it shut at 6pm (phew!!!!) Day 322 - Thursday 11th September 2008,Sydney centre Up about 8.30am Showered Breakfasted and then caught bus outside campsite into Manly No 155 Got 2 x day pass for buses, trains and ferries Gr8 value $16 each! Had a coffee and Gloria Jean’s on Manly Wharf then caught Jet cat across to circular quay Walked around passed Opera house , Bennalong Point to QE2 gates and Royal Botanic Gardens Then walked thru it out to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, then back again round to have lunch/ t in Wolfies. Alas Wolfies Grill closed so went to Italian Village (ace) $145 (approx £78) for 3 courses and drinks and a table with Opera House directly in front then walked up into the Rocks and back to ferry and bus ‘home’ Got back about 8-ish Pitch black Not many street lights and asked kind bus driver to tell us when to get off for Lakeside park NarabeenBeaut day, hot and sunny all day with nice cooling breeze off harbour Guess 22c bed at 1am after sorting out route back to Britz near airport Alas Sydney is all e-toll roads which means you can’t even use cash, nightmare. We reckon gonna have to do 30+ k extra, saw lots see the piccies plus Possums on campsite gate post. Met lots of folk especially Mrs Angry with the loud phone on the Manly Ferry back and bloke at gate with torch who pointed out the possums oh and American couple whom we traded photos (i.e we took one of them, they took one of us) with whilst in the Gardens.Just a lovely day, shame it’s possibly our last time in Sydney Still the best city in the World. NOT TRUE back in 2013 and you can never say never Day 323 - Friday 12th September 2008,Sydney (Narabeen Lakes) Lovely hot sunny day again with cool breeze 23c tried sorting out Parcel sent from Alice with Oz Post via phone (131318) Had to go down to PO in Narabeen to fill out a complaints form Now been 16 weeks lady tried to assure us, lets hope she is right Then drove up and parked in the surf club car park and walked along Narabeen beach, paddling (alas probably for the last time in Oz) Didn’t cross river as it came out into the sea as too fast and deep then went back to campsite and sat out on chairs with table Went possum spotting at night. Saw Beach, River , lakes Met guy from Adelaide (and Yorkshire) in next caravan Been in oz 36 years.Last paddle, hopefully sorting out parcel with oz post and luvverly sunshine!!! Boy how we are gonna miss that Day 324 - Saturday 13th September 2008,Manly Got up 8.30 Scorcher of a day First gr8 day of spring in Sydney 29c and v sunny 25c at 6pm Caught bus into Manly ($4 each each way – nice bus driver let us off one fare as we didn’t have change) Bought strawberry smoothie from Wharf, went to look where Anne used to live in Manly 6 or 9 Gilbert st (now gone but no 13 original) then went for walk along beach, packed , Corso packed , surfing and beach volley ball. Then looked in shops (too expensive) then had a gr8 meal in the Bavarian Bier exchange on the Wharf overlooking the harbour. Both had Veal and Claire valley white for Annie and a stein of Spaten Munchen for me. Rolled back on Bus, saw Manly beach in sun and throng! Met Len & Di in next door caravan. Downer (again) Barclays who screwed up and cut off our cash Day 325 - Sunday 14th September 2008,Sydney (Narabeen Lakes) 2 Holiday Inn (airport) Up at 8 packed final things Had breakfast Rained all night and hard, weird after previous days heat Got rid of rubbish, left leftovers in Kitchen for other campers – books, food, lamp etc Then after one final dunny man act we went off up Mona Vale road (Hwy3) across the Ryde bridge then down Concord road onto the Parramatta Rd (hwy4) and straight onto Hwy31 into Broadway (old part of Sth Sydney, close to city center) then out on Regent / Boundary to Gardiners and the Britz office. Returned van caught taxi 500m to Holiday Inn (cnr of O’Roidan & Bourke) $14 bit of a rip but no other way with so many suitcases. Saw Airport and enjoyed a bit of luxury at hotel.Gave our home back after 105 days, sad but nice as well, good to get the luxury of space etc in our Holiday Inn Hotel, Sydney airport, room 522 Nice meal in restaurant then went to bed early to try and sleep as up early, not easy as so hot Met no one – canned telstra modem (although still had to sort out in UK 3 months later) Day 326 - Monday 15th September 2008, Sydney 2 Hong Kong via Singapore Long day flying, watched lots and lots of movies on the flight Up about 4.45am , flew at 8.05am although it was 15mins late going Good airplane, Air Singapore had to swap at Changi and use posh fast shuttle train to our next gate The luggage got transferred automatically for us from one plane to the other Taxi at HK was a hoot Service guy wrote down the hotel in Chinese for the driver who we had fun communicating with by hand signals Kowloon a long way Over lovely bridge and under tunnel 45 mins drive Went to wrong hotel then had to go to New SD all fine £75 a night stayed 3 nights Hot 35c and 100% humidity, what we saw today,Airports and movies, who we met, Shuttle guy @ Holiday Inn Sydney who was annoyed we had loaded on our own bags. Jobsworth! Getting on the plane went very quickly when one considers it, taxi driving thru market to San Diego (wrong hotel) was amusing, took 1 picture of Changi airport only! Plus remembering my Dad with love, who died on this day 6 years earlier. Day 327 - Tuesday 16th September 2008,Hong Kong Breakfasted at McDonalds Nathan Road, Jordan Then got Urban Day pass for the MTR (Metro) ($50HK-£4) Went to TST and walked to star ferry Crossed to Central ($8HK-63p) Walked across bridge up into IFC mall Had juice and muffin then back on Star Ferry Went to Hard rock Café for drink and t-shirt then onto Sham Shui Po for Computer bits Knackered as hot and humid (36c/ 100%+) back to hotel to flake Went to sleep and only had bits and pieces from Bakery on MTR for Tea. Met loads of very nice folk who helped us whenever we looked at a map even though we weren’t lost. Celebrated Keef’s 54th B’day spent in Hard Rock Cafe (TST) and Computer Nerdsville , Sham Shui Po, plus lunch up Mt Victoria via Peak Train & saw a Wedding on Star Ferry. Probably for a magazine. Day 328 - Wednesday 17th September 2008, Hong Kong Breakfasted at McDonalds Nathan Road, Jordan Then got Urban Day pass for the MTR ($50HK) Then went up to Central and walked thru business district to the Peak Train went up to the top, alas very humid and unclear views but had great birfday lunch at Pappa Gumps Shrimps etc Then back to TST for light and sound show (spectacular) then back to hotel for a rest Had bits from bakery for t plus 2 bowls of fruit the hotel left. met loads of folk esp American gi (retired) and Chinese girlfriend from Schezhan.Enjoyed Tram ride, night lights and music show, retail therapy. Day 329 - Thursday 18th September 2008,Hong Kong 2 England and Home!!!! Very little sleep and alas Keef was sick overnight so jaded when we caught taxi back to airport K put poor guy off by giving him misleading airport terminal info Finally got to T1 gate 3 for Air NZ, long flight 12hrs 20mins which went quickly Craig collected us at Heathrow glad to be back Had fish and chips from Sandiacre fish bar at Craig’s then managed to stay up to 10pm then flopped No real jet lag at all..can’t wait for the next hols!!! THE END for now, watched 4 movies the best of which was a Kiwi movie called 2nd hand wedding, met a Nice girl from Ghangzho who was studying at Bristol (2nd year) reminded us of Phoenix. Loved Arriving at t1 not t3 Heathrow. Craig’s sign saying AGEING HIPPIES