Captain's Log |
home | photos | events | guestbook | journal | CVs | contact |
Our Journal
Scroll down to find out what has been happening and where we are....
19 Feb 2004: Shanghai, China
Sawasdee Kah! Nin hao! Hallo everyone. It has been some time since you had an update. Since this is a long one you may want to print it off first and read it later.
<
We arrived in Thailand and spent 3 weeks living it up. Our fabulous friends Rhi and Tom have a flat in Bangkok and kindly let us stay with them. It meant with all our backpacks etc that we were pretty cramped but we had a fantastic time. Rhi speaks fluent Thai and Tom is Thai so we hardly ever had a minute's stress getting anywhere. I'll try and make it brief...
1. We went to all the top restaurants in Bangkok and ate loads for a quarter of the price you would pay in the UK. So my healthy eating plan went straight out the window. Also indulged in the Thai whiskey. But mainly we ate and ate and ate and ate.....Most unusual thing we ate was deep fried grasshoppers - surprisingly tasty. Crunchy and nutty - had to pick the legs out of our teeth afterwards.
2. Met up with our friend Gill again and had such a laugh - eating and drinking and shopping. Shopping was a common theme - tryng to get souvenirs for people back home. On our last day we shopped for 8 hours - that's a world record for me! Visited a German Brewery where you can order beer in 3, 4 or 5 litres! The beer arrived in a huge tube with a tap at the end and they keep re-filling your glass. Dad you would have loved the service.
3. Scott beat all the locals at pool and so achieved a hero like status.
4. Visited some of the islands - Koh Samet - went with Gill ('like a bat out of hell') Foster. Enjoyed hiring motorbikes and snorkelling around the island - gorgeous tropical fish and bbq seafood at night on the beach with cocktails. - Phuket - the largest and most touristy, thanks to Rhi and Tom we stayed in a brand new hotel. Had a delayed honeymoon; we drank more cocktails at the poolside bar, went snorkelling, sunbathed, went to a show and had our photos taken with elephants..the usual.
5. Not all the hotels are top class. One we stayed in didn't have a u-bend on the sink so when you washed your hands - you were washing your feet at the same time. This ensuite bathroom had a squat toilet. Let's just say I now know why they use toilet slippers. As a beginner - it is nigh on impossible to not pee on your foot. Why ruin a good pair of shoes? The 'piece de resistance' of this room was the pair of men's Y fronts on a hangar in the wardrobe? And no Scott didn't take them for spare. It cost about GBP 3.50 for the night so we can't be too fussy.
6. Sightseeing - we saw the Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, Bridge over the River Kwai, Floating Markets.
7. Cookery School - Tom taught us some traditional Thai recipes. They were really tasty and the Thai Green Curry was HOT! I'm hoping Scott and Gill remembered the ingredients.
8. Beauty Treatments - the nice thing about Thailand is you can afford to indulge. I had a manicure, pedicure, foot massage and facial. Scott had a Thai massage (aka torture) and a facial.
9. Patpong - well this is basically the place where there are topless girls bored out of their brains dancing. We went with Gill, Rhi and Tom. Saw a number of different 'acts' fire breathing which was normal. Then the rest involved unusual parts of the anatomy. Ping pong balls, eggs, cigarettes, blowing out candles...Then they went back to play Connect 4 and chess! So sad really. When we went to McDonalds afterwards there were lots of foreigners with Thai girls and it was obvious that these guys love the attention that they get there. It is pretty obvious why so many of them go to Thailand. Even the really old, ugly, obese, balding, wrinkled blokes have a chance. and the Thai people are so nice and friendly. Okay you get the ones that try to rip you off, but that happens back home too!...In one bar one of the bar girls came over to admire my cheekbones when I turned round on my bar stool she then saw my cleavage and gave one of my boobs a squeeze - as you do! She then flashed her much smaller boob at me..I maintained eye contact and we left shortly afterwards.
10. The bad bit was the dodgy tummy - Scott blames the thai whiskey. And for me the mosquito bites. I am allergic and so had to take precautions. But taking an anti-histamine and 2 x Vitamin B1 every day, spraying repellant every evening, plug-in electric repellant and mosquito fly spray killer was STILL not enough to stop me being bitten 200 times in one evening. I am just too tasty.
<
Sorry not much left now....
1. Arrived into Hong Kong and booked in to the YMCA. No-one was dressed as the Village People, I was disappointed. It really was fun staying there. Great facilities and fantastic room. We are going back there.
2. Got the ferry to Guanghzhou (formerly Canton), China. In 24 hours we saw 6 motor accidents. I can't believe there aren't more. They drive like maniacs. As a pedestrian even the green man doesn't mean it is safe to cross the road. It means you are more safe than any other time to cross the road, but drivers can turn right still on a red light, so you have to be prepared to run.
3. Weather has been unexpectedly nice. We bought coats but only need them in the evenings so far.
4. The food is unbelievable. Sometimes it is just like chinese back home and other times it is like a whole new world. They say about the Cantonese that they eat everything that flies except planes and everything that moves on land except vehicles. So far we have seen on menus...whole roast suckling pig, chicken feet and goose feet, pig's ears, pig's trotters, pig's tongue, fried snakes head soup, chicken gizzards, goose intestines, turtle soup, dog meat and vegetables. We have been trying to console ourselves that they probably have some of the translations wrong. Hmm. Isn't it offal! (Sorry my little pun)
5. Another little foible the chinese seem to have is spitting. And we mean Premiership Footballer-type gob. They make the most disgusting hawking noise which signals they are ready to spit, and then they gob in the middle of the pavement. It's not just men - little girls, old ladies - young, old they are all at it. In restaurants and at the airport - where they gob into the bin! It is so nauseating. Maybe we'll become immune to it eventually. Someone has just gobbed on the floor of the internet cafe!
6. The transport is great. The Chinese are extremely modernised. We got a sleeper bus that had full-on bunk beds for a 12 hour journey. Paul, Sarita and Gilbejam we are talking full cama, not semi-cama! Tonight we are travelling to Beijing in soft sleeper on an Express Train (up to 200 kmh) - the equivalent of 1st class for the price of GBP 70 for the 2 of us. It is a 14 hour journey.
7. One thing that is very obvious is the lack of little people. I mean children. There is only ever one child with their parents or mum. As you already know there is a law to state just one child per couple it has been in place since 1979 to control China's population. But in 2002 it still stood at 1.29 billion people. The children are always very well dressed and so cute, but there are fears that they have a generation of 'little emperors', in other words spoilt like my little brother Peter. Just checking you're still reading these bruv! In the corner shops you can buy "Samantha Fox" condoms, pills and pregnancy tests. Sadly there are still many unwanted children.
8. Although we are the tourists, in many places we seem to be the main attraction. The Chinese are very friendly and you hear people shouting Halloo everywhere. We now know what it is like to be filmstars. Some people just stop and stare blatantly. One girl walked into someone else coz she couldn't stop staring.
Finally that is all. Hope you still enjoy the emails. Please keep in touch and write soon. Only 4 weeks til we're back. Let us know what you are doing.
--------------------------------------------------
13 Jan 2004: Perth, Australia
Hallo all.
Well Happy New Year and thank you to everyone who managed to make us feel at home and homesick at the same time. It was great to have received so many cards, emails and phone calls again even though we are far away.
When we last left you we were heading for Uluru - Ayers Rock. We weren't disappointed this was a wonderful experience. The evening we arrived we went for a romantic dinner underneath the stars - had champagne and canapes watching the sunset (good recommendation Briano!) It was magical. The rock itself still looked pretty small from a distance against the flat landscape surroundingit. Only when you got up close and strained your neck to see the top did you appreciate its enormity. No we didn't climb it - temperatures exceeding 36 degrees and they shut the path. But I wouldn't have done it anyway. Congratulations to the nutters that have! (Billy!) We then chilled out by the pool and looked forward to meeting up with Scott's family in Perth.
Scott's cousin Karl and wife Marie moved to Perth last August and have just bought a lovely home complete with swimming pool! Just what we needed to cool off in the hot sunny days. Karl's parents were over for Christmas Shirley and John and we had a fantastic time with them. They treated us to a fab meal - very posh nosh and filled us in on what has been hapenning back home. It was great to catch up with Karl and Marie as they tried to fit in as much as possible of Western Australia for their parents. No sooner had Karl's gone then Marie's arrived. Sue and Eddy are very funny. We have had great fun with them.
----------
Good News..Baby Update...
15 Dec - my sister Sue had a baby girl Makenzie.
22 Dec - my sister-in-law Nora had a baby boy Pierce.
All perfect and gorgeous. How homesick am I? Can't wait to see them.
---------
Christmas Time.....
Xmas Day was hot and great. Having recently started to drink wine again I unfortunately overdid it on Xmas Eve by one glass and had a bad head the next day. Plus coz Scott and I were sharing a bed that is one up from a single. I managed to crick my neck. The most painful experience. Took me a few days for it to ease off completely. New Years eve we were in Benny's Bar in Freo. Our friend Gill and Fiancee Mike met the rest of us in there. Excellent band was playing. On New Year's Day we went to Ascot. It was the Perth Cup. Great fun. We had a flutter which didn't win. But it was a great laugh and good atmosphere. Nice to see everyone is posh clothes. Even us. Think I got a touch of sunstroke there couldn't wait to get back and jump in the pool. After Xmas Day I have volunteered to be designated driver at every opportunity. No one has objected.
---------
Moving On...
Sadly we are leaving Perth on Saturday. Jobs are not as plentiful as in Sydney and we found that there were pre-requisites for the simplest positions. A combination of Xmas bad timing and not being permanent citizens - meant we didn't have one full-time job offer between us. We cannot live on fresh air alone so have decided to head to Asia sooner and eke out our savings until Easter. So that means we shall be heading home earlier than planned. No actual date set yet but we'll let you know sometime in April. Our timing and reduced savings mean the TransSiberian return leg has been shelved. -20 degrees does not appeal to my sensitive skin. But, it means we shall have more time hopefully in China. So Rach can I have a travel guide email on where I should be going please.
So after over 8 months in Australia it is time to move on. We have loved meeting up with friends and family again. Really enjoyed the natural highlights of Oz and the easygoing nature of the Aussies. Especially the good old BBQ.
But at the moment we don't plan to live here. I for one have found some things overly bureaucratic. Nothing is as simple as it appears. Of course this is protectionism for the people who live here and residents would argue that is a good thing. But for a backpacker it winds me up!! For example - no longer can backpackers claim back the tax they have paid and we have been paying more tax than locals do for the same jobs, even though we are spending the money to live here. I'm logging on now to try and claim back the pension money that has been compulsory paid for us called Superannuation. We shall have to pay 30% tax on this too! We'll get it back after we fill out a form with each of the funds, a form for the government, a form to cancel our visas with immigration, etc etc etc. I know it happens back home too, you just don't see people on Neighbours filling out forms everywhere. And has Harold completed his coffeemaking certificate in order to make coffee, I don't think so????
Anyway, on Saturday we arrive in Bangkok and shall be staying with our wonderful friend Rhi who has kindly offered us to stay. We'll send another update from there.
Please write soon. Enjoy 2004! And we'll see you in April.
--------------------------------------------------
4 Dec 2003: Melbourne, Australia
We arrived in Melbourne last Saturday. It was a manic drive to the airport by Jose we got there 25 mins before our flight was due to take off and can you believe it we made the flight!
We were positive we were too late to board. If it was Heathrow it would have taken 20minutes to find the proper check in desk, but there was no problem with Qantas at Sydney. Our bags were too heavy but they didn't seem too worried. The new case we bought to transport all our rubbish weighed 35 kilos - so we had to remove all the books (which reduced it by 6 kilos). For the first time ever I had a HEAVY sticker attached to my luggage - I felt like I was truly my mother's daughter!!
Anyway got to Melbourne - beautiful hot weather and met up with James our Aussie friend from Peru. We are staying with James at his parents gorgeous apartment at the moment. They have been really kind. His dad was driving down to their Beach Home on Tuesday so offered us a lift to the Great Ocean Road. It was a better than a tour -we stopped off for coffee and to take a few pictures. Stopped off at their holiday place - so beautiful - 9 acres with a creek that leads to the sea and a tennis court. It was gorgeous. We went into town and got a flight out to the twelve apostles - 45 minute flight in a small Cessna plane. It was a great day for it - no wind and sunny. Went for dinner on the way back in Geelong. The drive back was thru the rainforest and rolling hills of Victoria - some parts truly felt like we were back home it was so green. Back in Melbourne we were treated to a spectacular storm in the distance - lots of lightning. The next day it was announced on the news worst storms in 100 years!
We have said all along that there is this black cloud following us on our travels! Everyone in Sydney is delighted we have left so they can get back to a normal summer. It must have rained 6 out of the last 7 weekends we were there. We were a little unlucky with the weather but very lucky with everything else.
Trouble is our camera has now started playing up - so Sue / Peter K could you please dig out our receipt (it is in our red box file) it should have the telephone number to call the Warranty people. Sue you gave us all the details from the receipt before, but I just didn't get the telephone number of who to call. Hopefully it will still work for us coz we are going to Ayers Rock this Saturday.
--------------------------------------------------
17 Nov 2003: Sydney, Australia
Well we did the rugby last night and it was au revoir la France. Did you see the weather? It was peeing it down with rain! You must have seen the game. We did. I got tickets for us for Scott's birthday (okay still another week til his birthday proper). So I can tell you I was a very popular wifey last week. I had a big England flag and wrote Luton on it. Scott wore his England jersey (also fro his birthday). Tickets were 150AUD each and were supposed to be obstructed view, but we were in the front row behind the goal!! It was a good view, could see all the press photographers with their zoom lenses. Can't say the game was that exciting there was so much defending that it was just kicking to score points and tries are much more of an adrenalin rush. Still I have only just learned most of the rules so can't complain that much. Did you check out the referees name - Paddy O'Brien! I wonder where his ancestors were from? After the game we were absolutely soaked and I got home had a hot shower and hot chocolate. Did not want to go to work today! I am so used to going to bed at 10 or 11pm that after midnight I am just wasted. Getting very old!
We only have 2 weeks left in Sydney now and 3 months has flown by. We have had a great time having our own home to entertain in. We, or rather Scott, has cooked some fab meals and we have had rugby nights in with Denise and Mark. All involving lots of commentary on the players looks rather than the game. All good fun.
Have spent a lot of time with Denise - we meet up with her at least once a week. she is really lovely. I am so glad she is enjoying herself and living life. She doesn't want to go home now - says there is nothing to go home for (apart from family of course) but in terms of having fun, not alot. She is hilarious. We'll mis her when we move on again.
The Advisory Board were here last week for my job and have just gone. They were all really nice and very grateful for all I have done. Everyone is now talking about me working for them once I get back to London! Which is great news! The Finance Man here has told me to go and have dinner with Scott at Doyles (famous seafood restaurant in Watsons Bay) for sunset and he will pay! Which is extremely generous, may even have a glass of wine with that meal! I'm glad that I feel I have some contacts for jobs when I go back even if it doesn't completely work out. Thankfully the whole week's schedule ran very smoothly. I joined them for a cruise on the harbour on Friday evening and saw some fireworks go off at the Opera house - talk about idyllic. They were very interested in our travels, so I said I'd send them a few updates.
Van broke down on Friday again! Scott is at the garage now having it assessed. We want it to be just fixed up to sell, but I said I wouldn't be happy if it isn't safe. Hopefully it won't cost us all our savings. Once we get to Perth more jobs to save for the next leg of our trip.
Talking of which ....we went to a backpacker expo on the weekend (lots of travel exhibitions) and we are going to book the TransSiberian train journey home this week. Which means we'll get a flight from Australia to Malaysia in March and travel through Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and China, then we'll leave China beginning of May get to Russia mid May and then we'll get an interrail ticket for a month. That is if everything goes according to plan i.e. we get jobs that pay enough for us to save more money in Perth.
The weather here has been really weird recently. Denise got sunburnt Saturday and then it rains solidly all last night?! It's got to the point where people are planning to stay in when we go out (coz we have been so unlucky with the weather). There is meant to be a lovely seaside walk from Bondi Beach to Tallarama (also called Glamarama coz of the toned bods sunbathing on it), but it just hasn't been good enough to go. Perth is having some good sun so we are really looking forward to meeting up with Karl and Maz and having some fun. Scott's aunt and uncle shall be here for Christmas too and they are hilarious. Elaine and Spin will be here too pending their imminent lottery win. I'd say any day now isn't it?
Today has been the quietest time at work for a long time I am looking forward to leaving work on time!
Congratulations to Trish and Marcus on the birth of their beautiful daughter. Please can someone forward me the email with all the details on it - Marcus must have forgotten us in the excitement? Good luck to Nora and Sue who haven't got long now! Nora is 5 weeks today and Sue is approx 7.
Well everyone - Thanks for all your thoughts and kind words. We owe a few more postcards but I am on the case!
The Christmas decorations are starting to up here now and it seems strange not to be planning proper family get togethers. We're thinking of you all rest assured. Peace and happiness.
--------------------------------------------------
12 September 2003: Sydney, Australia
Good news - we have made it to Sydney.
The van only broke down 3 times and cost AUD1200 to get fixed - so we are pretty much rocking now. Just a little bit broke.
Can't complain - we have jobs and a home. Pretty spoilt really.
Okay lowdown.....Sydney is great - public transport works, even for me who is always running late. "Don't worry Loz always another bus just a few minutes away". People are still very friendly and there is plenty to do and see, so the plan is to explore more this weekend.
Scott got work first - he is a Landscape Gardener or as he puts it 'digs very large holes'. He has to be at work for 7am - so early starts. He also drives to work in the van. Earning about 17 dollars per hour. Pretty hard work so he is shattered when he gets home in the evening and coz he is wonderful (and well trained) - Scott usually has my dinner cooked for when I walk through the door.
I got work next . After bananas (no we're still not eating them) - office work seemed EASY! So I emailed lots of places and went to the agencies. One job advertised at 30 dollars per hour which of course I jumped at. But apparently it was already filled. So another agency said they had positions at the 17 dollar mark, but I held out for more and got an interview and was hired to start the very next Monday and get 21.50 per hour. My typing speed is now 60wpm - isn't that wonderful - all that education and they still want to know if you're any good at typing!
I bet it sounds like we're earning mega bucks, but for working visas you are taxed a minimum of 30 per cent and if you're earning good money it goes up basically to the 50 per cent mark. So we'll probably still be struggling. Once I got the job I started worrying about appropriate attire. I only had one suit I bought for interview. I have managed to get a few more together now and look at least a little bit presentable. I'll keep the suits for any jobs in Perth and then send them home.
Work is good I am working for a few different guys. One was the first Australian astronaut! He is very nice and is getting the Advisory Board to get together in Australia. They are based in the US and UK. You may know Lord Condon (I do) he used to be Head of the Met Police in London (very nice bloke). The others all have prestigious titles too. I'll be very up myself after working here for 3 months.
We met my cousin Mark Simpson (on Dad's side). He is such a nice guy. He managed to get us the flat (his mate's), so in effect he is our landlord! He showed us around on our first day here and cooked us a nice hot Red Thai Curry last week. He definitely knows all the hotspots so we're planning a night out shortly.
Right just so at least I'll be able to get a couple of birthday cards (October 9th) and Scott (Nov 26th). We'll be elsewhere for Christmas in case any of you are looking that far ahead.
We met up with my friend Denise from school - who lives around the corner. And we had a great laugh reminiscing about school and her and Scott used to play Badminton so we were laughing about that. We are going to take a trip to the beach tomorrow with her. And I am going to give Nora's cousin a call to meet up too!
Can't think of any funny things happening to us recently. Although I forgot to tell you all that I had my hair cut into a bob and dyed blonde. Yes yes I will upload a photo soon. I really do feel that I am more noticeable, people (like shop assistants) make an effort to speak with me.
Sherona is apparently loving school, good little girl. We are so looking forward to meeting my next nephews / nieces, cousins...keep em coming. More emails too please or you'll be in trouble when we get back.
--------------------------------------------------
3 Aug 2003: Townsville, Australia
The Hangman and the BagLady have now left the bananas!!!
Yes folks 9 weeks of pure hell over.
Scott was promoted from humping bananas to hanging them and my job was the glamorous one of de-bagging the bunches. Often we worked alongside - getting soaked in the constant rain (especially the last 3 weeks); sharing the sights of snakes, grasshoppers, rats, spiders, tree frogs and birds together. It was magic. If anyone wants a honeymoon recommendation it would be 9 weeks in the Bananas not the Bahamas!! (Boom Boom!)
We brought the camera in and managed to get a few action shots of us. Now don't panic when you see them - yes our tans have washed away and we may have lost weight (Scott 10 kilos) but we are happy and happier now that we have left! The stench of rotten bananas is something else that we will carry with us for life we are only sorry we cannot email that to you! And no still not eating bananas, but please all of you do carry on for the sake of the Innisfail people. We did get a couple of excellent references from our manager Shirley who was truly sorry to see us go. It was sad to say goodbye to some of the women who kept us going with constant supplies of jokes and coffee. We rejuventaed our deflated travel batteries by staying a couple of nights with our Aussie friends Mark and Emily who we met on the Inca Trail in Peru. They are our role model having settled nicely back into the rat race and still smiling. They have a beautiful house i...
Now that we are back on the road we are free to take calls at anytime. So PeterD doesn't have to worry if he calls at 4am and we have to be up for work in an hour.
The bongo van is having its oil leak fixed and so should be running beautifully from now on. The people we eventually sell to will have a great yellow beast that works. There were lots of things wrong with it - big and small that we discovered subsequent to purchasing it. The last straw was when I told Scott he better check that the jack works and we then realised that we don't have any spare tyres for it anyway. Talk about laugh! We had to or we would have cried for days.
Please check the website for photos - Missing you all loads. Looking forward to having lots of replies. Sorry we have been quite crap over the last couple of months in wiriting much - but we haven't really done anything - unlike you lot! There is a babyfetish at the moment with both my sister and sister-in-law expecting , plus my cousin and his wife, Marcus and Trish - so lots more updates please. What are the cravings come on be honest??
We have got some fun booked - a 3 night reef scuba diving trip - where both Scott and I should attain our Advanced Open Water qualification. We have also made some more Aussie friends here who we plan to meet in their own towns - they are so kind and really funny. Many of then have done travelling and so have invited us to their place I think coz they know what it is like to be so far from home. We are very lucky.
Lots of love Loz and Scott - the Life of Siery xxxx
--------------------------------------------------
1 June 2003: Innisfail, Australia
All I can say is sorry it has been so long since we last sent an update. We landed over 2 weeks ago in Australia but we have been frantically looking for jobs since.
We have tried many avenues, but despite an Aptitude Test with a supermarket chain - we haven't been very successful. Apparently most of the larger stores do not like the fact that we can only commit to 3 months work (visa stipulation) plus with the SARS in Asia - tourism has been hit. So we went down to our last resort - the banana industry! We are staying in a hostel on a farm in the sticks and they organise work for us with the local farmers. The couple who run it are really friendly.
Scott got a couple of days last week "humping bananas" - in other words being a human donkey. First day was for a small local farmer and was good, the second day was for a large farm and the guys were prats, he was humping up to 60 kilos over 60 metres. Needless to say that wasn't fun. I got a job in a packing shed for bananas - looks like it could be permanent for a couple of months which is a big plus. We need work for a couple months so that we can go diving on the Great Barrier Reef and then move down the coast to Sydney where hopefully we will have better luck finding positions.
We bought a van. It is a bright yellow Mazda. Not as fancy as our last camper but it will get us around and it came with a surfboard (I hate to say that was the major selling point but...). It does need some TLC so I have been hemming the curtains up and making tie backs. Scott has been putting WD40 everywhere to make things move, like the windows and doors!
Well it is certianly hot here. The weekend we arrived we hooked up with some Aussie friends we made on the Inca Trail and went fishing with them in their boat. It was excellent. Scott caught 2 big fish which we cooked up and ate in the evening. The moon was full and we watched it come up over the sea - AMAZING! Tried to take some photos which was rather hopeful. Scott tried his hand at 'skurfing' - a bit like water skiiing but instead of skis it is with a surfboard. After a few crashes he was getting into it. Emily and Mark are really friendly we went to see them for a BBQ last night and some beers. They have got proper jobs and are pretty settled so... there is hope for us when we get back.
Because we are so rural we have seen a few toads outside (some quite big) and there is even a few tree frogs who like to live in the toilet! Today we went to a National Park up the road to see some crocs - you can't go too close to the water but we saw a big one from the binoculars. Then we got bitten alive by mosquitoes so we couldn't go to the freshwater falls - hopefully the bites won't react. Haven't seen any snakes yet but there are loads around apparently.
We'll keep you posted on the work situation we are hoping the sugar cane season will start which will mean more work for us otherwise we will move further south.
Finally quite amazingly we bumped into someone we knew in a pub in Cairns! Scott and I met because we were both out for Denise's birthday (nearly 5 years ago). We haven't seen her since we moved to Ireland 3 years ago and we saw her in a pub in Cairns. Her parents live next door to Helen and John Walsh. It was so bizarre. We hope to meet up again in a couple of months coz we were moving on and so was she.
That's all for now - love itchy and scratchy....
--------------------------------------------------
24 Apr 2003: Christchurch, New Zealand
Anyone want to buy a beautiful campervan??
Yep it has already got to the end of our stay in New Zealand and the next couple of weeks are to be spent trying to sell our first home. But because of Easter we have already been hampered by people being away, car fairs cancelled and dealerships closed. Luckily being inventive we parked outside one of the closed dealerships and in pure Delboy fashion managed to drag in a few people who had come to look at campervans. Obviously our spiel wasn't as good as Trotter's Independent Traders, we haven't had any follow ups...This weekend the car fairs should be on again and we will be there this time with free cookies. Sue I tried some of your techniques for flattering the punters first, need some more tips on making them part with their cash!
Forgot to tell you about a trip we made a few weeks ago. We went looking for Scott's Knob. But couldn't find it anywhere! At 2100 metres you'd think it would be obvious. Perhaps now we're married we'll try again!
So since then....our parents came, they saw, they spoilt us rotten and left again. We had such a cool few weeks. We got married but apart from that there was whale watching, thermal springs, glaciers, lake cruises, penguins and a little bit of celebrating in between. A lot of time was spent in the campers travelling between places, but the scenery was so beautiful and dramatic it was worth it.
Now that they have all gone we are at a loss. So bought a TV!! I know hardly the newlywed / traveller thing to do, but there is only so much Yahtzee you can play. It is a small 5 inch black and white portable - cheap and cheerful.
Hope you all had a Happy Easter - and ate lots of white chocolate on my behalf. Thanks again for all our lovely emails..keep 'em coming.
PLEASE... if everyone could have a think for us and email us what the headlines were for the day we got married where you are (Sun 30 March) AND what the Number One song was in the charts?? Apparently it was J-Lo here, so I am looking for alternatives. J-Lo if you are reading this no offence.
The Sierys
--------------------------------------------------
31 Mar 2003: Tekapo, New Zealand
Wedding Message from the Sierys.....
Well it is all over now and we are officially together forever. We did try to send this message the day after the wedding but hotmail did not want you all to hear the good news. There aren't any wedding photos with this email but there are on the website - check out www.geocities.com/loznscott
The day went really well - it is now raining pretty hard so we were very lucky with the weather - it was bright and not too sunny nor windy - apparently very important for the photos according to our photographer. We laughed pretty much all day. Although I (Loz) was close to tears many times I didn't actually blub at the service or the speeches. We had a lovely day with our parents and Peter D as our Best Man. Peter kept us laughing the whole time - cheeky tinker.
Thank you everyone for our lovely emails, texts, phone calls, cards, money and presents. We are so thankful for having such lovely friends and family. God Bless All of You. We even had a wedding present waiting for us at the church - thank you Paul and Sarita - pair of sweethearts - maybe you should get married in Cairns and we can be your witnesses!
On the Day we had calls from Ireland, England, Australia, Belgium and Thailand!!! Not many people are that lucky to have people remember them. We promise you that we will have a big celebration when we get back. We are both very happy and pleased that it all turned out so well. We got to spend a whole day with our parents and my lil brother - and we get to do it all again with the rest of our wonderful friends and family when we get back. It'll turn into one of those Indian weddings that last 3 weeks (or years) if we don't watch it!! But we all love an excuse to party!!!
We love each other and we love you all too. Thanks for being there for us - even if it was just in spirit.
Hope you didn't celebrate on our behalf too much!! (Peter K!)
27 Feb 2003: Nelson, New Zealand
Lost the Camera and Got It Back Update!!
Well we have been busy bees since we last updated you.
- Went to the Glowworms Cave on the North Island. So amazing! we were put in a boat with a load of other tourists and pulled thru by rope it was pitch black but the whole cave was glowing with little blue lights from the tails of these thousands of glowworms. Looked like the stars at night. Oh and by the way there are thousands of stars in the night sky - they are all here in New Zealand - never knew there were that many. I suppose coz of all the light pollution and rain and bad eyesight at home.
- In New Plymouth we went to a park where there was the Festival of Lights. Basically the park was lit up by a series of flourescent lights forming a trail around the park. (Totally free). There was even a giant snoring in a hammock and all the kids were trying to wake him up! They had music on aswell which was a motley mixture. Calendar Girl from the 1950s to Dire Straits of the 1980s don't think there was anything more modern than that. Lots of tamborine playing. It was funny to see the old dears sitting on their chairs foot tapping away. thought that'll be us in 10 years time. We hired one of the row boats which was also lit up and had a romantic row across the lake - so beautiful and tonnes of stars again. Talking of stars Tom Cruise is filming the Last Samurai there, the filmsets look very good lots of wooden buildings and temples in construction. I was hired for a few days to teach him how to kick butt (Used to be a brown belt in karate). He seemed to pick it up pretty quick - I went easy on him.
- Other bits n pieces. Did a 17km walk called the Tongariro Crossing - beautiful one day walk across volcanic craters, saw emerald lakes and Mordor! Went to the Lord of the Rings Exhibition in Wellington - great, lots of costumes, clips from the actors, special effects etc. Went to Chinese New Year Celebrations in Auckland - YEAR OF THE SHEEP! Ate quite a few spring rolls and enjoyed the stiltwalkers, opera singers, Karoke (hmm), lanterns and fireworks display. Mike Phillip's birthday in Auckland - our new Welshie friends - we went to a pyjama party. This was hilarious - involved lots of drinking and people dressed very strangely for bed! Followed by watching the rugby Wales vs. Italy from 2.30am - went to bed at 4.45am and Scott was up 4 hours later for the English match.
- CAMERA LOST / STOLEN
We met up with our lovely Brummies again Paul and Sarita - had a great day in Kitty O'Shea's - an Irish Pub, then they came back to the camper and we cooked our first dinner party (veggie curry). Set off for Molly Malone's - another Irish Pub. They have set off for a whirlwind tour of the South Island and we'll be meeting back up with them in a week or so.
The next day went to take a picture and it wasn't in the camper or anywhere. Scott went very pale as the last place we had it was in Kitty O'Shea's. Over 300 photos of the last 6 weeks travelling. Checked back at the pubs and police - no joy. Although the police did seem to think that Brummies in general are rather dodgy so it was probably Paul and Sarita but we wouldn't hear of it. This is a joke by the way. Next day put up some reward posters and mentioned that the camera only had 20 mins battery left and needed a European battery charger. (Bit of Bobby - but never mind). While in the queue to get the ferry, Scott phoned the Police and it had been handed in!! Scott spoke to the good guy and he seemed genuine enough said he found it in Kitty's but didn't trust the bar staff, had "food poisoning" the next day so handed it into the police when he was better. So we're sending him on a thank you card and some money.
In the meantime, Mum went to the cemetery on Saturday to see my Uncle Richard's grave and her handbag was stolen off the passenger seat of the car, - they smashed the window to get it not 2 mins after she left the car. I know where I'd rather be living at the moment. I'm just glad she didn't get hurt. Just goes to show we are on the other side of the world.
- * - * WEDDING UPDATE - * - *
4 weeks Sunday. Venue is booked and is still a secret for the guests. We will show them when we arrive at the location but it'll be a couple of days before the wedding. In the meantime we have a few postcards of the place we will send to Grandma and some of our other close family who cannot make it. In the last 2 days we have sorted the cake, flowers, etc. Scott is hiring a beautiful suit. And I was going to hire a dress but wasn't impressed with the ones I've seen, but I did see a beautiful dress to buy - so we're getting that!! The location is great, we will be brushed up and look great, and we have some guests, so it is all coming together.
Our reluctant flowergirl......my niece Sherona found out that Disney on Ice (ice skating performance) was on while we we're in New Zealand. So she asked if she could go to our next wedding. Then my sister and my mum were talking about New Zealand in front of her...ice creams served in buckets....huge inflatable waterbeds in shapes of animals....and very like Cala D'Or Majorca. That was the clincher she said "Alright, alright I'll go then, but Chloe is going to have more fun than me!" And stormed off in a huff to watch Tom and Jerry. So not all our guests are hoping to come and see us! We're still crossing our fingers they can come.
We'll miss the rest of you of course so please plan a good bottle of wine on Sunday 30 March! Remember you can text us on the mobile. If we have a landline to call us on we'll let you know later.
24 Jan 2003: Rotorua, New Zealand
Hello earthlings, We write in peace.
Yep that is your signal that we have got the camper van. Twice as expensive as we had originally planned but it has everything we wanted. Cooker, fridge, table, chairs (convert into double bed), heating (if it gets cold) and storage. So we can drive, sleep or cook when we want to ...or even all three! If you want to see the "Passion Wagon" check it out on the website - we have added more piccies under the new folders of Easter Island, Tahiti and New Zealand - the camper is in NZ.
Plus even more exciting news... the news you have all been badgering us for....WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!! 30.3.03 at a secret location on the South Island (to keep the paparazzi out). We want it to be a nice surprise for our parents so we're keeping schtum (well I am Scott is blagging). Anyway it's all set license, rings, etc. Here is an open invite if anyone is planning to be in New Zealand at this time - then come along. If not don't worry we're planning a party when we get back.
WE HAVE A MOBILE!! If anyone of you wants to txt us a msg email us for the number - it'll only cost you a couple of pence. But don't make it longer than 160 characters some aren't getting thru and we think it's coz there is a limit on our phone. Ta.
Having great fun in NZ - went exploring top of the Northland and one night when we were in the camper we noticed rather a lot of mosquitoes inside - and because I am allergic to bites, Scott set about exterminating them, quite successfully. Then all of a sudden we noticed there were dozens more, we were outnumbered. Scott called retreat and we moved to another campsite an hour away. Apparently rather alot of rainfall had attracted them, though I like to think it was the Chicken Madras Curry I had just cooked up.
Another night in Auckland we were in the back of Emma and Mike's car when this guy on a motorbike pulled up alongside us and waved, so they waved back and he waved back - so Mike rolled down the window and he said 'pleased to meet you I'm the mayor'. He said his name but I can't remember it. Then the lights changed and he sped off on his Harley Davidson! See what I mean - real friendly. [We reported him for speeding - joke!]
In Rotorua at the moment the land of geysers, hot mineral pools, bubbling mud and generally a bad egg smell. Pretty amazing - we are on a campsite near the lake. This morning we went for a quick jog, then had a dip in the hot pool and went swimming. They have a free bbq and steam cooker (au natural). Have bought the Lord of the Rings location guide book - so are off to the Shire tomorrow, home of the hobbits. For all you oldies - go watch the film. For all you youngsters - hope you're jealous! Going back to Auckland on 14 Feb to collect the wedding rings (Valentine's Day how romantic!), then on the 15 Feb we have a pyjama party for Mike's b-day.
Well I hope you are all having a good start to the new year. Look after yourselves I know some people have already had a tough start to the new year so count your blessings. We miss and love you all.
3 Jan 2003: Auckland, New Zealand - HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Happy New Year - to our friends, family and fellow travel bums / soap dodgers!
Now are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.....
The flight from Easter Island was fab Lan Chile are a great airline - the plane had individual screens where you could choose from a choice of 5 films. It had been a while since we'd seen any videos so this was great. I stuck on The Bourne Identity - a kind of James Bond type film. As usual I got ultra absorbed in the plot and when a baddy jumped thru the glass window unexpectedly I jumped and screeched. Of course everyone on the plane turned round and Scott nearly died. I laughed (to hide my embarrassment).
Arrived at the airport - met by a Polynesian band and given a flower for our hair (at Easter Island we were given a whole flower garland!). We landed at night and Tahiti looked magical with all the fairy lights lit up. How wrong we were. Papeete is the capital and when we went to the ATM next morning, there was traffic jams, cars parked randomly, smelly bins full of flies and generally grubby. Thankfully we didn't have any probs getting money out here and they accepted VISA not just Mastercard. In fact it was so touristy they accepted everything you could even cash in your granny for a few pearls. Not that we would Grandma!
Luckily we were booked into a resort on an island called Moorea, just a short ferry ride away. We stayed in a wooden cabin with a family of gekkos. It was like wildlife in action - saw one pounce on its dinner - a cockroach. Yep not particularly pleasant, but it was a tropical island. I also got bitten to death and had the usual hand size bites on my legs. Invested in some raid and Scott became the Exterminator.
The next 2 days I had "numb ass syndrome". Oooh la la! [It's a French speaking island]. How did I catch this? Well we did horror of all horrors and hired a 50cc hairdryer to get around on. 2 hours and we covered the whole island. There is only 1 road.
Xmas Eve we went to a Polynesian Show and buffet dinner. This was great - beautiful girls swivelling their hips for the boyz and chunky men doing haka type dancing for the gals. We even gave it a try! They had a fire dancing display which was like majorettes with paraffin and how to open a coconut with a stick. For dinner there was fish, oysters, mussels, moules mariniere, cold turkey, salad, bbq chicken, pork, shrimps, desserts, etc. Went to bed early coz the mozzie bites were killing me, I even got stronger painkillers from the pharmacist who was shocked at the size of the bites.
Xmas Day I was awoken by my fantastic fiance with coffee and a biccie - we switched the tree on. Aaah! Didn't take long opening the prezzies - we didn't have any. Boo hoo! Didn't have time to get any. Phoned home at 7.30am it was 5.30pm at home and everyone was stuffed and happy. We were sad. Got ready and went to mass. Took an hour and a half coz it was in French and Tahitian, didn't understand a word! Where we usually shake hands and say 'Peace Be With You' -there they kiss each other on both cheeks and say 'Hati Crito' - I thought they were saying Happy Xmas at first and thought that was very sweet of them to speak English to me?! Then went for our Xmas dinner - a buffet at the 5 star hotel up the road. And yes our only form of transport wss the scooter. So we tucked our helmets under our arms and headed out to the poolside bar for brunch. Afterwards had a dip in the pool. Tried to leave before the storm got us - too late - so we got drenched on Xmas Day, didn't feel like we were missing out at all! What did we miss? For Scott it was gravy with his dinner, for me it was Marks & Spencer Yule Log, nothing beats it.
The rest of the week was spent catching up with people on the phone (cost us a small fortune). And chilling out. In fact 2 days were really stormy and it was torrential rain started to get cabin fever. There is only so much Yahtzee and cards you can take. Weather cleared enough for us to go snorkelling in the Lagoonarium but to get there we had to hire bikes it was a 60km round trip! Managed to burn all over not having put sufficient sun cream on to cover the journey. Once there it was great saw baby sharks, a turtle, rays and loads of tropical fish. Beautiful. Once home I couldn't fathom how I had managed to burn my bum while sitting on the bike? [Ans. Snorkelling].
Met an English couple from Ampthill on the flight to Auckland! He is a Luton Town supporter too! Come on the Hatters.....Another girl was from Caddington, so the Bedfordshire massive increases.
Have met up with Sue's friend here in Auckland and she has cooked us 2 huge dinners already! Plus plied Scott with beer and red wine. They have some nice friends here from Wales who have recently moved over and they have offered us their spare room if we don't manage to get a camper van soon. Everyone is so friendly and kind. Going to look at cars / campervans tomorrow - wish us luck!
Miss you all!
|
Terms & Conditions Webmaster |
© Lorraine Doherty 2002 |