Day 15 - SockGate

Day 15

6am alarm set so we could skype to those back home. It was good to catch up with everyone and even see Oscar! Deb went off for a shower and was going to collect the washing. She came back very unhappy our new trainer socks had been pinched from the washing line! We only bought them in Sydney so was not impressed! The total damage was two pairs of Scott’s and two pairs of Debs! Not happy at all....

We packed up and made our way to a local beach. We were aware that one of these local beaches had a nudist section so we were fully intent in avoiding this at all costs! As we walked on there was a family to the right and a lone male to the left. We decided to go right! We were highly suspicious of the male as he didn’t seem to be wearing anything at all. The curiosity got the better of Scott and under the explanation of needing to find a cache he went to investigate! Scott returned informing Deb that he wasn’t naked but had a black G that didn’t leave much to the imagination!

We left the beach at about midday as we had another long drive ahead. Deb took the wheel and headed towards a little hinterland town of Maclean. It has firm Scottish roots and takes its heritage seriously. Haggis available at the local hotels and tartan was enveloping the lampposts. We headed up the main lookout point for a spot of lunch which had commanding views over towards the ocean and inland to the sugar plantations. Scott took over for the next drive towards our camp at Ballina.

The site at Ballina was small compared to the last few we had been too. It was based on one of the main roots into the town so wasn’t quite as peaceful before. Looking back at the entire trip this was where the New South Wales Coast suddenly became commercialised after the nonstop empty beaches and towns of the south to Sydney. We decided to head out into the town for a walk and see what there was. Ballina is a pretty little town which appears to be quite ‘hip and trendy’ trying its best to compete with its much bigger brother at Byron Bay. As we were walking we discovered a ‘hotel’ and decided to buy our first schooner of the trip! It was very cold and very refreshing on the warm evening. We had a look around the shops and then went to the ‘drive-thru’ bottle shop to pick up a nice cold bottle of wine for dinner which was a Barbie again!

Day 14 - Marsupial Fun!

Day 14

The morning started bright and early and Deb decided to get some bacon cooking on the Barbie! A couple of sandwiches later and we were ready for a day of exploring. We first had a walk along the seafront. The main breakwall has many different drawings on made by locals and visitors. Everyone seems to choose a rock and paint/draw their own individual design. There were some very impressive ones! The walk continued towards the main surf beach where there were atleast 30 people surfing and it was only 8.30am!

After our walk we packed up the van ready for our journey to Coff’s Harbour. Our first stop on the way was at Billabong Koala Sanctuary which was about 20 minutes away. We arrived just in time to catch the end of the ‘koala patting’. This is where several koalas doing not very much sat in trees! It did allow you to give them a gentle stroke though. They are very docile and seemed to be either asleep or eating! Koalas sleep for the majority of the time as eucalypt leaves form the basis of their diet and they are low in protein and high in toxins and indigestible bits. They have a low metabolic rate to compensate so don’t really do much! They are cute and huggable though so it makes up for it! Although, the koala we had to pat seemed to have choose that moment to poo! The little brown bullets were flying out! A concerned child thought the koala had ‘dropped something’!

We continued a look around the park/zoo and met all types of native wildlife. Dingos, peacocks and snakes to name a few. Our favourite part had to be the opportunity to feed the kangaroos and wallabies. We purchased a cup of feed (basically dried corn) and entered their enclosure. They were all just relaxing on the floor and looking interested at who was entering. This enabled the chance to walk up to them and let them feed from your hand. Scott was like the kangaroo whisperer being surrounded by all these Marsupials!

From the zoo we headed towards Nambucca head and up to Captain Cook Lookout. It had beautiful views out towards the ocean. We had some lunch here and a stretch of the legs before continuing the drive up to Coff’s harbour.

We arrived at Coff’s harbour at about 4pm and set up camp. Decided to get some washing done as we were early and there would be some daylight left to try and get things dry. We went for a wander as the sun began to set. We found where the creek meets the ocean and watched the surfers. We got back and found the free WiFi so we arranged a skype call home! Dinner was meatballs on the Barbie washed down with a nice VB! Had more Skype to do early in the morning so went to bed early!

Day 13 - Oh Brother

Day 13

Woke up early to the sound of waves lapping the shore and kookaburras laughing away! They are amazing birds to look at (think slightly overweight kingfisher) but they are VERY loud. We had a shower in our van which was a bit tight for space but the water pressure is surprisingly good and the water hot so can’t really complain. Decided to make an early move and have breakfast on the move. We had lots planned and hadn’t got a place confirmed at our next camp site so wanted to get there early. The park ranger hadn’t been round to collect the fee so we had camped for free!

We made our way to the ferry at Bombah Point which would whisk us across the lake for a mere $5. The track on the other side was unsealed but we decided to risk the wrath of Britz as the weather had been so good. It would be a 80km round trip otherwise which we didn’t fancy as opposed to the 15km via the ferry. The ferry operator said the road was gravel and in good condition so we went for it!

We reached the other side and made the journey without incidence and got to the Pacific Highway where we continued onto Crowdy Head. Crowdy Head is definitely not named due to a high concentration of people. On the contrary, it is a sleepy little town of about 2000 souls and marks the southern point of Crowdy Bay. The name in fact comes from Captain Cooks description after he noticed a collection of Aborigines congregated on the headland.

We reached the Crowdy Head lighthouse after a short uphill walk from our parking spot where we were met with fantastic views of the ocean. A quick look in another direction and the deserted Crowdy Bay was before us. We went back down the hill to the beach where we walked for about 500m until we were well away from the few scattered people at the entrance to the beach and set up our towels!

After a most relaxing sunbathe and book read Deb noticed some commotion. On some beaches in Oz you are allowed to drive 4wd vehicles as long as they stay away from pedestrians. We noticed half a dozen 4x4 and a tractor pulling a motor boat. Someone was stood in a pick up pointing out to sea and getting quite agitated then shouting to the other vehicles. Suddenly the boat was pushed into the water. Deb was now getting a little worried as the Jaws music entered her head. The boat dropped a net and seemed to be trying to catch something. As the boat came back into the beach several men ran over to help grab a rope. Next thing we realised was them hauling a net onto the beach. Scott by this time had wandered off to look what was happening and could see loads of fish hopping around the beach as the men were putting them into buckets. Two young boys (about 7 ish) found a fish that had escaped the net but was stranded on the beach. They picked this up by its tail with two hands and struggled to carry it as its head dragged along the floor despite them having it held almost at chest height!

After watching all of this we decided to pack up and move on to our next place. As we were walking back down the beach we noticed a dark blemish on the sand and wondered what it was. At first we thought it was a large rock but went for a closer look. After a few seconds we realised it was a stranded jellyfish! The thing was about 45cm in diameter and was still pulsating away! A very quick photo we made off for the safety of the van!

A short drive up the coast and we reached the base of North Brother Mountain. It was named by Captain Cook as he plotted the coastline from his ship. He noticed three mountains that all looked alike and named them the three brothers! It is 487m above sea level which was where Deb’s heart sank until Scott said we were able to drive to the top! Hoorah! The track is steep and windy but provides glimpses through the gum trees of the surrounding landscape. The old chugger was struggling up in 2^nd gear but she hadn’t yet let us down. After about 5km we reached the summit and parked up. We got out of the van and admired the breathtaking scenery. The views from the top were amazing and gave glimpses of places over 100km away.

Next, as the saying goes what goes up must come down, we had to make the steep and tricky descent back to sea level. The van was screaming to be let out of 2^nd gear. So as Scott got a bit more confident with the handling he slipped the beast into 3^rd where it still wasn’t happy but at this level the brakes were doing a lot of extra hard work! As we were approaching the bottom the smell of very hot brakes began diffusing through the van but luckily we were back down to Earth without incident! Much to Deb’s relief!

Another short drive brought us to our camp site for the night, port Macquarie. This was a Big4 site and that means we get a 10% discount being with a Britz van. This pleased Scott a lot! We got a nice pitch and sat in the sunshine with a nice cup of tea and made some plans for the evening.

We decided to head out looking for a seafood restaurant. However, ‘seafood’ seems to mean ‘fish n chips’ so we were a little disappointed! All this wonderful fish around and they all want to batter it! We eventually found a lovely looking Tapas place which was doing paella so we ordered enough for us both and were amazed at the prawns and mussels that were served! We decided the perfect way to end the night would be with an ice cream as we walked along the breakwall and made our way back to camp.

Day 12 - Myall Lakes

Day 12

As we woke we had a gentle start to the day. We showered and got ready and prepared the van for travel. The Myall Lakes national Park would be the closest thing we would get to ‘slumming it’ this road trip! There is no electricity, running water or flushing toilets so the van would have to store all we would need. We loaded the water tank and emptied the grey water ready for the journey. The campsite is on a first come first served basis as there is no one to make a reservation with! It is government owned and a ranger comes round to collect the fee when you turn up.

For the morning we decided to have an explore/sunbathe of One Mile Beach (Deb did get her choice eventually!). We found a sheltered spot out of the steady breeze and laid down the towels. We had an hour or so of sunbathing time and decided it would be best to get to the campsite early so decided to pack up and set off.

We went through a couple of sleepy towns with cute names of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. On the route through Tea Gardens there was a house surrounded by hundreds of buoys (see photos)! We reached Hawks Nest and decided on a beach break. Bennetts beach had excellent surf and as such had a surf club on site. The surf looked brilliant as we watched from our position on the sand.

We eventually picked our stuff up after an hour or so and went back to the van to continue our journey to Mungo Brush Camping site in the Myall Lakes. As we arrived we rounded the corner. Deb (jokingly) said ‘oh look there’s a dingo!’ thinking it was a fellow camper’s pet dog. Scott then told her it was a dingo as pets are banned! We unpacked our belongings after choosing a suitable spot with excellent views of the lake. Cracked open a couple of tins and admired the wonderful views at 3pm in the afternoon. We spotted another couple of dingoes wandering about but they appear to be very shy animals that are quick to hide back in the bushland.

We went for a short walk through the rainforest but had to turn back early as Deb felt she was dish of the day for the local biting insects club (and she was). We spotted a few bush turkeys that didn’t take to kindly to Scott following them for a photo opportunity! We returned to the van and prepared for an early dinner as we didn’t fancy having to cook in the pitch black we expected there to be! The dingoes also prefer to hunt at dusk and nightfall! We were sure they would fancy a bit of rump steak!

We had a feast of steak, prawns and veg and settled in for the night. There were dingoes howling in the background. Felt just like having Oscar out in the back garden!

Day 11 - The camera returns!

Day 11

We woke up not feeling too bad! Our fears of a crushing hangover seemed unfounded! We got up and went for a walk along the beach front to have an explore of the area around us as we hadn’t had chance the previous day. As the camera had been poorly the previous day we decided we would try and fix the problem with a new memory card instead of a whole new camera in the first instance! We asked where would be open on a Sunday and went to an out of town shopping centre. We got to the shopping centre and struggled to find somewhere to park the beast of a van. Underground parking and a minimum clearance of 2.8m do not mix very well! We eventually found somewhere to park and wandered into the shops. We found a map and located the one and only camera shop but when we got there it was boarded up! We instead started a search for mobile phone stores in the hope they would have SD memory cards. One of them did and after spending $10 the camera was working again!! We stocked up on more supplies and left starting our journey to Port Stephens. Deb took to the wheel and off we went!

We arrived at our campsite at about midday and had a lovely location away from all the other sites under the dappled shade of the gum trees. We had lunch and planned activities for the rest of the day. Scott wanted to visit Tomaree National Park for a walk whilst Deb wanted to go to One Mile Beach! Scott won this one!

We set off in the van as it was about 8km away and we rounded the corner. The shock on Deb’s face was a picture as Scott pointed out the hill (Deb says mountain) he intended us both to climb. It was a mere 161m above sea level. The route was actually quite short at under 1km but it is near enough vertical climbing rock paths and metal ‘ladders’ that had been bolted onto the cliff surface. The views became more and more impressive as we climbed. It was possible to see the opposite side of Port Stephens, Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens, where we would visit tomorrow. We also looked southwest towards the massive Stockton beach in the distance which is the largest moving sand mass in the southern hemisphere. The surfing Zenith beach was much closer and provided the sound of crashing waves even this far up. We were both thoroughly impressed with the views and reluctantly returned back down to sea level.

During our descent we went via an old World War II gun emplacement. The old bunkers no longer hold guns but Deb was impressed with the 156mm which could fire about 15km or so. As we returned we wandered along the break wall to the headland to admire the views in the setting sun.

We returned to our camp site and set about preparing dinner. As we felt a bit “red meated out” we thought we would experiment with chicken fajitas on the BBQ! They were an overwhelming yummy success!

Tomorrow was only going to be a short drive to Myall Lakes National Park so it was going to be a well earned lay-in until at least 7.30am!!

Day 10 - The Hunter Valley

Day 10
We were again up early to get ready for the wine tour! We had to catch the Stockton-Newcastle ferry at 8am to get a connecting bus to the Hunter Valley. As Scott was getting all the paperwork ready he noticed in one of the emails that he was supposed to have paid 2 days before! Oops! We decided to still take a chance and hoped they hadn’t filled our spaces. We had a pleasant walk in the morning sunshine down to the ferry wharf which was about 20 minutes away. We bought our tickets and joined the two other people who were making the 5 minute journey across the hunter river. We then took the short walk towards the bus terminal and could see the 20 seater Wine Rover Coach waiting!

We boarded the coach and were very relieved that Brian the coach driver had 3 spaces! We only needed the two so quickly took our seats! We didn’t have the cash for him but he said there was an ATM in the Hunter so could pay him then. Brian said he was waiting for five more to pick up from Newcastle before setting off for the Hunter. As the minutes ticked by we were still waiting. Two of them appeared who were in there mid twenties and said the others were on the way. Another one appeared five minutes later and hopped on. The last two were late and this was a sign of things to come. They eventually turned up at 8:35 with Brian threatening to leave them behind if they weren’t there on time. They had all brought a picnic which Deb was very jealous of as we had just brought ourselves. We set off for the hour journey to the Hunter and Brian helpfully gave us an itinerary for the day: wine, olives, wine, liquors, lunch, wine, wine, cheese, beer, chocolate. This sounded like heaven to us!

As we approached the Hunter we picked up a group of 4 middle aged women who seemed to have made it their mission to outcompete the younger girls on volume. The high pitched wailing was almost too much to bare and we were pleased to be nearing our first tasting of the day. However, we still had four couples to pick up. The first was a young Dutch couple from a caravan site and was quickly followed by an Aussie couple and then two more couples from a five star resort everyone on the bus was jealous of! Then it was off for our 10am appointment at Kevin Sobels Winery. The scenery of the hunter is vineyards that stretch endlessly up the hill sides with occasional gaps. We later learn that the hunter has 27 different soil types and not all are suitable for grapes! These are left for general farming.

As we entered Sobels we were met by Gus who is a huge St Bernard! We were directed to a back room which had glasses lined up on the bar and jugs of water. Once everyone had filed in were able to sample a selection of wines including four whites. As you should do with wine tasting you begin with the driest whites and work up to the sweeter fruity outfits. The Semillon was first which is what the Hunter is world renowned for. Very crisp and acidic so is perfect accompament with seafood. Next were a Chardonnay then a Verdelho (tasted like pineapple juice!) and finally a Gewurtztraminer. Gewurtz is the German for spicy so indicates how the Hunter Traminer is different from its cousins elsewhere in the world. They explained how to taste wine in three easy steps.

1. Look – White wine begins clear and becomes lemon and more green as it ages. It can become brown if left too long! Reds often become deeper and darker as they mature.
2. Swirl and Sniff – Hold the stem and give it a swirl and decide what the aromas are. Berries or green apples or maybe more exotic like passion fruit and pineapple??
3. Taste – Have a sip and swill around the mouth to reach all the taste buds. You should expect at least three tastes before getting the full flavour!

Next we moved on to the reds. A glass of water to cleanse the pallet was required. The reds you taste from the fruity sweet varieties and finish with the full bodied reds. The apparent opposite way round to the whites! We started with a chilled red called ‘Sweet ‘n’ Luverly’ which did exactly what it said on the tin; this is perfect with a BBQ sat in the sunshine. We had two more reds. The first was a Merlot and then a Shiraz which is the most common red variety grown in the Hunter as it is so perfectly suited to the climate creating great wines. We finally finished with the fortified wine and tried a tawny port. This is one of the best ports we have tried!! It was toffee tasting with an almost velvety quality in the mouth. How do they make Port I hear you all ask?? You take a grape (Cab Sav in this case) then add a fine quality Brandy to it! This ups the alcohol content and ceases the fermentation process. It also halts any oxidisation so in theory will keep for a very very long time even if opened! We finished here and moved on feeling a little intoxicated after having the equivalent of two glasses of wine in the space of about 40 minutes!

Next stop was the Olive centre which was a nice break from the alcohol. They had a huge selection of Olives, Jams, Preserves, Oils, etc... All very tasty. Deb’s particular favourite was the lemon butter! A very velvety lemon curd was Deb’s description! You were able to dunk big chunks of bread in all the products (Double dips NOT allowed). Before we arrived Brian described a speciality product of the centre, The Ring of Fire. It is a chilli paste which has four stages.

1. Immediate – A burn on the tongue
2. Seconds – The burn moves through the throat and sometimes induces a cough
3. Minutes – The sinuses and eyes water
4. Next Day – It’s how it gets its name!

The girls with the picnic bought some extra supplies and we all got back on the bus! We next moved to another winery. This one was called Tulloch. The vineyard was created by a Scottish family and has been in the family ever since now in the fourth generation. We were ushered into a room with an appearance of a board room and grabbed our tasting glasses. The chap leading the tasting must have been in his seventies and had lots of tall stories to share! However, by this time the girls were getting louder and louder and beginning to start talking over the bloke leading the tasting. We tried a huge range on wines here including a white and pink fizz followed by four whites and four reds. We even tried the two ports! We bought a fizz keeper from here as we think it means we won’t need to finish an entire bottle in the future and can save it for the following evening!

Next was a visit to Golden Grape which specialise in the high alcohol liquors. Just what we needed before lunch after all that wine! We tried many different types starting from brandy based “Baileys” to Butterscotch schnapps and other variations in between. The crowning glory is a chilli schnapps by the name of Dragon Breath. Everyone tries this as a shot. It really burns the back of the throat as it goes down! Although Deb later admitted that she threw most of hers in the swill bucket! Scott actually quite liked it and someone else had another as a long drink! We left the Golden Grape and went for lunch.

Lunch was at a fairly new built place called Hunter Gardens. It seemed to give the place a center and had several restaurants and other little stores. We got some cash from an ATM to pay Brian and went for dinner! We found a place called Oscars and felt obliged to eat there! We both had BLTs which were made from the largest wedge of white bloomer bread we had ever seen! The sun was shining and there was live music playing. We decided on soft drinks instead of any more alcohol! We went back to the bus early as Brian had threatened to leave people behind if they were late and come back for them after the next tasting. As the clocked ticked by you can guess who was late! He decided to close the doors and drive off (but was actually just turning the bus!). Then suddenly the girls appeared as if by magic! We were still short of two of the middle aged women who were paying the bill. On closer inspection they were stood near a fountain. They eventually sauntered down to the bus and got on leaving us ‘only’ 10 minutes late for the next place!

We arrived late at Tintilla Estate which is owned by a vascular surgeon who lets his wife and children run it! They make some award winning wines including a very tasty Semillon. They have a white fizz named ‘Lizzie’ which was made by a son and unveiled on his wedding day for all the guests in honour of his wife! The wife of the surgeon led the tasting and had lots of interesting information but we were unable to hear everything as the table was long and the girls were getting even more vocal! Scott was particularly fond of the white port made from Semillon but only just resisted spending the $25 on a bottle!

The next stop was Mistletoe which has won many awards achieving the best rating four years running. They have an excellent bubbly rosé. There was no formal tasting session here and you just ordered a taste from the bar! They were very nice but it wasn’t quite as much fun as the other places! The owner has a big interest in art and buys a lot from the local university. He has a sculpture garden which includes a steel pair of giant stilettos worth $24,000!!

We were all back on the bus and headed to Binnorie Diary which specialises in soft cheeses. We tried all on offer whilst half of the group (guess which half!) were watching the wedding taking place in the grounds! We really enjoyed a cow’s milk based feta cheese which we bought to go with our dinner!

Our final schedules stop was at Blue Tongue Brewery where we bought a cold refreshing lager for a change to the pallet! You were able to buy a tasting pallet of 6 beers including a light, dark and even an alcoholic ginger beer! The sun was warm on our backs as we relaxed and toasted to what had been a lovely day. As we returned back to Newcastle we had just enough time to stop at The Chocolate Shop which gave us a few samples to try.

The journey back was very very loud and we were very pleased once the middle aged women had got off as they were really beginning to grate on us! Half of the young girls were then sound asleep as the competition to shout had gone and the alcohol had taken its toll on them. Brian even remarked it had gone very quiet in the back! We were back in Newcastle for 6.30pm and thought it would be best to eat something before heading back to the ferry. We found a pizza restaurant on the harbour front that looked nice and had a pleasant dinner (with soft drinks!). We got the ferry back and retired early to bed.

We were heading to Port Stephens the next day but decided that we wouldn’t set the alarm clock for the following morning!

The more observant amongst you will notice there are no photos for the day in the Hunter Valley! The camera was poorly and needed a new memory card to work. We got one the next day so you will have to wait for Day 11 photos instead! The Hunter Valley was more about the tasting and the camera can't capture that!

Day 9 - The long and winding road

We were awoken by bright sunshine streaming into our van. The skies were clear and we were met with a fabulous view over Curranbene Creek which flows into Jervis Bay. It was very calm and beautiful with some kids already up and having a swim in its crystal clear waters. We got ourselves up and ready and set off for a morning at the beach! Deb was finally getting to dip her feet into the sea 9 days into the holiday! This just shows how busy we have been doing ‘the tourist thing’.

We headed towards Orion beach which was in Vincentia the next town from where we were staying. We found a pull in for our van and headed to the beach. We were met with views of a deserted beach with an endless stretch of golden sand. The sea was sparkling clear and was crying out for us to populate this sparse area. Out came the towels and we set up camp for the next few hours. Deb proceeded to soak up some rays whilst Scott wandered off to find another cache just around the corner! Unfortunately this area of beach was populated with lots of people so he returned and joined Deb enjoying the sun.

We picked up our towels and wandered back to the van where we drove around to a different area of Jervis Bay. We walked down White Sands Walk which allegedly overlooks a beach with the whitest sand in the world. Difficult to tell really but we will take their word for it! After the failure of before another cache was called for. We went wandering over rocks and met a nice local who obliged in taking a photo of us for us. Once he moved along we began our search and eventually came up with a find! Deb was shocked with the discovery of a gigantic spider which quickly encouraged us both to make a return to the van and the long journey ahead. Deb took the wheel and at one stage even clocked 100km/hour which made a change to the crawling along at 60 in the middle lane! After the first 100km or so we stopped off a Wollongong which has a beautiful botanical gardens. We prepared and ate lunch followed by a toilet stop and a brief exploration of the park to stretch the legs before continuing the journey north through Sydney.

Scott took to the wheel for the evening drive through Sydney’s notoriously busy suburbs. We ploughed through with Deb navigating us around the toll roads that surround Sydney. We had one ‘minor detour’ from the planned route which was again due to poor signage as opposed to Deb’s lack of navigational skill! We finally arrived at our campsite at about 7.30pm. The journey into Stockton was pleasant but was obscured by the night sky. We set up camp and got dinner ready. This time it was a barbie again with a huge piece of rump steak that we had to share. This was preceeded with some excellent corn on the cob.

We got to bed quickly after dinner as we had to be up early again for our wine tour into the Hunter valley!

Day 8 - Campervan

Day 8

We wake up to our final morning in Sydney and the sun is finally shining against a bright blue sky! We packed up and got a taxi to the rental company to save having to fight for space on the train with the commuters. We arrived at Britz rentals and were greeted by a hormonal pregnant woman (Scott’s description) who was initially chatting on the phone but eventually grunted to us that we should watch this portable DVD. It had all the information we required about our campervan and gave a quick introduction to everything we would need. We returned to the aforementioned hormonal woman who then grunted out a few more words and we had discovered we had hired two outdoor chairs! We were directed along to a German chap who would take us through the agreement and payment. This started without problems and we paid off the final outstanding balance and signed the agreement. We then thought we’d be on our way quicker than you could throw shrimps on the Barbie. BUT.....We were surprised with a bond we had to put down on damage to the vehicle. This was the cool sum of $7500! Now as we are not particularly rich neither of us has a credit limit of such a large sum. Deb tried the pray and enter PIN approach which resulted in a rejected card! Now, no idea why she felt her second card would have more luck but she tried anyway! REJECTED! Oh dear.....

We found ourselves in a quandary as the (hormonal) woman announced that we could not try them again for another hour. We eventually devised a plan where we could split the bond between multiple cards. A lot of maths later (from Scott) we had split the amount between three credit cards and had just about covered the bond! We were finally on our way about a hour later than originally forecast!

Scott drove south out of Sydney and we were eventually onto the Pacific Highway heading south towards Kiama. Deb’s excellent map reading enabled a relatively stress free exit from the suburban sprawl of Sydney.

Kiama was about 110km away and we reached it just after lunch. Kiama is a small town with a population of about 12,000 people. The real reason people come is to see the blowhole! The blowhole is the result of sea erosion of the softer rock leaving behind the harder volcanic rock. Eventually a cave forms and the headland above collapses causing a hole to be formed! Easy! The surf enters the cave and traps an air pocket which as the surf retreats causes a negative pressure. The only way for the water to escape is upwards! WHOMP! Quite amazing to see but it is absolutely heaving with tourists. We decided to head over to little blowhole which we hoped would be a little quieter.

A 5 minute drive and we were there. The place was deserted so we decided to get as close as we could! Scott walked down to the blowhole first. It is only a few feet wide compared to its bigger brother which must be 30 feet but it was much more impressive. Scott was able to get close enough to peer directly in and see the water swishing about. When you heard the rumble of an incoming wave you had to quickly step back or get soaked! The noise it creates when stood next to it was most impressive and did get the heart racing. Once Scott had paved the way even Deb got a bit braver and went to investigate. The battery of the camera went flat so there isn’t much photographic evidence of Deb’s accomplishment!

Deb then drove down to Jervis Bay which was about 70km further south again. On the journey we went through a heavy storm with water bounding down. We thankfully found the lights and wipers so Deb could see where we were going. A quick stop on the way at Woolworths for groceries and next door to the bottle shop for beers and wine! The sun was starting to set as we left and Scott took over the baton for driving. The light was starting to fade and we still had a 30 minute journey to our camp site. As we are into autumn here the light quickly fades and left us in complete darkness trying to navigate unfamiliar roads in an unfamiliar vehicle! Jervis Bay is on the edge of a national park so there are no street lights and the road signage is very poor (similar to US) which led to a few choice words between navigator and pilot and a number of repeated journeys up and down the same stretch of road we eventually found our camp site! By this time the site office had closed and a sign outside announced no sites were left. Scott walked over to the office doors and with apprehension looked into a box for late arrivals. Thankfully our information was there so we drove down to our site, hooked up the electric and prepared some dinner! Scott cooked burgers and prawns on the Barbie and we set up the bed for the night. Let’s hope the bed is comfy!

Tomorrow we have a long drive north passed Sydney to Stockton which is just North of Newcastle! New South Wales and not Tyneside, England! That is the best part of 400km!

Day 7 - Blue Mountains

Day 7

Another early start at 6.30am in order to get up, ready and eat before our train out to Katoomba which is 2 hours away by train. As we stepped out of the apartments it was raining. Pac-a-macs came out for another day! The train station was around the corner where we bought our ‘link’ ticket which was our return train ticket plus unlimited use of the explorer bus in Katoomba. Most of the trains are double decker which reminded us off the animal transport ones that are full of sheep on the way to market! Once we had got on we searched for a seat so we were facing forward and had some space. We were then amazed by a lady who got on the train and in one smooth manoeuvre was able to use a handle that changed a back facing seat to a forward facing one! Why do we not have these in the UK?? Deb snoozed most of the two hours away. As we got closer to the Blue Mountains the views opened up into fantastic scenery just obscured by mist and a little bit of drizzle. This was still falling once we reached Katoomba station.

We got off the train and went to the main office where we swapped our train ticket for a bus pass (basically a tour guide that functioned as both). The explorer bus is a ‘hop-on hop-off’ red London Double decker style bus that drives you around different places of interest. Allows you to see as much as possible without having to cover the kilometres! We initially got off at stop 10 which overlooks Katoomba cascades and provided a gentle walk towards Scenic World. It had almost stop raining by this stage and we walked down some steep steps that placed us at the bottom of a free flowing cascade. It was flowing particularly vigorously because of the previous nights rain. We continued out walk through some tree cover out towards the cliff edge. The rainforest basin below was covered with a carpet of mist that prevented our view below. However, the scale of the sights was breathtaking and it just increased the mystique of what was below. We continued our walk towards Reid’s Lookout which had an almost vertical drop to the tree canopy below. Here the trees below looked like those found on model railways made of coloured sponge! As we arrived at Scenic World (stop 12 for those who are counting!) the mist had begun to rise which would make our railway journey more impressive.

Scenic World is a small area of Disney in this vast national park. They run three ‘rides’ that allow you to view the rainforest. A skywalk with a glass bottom (Deb didn’t particularly fancy this one), a railway and a cablecar. We decided to take the railway down to the rainforest floor which is 200m below. The railway does not saunter its way down but takes the most direct route! It is 415m long with an incline of about 52 degrees at its steepest point! This was more like Oblivion than Toytown train! The train is actually in the Guinness World Records as the steepest railway and used to be used to ferry coal miners up and down. As you get in the pitch of the seat means you are laying backwards with nothing but the person next to you from stopping you falling out! It accelerates very quickly reaching its top speed quickly. Deb was grabbing onto Scott and possibly left fingernail imprints on him! The views whizzing before you were amazing and we were at the bottom before you even knew it.

At the bottom of the railway is a rainforest walk that allows you to see the natural flora of this area of Australia. It was pleasant and informative. Even Deb enjoyed the historical and geographical information! By this time it was decided by way of a vote (2 to nil) that it was lunch time and we found a pleasant bench underneath a gazebo next to a running creek. As we were removing our sarnies we were joined with a bird. Now, the birds here are all on the BMI >25 side and they are obviously very intelligent at getting hold of visitors food so we were very watchful! We took our first bite and the bird hopped even closer! By this stage we had had enough of our visitor and waved him away where he retreated back to his initial perch. There was nothing left for him apart from a lonely crisp on the floor. He grabbed it and took it back up with him! He then let us watch him break it into smaller pieces to eat!

After we completed our walk around the rainforest we got the cablecar back up. This is the 4^th steepest cablecar in the world. We got back to the top and realised the buses were on their one hour lunch break so decided to walk the distance to stop 14 ‘Echo Point’

The walk took a while but with the mist lifting the views were even more spectacular than earlier and gave a true sense of proportion to everything which had been missing from earlier. Echo Point is where the tourists and their buses hang out. The reason is the views you get of the three sisters. We personally hated the place as there were so many people and it spoilt the area but the views were excellent. A walk down the ‘Giant Stairway’ led us to the base of the first sister and provided a different view looking back up towards the cliffs we had just been at. 121 steps to this stage with another 850 down to the rainforest floor! We decided to instead return up and walk along the cliff to Honeymoon point (very aptly named we thought).

We caught the bus from stop 15 at Honeymoon point over to stop 17 which was actually a good couple of km walk. This placed us directly above Leura cascades which were very pretty both from above and below. At this stage our feet had decided enough was enough so we walked back up to the bus stop to catch the next bus back to the train station. We decided to catch the train from Leura station which is one stop after Katoomba and wandered through the village. We bought a much needed coffee and sat waiting for the train.This time we sat up on the top deck and relaxed for the two hour journey back to Sydney. It was 6.30pm before we reached Sydney and it had been a very long and tiring day.

In the evening we met Nat (one of Deb’s old work colleagues from her time in Birmingham). She works in Sydney now and had arranged to meet her. Nat took us to ‘the rocks’ which apparently used to be where all the Harlots and Prostitutes hang out (mum/dad, chris/stu)! It is just behind the quay next to the Harbour Bridge and is actually now one of the most exclusive and desirable places to live! Deb finally got to eat some monster mussels and Scott had a pizza which was on the small side. We walked around to the Opera house after dinner and sat having a drink where there was a live band playing which finished off a fantastic day.

Deb also counted her mosquito bites! 150++!

Tomorrow is campervan day!

Day 6 - Day trip to Manly

Day 6

Deb had an awful night sleep due to the mozzie bites all over her legs. Her mood was improved slightly with the weather outside being gloriously sunny! The plan was to get up and ready and make our way over to Manly. The ferry was frequent so we wandered down after breakfast to catch it. The journey was quick and efficient and we were at Manly wharf in no time. Only a small amount of roll from the ferry as we crossed the opening of Sydney harbour to the Pacific Ocean

Manly is a northern suburb of Sydney but feels a million miles away. The beach front is more like a friendly British seaside resort as opposed to the sometimes harsh and boisterous appearance of Sydney. We had decided to try and hire a bike to see some of the coastline. We walked to one of the bike rental shops but were left disappointed as they require photo ID which was all the way back in our apartment! Scott decided we could do a scenic walk so we proceeded back to the information centre to pick up a walking map! On our way we stopped at a chemist to buy some more substantial bite cream, the assistant looked in horror at Debs bites stating they might be infected Deb ensured her they weren’t so she gave her a hydrocortisone cream and some stronger oral antihistamines.

The Manly Scenic Walkway is a 9km route which passes along the harbour coast through beaches, bushland and rugged outlook points from cliff tops. The tide appeared to be low so there were lots of exposed rocks where we decided to go rock pooling and climbed over the exposed surfaces. Our Merrels came in very useful for this task!! As we walked into the National Park protected bushlands it felt very isolated where all you could hear was the sound of birds. Very hard to believe this is still the very heart of Sydney. Deb decided she needed the loo and we came across a public toilet we were half expecting a hole in the ground but we were surprised to see a glistening stainless steal tardis type toilet. Deb stepped in with anticipation as the door closed and a voice told her she had 10 minutes then some music started playing!! It was quite different to uk public toilets!

Scott took the opportunity to hunt out a cache located somewhere on a rocky outcrop but we left empty handed after the search turned up a blank. We seem to be struggling to find them recently so hoping luck will change soon!!

After what was a lovely long walk we returned back to the Ferry. This quickly whisked us back to Circular Quay where we walked back to our room where Deb had a sneaky power nap!

For the evening we went to an area known as Surry Hills. It is supposed to be a bit upmarket and a ‘hip and happening’ area of town. As we felt this described us we went in search of a nice meal. In order to get there we had to walk via some less desirable areas and all side streets seem to be poorly lit here in Oz. Guess you get used to it if living over here but it is very noticeable to an outsider! We found a small Italian restaurant which seemed to be offering good food at a reasonable price relative to the rest of the area! We shared figs wrapped in Parma ham with a Gorgonzola sauce to begin with. For Deb’s main she had Spaghetti Marinara. Scott’s main was Prawn Gnocchi. Both meals were excellent and a coffee finished a lovely relaxing meal from recent hectic sightseeing! We returned back to our apartment via a quick taxi journey to prepare our bags for another early start as we needed to catch a train out to Katoomba and see the Blue Mountains national Park just west of Sydney!

Day 5 - First sights of Sydney

Day 5

Landed in Sydney at 08:10 where it was overcast and considerably cooler (it was the morning!). Immediately after going outside it was noticeably less humid and a lot more civilised! After a slight delay with our bags coming off the plane as they struggled to open the door. I thought to suggest that the Aussies should try pulling instead of pushing but didn’t know how that would go down with the locals! The quarantine is really strict for any meats, fruits or veg with people going around the arrivals hall asking people. The number of Malaysians and Chinese who had to open their bags was amusing. Instead of white powder, the contraband was that of dried seafood and more fruit than Sainsbury’s!

We got a taxi to our hotel in central Sydney just next to the central train station. The Medina Executive is to be home for the next 3 nights and our base whilst here in Sydney. The taxi was a lot more expensive than KL at around $40 for a journey of half the distance in KL! When we got to the hotel our room wasn’t ready but they were able to move us to an equivalent room that was ready. We really don’t function after night flights so was unsure of the time of day as it felt late afternoon but was really only late morning! The apartment is HUGE. There is a separate bedroom and bathroom with dryer and washer. The living area is also very large with a kitchenette and large fridge (full of beers, but they cost a small fortune).

Once we had settled in it became evident that we had brought more from KL than planned. The ‘one or two’ mosquito bites we thought we had were in fact a lot more! Deb probably has upwards of 100+++ over her legs and arms. She looks like an escapee from a Leper colony and you can see people stare as they walk past!

As we had no beers of our own a journey to find supplies was called for. We decided to go for a walk and see what we could find. The first was a market called Paddy’s (The locals appear to go mad for it but it reminded us of the Haymarket in Leicester and just happened to be located in a place called Haymarket Coincidence?!?) which we quickly left. We eventually found Darling Harbour which seemed to be a central hub for lots of fun and excitement and we planned to return and see it again. Scott found a tourist information centre and proceeded to load up on enough leaflets and maps to sink a ship. They very helpfully directed us to a supermarket (Woolworths) so we could stock up.

We got back to the apartment and made lunch to give us energy to plan the rest of the day. We decided to try and find an internet cafe so we could upload our photos and blog. We found one just down the street from us and used the WiFi on the laptop to upload for everyone! We continued a walk down the main street towards the Sydney harbour area. By this time it was starting to get dark (Around 5.30pm!!) so we decided just to have a look around The Rocks and Circular Quay areas which provided lots of photo opportunities with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background. The setting sun combined with the lights of the landmarks provided some exciting scenery as we stood and watched. As we walked further round there was a couple having their wedding photographs taken with the Harbour Bridge in the background. Personally, we think the Harbour Bridge is a poor substitute for Dunchurch Park and they are unfortunate not to live near to Dunchurch!

The food choices were expensive and as we didn’t know what we wanted we decided to walk back and grab something on the way. After numerous ventures into 7-11s and convenience stores it became evident that nowhere sells alcohol apart from dedicated liquor stores! More of an inconvenience than anything else as we couldn’t find one of these ‘bottle stores’ as the locals call them. Luckily for us there was a golden arches across the road so we decided to venture for some fast food as we were both getting tired and slightly grumpy. A Grand Angus burger in hand we went back to the apartment and opened a bottle of white Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc from the room’s minibar.

Early night as we had a day full of walking tomorrow as we have planned to travel to Manly by the Ferry! By this stage the mosquito bites are driving Deb mad!

Day 4 - Final day in KL

Day 4

This was to be our last day in KL as we fly to Oz at about 10pm. This gave us a final day of sightseeing; Good times. A lie in until only 7am; Bad times! We decided in order to maximise time we would get a taxi up to the Menara KL. Also the fact that it is based at the top of a hill persuaded Scott of the need to part with the well earned Ringits. Six crisp 1 Ringit notes later and we were at the base of a very large communications tower. The 4^th largest in the world to be exact! The organisation here was less of the military precision of the Skybridge and more Disneyland! Our ‘tickets’ included a tour around a mock village, Cultural presentation and a pony ride (if under 50kg)! We skipped on all of the extras and went straight up the tower! Although, I think Deb was tempted with the pony ride.

We again took a lift up but this time the height was measured in meters instead of floors. The weather had been misty when we woke up and had only just begun to clear so we were unsure of the view we would get. We were not disappointed as the city appeared through the mist allowing us to pinpoint all of the major landmarks. We were given headphones and a personal video player which described the view as you walked around the tower. Although the Petronas Towers is probably more iconic the Menara KL gives the best views of the city and of course lets you view the Petronas themselves. Lots of photos later (hope you like them at http://picasaweb.google.com/knapp.scott) we got the lift back to ground level ears popping as we descended.

As we excited we walked over to the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve. Scott knew there was a cache here so it was a joint effort to find. After searching almost everywhere whilst struggling with a signal under the dense rainforest canopy we eventually had a brainwave and checked just outside the main gate. There was a suspect tree there and we found it! Our first in KL! We walked through the forest looking for a second as Scott thought we were on a roll and our luck was in. Well our luck had changed after walking the same path twice through the same cloud of mosquitoes that must have thought all their birthdays, Christmas’ and Eids came at once as they descended upon us to inflict their bites of pain. We actually thought we had got off lightly with just one or two....

After the failure of this second cache and Deb’s continuous grumbling we made our way for the exit. We were unsure how long we must have been in the forest because as we were walking to an exit a group of people came in and asked us how far it was and what country we had come from! Maybe lost in translation or we just looked like we had been living there for days!

We next caught the monorail and bumped into an English contingent making their way to the Malaysian Grand Prix. However, the walk from the station to the Lake Gardens was a little longer than expected as we got lost several times and ended up in a bus station, on a main route out of KL with no pavements and all in the baking hot KL sun. This was by far the hottest day with sweat just sitting on our bodies. The Lake gardens has a lovely bird park which would have been fantastic to visit if we had time but we made do with a walk through the Orchid garden. The orchids were very pretty but we expected them to appear in a more ‘natural’ habitat but they were planted in pots under a canopy with a few misters dotted about to maintain humiditiy. Could have been and should have been better! We carried on walking through to the end of the gardens where we found a bench with a cooling overhead fan. Our saviour we thought until we noticed it wasn’t switched on! We thought the man sat upstairs was having fun at our desperation but then he came good and showed Scott the light(switch) which was the most pleasurable seat of the trip so far! We sat and compared sweat, blisters and bites. After cooling down Scott persuaded Deb they need to go and visit the National Monument so onwards and upwards (literally). When we reached the top of the hill there was a mighty big bronze statue designed and built in 1966 to commemorate the communism defeat. It was scorching hot and Deb found a cool(er) spot in the shade to collapse on the very cooling marble floor. A few photos later and it was down to the park to try and hunt out a final cache. However, after much endeavour, and Deb’s patience now non-existent, it was obviously not to be our day and we retreated down to the road where we hailed a luxurious air con cab back to the hotel.

A mocktail by the pool finished off our KL experience perfectly as we changed and got a cab back to the airport to fly off to Australia. We can hear those didgeridoos as we type.....

Day 3 - Petronas Towers and Little India

Day 3

We had again planned to try and get up early to queue for Skybridge tickets. Three alarms were set for 5:50am; our bags were packed for a quick getaway; did we make it? Yes we did! We got up this time and went down for a breakfast to provide the required energy for such an early start. The walk in the morning was pleasant as the temperatures hadn’t yet started to rise; a cool 29C. We walked to where the queue was for about 7:45. The room was FULL of bodies snaking around the lobby where you physically couldn’t see the end. We ended up in a corridor of the building a long way from the front. Some of the early birds had been there since 6am and beyond! Scott was getting nervous and trying to mentally count the number of people in the queue. Scott guessed about 700 so he thought we would be safe in getting one of the 1600 tickets available for the day. That was until he found out that every person was entitled to claim five tickets! Once the ticket ‘office’ (really just several people in red jackets with palm tops printing out tickets) there was a screen that counted down the number of tickets available and at which times. All compounded to leave a very nervous 90 minute wait but we hoped it would be worth it! Finally, Deb reached the front of the queue (only one person was allowed to queue for each five tickets towards the end in order to shrink the queue) and got tickets for the 2pm visit! Yes!

As the day was still early we thought we would go to Little India and the Colonial district for a walk. We hopped in a taxi that seemed to think if he talked a load of bull he could convince we needed to spend 20RM on his journey. Scott quickly told him and tried to haggle him down or to turn his meter on but he didn’t budge so we got into a different taxi. He was an Indian Malay and they are well known for this tourist trick although it is completely illegal! The next driver was a Chinese and much more friendly, however he had to put his glasses on to read the map we were showing him! In the sense he didn’t know a word of English or seem to know where we were going!! Despite this we got to Medeka Square. In its Colonial days you would have heard the whack of leather on willow as it was the cricket pitch for the British but today it is used as a relaxing green area. The taxi was a more reasonable 6RM on the meter! The walk involved views past several architecturally interesting buildings and into the central Little India district. The smells suddenly changes to one of spice and incense and the sights became that of gold jewellery and fantastically coloured fabrics. There wasn’t quite the chaos of Chinatown but it did have its own unique atmosphere. The day was only getting hotter as we made our way back to the monorail and the hotel. The air conditioning on the monorail system was highly appreciated!

We left our room again at about 13:30 to ensure we got to the Petronas Towers Skybridge in plenty of time for our visit. We joined a group of about 40 others in a holding area where we were x-ray’d and searched by security then allowed to enter the lift. The button was pressed for floor 41 and the lift began to ascend at a rate of about 3 floors every couple of seconds. It was all very smooth and the only way you realised you were in fact moving was that our ears kept popping! The lift reached floor 41 and the doors open at the skybridge. The sun was bright and the views were exceptionally good. The entire city was laid out before us. From this vantage point you could really appreciate the feat it was to build such an impressive building. The hotels and office buildings which are tall in their own right were dwarfed into insignificance! The only building that seemed to be trying to challenge the Petronas Towers was the Menara KL which was out to the west and on a small hill and appeared to be at a similar height.

After our visit we returned back to ground level in the same militarily precise Malaysian organisation and couldn’t resist a view back up toward the towers where we had just been. It was almost impossible to make out bodies in the skybridge. As we were walking back we decided to have a sit by the pool for a bit of R&R in the afternoon to have a bit of rest time and make the most of the sun! The pool was lovely and cool and helped relax our tired muscles!

For the evening we caught the monorail back to Little India and had a beer in a bar on the walk. On Saturday evenings they have a spectacular night market called the Pasar Malam. The small alleys of Little India are crowded with street stalls selling everything fake to food and drinks. We were hungry and looking for food. As we walked down the stalls it was unclear what people were actually selling. Bowls of food were on the side waiting to be bought by people (how long had they been there???). The skin of animals were hanging from the stalls (we were sure one was a beagle sized skin). As we were very wary of what they might be cooking we eventually saw a familiar shaped food which was samosas we were told were chicken! They felt safe and were delicious. They were extremely hot with a lovely spicy flavour and only RM (40p) for 3. We continued exploring the stalls but eventually found a vegetarian Indian restaurant that we thought we would try. There was a menu (!) and the food was delicious washed down with a Lassi for Deb and mint and lime drink for Scott. Tomorrow was the day we fly to Sydney so it was going to be another early start in order to fit in what we still wanted to do!

Day 2 - Petronas Skybridge....or not....

Day 2

3am: We are both awake! It might be excitement but we think it is more to do with Jet Lag as our bodies feel like it is about 10am! We think we must have eventually dropped back off to sleep and waited for the inevitable alarm going off at 6am.....

To Scott’s surprise he woke up naturally; just a shame it was 10am! He must have turned off his alarm clock in some jet lag stupor. This required a slight reorganisation of the carefully choreographed itinerary over a not very leisurely breakfast as it is only served until 11am. Not long enough for a buffet style breakfast!

We decided to head for Chinatown which was a short monorail journey away. The first thing we have learnt about KL is that if it has a motor in it then it will probably do what it likes! It seems to be expected that if you want to cross a street you close your eyes and just go for it! There are some pedestrian crossings but you are never sure if they actually working. Although every so often you see the little green man switches on with an amusing animation which appears to show him running across the road. How very apt!

Chinatown town covers an area on the edge of the city centre with many small streets with high rise residential buildings above street level shops. As you went down a street you appeared to be walking directly into central Beijing. The smell of joss sticks and incense fills the air with a heady scent which was intoxicating against the humid weather of the day. The Taoist temples were individual little oasis from their busy central locations. They are built in the most unlikely locations surrounded by shops on all four sides. Their position is determined by Feng Shui as opposed to the beauty and ease of access of a location! The locals were all very friendly and encouraged you to enter and look around and even to make a donation. Our 1RM went in the box for ‘Prosperity’! The sun finally appeared and the temperatures seemed to skyrocket. So we headed back for a rest out of the sun.

We walked down towards the nearby Petronas Towers later in the afternoon. As we didn’t have tickets to go up to the linking skybridge we decided to explore the Suria KLCC which is a 5 floor shopping mall directly below the towers. Deb was in shopping heaven until Scott decided to cut her fun short with a trip to the KLCC Park which is behind the mall. We had Caches to find (ask a friend or see www.geocaching.com!). The park is a tranquil tropical Oasis in the centre of KL. There is a large fountain display with a variety of paths leading through the park. Deb was amazed at the paddling pool designed for kids and was desperate to get her wet suit on until she was dragged away for more walking. The heavens decided to open so we made a quick exit for cover in the mall until it quickly cleared and we made our way back to the hotel. The traffic was nose to tail all the way down the roads putting rush hour in the UK to shame. People were sat in their cars reading the daily newspapers! Those of you interested in our cache success? A big fat zero out of two! Well there is always tomorrow???

For the evening we caught the monorail again to Bukit Bintang which is the central “party” district. As, you are well aware, we are the young hip twenty-somethings so we quickly left that area and walked to Jalan Alor! This is a central area to the local Malay Chinese population. Every evening the road is suddenly taken over by the roadside restaurants that strategically place their plastic tables and chairs to encroach upon the road to have a large outdoor eating area. What was a busy 3 lane road is quickly reduced to a single lane where cars and mopeds fight for room with the pedestrians and restaurant patrons! We eventually decided on somewhere to sit where several people suddenly appeared with various menus. One lady appeared trying to sell an apparent local brew called “Jaz”. Just in case we hadn’t saw it before (we hadn’t!) she had a slightly faded laminate card with a picture of the said beer; the true quality was obvious in the fact the laminate was just peeling away to reveal how long she had really been doing this job for! We turned down her Jaz and asked for Tiger bottles so she had to tell someone else who took our order. That person then bought us some nice big 660ml bottles and we paid her. Scott then ordered his dinner from a chap and Deb ordered hers from someone else. Both dinners arrived at separate times and you paid each person individually for what you had. All very time surreal especially with cars driving about 2ft from your table! Altogether it was a little under £8 for food and drink. The food on its own was only about £1 per meal! We wandered back to Bukit Bintang and found a bar which served Tiger. Just opposite us was a couple with a black ‘fluffy type’ dog. This dog was sat on a chair next to them, with a hoodie on AND had a glass of water WITH ice on the table which he would have the occasional lick from! The most amusing thing was when the dog went for a drink and the woman used a napkin to wipe its mouth! It was mesmerising to watch! We think Oscar has a long way to go until he reaches this level.We finally caught the monorail back and popped into the nearby 7-11 for supplies.

Day 1 - KL

Scott passed his exams!!!!!! Although he didn’t receive the results until the afternoon it was a reason to celebrate and what better way than to spend 13 hours on a plane flying to Malaysia??? After an incident free journey to the airport (thanks mum and dad!) we tried to see if we could get seats next to each other for the plane. Earlier in the day the online check-in attempt was a farce which left us sat on opposite sides of the plane about 15 rows apart! Some of you may say that this was planned by Scott but he denies this vigorously! The very nice check-in lady decided that we were worthy of an emergency aisle seat with the associated extra legroom which was very much appreciated! A celebratory pint and burger was called for but Deb managed to say “chicken” instead of “beef” for Scott’s choice. It is good to know that she is so much more careful in her professional life! Within 15 seconds of Deb sitting down “her” blue-cheese burger arrived to much surprise. It is possible that it “may” have been destined for the table behind but she was hungry! After what seemed like an eternity to board we had about 10 minutes to get on before we were late. Inevitably it took longer than this and we didn’t depart until about 11pm (about an hour late).

The flight wasn’t too bad and seemed to fly by with trying to sleep and the nonstop drinks they brought round including a beer just before bed time! The staff were really organised and put BA to shame! The meals were tasty (??) relative to other airplane food with a Chicken Biriyani as we left the UK. Then for “breakfast” (no idea what the local time was whilst flying over India/Pakistan!) a Thai style chicken curry with coconut rice! It felt wrong having a curry for breakfast but wait until we had breakfast in KL.....

We landed about 18:35 local time after circling for about 20 minutes. The airport was a painless exercise and is really ultramodern with a quick efficient monorail system connecting the international departure gates with the arrivals building. We were out before we knew it and had queued for a “budget” taxi. Exactly the same as the misnamed “premier” taxi which is 25RM more expensive! The airport is about 10 minutes from the location of the weekends Malaysian Grand Prix as we went passed on our way to KL. The approach to the city was exciting seeing what appears to be two space ships on the horizon brightly lit as if waiting for a countdown to begin. The true size of them is unclear until you are underneath them and can really place them into proportion with their surroundings. (The Petronas towers are 452m tall and were the tallest buildings in the world before Taipei 101 and the new tower in Dubai were built.)

We arrived at the Renaissance hotel at about 8:30pm through the grand ‘East wing’ entrance. The reception area is huge and it was nice having the ‘bell boy’ collect the luggage to take to our room! We are the 14^th floor of 25 and this building is small compared to some of it’s neighbours! As we were so tired Deb decided it was necessary to organise a tour of the nine bars and restaurants to find some food and drink. A quick ‘toe dip’ in the Olympic sized pool for Deb we finally made it to one of the bars. We ordered two pints of draught lager (Carslberg for those who care!) and were quickly relieved of 90RM! A quick calculation puts this at about £18 in GBP!!

After this we headed back to the room and ordered room service of a very tasty club sandwich and went to bed as we needed to get up for about 6am to have breakfast and then head to the Petronas Towers for tickets to go up the skybridge.

Check out the photos on the Picasa page!

Ready for KL!

Originally uploaded by scottanddeb

Ready for KL!

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