You’ve heard of the Mexican Wave……

Well it’s nothing like the Aussie wave! I’ve perfected this to clear the flies- they are a bl**** nuisance to say the least!

 Two days on, having made the filling station with a few drops to spare, we have arrived at the Karinjina national park, a lovely area of gorges, waterfalls and scrub forest. To get here we had to drive 25 miles off road, and what no one told us about was the red dust!  Arriving on site we found the car was covered in it, and of course it gets everywhere. Being a two shower a day man it didn’t entirely suit. Hey-ho, are we downhearted? You bet we are!!!

 We are camped in an eco-park, where everything has to be biodegradable or taken away with us, they tell us to save the frogs. The camp is extremely well organized by Aussie standards, a good restaurant and reasonable toilets and showers, but not really enough of them. There is even wi-fi at a cost, so it is good. We are staying two nights, then moving on to another camp in the park to let us see more of it.

This morning we walked down into Jofres gorge, a quite steep climb down and back to a lovely waterfall and pool. We didn’t quite make the pool as the last drop was a bit too dodgy for us, but we saw it all.

It is getting hotter by the day, we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn yesterday, and Spring is upon us here.

First day on the road.

We are certainly learning by our mistakes! We set off with half a tank of petrol, and we were so soon in the country we thought we may not get any. So we had to backtrack a little to fill up, but when we got back on the road there seemed to be stacks of fuel stations! Having done about 300 miles we aimed for a place called Flynn’s find, where the sign said there would be petrol, and we got there with a little over a quarter of a tank.  We had to wait for the only petrol pump, then the guy came over and said Bad News, we’ve just run out, the nest station is 150k up the road! Mad panic!

However, we were stopping for the night half way so we will have to wait for the morning to see if we make it.

Our trip up was improved greatly by the wild flowers growing alongside the road, beautiful shades of pink, purple and violet, in profusion. They flower among the scrub only for a month or so each year and this is the season. Quite uplifting!

The road trains pass us regularly, we are restricting ourselves to 90kph, (57mph) (we want the car to last the course!) and they do 110, about 70. They are huge, many have around 100 wheels.

Arriving on the campsite we discovered that the owner comes from Bolton, one of many Brits we have met here. The site however was quite primitive by our standards, although it seems it is one of the better ones in this part of the country.

Anne cooked a great meal, stir fry chicken, pots and veg, so we were replete. However the midges turned out to be a bl**** nuisance, even after spraying ourselves. Oh- the joys of camping!

So our first night looms- it’ll be early in bed and read I think, and very early to rise……

Ready to go!

At last we are fully packed, all shopping done (phew- the bank account will be relieved!) These last few days everything has gong wrong, and had to be sorted. I've made a friend in Paul, the guy at the auto shop, I have been back and forward many times a day. So he'll be glad we've gone.

Anyway we had a dry run putting up the gear, took us a while because it has to be in a certain sequence and we did it wrong a few times. However we got there and this is the result:  

We were exhausted by this time so we had to stop for a cuppa, or in Anne's case, a glass of red.....

 This is the kitchen in the rear of the car.....

And the bedroom upstairs.....
(the first time I've not lived in a bungalow for many years!)

And Anne purporting to carry a ladder?.....

And finally Betty raring to go- ( that,s what we've decided to call the car) and tomorrow at 7am we will be on the road- due north up the Great Northern Highway, a three day trek to the Pilbara, our first taste of off roading for a few days to see if we can handle it.

By the way we managed to pack it all up in 26 minutes, not bad for a first attempt. Our aim is to erect everything in the time it takes to boil the kettle- we'll keep you posted

What a busy week.

After a slow start, the roof tent arrived on Wednesday and we started to put it together. We soon realised that the tray we had purchased at great expense for the roof rack was totally unsuitable, and we had to go cap in hand towhere we got it from to change it. So we ended up with a load of stuff for the car which although useful, is perhaps not entirely necessary!

In the meantime we had bought a fridge for the car, only to find that the electrics wouldn't work, so that meant a new secondary battery and a rewire. Hey- ho, what a wonderful life!

Anyway, while waiting for the car to be fixed I went walk about, spotted a Rotary wheel, and it turned out to be a workshop where they make Wheelchairs for Kids. I will be writing seperately about it, but it is a wonderful organisation that works entirely with volunteers, and distributes the chairs to developing countries, mainly in Asia, Africa, and South America. I was made most welcome, and shown around where over 100 volunteers work part time.

So now we are near ready, we hope to set off early Sunday, it is a three day run up to the Pilbara where we will have our first taste of off-roading , a test run for the biggie- the Gibb River Road.

A day off

Well Almost. After a few days quite hard work converting the back of the car to take all our stuff we decided to take it easy on the Sunday. We went out for a walk along the front where they were surfing and kitesurfingand had a coffee on the front at Mullaroo,watching a group of young people kayaking. We walked about eight kms in all, along a beautiful shoreline, on a lovely day.
Afterwards we went out with the Huttons for lunch at Hillarys, which is a yacht haven with a shopping centre just along the coast.

But we still had to do a little work: pick up a carpet for the car, and a few more materials from Bunnions, the Oz equivalent of B&Q. We are almost there, just waiting for the tent now.
We woke up Monday to find torrential rain, so it looks like a day in the garage for us finishing off.

Shock! Horror!

We have had a visit from a couple of David & Mildred's friends who regularly do what we plan. They opened our eyes- we now realise we need a lot more tackle than we thought, a roof tent, which we have ordered, and a roof rack with all the trimmings- petrol cans, spare wheels. Phew! I don't know whether the bank account will survive.
Today we fitted the roof rack, which is superb, and after taking the back seats out yesterday I started on building in drawers and boxes in the back of the car. We now have a two seater!

We now think that we won't get away till the back end of next week, we have a fridge and a cooler to buy yet, as well as a table and chairs.
Our next challenge is when the tent arrives and fitting it to the roof rack- we will be sleeping on top of the car. We had intended just to take a tent, but it seems the animals round here enjoy a bit of human flesh, so it wasn't recommended. Hey-ho-What fun!

We need a name for the car, registration is 1BTA969, so we thought maybe Brutas, or anyway up. However we are asking you to think one up please and post it in the comments section on here. There is a prize for the best one, we won't come and see you for the next nine months!

We've got one!

After three days of absolute hell going round dealers and private sellers we've found the car of our dreams. (or will it be a nightmare?) A very good looking Mitsubishi Pajero, greenish, with a comparatively low mileage at a comparatively reasonable price. ( well- good for here.) We pick it up tomorrow, if I can get some money, so we now have to convert it and make ready to leave for the north, possibly next Monday or Tuesday we think.
We.ve also got a phone today, useful all over the Oz, and the number is 0061439264187, and we should be available most of the time on that, or by text. As we are using Skype for most of the international calls should you wish to speak to us just send us a text and we can ring you on your landline, if we know your number, or talk to us when you see us online at our Skype address, ron bailey2011.
So things are looking up- tomorrow another challenge!

Ocean Reef and oh so many cars!

David and Mildred have a lovely house overlooking the Indian Ocean, just north of Perth. It is a lot cooler than Malaysia though, just around 18c, or 65f, and oftimes very wet! But are we downhearted? you bet we are!
We have been looking at cars till we are dizzy, not just on the net and in the papers, but in garages, at private houses, just anywhere. We can do nothing else till we are fixed up now, as we don't know how well equipped the car will be.



We are learning a lot about motors here, there are different marques than at home, but we think we might end up with a Toyota Landcruiser if we can.
Until we travel on from here we will not be writing every day as we have so much to do, but we will try to update at least twice a week.

What a send off....

Ipoh airport, rather a one plane affair with a departure lounge about the size of my lounge, was crowded with members of the club to see us off the premises. And what a send off!
We have had three wonderful days with a great group of people, rarely have we had such hospitality. Patricia is the consummate host, nothing is too much trouble, and so many members of the club looked after us during our visit it is impossible to name them all. We have been prevailed upon to come back next year before the Bangkok convention, with the Workington group, and we are really looking forward to it.
Thank you to all of you- we will never forget our visit or the welcome you have given us

Budda and a lady we will never forget

Eight am saw us on the way to Ipoh town centre to meet up with a guide and some of the club members for a walk round the historic centre. There is a lot of history here, going right back to the first European occupation in the 14^th century, and even before when the South Pacific people made their way here centuries before.

But it seems the British really built Ipoh in the 18^th century, mainly to exploit the tin mines, some of the buildings certainly reflect the British colonialism.

Then- guess what? Another Chinese lunch! But this time it was Dim Sum, quite tasty.

Off to a Buddhist temple in the afternoon, just outside the town, in a very large limestone cave. Very impressive, and quite cool with the breeze that ran through it. Turtles and large Koi in the ponds. Anne had her fortune told- she is to have a very large family!

Evening took us to a private house for a club fellowship evening where we met our host, Dr M Majumder. She is fascinating, not only does she still work as a dermatologist in the local hospital, she runs rehabilitation centres for the mentally ill, an animal sanctuary, and travels the world to symposiums for medicine and psychiatry. In her eighties, she shows no sign of slowing down, and we both thought she was wonderful.

We took our leave of most of the club that evening- tomorrow we are on our way to Perth.

To the hills.......

Tuesday

A party of eight of us took off early to the Cameron Highlands, one of the areas the Memsahibs would go to to escape the heat of the summer. The road up there was rather twisty, but we were told they were a great improvement over a few years ago!

It was certainly much cooler there, and we arrived just in time for lunch. Anne could see from my face that I was not looking forward to yet another chinese meal, however it turned out to be quite tasty. I can’t do with the spices, so I had sweet and sour instead while Anne tucks in to her spices and garlic.

Our guide joined us to take us firstly to a tea plantation, where after a tour of the plant we sampled the tea, together with cream scones.  Visits to a butterfly farm and a hydroponic strawberry and salad farm followed, which were really interesting. Particularly the huge insects at the former- stick insect a foot long, butterflies eight inches across, and beatles as big as your hand- fascinating!

Back to Ipoh- then in the evening, guess what? Dinner at a Chinese restaurant! But as always the company was fantastic, I even managed some of the spicy bits!  

Picking tea for two

Up to Ipoh

An early flight up to Ipoh got us there by 11, to be met by seven members of the club, including Patricia and a couple of the guys who had been over to us last year. What a great bunch! They took us to Patricia’s home with the luggage, then out for lunch when Raspal joined us, in a German restaurant. Afternoon we were taken by Chinaya on a tour of the city, and to his new venture, which is a factory which will make plates and cups etc of Sago. Extremely bio-degradable, they break down in just two weeks into compost, and is a fairly new idea,  perhaps who's time has come. We were so tired by then, that we decided that we would like to go back to Patricia’s for a rest, which we did.

We had been invited to the Rotary meeting in the evening, and at 8pm we made our way there with Patricia. Things are done rather differently in Malaysia- everyone helps themselves to a buffet meal on arrival, just one course, and the business takes place early on in the meeting, while many are still eating.

After dinner I was invited up to the top table with the president, when I gave him some US dollars I had I had been given for speaking about Cambodia to be sent on there for water purification, a Carlisle South banner, and a copy of the latest Norwest.

I spoke for around 45 minutes, firstly on our trip to Mali, at their request as they wish to visit there with us at some time, and then on Shelterbox. There were a few questions about the latter afterwards, some had seen a box in the UK, but others were interested in the deployments, particularly in Asia of course. The fellowship of the evening was superb, we had a lot of fun with them and they made us so welcome.

When it rains....

it bl***** does! We awoke to a downpour- which lasted most of the morning. But are we downhearted? No way. It's still 28c with a relative humidity of 95% so we borrowed a brolly and took off for Chinatown. It's a fascinating place, with temples of almost every religion, two of which, a Buddhist and a Hindu, I show here.
                    
 A vibrant street market was taking place- all kinds of Chinese food on sale, as well as all kinds of Chinese goods. We went to the Chinese Heritage Centre, that showed us how the area has changed over the years. Most of the Chinese went to the area in the 19th Century, and for a long time were exploited by the Europeans, living in squalor, whole families in an area as small as 10' x 10'. It was a fascinating insight into colonialism. However we found that many of these people were better off than they had been in China before they came here, and many were able to send money home to their families.

Tonight we hope to see some fireworks down by the harbour- however there have been mixed messages about this, told by different people. So we'll wait and see!

Phew- it ain't arf 'ot here!

It was two very tired travellers that arrived at the River View Hotel at 8-30am yesterday, but the receptionist took pity on us and allowed us in the room. After a couple of hours we took off down to the harbour, about a mile walk from the hotel along the river, picking up a Subway on the way.
As our pic shows, there are a few new additions to the seascape since we were here two years ago, that big hotel in the background has a huge boat shaped swimming pool on it's roof. Anne didn't want to be photographed yet- she needs to get a tan!
Had a great meal in the evening just across the river from our hotel, and cheap too- unexpected! Then slept for twelve hours.




Today we took a walk into the centre to the Singapore national museum, not brilliant , but a good exhibition of old watches and clocks which interests me as an old watchmaker! But we are just chilling at the moment, til we get acclimatised.
Tomorrow is the start of their National celebrations- should be good!
The view from our hotel is good- right down to the Singapore flyer in the distance.

On the way!

We’re on our way at last! We can’t believe what has happened in the last few days before leaving, the curse is upon us again. Apart from problems with Anne’s house which are still not resolved as we left, the day before we had a visit from our carpet supplier to tell us that the new carpet we had carefully chosen for the lounge and hall was discontinued and would we choose again! That cost us a couple of hours, which we could have done without. Then on the morning of our departure we discovered a very full dishwasher, a faithful servant for many years had packed up, and we had to wash them all by hand. We think it must have got wind that it is to be replaced while we are away, and was taking revenge.

Thankfully our trip down to Chorley with Andrew and our grandchildren was uneventful, but taking leave of Anne’s family, as always, was not easy. Then there was the hurdle of checking in with overweight baggage, despite the fact that we had sent on a parcel by post to Perth to reduce our weight so that we didn’t have to carry a heavy case each. Our fears were unfounded- we were just four kilos over, and they took pity on us poor pensioners!

We have nothing but praise for Singapore Airlines, the service has been excellent, perhaps apart from rebooking problems and the large rise in rebooking prices. But the staff are great, the food pretty good for an airline, and plenty of room in between seats.

Next stop Singapore, three nights there, and the real start of our great adventure!