E-mails & Letters 2001
E-mails from Dan Rouse
25th November
Lonely in Lautoka
Bula, as they say here in sunny Fiji!
Here is probably my final group email from my travels, It may well be long and boring, but that is because I
am stuck in this town on my tot, and there is nothing to do. I am staying in Lautoka Hotel, which is empty, I have a 10 bed dorm to myself. I had a rather hot and uncomfortable night, as i didn't realise the room had air conditioning until this morning, I could have cried. I treated myself to a champagne breakfast this morning, as it only cost 3 quid, not a very good vintage, and tried to work out what to do with an entire day in this dirty little town. I asked the girl at reception what Lautoka had to offer and she just laughed. There is a cinema here, so this afternoon I'll be able to see what it hitting the screens here in Fiji!
Last week was drastically better, i was on an island resort called Coral View on the sleepy Island of Tavewa in The Yassawas. The trip over was a worrying affair in a rickety little boat with a big engine attached, I have never enjoyed the feeling of terra firma under my feet so much as when we arrived at the Blue Lagoon (from the film of the same name) for lunch. After lunch there was a game of touch rugby on the beach, so I decided to show the locals my silky skills, alas, my silky skills consisted of beating one man with a dummy before trying to round another man with a dash into the sea. I ran behind the parked boat, forgot about the rotor baldes concealed in the water and tripped up over them, plunging head first into the sea. I sprained my ankle, put 3 cuts on the top of my foot, got drenched and looked a complete twat all in one stunning manouever. I think the locals were impressed.
The resort itself was nice enough, for about 10 quid a night I got 3 meals and a dorm bed in a traditional
thatch cottage or bure. The meals were all communal so it was easy to meet people, and the hostel was well
stocked with Fiji Bitter, the premier beverage of these parts. I decided to start a bar tab while on the island to save myself the inconvenience of having to carry my cash around. I got a bit of a shock when I received my bill at the end. There was also an opportunity to taste the local drink, Carva, which looks and tastes like muddy water. If you drink enough you are supposed to feel some effects. I persevered with it, but it didn't do anything except make my tongue numb.
I spent a lazy week on the island, chilling on the beaches, going for cake and ice cream in the afternoons and having a few beers in the evening. Notable variations from my lazy days were going to a bigger resort with SKY to watch the Lennox Lewis fight. The yobbish element of the hostel, including myself of course, went along to cheer on our boy against the one hit wonder Rahman. We arrived too early, and several beers had been consumed by the time Big Lennox appeared in the ring. There was jubilation as the American mincer was put on his arse in the 4th round, and a smug nation had been put back in it's place. It is amazing how proud and patriotic you feel when you meet up with a group of pissed Brits and see one of your own doing so well.
The next highlight of the week was a visit to a traditional Fijian village. I wasn't terribly keen on this, but I thought I had better experience some of the local culture. The morning was spent being welcomed into the village by the chief, and then relaxing on the beach eating mangos and playing frisbi. We had been informed that after lunch we would be entertained by The Village People, I was incredibly excited at the prospect of hearing my favourite Policeman, Indian and Sailor combo belt out YMCA and Macho Man. You can therefore imagine my utter disappointment when after a shoddy meal of minging fish and noodles, covered in a blanket of flies and god knows what, we discovered that we would be entertained by the locals and not The Village People! The entertainment was quite good though, Fijians (men and women) dressed in grass skirts dancing about, playing drums and guitars. Then there was some audience participation, I danced with a couple of local lasses, and was directed by one to ask a lady in the corner for a dance, well, never being one to disappoint a lady, I obliged. Her little face lit up as I asked her for a dance, she only had about 4 teeth, and smelt peculiar bless her, but i soldiered on regardless. We returned back to the island after the locals had an opportunity to sell us their wares. As I had already picked up a sarong in Nadi, there was nothing I required in the way of shells or necklaces. The next day I discovered that my conservative appliance of sun cream had given me a bad sunburn, so I spent a couple of days in the shade applying Aloe Vera to my burns.
I also went diving with the resort, I was slightly worried about safety to start with, especially as the Dive master forgot to bring enough wet suits, but everything went alright. The dive was good, we got down to 35 metres and i saw a couple of reef sharks which were pretty amazing. That night was my last night so I had a few beers in my sarong and we played a few games, and sung a few songs, as you do. I met some pretty cool people and i was sad to leave, especially when I ended up back in Lautoka on my own, eating alone in the corner of the restaurant, reflecting on my week. I am, however, going to another island tomorrow for a few more days on the beach and evenings in the bar before my flight back to Britain on Thursday.
30th September
I am now on the final leg of my Aussie adventure, I am in Byron Bay again, back in the unique Arts Factory Lodge. I am only here for a couple of days before I head back to Coffs Harbour and then Sydney.
The dive course I did in Airlie was pretty cool, I was the only Brit among Germans, Swiss, Italians and Irish, which wasn't as bad as it sounds. The 10 dives in 3 days sounded awesome, but was actually pretty tiring. The weather was pretty bad aswell, I didn't think that I got sea sick, but alas when the boat started rocking I was a shaking, green faced wreck clinging to the side of the boat, how pathetic. I was offered sea sickness tablets but turned them down on
the grounds that I am from a sea faring nation and left them to more sensible people.
On returning to Airlie beach I spent a couple of days going out on the lash, catching a few rays by the lagoon and planning my trip down the coast. I made plans to meet up with my dive buddy Roberto in Hervey Bay to do Fraser Island and headed south. My overnight stop was in Yeppoon, which is a crap place. The next day I was in a nice apartment in Hervey Bay, where I
stayed for a couple of days and booked my self drive 4x4 tour of Fraser Island. Also on the tour with Roberto and me were 3 couples, their behaviour was consistantly vomit inducing throughout the 3 days, holding hands on the beach, looking longingly into each others eyes etc....... Maybe in other circumstances things would have been more bearable, but seeing all these happy couples and me being left with a sweaty Italian was a bit depressing; we played
football instead.
Having left Hervey Bay I spent last night in Noosa, which I was a bit disappointed with - it's a bit too commercial. One of our room mates in Noosa was another Italian, a national swimming champion, Roman policeman, called Fabrizio - he was what you'd call a bronzed Adonis. He was loving himself - you wouldn't mess though.
Today I was back on the bus, and am now in Byron for a couple of days.
Well that's my fairly unsilky chat at the mo, hope you are all well, I look forward to seeing you all soonish.
10th September 2001
Hello again, this is a story of woe and suffering in the hot, evil vegetable fields of North Queensland.
Alas, the weeks of touring and relaxing had come to an end and my money was all but spent. The trip up to Cape Tribulation (where the rainforest meets the ocean) had been a relaxing 3 day escape from the far from hectic holiday schedule I had been on for months.
Back in Cairns I had a shock when I realised how much money I had left, an important decision had to be made, go to Townsville and try and find work OR go to Townsville and take the ferry to Magnetic Island for a holiday. My general work-shy attitude made the decision easy, Magnetic Island was visited! The island was absolutely gorgeous, lovely beaches, nice pool, only down side was we had to share a dorm of 12. I learnt the art of spinning a fire stick, on the beach and enjoyed the cain toad racing at the hostel. There were a few interesting characters in our room, all nice enough though, apart from a brummy who pissed his bed, he was on the top bunk and it dribbled on the boy below him, which I found quite amusing as it wasn't me
on the recieving end.
I returned to the mainland an even poorer man than I left, unsurprisingly. After another night in a cheap hostel in Townsville we were off to Ayr where we were guarenteed fruit picking work. The hostel wasn't a happy place, smelly backpackers wandering around depressed at the crap work they were being forced to do. We were asked to pay $100 up front when we arrived, alas we didin't have that much so the hostel manager Eddie (who looked like he belonged in The
Dukes of Hazard) said he wasn't lovin it but gave us a couple of days to pay.
The next day we were up at 7am to start work, picking Aubergines, what a shit job!!!! Aubergines grow on the little plants so you are bent over all day, dragging a bucket to put your Aubergines in. We were paid $150 for two and a half days work (50 sterlings), Aubergine picking was however a piece of piss compared to capsicum (pepper) picking, where you
have to keep up with a conveyor belt as it passes over the field.
I can't lie, fruit picking isn't my bag, I only lasted 4 days, and now I am in Airlie beach a gorgeous coastal town and gateway to the Whitsundays, and I am happy to say I am again having fun, and I owe it all to my benefactors, ma and pa!
I hope you are all having as much fun, Take it easy, and keep smiling,
DAN ROUSE
14th August 2001
Hello, at last an opportunity to leave the pool side and get to a computer to write another one of those group emails that you all love so much. I am currently enjoying the hot weather of Darwin, greasing myself in factor 30, and lazing by the pool, but it hasn't always been this way.
A mere 2 weeks ago I was in Fremantle, which isn't the warmest place to be at this time of year, so the decision was made to head North. A tour of Ayers rock, and Kakadu was hastily arranged, just enough time for a couple of piss ups with our Freo mates and we were back on the road again. We left Rob behind to travel up the West coast with his new pal Will, we miss him terribly.
Day one was almost a disaster as we woke up an hour late and almost missed our flight to Alice Springs. With some wreckless driving we made the last call, only to find out that the travel company had failed to pay for our tickets. After a bit of begging they let us onto the plane and we were off on our merry way. We arrived in Alice after a 4 hour stop at Ayers Rock airport and went to our hostel in Alice. The hostel was called Melankas, and was horrible, as indeed was
Alice Springs, probably even worse than Dundee.
We had to get up at 6.15 the next morning, must admit that I find waking up early quite painful, but I managed. We were then introduced to out tour group who were all cool, and our tour guide, who was Dan Falzon, formerly Rick Alesi in Neighbours. How the mighty have fallen. Anyway we had 2 days to drive down to Ayers rock and see Kings Canyon, Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta. It was a bit of a rushed effort but fun none the less. We drove back to Alice where we went out on the beers with our tour group.
Jeremy and myself got called up to play a dodgy game on stage. Basically nine guys were brought onto the stage and paired with nine girls. The game involved dancing seductively until the music stopped and you then assume a sexual postion. I was paired witha small American girl with no imagination.
Jeremy got knocked out in the first round but I managed to make it to the last 4. It was quite an embarrassing experience.
The next day we were up early again for our 3 day tour to Darwin, that was all fun, we then did a 2 day Kakadu tour, saw a few crocodiles, had a swim in some waterfalls, and saw some fascinating Aboriginal art, that kind of thing.
Currently taking it easy in a nice hostel till the end of the week and then it's off on a 40 hour bus journey to Cairns, lovely. I am now off to feed some fish (and chooks) Hope you are all well and happy, hope to hear your chat soon,
DAN
"I cannae change the laws of physics." Scotty (Star Trek)
"Beauty is just a light switch away." ???
Letter from Helen Abbott
Hi everyone
Helen Abbott here, writing from Melbourne. For those members of the club who know and/or remember me, just wanted to let you know that I am still following the progress of the club from "Melblob". Haven't found a club down here as the nearest 1st grade team is too far away and when I rang to enquire the response was less than encouraging: "Yes, love, (don't call me love) "the club's open on 'Satdies' when we play at home…" was about the gist of it. So very different from my introduction and welcome to Old Collegians back in 1994 (or was it '95?)
I did just want to say that I wholeheartedly agree with the comments made by Gary Fenner in his letter dated 8 August last year. Gary makes some valid points regarding the attitude towards referees and touch judges and I'd just like to add my "twopenneth":
In my opinion one of the many things that has always set rugby apart from other codes of football, and indeed any other sport for that matter, is the "culture" of the game; that wonderful sportsmanship not found in other codes. (Sorry girls, I know I should use non-gender specific language but sportspersonship just sounds peculiar to me). Talk to any newcomer to rugby and they often say the thing that strikes them is the incredible camaraderie that exists in the world of rugby. Where else do you see opposing teams socialising after the game or players and supporters having a drink with officials? If we don't take stock of the current situation we are in danger of losing this culture and becoming just like any other sport.
Criticism is part and parcel of being a referee or touch judge in any sport. But NOBODY who "takes up the whistle" should be subjected to abuse. One criticism of refereeing in Adelaide was that there were the same old faces and no new blood. Well, is it any wonder? How can you expect any "new blood" to take on the role if they know from the outset that they stand a good chance of being abused every time they take to the field? Anyone who wants to offer fair criticism is entitled to do so and, because rugby affords the opportunity to "have a drink with the ref "after the game, what better way is there than that.
Being abusive achieves nothing other than raising your blood pressure. It doesn't get your point across and it doesn't win friends or influence people. Nor does it make for a pleasant experience for other spectators.
In a nutshell I'd like to reiterate what Gary said in his letter in my own words (of course… when did I ever keep my opinions to myself ha ha): if you have neither the fitness, the inclination nor the balls to take up the whistle, keep your abusive comments to yourself. Either put up or shutup. On the other hand, if you want to behave like a hooligan perhaps you should be following Rugby League… (spoken with tongue firmly planted in cheek but you know what I mean.)
Could I just make one suggestion regarding the web site: how about adding the words to the club songs. Seems to me that's the only thing missing from the site. In closing I'd just like to add that I was pleased to hear of the club's successes last year and wish all teams good luck for the coming season. Congratulations also to the new life members of the club.
Helen Abbott, Melbourne
To: OC'S SUPPORTERS
Comment from Gary Fenner, 8th August 2001
I am new to the club and many may feel that it may not be my place to comment on the subject of club support. But 1 would like to voice my opinion and would welcome any comments and views on our current situation.
I have played rugby for nearly 30 years and have played and followed rugby in many parts of the world. This I believe may qualify me to comment on the way we supposedly support our teams and represent our club both home and away.
I find it hard to understand how we constantly barrack and abuse the referees and touch judges week in and week out and then when the game is finished can't understand why the ref was against us. If we are such experts on the laws of rugby and the art of refereeing them then I suggest that we back up our knowledge and enthusiasm, take a refereeing course and get out on a Saturday with a whistle in our hand.
It amazes me that there is any surprise from our learned supporters and players on the touchline that the officials tend to favour the other side. Why should we always be calling for a sending off at the first sign of any foul play? Is it that our supporters think we can only win when playing 14 players? Why can we not keep our abuse to ourselves? Or at least until after the game. I am sure that there are many budding comedians in the club that can come up with some amusing comments and there may also be those that can even shout words of encouragement to our teams. Abuse of the officials only discourages our team and encourages the opposition.
With the Finals looming let's think about what we are doing and maybe even becoming as a club. Do we want to get the reputation of being a club of hooligans (like some that immediately spring to mind) or do we prefer being looked up to as a club of good sports who go out on a Saturday with an attitude of both enjoying and winning our rugby.
I am sure that the officials who will be at the Finals will be unbiased at the start of every game but do you honestly believe that if a club has supporters who are constantly at them and insulting their position as referee or touch judge that the 50/50 decisions will be going our way? I think not. So I ask that we support our teams with vigour and enthusiasm and perhaps the occasional funny comment but leave our comments on the Officials until we are in the bar after the match.
Here's to a successful ending to the season and let's enjoy watching our club play good rugby with the occasional witty comment from the sidelines. Regards
GARY FENNER
Gary is a 3rd grade player and our under 16s coach. His previous club was Old Colfeians in London but he has played for clubs in Argentina and various obscure parts of the rugby world.
E-mails from Janet
23rd May 2001
Hi from France
I'm having a great time: Good flight: Paris hotel was very convenient to everywhere; Walked for 6 hours the first day; then again the next day. Had very sore feet!!! Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower & Musee D"Orsay. Was great!! Loved every minute. Still not catching up on my sleep though, each night I just toss & turn, so much is going on. Here in Toulouse our team is getting so spoilt to death. The French teams cant do enough for us. They have parties arranged every night for us, & all of the other teams have to pay. I've played 2 matches so far. Got 3 tries staged of course!!! Such great fun. We have the picnic today, should be great. Some French guys are taking us by car to Carcassan Friday. Met LOTS of fabulous people, everyone is so friendly.
27th May
Hi from Nice
The picnic day went really well. It was held at a Chateau, 1 1/4 hours away from Toulouse. Had heaps of fun with the Swiss team on the bus. Thy have a beautifully made COW as their mascot, & we'd kidnapped it the night before at a party. They were distraught!!! Went to a French dinner/show at Le Rose Noir. Was very good. I played Thursday, but only lasted 2 mins, even though I'd warmed up, I pulled/tore my thigh muscle. Had yet another party in the evening, 35 kms SW of Toulouse. Was really great. Other teams attend these functions, so it's a great way of meeting them. Also at the bars afterwards. Friday 5 of one of the French teams took just our club to Carcassanne, a medieval village surrounded by a wall. Then Alain had organised a 3 course luncheon at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, very upmarket, called La Ferme de Champiaux. Then we had just an hour on our return to get ready for the BIG FINAL PARTY. 4,000 people attended, 3 course meal (yes again!!). We had 2 bands playing, can can girls, & a singer. They were a couple of presentations to be done. Sifa from our club won best personality award. The we gave Mika (the name of the cow) back. There was lots of celebrations afterwards!!!Jeremy, the president of our club had been interviewed, & was even asked if he'd seen Milka--- It was a big to do with it missing!!! It seemed like half of everyone attending knew me or I knew them. The French guys were just amazing, & couldn't do enough for us. I had met a Scottish Guy from the Aberdeen Strollers, called Dod (real name George) the previous Sunday, & he'd got me booked on his "dance card", so much to the chagrin of the French team who had wanted me to go to a "disco" afterwards, I returned to Dod's hotel for a drink, & there were some Manly players there singing Australian songs, then the Scottish team started, was a lot of fun. Then Dod walked me to my hotel, was 4am. He's asked me to stay with him in Aberbeen, & I intend to get there before I go to Ireland. It's very busy here because of the Grand Prix. I'm about to catch a train to go there after this e-mail.2nd of June
Hi from Barcelona
Well I'm in Barcelona now, & leave for Madrid tomorrow by train. Didn't really like Nice. I wasn't the only one either. Quite a few other people I spoke to thought the same. My day in Monte Carlo, the day of the Grand Prix, was fabulous. Monte Carlo is even prettier than any photos, & the atmosphere was fabulous. Even though I didn't have a ticket, at a couple of spots I got to see the cars. The coastline up there was very pretty, in fact, it was what I had imagined Nice to be like. I met up with Terry & Jean from rugby, as there were in Nice for just the one night, & we had dinner on the beachfront. They went onto Rome the next day. So I took myself onto the train the next day, & stopped at a couple of places. One of them was Eze. I'd heard about this pretty village. So I asked how to get there, & was told to follow the wall up the hill. 3km's , & an hour later climbing up mountain goat country I reached the top!!!! Took 40 mins to get down too. Magnificent views all the way up, & the visit to the village was worth it. It was a very hot day, in fact, this past week has been averaging 25 degrees. I had put 2 films in to get developed. They were of Paris & my rugby week, so it was good to see what was captured on film, as other people took pictures of me on the pitch.
Had dramas getting to Barcelona. Got the train OK to Montpèllier, where I had to change trains, BUT there wasn't a train. I'd met a Sydney couple backpacking, & between the 3 of us, we just couldn't get any answers except that we were to get onto a bus somewhere. 40 minutes later, no toilet stops, food or drink, we found where we had to catch the bus. Everyone else was in the same boat. We all soon forgot it once we were on the bus to Barcelona, you see there was a train strike!!!!! Hotel here is very nice, a cooked breakfast ---YES!!! Soon cottoned onto the best way to see Barcelona in 2 days, was to buy a 2 day tourist bus pass. The best!!! Have seen so much, its great!! Had Tapas & a drink on the wharf last night, before going onto the Picasso Museum. There's a lot of English speaking people here, so it's quite easy to find out things. I have lost my Spanish phrase book somewhere, so I'll have to get by without it!! I've seen so much of Gaudi's work here (architect). Climbed to the top of the spire of the Temple de La Sagrada Familla today. I'm off to Madrid tomorrow to pick up my tour the next day. So my e-mails will be out of action I guess until I get to Sitjes where Ï'm there for 5 days,& hopefully they have an internet service somewhere. Thanks again to those who have sent me an e-mail.
8th June
Hi from Lisbon
Well the weather is hot here 30 - 35 degrees. Getting a 'tourist tan', yuk!! I'm feeling a lot better now, on all of the asthma medication though. The trip on the train to Madrid was very comfortable. Sat next to a Spanish lady for the trip. Even though she could speak about a doz words of English, & me no Spanish at all, we held a conversation for some 4 hours until she got off!!! She was lovely. The hotel was OK at Madrid. Caught a bus into the centre on the Sunday. It's not as nice as Barcelona I thought. Went & looked though the streets, & Royal Palace. There was a marathon happening in the city centre. Met the people on my tour. A good bunch, & I'm sharing with a 41 year old Australian/Egyptian of origin lady, her name is Harla, comes from Bungendore near Canberra, who is an absolute dag, & we're having a ball. Getting on very well, great sense of humour. We do a seat rotation each day on the bus. Went to Toledo the following day. Very interesting place, then a tour of Madrid in the afternoon. Portugal is a very pretty place, picturesque countryside.Yesterday, we drove to Lisbon. On the way we visited an amazing monastery called Batalha, & then we went onto a sanctuary at Fatima. A mass was taking place, & it was just an incredible place. Some 300,000 will be there on October 15th for the annual pilgrimage. We've seen so many cathedrals, churches etc, but all very beautiful in their own way, & different. Last night we went to a 300 year old restaurant, great food, & fabulous show. It featured Portuguese dancing & Fado singing, which was fabulous. Today we went to a fishing village at Cascais, beautiful, & also Sintra, also very pretty, went into the palace there.
Well, off to Sierra tomorrow. Be in touch when I can.
19th June
Hi from Sitjes
So------ Went to Fatima, simply amazing!! Then off to Morocco. The ferry trip over was smooth. We didn't get really close enough to admire the rock of Gibraltar as we should. Morocco was a pleasant surprise. The cities are very modern & Westernised. Yet in the older parts of the city, it's 3rd world. The rural area was in-between & then the Berber villages, very primitive. Very lovely people. In actual fact, the hotel at Marrakesh was the best one on the whole trip!!! I don't think I need to see another cathedral or Mosque for years to come!!! The mosques in Morocco were incredible. The history is fascinating. Mixture of the Moors , Arabs & African. Then in Fez, one of the people on our tour fell down a step. To cut a long story short, we travelled to Casablanca that day with him on the back seat of the bus. (He was 70 years old, couldn't get insurance as he had pre-existing ailments, & was travelling with his 32 year old daughter). Our tour guide, David, (Spanish) & the local tour guide Mohammad (Moroccan), went to the hospital with him till 2.30am. Had X rays, & he had broken his hip in 3 places. BUT they wanted to operate on his heart!!!! So David, & Mohammad said `Get him out of there!!!¨. So they had to book 12 seats on the plane (to make a bed), & pay for a doctor to escort them (plus his expenses too), PLUS a $2,000 (American, so that's $4,000 Australian) to get the ambulance to take them to Casablanca to catch the plane!! So we did a whip around & raised $1,000 American & my room mate lent Pam (the daughter), $1,500 American. The other night one of the people on the tour took a photo & we all wrote a note to send to them. They are safely in America now.
So we went to Casablanca. Loved it there. Had a picnic lunch on the beach. Weather was hot. Has been 30-35 degrees each day. Spanish weather I find is similar to Adelaide's weather. We went to the Hyatt there, to Rick's Bar (replicated from the film Casablanca). At Marrakesh, we went to a Moroccan Market. I had a dance with a Eunuch. Halla took a photo of me!!! It was an interesting market. The night before we were in Granada, & there were big celebrations going on, as it is Corpus Christie, a huge religious festival, & public holiday in Spain. Went on to Madrid for our last day - so went to see the Prada, lots of paintings by Goya, & Rubens. There were 3 famous bull fighters staying in the hotel too. I saw them the next morning. We thought they were the reason for the extra security, but it wasn't the case. The previous time we stayed in the hotel (at the beginning of the tour), there had been 3 hand bag snatches out the front of the hotel. There had been another one the day we had arrived, plus a robbery in one of the rooms. Not a safe place!! Said goodbye to Halla, my room mate, We will see each other again. She travelled with her parents to Cairo before this tour, (left her husband at home), to discover more about her roots (she left Egypt when she was 6). Her father said that we were the most popular 2 on the tour !! They thought that we had come on the tour together, one even thought we were sisters!!!! There were 2 couples form Adelaide on the tour, & both only 20 mins drive away (Glenelg & Seaview Downs). They have asked me to visit them, compare photos perhaps.
Had no problems finding my way to Sitjes. Caught a plane to Barcelona, then 2 trains. People very helpful.
Love it here. Fantastic atmosphere, they had a Corpus Christie thing happening in the streets yesterday, so I saw some of the activities going on. Love the streets, people are friendly. Adore the hotel. It full of character. I knew that a lot of gays come here, as I'd read it before I came. also the Spanish lady on the train to Madrid had told me too. At breakfast, it's like spot the heterosexual!!!! There were only 2 heterosexual couples out of about 40 people. Very interesting!! Checked out the beach promenade yesterday. Can go topless here---- yeah!!! Plenty of restaurants to choose from. Had a lovely 3 course meal & wine last night for $11.
Have had a relaxing day today. Had a lovely sleep in, & felt a lot, lot better today. Going to hit the beach tomorrow, & I think I'll need to go to Barcelona the next day to buy a new suitcase. Mine has been wrecked by the porters. They really knock them around. I know it wasn't a really expensive one, but both handles are broken (one missing completely), both feet broken, & other bits missing & rubbed!!!
Hi from Kalambraka
26th June
Sad to leave Sitjes, loved it there. Finally got to Athens, 2 trains, 2 delayed flights & 1 cancelled!!!! Arrived at 1.30am instead of 10pm. Athens is interesting but very crowded. Went to the Acropolis - amazing!!! Went to a Greek dinner - incredible; there were 2 wedding receptions going on while we were there!!! Was a late night, then went on a full day cruise the following day - with an early rise!! Visited, Aegina--OK a bit commercial, Poris--pretty, but my favourite was Hydra--no cars!!!
Lovely drive to Kalambraka today, tour guide is OK. 42 on the trip, & I have got a room to myself, as the other single ladies have been paired off. We are surrounded by rock formations with these monasteries on the tops of them. We visit them tomorrow (called Meteora).
7th July 2001
Hi from Athens
Well, I'm in Athens again for 3 nights. Just finished my 7 day cruise on the Stella Solaris, a Royal Olympic Cruise Greek line. The day I picked up my cruise we visited Mycenae, excavated ruins going back 1200 - 1300 BC. It's really amazing. On to Corinth, where the Greeks have dug a huge channel to separate the peninsular, so that the ships can go through & not around the mainland all of the time. Then onto the ship. The ship was in need of refurbishing, but not shabby at all. Excellent food, crew service, entertainment, etc, very professional & well organised. Great dancers, singers, magician & trio. Had 2 formal nights.I was on Ruby deck, just 2 levels down from the 1st open deck level. Was OK. Cabin was comfortable, & I had twin beds in there, so I had a bit of space to myself, as I had to pay $800 extra for the cabin, as they don't allow strangers to share.
Enroute to Istanbul, I got up at the crack of dawn to see the coast of Gallipoli, to make sure I didn't miss it. However, we were running behind time, & didn't reach there until 10.30am. I was so pleased to see it. There were a few Australians on board & we were all on deck together. Did some sunbaking on the deck, so have a nice tan (shame it's not all over like I'm used to !!!) - learnt how to play roulette in the casino, went to a wine tasting too.
Our ports of call were as follows:Istanbul - not impressed. Had been spoilt by the beautiful mosques in Morocco & the Blue Mosque seemed just very ordinary. Tokpapi Palace would have been better had the 2 most famous features been open. That was the treasury with the world's biggest diamond & the harem building. Both closed for renovation.
Kousadis-Turkey on Asia Minor side. Very nice place. Went to Ephesus, the most amazing excavations we saw on the whole of the trip. A whole city excavated, in very good condition & more work still continuing. I have decided to put Turkish salesmen on the top of the sleaze list. With lines like "And tell me young lady, what line of business are your parents in? Is it sugar? Because you are so beautiful & sweet??" !!!! YUK!!!!They'll do anything to sell you a carpet. I was asked by 2 young guys in Istanbul that if I gave them a kiss they'd give me a bottle of perfume!!AND one carpet salesman, Ali, had "lured" me into his shop, then proceeded to close the door, & tried to make a move on me!!! I was out of that shop as quick as I could !! Unbelievable!!
In Kousadis, one guy offered Brad 5,000 camels for his wife Cheryl & I. Then Cheryl had me trying out some belly dancing skirts that she wanted to buy her niece, & the music was on, so I did a bit of a wiggle, then it went up to 10,000 camels!!!
Patmos- very pretty & tranquil place. Mykanos -- Pretty place, very quaint.
Rhodes - Old city was amazing, a walled roman city but full of souvenir shops; did also visit the Palace of the Grand Masters there, where the knights used to live. Walked around to the new city. Pretty ordinary, Eli beach was horrible, couldn't actually see the sand for the beach umbrellas!! That night was 4th July celebrations for the Americans on board. We had caviar, smoked salmon, seafood bisque, lobster & bomb alaska, along with champagne. They went all out. Great choices of food on the menus each night.
Crete--- Got to the archaeological museum, & Knossas ruins, dating back 3,000 BC!!! Would have liked to see the prettier side of Crete & Rhodes. I didn't take the optional tour at Rhodes, & there was no time to see the other side of the island of Crete, which is supposed to be beautiful. Santorini--Breathtaking!!!!! No other word for it. The ship entered the centre of the crater of a once active volcano & docked so we got a shuttle boat to shore. It is truly awesome.
So glad that I took the optional tour there, as we covered half of the island, & went to Oie (pronounced Eea), which is where all of the famous photos are taken from. The views are even better!! It was better than I thought it would be. The capital, Akrotiri, was not that pretty, very commercial. Took us 1 hour in the queue to get the cable car to the base of the cliff front. Sandy, Judy, Brad & Cheryl & I really liked our waiter. It was open sitting for dinner that night, but we'd asked the maitre'd if we could sit at his table. He would only hold it till 7.45, but we didn't get back till 8.15, & he'd still kept it for us. In Athens now, I am going to the archaeological museum tomorrow with Sandy & Judy, as many of the finds there were taken form many of the sites we've visited around Greece.
18th July 2001
Hi from London
On the day before my tour, I went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, located at a different part of London to where I stayed the first time. Have just returned from the tour, once again great tour director & driver. I was supposed to have shared with an American woman, June (in her 60's), while Karen shares with Meryl, but Karen (32 years old), & I got on so well the first day, & Meryl was more suited to June, so we swapped!! So glad we did. Went to these places::
Oxford - beautiful buildings, uni campuses.
Beautiful scenery through Somerset & Cotswold area.
Roman baths at Bath - incredible.
Cheedle Gorge, Lynmouth-- my favorite, on the coastline.
Stayed at a place called Barnstaple--- ferrel town!! 13 - 18 year olds hanging around, driving around, sceaming, shouting, getting drunk. The noise was unbelievable, & not one person on the tour got any sleep!! Was a shame, as it was a pretty town otherwise.
Weather wasn't kind to us at Lands End. Blew a gale & was raining. ( it has rained most days here!!).
St Ives, Karen had a 'killer seagull' attack her trying to get her ice cream!! You are not allowed to feed them there, as they have become a nuisance.
Went to a beautiful old pub for dinner at Pricetown, Dartmoor.
Went on a cruise on Plymouth Sound, then looked around for the day, Karen & I went to the Portsmouth Gin Distillery, the oldest operating one in the UK.Went to Looe, which was a very sweet & interesting place.
Bought my 3rd suitcase at Exeter. yes 3rd !! The handle & wheel came off this one!!! Cost £100, but the sales were on , so I paid £50 ($150). Cosmos wrote a letter for me, so I'll make a claim on my return.
Visited Stonhenge, then onto Southsea near Portsmouth, stayed in a big old hotel with beach front views.
Yesterday went to Widecombe, then Canterbury, the cathederal was amazing, so beautiful. My nanna had taught me the song about Widecombe Fair when I was 12 years old, & I remembered it, so I did a solo on the bus!!!! I had the words on a postcard. I had people asking me to to teach it to them!!
Got back to London, made my way to my other hotel, checked in & called Denise & Mike to arrange dinner with them. They are here for a week. So I caught the underground over (got drenched!!), & we had a drink at the Duke of Kendall, & returned to their apartment for fettuchini & pesto sauce, oh & a couple of bottles of red!!!
Finally got the freqent flyer points transferred from my visa, only to find there were no flights left on the day I was going to Aberdeen. I ended up having to buy the ticket anyway, & because of all of the phone calls, & hanging on (on hold for 30 mins!!!), I reckon it's cost me the best of 4 - 500 dollars!!!!
So I'm off to Manchester today, then Friday morning at 7.15am, I'm off to Aberdeen for 10 days
1st August 2001
Hi from Manchester
Well, I've just returned from a wonderful 10 days in bonnie Scotland. The day I arrived (which was a day earlier than I was supposed to), Dod picked me up, & we went back to his work (Kvaerner). He'd been in since 5am that morning trying to get a tender out (they supply oil rigs to the North Sea). We were there until 1.30pm, then went onto his beautiful quaint cottage on some picturesque property, that he's built himself (physically that is) at Rickarton, 5km from Stonehavem 15 km from Aberdeen. Then went over to his rugby pitch, where he was organising the installation of a flood light, had about 8 helpers. We didn't get away until 10.45pm, a huge job, but it was a job well done. Next day we went ot Dunnattar Castle, then grocery shopping. Got a taxi to Stonehaven for dinner, & a visit to 5 of the pubs. Dod retuned to work Sunday afternoon, while I made carrot & corriander soup, roast lamb, & apple crumble. His parents were coming over for dinner. Lovely people. Next day, Dod spent another stint at work leaving at 5am; picked me up to take me to lunch with Dave, who had come up from Aberdeen, he was at Toulouse too. Then back to the office until 7.30pm !!!
Next day we set off. Travelled 650 miles obver 4 days. Went to :
Balmoral Castle ---very good
Inverness--lovely place. Stayed at a B&B there. Was in need of a facelift though, but was in a good location. Went into town for a meal.
Cullodon Battlefield, drove along Loch Ness, Dornie (so pretty) Isle of Skye, Fort William where we stayed in a B&B. West coast was beautiful. Weather was a bit lousy, but still beautiful. Had fabulous views of the Loch at Fort William. Again, close to town & went for a meal there.
Following day, onto Oban, Loch Lomond, & through Glasgow, onto Edinburgh. Stayed at a beautiful B&B (£70 - $200 !!!!). Huge place with 9 bedrooms, our room was the front bay window, Was huge!! Walked to Murrayfield Rugby Pitch (where the international games are played), & then on into Edinburgh. We had a walk around, then went for a curry. Visited the Edinburgh Castle the following day. Spent 2 hours there, but could have easily spent another hour there. They were getting ready for the tattoo which starts on Friday. Then onto Dundee, Arbrouth, where the smokies are. I'd especially wanted to go there, we bought some kippers, herring, & mackerel & we went & had a picnic lunch (as we'd done each of the other days) on the cliffs at St Cyrus, the area that Dod had been brought up in. His father was a farmer, retired now for 18 months. We watched the Harr come over (the sea fog, one minute you can see the beach below, the next thing is it's all gone). Then on home. Went to Aberdeen the next morning, really lovely place, then home to watch the Australia/South Africa rugby match. We didn't play well at all & lost 20-15. Had a BBQ at his brothers farm on my final day. Met the rest of the family. Really lovely people.
Dod & I had a great time together, & got on very well. He told me he wanted to chain me to the front door!!!! Don't know when he's coming out to Australia, but I hope it's real soon !!!
I've found this place near my Auntie Elsies, so in between my visits to other people, I can come in here. It's a bit shabby, & we had to call someone to get the password for the computer, but I'm sure it'll be fine next time !!!!
Went to the cemetery with my 2 aunts yesterday. They've been going every 2nd Monday since 1951. Then tomorrow, I'm going to Auntie Mays for lunch, & then onto her grand daughters. Following day, off to stay with Edith for 5 1/2 days.
So I'll go now. I'm keeping well, & the sun has been out for the first time in the UK for 2 days
Hi from Belfast
18th August 2001
Hi everyone, love Belfast. Had a little look around on Saturday. Nicole had arranged a dinner party for the evening I arrived (Friday) & surprise surprise, my girlfriend Denise's friend's brother from Australia (Denise, it was John Braund!!!!), who was also my chiro, who is now Nicole's flatmate's boss (they are both Chiros) turned up!!! Nicole didn't tell either of us, knowing that we knew each other. So we drank heaps of wine with dinner, & went out to the clubs, & drank some more. Got to sleep at 5am, felt like crap the next day, only to be going out again that night to see a great band!!!! Bed at 12.30am. John asked if I have time to go to Amsterdam ( he has 2 chiro practices, & the one here ) but I said I wouldn't have any time. Will do another time!!
Sunday night watched the Manchester v Fullham soccer match. Very exciting, Manchester won 3-2. Then went to a bar called the Apartment, for cocktails. Going there again tonight to kick off my birthday. Just walked around Belfast city today, & off to the Apartment again after I've finished on here. Stumbled across the Belfast Xerox branch, went in only to find that it's closing down in 2 weeks time. Then tomorrow, just restaurant & bar hopping!!!! Going to Dublin by train Wednesday as Nicole will be working, then she'll drive down & we'll stay over. I've a couple of people to look up there. Saturday we've an Irish wedding to go to.
Great news too. Dod has managed to get time off when I return to Manchester. So he's driving all the way down to spend 2½ days with me.
