Gold Coast Paradise

Hi All

Please forgive us for being so tardy with the final bits of the blog.

The truth is I intended to load all the holiday photos onto my computer from 3 different cameras then edit out the duds and title the remaining photos, then post them against each relevant blog posting.

Well after 3 weeks home all I've got to finish is loading them onto my computer, I will make every effort to finish the job over the next two weeks and then let you all know it's done.

Anyway we arrived in Brisbane from Fiji and got a speedy shuttle from Brisbane airport to my son Bryce and his girlfriend Hayley's place at Tallebudgera on the Gold Coast. Whilst I'm not new to the Gold Coast previously trips have been just driving through on the way to somewhere else or visiting the Gold Coast CitySearch office 12 years ago, I have to say the area where they are living is very special so I'm not surprised Bryce intends to make that area his home for the foreseen future.

The whole area around where they live is so great including Burleigh Heads and Currumbin especially, the beaches are just spectacular, when I post the photos you'll see what I mean.

I was able to meet many of his good friends and co-workers and also see his group "Barefoot Friday" play a few numbers at a local Surf Life Saving Club. Now I have faces to go with the names, it helps us old folk!

We had a very special and enjoyable time with them both including a trip to the nearby lovely Northern New South Wales town of Byron Bay. Thanks again Bryce & Hayley for a super time together.

Of course Bryce beat me at golf but he won't be so lucky at our next encounter, that's assuming I do actually get to play golf 3 times a week, my membership application is in at our local private gold club so it should happen!

I'm going to pass this blog posting over to Tessa to finish off, so until the final posting with all the photos, bye from me.

Thanks to all that helped us on the trip with accomadation, it was very much apprieciated and even better to catch up with friends.

Athough glad to be home, I wouldn't have missed the trip for the world, Iv'e seen some fantastic things and memories I will have forever. I feel very lucky to have been able to do it all.
Cheers to you all from Tessa

Farewell To Fiji

Hi All

Well after 3 days of rain and overcast weather at our coastal beach hotel we had an early morning departure in beautiful sunshine, aint life like that! However there was some compensation as the sun was also shining brightly in Nadi. So it was an early lunch and a few hours of delayed sunbathing around the hotel pool for both of us.

This time tomorrow we will be "talking story" with my son Bryce & Hayley on the Gold Coast (near Brisbane).

The trip has been great but we are both ready to be back on Aussie soil. Got to go time for dinner then the penultimate packing of suitcases.

Cheers David & Tessa

Raining on our parade

Hi all

Well what can I say except "thems the breaks".

Another day of rain, read yet another book, but am completely relaxed, even if a bit pale

Spent most of the day in our room then got changed and put on the usual  e, de, aerogaurd"and went off for dinner.

We are now going to pack and be ready for the bus tomorrow morning as we need to leave the hotel at 8am for the trip back to Nadi. The next blog will most likely be from the Gold Coast (that's on the coast from Brisbane, Queensland for our non-Aussie blog fans!

Cheers Tessa & David

Bad Hair Day

Hi all,
Another day in paradise, although the sun has deserted us the last two days. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow, I hope so as I hav only got one more book to read.

Were having a lot of trouble with the phone and Internet access here so David has really switched off, slept a lot and played cards.

My foot is getting better daily so hopefully if it's a wet day again tomorrow we can go for a walk on the beach and go to the next little village. We pack tomorrow ready to go back to the previous hotel and pick up our luggage and do the final pack before heading out the next day for Brisbane to see Bryce and Hayley. Looking forward to it.

Anyone interested in a second hand pair of crutches?

David added.......

It's a shame as from my perspective it's a lovely little homely secluded hotel, but the weather is screwing up the whole intention of coming here, which was to sun bake to our hearts our content, not hibernate in our hotel room, but you get that!

Take care, Tessa & David

As I Said ...........

Hi All

I told you nothing would happen Friday we just waiting for the sun to appear which it didn't!

So now it's 10:30am Saturday morning as we wait for the sun to shine, it looks promising for the next few hours.

Update tonight.

Regards
David & Tessa

Wednesday Medical Update

Hi everyone

The walking wounded was taken to Nadi hospital this morning for an x-ray, the good news is no breaks or fractures.

As a result my slavery day has come to a close!!!!

As we are traveling today and unsure of Internet access the next blog may be in 6 days from Brisbane, also Cable & Wireless don't have a roaming partner in Fiji so I have a prepaid sim from Digicel. If anyone needs to contact me urgently it's (679)743-6746.

Update ....... arrived at the Wellesley Hotel at Korolevu late afternoon. It's a very nice 20 room boutique hotel with a great pool and right on the beach, so guess what's happening tomorrow? That\'s right nothing!
Regards David and Hopalong.

What do I say about our "Island In The Sun Day"

Hi All

I'm not sure where to start but what should have been a super day turned out a bit of a nightmare.

We got picked up at 8:15 for our day cruise out to a private island with Captain Cook Cruises, this cruise was highly recommended by the tour desk at our Nadi hotel.

The relatively new Denarau Marina is part of the Denarau resort development that has 5 star resorts and timeshare operations. it's a great marina development complete with lots of restaurants including Hard Rock Cafe. We boarded on time at 9:45am and set sail  on our intimate cruise with the other 88 intimate people plus staff!

Everything was going to plan for the snorkeling, BBQ lunch, glass bottom boat excursions etc., we anchored off shore and two tender boats took us ashore, I was a little surprised they didn't have a jetty to unload onto versus the beach.

So we where the lucky ones to get on board the tender first, the water level was very low near shore & I assumed it was low tide as it was quite a jump from the tender to the sand even though there was a staff member assisting . After I jumped ashore I thought that was a big jump I need to assist Tessa down onto the sand, too late she'd jumped, and that was the start of the nightmare! From claiming to have a damaged foot and cramp at the same time, everything was downhill from there on!

After assisting Tessa up the beach to a general meeting area for a Cava ceremony, whilst I ate my lunch Tessa was having a leg massage to help the cramp in her leg, but that didn"t help much as she had damaged her foot when jumping from the boat and could only limp at best. The guys there were very attentive and had their [medicine man] do his thing. He picked some Hibiscus leaves which he heated and placed around the foot while chanting something in Fijian, he then poured oil over them and wrapped a bandage on it.Tessa spent the rest of the time sat in a chair watching all that was going on unfortunately in a lot of pain.
When it was time to board they put her in a chair and carried her on board, the same thing when we docked back at Nadi.
 tomorrow as he wants to make sure it,s not a compound fracture.
As we are due to catch the bus in the morning to go down the coast we had to change it for the afternoon one, hopefully it will be just a sprain. We have spent from 5 30 to 7.00 at the medical clinic, getting prescriptions and looking for some crutches which we located and had to purchase as they don't hire them here. Tomorrow mrning we have to get an x-ray as the Dr wants to make sure it's not a compound fracture.

Bottom line is Tessa,s in good spirits, bit disappointed but will cope, the pain killers are helping a lot.

Tomorrow is another day, and we are looking forward to seeing a bit more on the bus ride down the coast for our last 4 days here.
To be continued......

A Day In Nadi

Hi Ho Folks

A laid back day in Nadi which started with a body scrub for Tessa as she starts her serious body tanning from tomorrow to be continued until next Sunday!!!! My day started with a 50 minute walk, followed by breakfast and a massage. The massage was great if you like being run over by a steam roller!!! Seriously it was a fantastic 90 minute massage for FJD$50 (approx. USD$28) except now I have pains on my aches.

She said I needed to come back for another massage so she could finish getting the knots out of my neck and upper back! I said "I'm not stupid, it's just the way I hold my mouth". Then we booked a tentative time for next Monday afternoon as a "leaving Fiji present".

After we dined on a exquisite shared chicken burger we had a swim then went to Nadi town to find out why my phone hasn't worked since we arrived, Vodafone and Digicel gave me the same answer, C&W don't have a roaming agreement in Fiji! Great news, so if anyone urgently needs to phone me between today and Tuesday 6th September when we arrive in Brisbane, the "Digicel number" is (679) 743-6746.

So it's the big cruise tomorrow so no doubt Tessa will be blogging!

All for now David & Tessa

Bula Bula from Fiji

Bull avid blog followers

Here we are in humid Nadi Fiji (pronounced NANDI) for you non world globetrotters.

As we didn't get into our hotel room until about 2pm all we got to do was go to the supermarket for supplies, have a swim in the hotel pool and book a day sailing/snorkelling cruise for Wednesday, we are both looking forward to it. On another note Internet access here is a very different deal, I'm concerned I may spend more money on Internet connection fees than the room charge!

So bye for now, my Internet time is out!



Internet

Back to Waikiki

Hi all, it's back to me as the bride is sleeping.

We had a nice last day in Maui yesterday. We drive up the North West Coast with some great views of rocky outcrops, small sandy coves and views to the nearby island of Lanai and ended up on the main beach on Maui, Kannapali Beach

Today we packed and flew back to Waikiki, tomorrow will probably be a few hours at the beach or pool, and definitely washing/drying and final packing for a very early Saturday morning flight to Nadi Fiji. We are on the downhill sloop of a great trip which has gone very fast for me, but slower for Tessa as she left Perth in May and we won't be in Perth until the 2nd week of September, over 4 months. Of course she is stressing out over what the garden will look like! No problem we;ll call for help.... probably me!

All for now
Cheers David & Tessa

Top of the world

Aloha to you all,
Another great day today,we drove up to Haleakala crater,10,000 feet above sea level.Fantastic views as you can imagine way above the clouds, it was surreal to be there it's the closest I've been to heaven for a while.. Unlike last night while browsing around a shop I slipped on some water coming from the air conditioner vent, I was in shock for a while, I really went down with a wallop. Came back to the hotel and had a nice soak in the bath to help the aches and pains, got out the bath, grabbed hold of the towel rack which came away from the wall and fell half in half out of the bloody bath. Today I have been walking like a zombie and aching every time I move. Dave doesn't think it a good idea for me to go in that submarine. (I can't think why)I will never laugh at him falling over again, talk about karma.

We drove part way around the island after the trip to the volcano stopping for lunch at one of the out of the way places.They specialised in growing proteas,it was just like home really, they have all the plants we have, and a jacaranda tree out the front of the restaurant, it was just like one of our nurseries, I didn't expect to see them all here. The biggest surprise was all the gum trees,thousands of them all the way up to the national park, apparently some guy planted a load of foreign trees which have just multiplied, smelt great driving through there, made me a bit homesick though, smelling the eucalyptus.

We had a meal in the hotel restaurant tonight, they had a group playing who were very good, playing a mixture of blues, southern rock, and a lot from the eighties, a very good time was had by all.
Tomorrow were off to do the other half of the island. Hopefully we'll find a beach so I can work on my tan.(that way all the bruises won't show)
bye from Tessa & David

Oops, Sat, Sun, Mon, and Tuesday!

Hi, everyone,
We haven't forgotten about you, we are still here. we arrived in Maui on Sat and have just been relaxing. lovely place, just as you would imagine a Hawaiian island to be.
Spent a lot of time walking and watching all the surfers doing their thing, there were a lot of learners out there with instructors and they did really well.thIther's a lot of activities available, I'm still thinking of doing the submarine tour,q it goes a fair way out then dives quite deep, Dave's not too sure about it but I think I'll have a go, you don't get the opportunity to do it too often do you.

We are staying in a pioneer place that was one of the first hotels in this area, very quaint but comfy, it's over the road from the harbour and there is plenty of things to sit on the veranda and watch, especially when all the fishing tours come in and you see catch.

Yesterday Dave played golf with a guy we met in Canada, John Oughtry and his wife then we all went out for a meal that night which was great, nice people.
Tomorrow we have got a car for a few days so we will be doing a bit of exploring, one place we will go to is the old volcano but more on that tomorrow .

Snorkeling & Packing again....

Hi All

Today we went on a organized snorkeling trip to Hanauma Bay which is an extinct volcano marine sanctuary. It was okay but the water was murky and not many fish or species. There was a long line to buy a admission ticket then an even longer line to enter the theatre to watch a film of the sanctuary. Watching the film was a condition of entry unless you were registered as a previous visitor during the last 12 months.

As Tessa said it was the most expensive beach she's ever been too and aren't we spoiled, the snorkeling is better at Lime Cay and half the price.

Anyway the tour guide was a bikie disguised as a bus driver and was very funny on the way there and back. He recommended a massage place that was 40% cheaper than most others I had checked out so I ended the afternoon with a 90 minute message which was the best I'd had for many years (yes, the massage was good too).

We are leaving our 2 big suitcases here at the hotel and just taking 2 small ones and back packs for our 7 nights on Maui.and as my executive packer is hard at it so I better go lend a hand!

All for now David & Tessa

Better and Better

Aloha to you all,

Another fantastic place to see, it gets better and better as we go.
I love it here in Waikiki, the beaches are great as is everything about it.
Yesterday (Weds) we went on a tour of the Polynesian Cultural Center.

After picking up a hire car we drove over via the Pali Hwy lookout and had great scenery all the way. When we got there we were among the first so had a lot of the guides to our self talking us through a lot of the things. Most of the Polynesian islands were covered that are within the Polynesian triangle (that covers Hawaii, Southeast to Fiji, West to New Zealand and back to Hawaii). We learnt a lot and found it very interesting, lots of dancing and activities which the public can learn to do, I was going to put David up for the coconut tree climb but remembered he had to drive home. No I didn't take the Hula lessons on offer as my hips are doing it without trying. Great day though and a great place to go.

On Monday we did the Pearl Harbour tour as you know, I found it sad and eerie at the same time.
After going around the museum we went by boat and visited the memorial site built over the remains of the ARIZONA. We were listening to a survivor giving a talk. When the ship went down there were a lot of guys that didn't get out, and as some of the present day survivors die they are having their ashes put in a special place in one of the funnels to rejoin their shipmates. The other special thing was the oil that floats across the water, this is oil that has been leaking out from the ship at the rate of about a gallon a day, it is increasing as the ship gradually disintegrates, they couldn't pump it out as it would cause major instability and cause the ship to break up, so its as if it's a message saying we're still here. Very eerie to see. After walking around the shops and seeing how many (Kodak reps) there are here now, you can't help but wonder why they didn't hang on for a few more years then they could of arrived first class on American Airlines. It would of saved a lot of lives that's for sure.

So today is a another veg out, laundry and shopping day as I need to find some postcards!
All for now Tessa & David

Aloha, guess were we are!

Aloha folks

Guess were we are? We are in warm sunny Hawaii relaxing in Waikiki, enjoying warm days and breezy balmy nights. Great spot here lots to do if that's what you want or just stroll around and go to the beach, Yeh Mon without catching a boat! Some of you know that I spent 6 months working here in 1973 & again in 1975, so many things are just the same and lots of new things, and oh yes the prices have gone up a little since then.

We arrived late Saturday afternoon as the flight was 3 hours late, we were so pleased to have risen at 5am to catch a 6am shuttle for a 9am flight only to be told at curbside check in that the flight was delayed 3 hours. So by the time we reached our hotel room it was nearly 6pm, just enough time to start devouring the tourist publications and decide what we wanted to do over the next week before it was time for dinner.

Sunday was a nice brunch on the way to Waikiki beach, after which we booked a few tours. Yesterday we did the Pearl Harbour tour which was very interesting and much more informative than in the 70's when I did it. I didn't know the principle reasons why the Japanese decided to bomb Pearl Harbour and bring the USA into world war two, now I know it was over oil that the USA stop supplying to Japan, now that's a novel idea, a war over oil!

Anyway just as well the USA came into the war because if they didn't we would probably have half the world speaking Japanese and the other half German, like not voluntarily!

There are probably 100 Japanese restaurants here from small Sushi Bars to elegant fully licensed restaurants so last night I took Tessa to a nice restaurant for her to try a Teppanyaki meal, guess what, she enjoyed it, now there's a new cuisine we can indulge in from time to time.

Today is a veg out day but I need to finish this blog now so I can book a rental car for tomorrow.

Mahalo (thank you in Hawaii) for reading, geez I get it quick don't I
All for now from David & Tessa Hula Hula Roberts

San Francisco Done

Hi everyone

Well we didn't get to the harbour cruise Wednesday as we got started too late (it's hard to get Tessa out of bed now she has retired!), so here's Wednesday and Thursday together.

Wednesday was a trip (no pun intended) back in time via the district of Haight Ashbury 1960's birthplace of the hippy culture that swept the western world. For those too young to know (that's most of you) Haight Ashbury was also the musical stomping ground for Jimi Hendriks, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Joan Baez, Sly And The Family Stone, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joe Cocker, Santana and many more big names. (See photos attached).

There are still a few hippies there, and hippies at heart that haven't left that psychedelic district, lots of shops with 60's memorabilia including the biggest used records/Cd's store I've every seen.

So we got up early Thursday on the subway and old tram car to Fisherman's Wharf and finally, the 90 minute harbour cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge around Alcatraz and under the Bay Bridge. There was just the two of us on the cruise until we were joined by two hundred Kodak reps from Japan.

We had a nice lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, and then did some shopping which unfortunately ended up at a photographic shop where I enquired about my damaged Nixon camera (you remember the stunt man roll in Savannah, oh yes I've healed beautifully thank you for asking), unfortunately the answer from the store owner was it's gone forget it. I'm a little hazy about what happened next but I'm now the proud owner (once I figure out how to work it) of a bright shiny Canon SLR camera complete with telescopic lens plus the camera bag he also threw into the deal!

All of this was purchased at a super discount price previously unheard of, and as the owner of the store said (read major sales rep), it will be very useful for the thousands of close up photo's of my rose garden I'll be taking now I'm retired (read semi-retired).

It's Friday morning and today promises to be a full day of buying a new suitcase as mine is mashing up, washing our clothes, packing for the early morning departure to Hawaii, and the 101 course in operating my new camera. All for now, talk to you from Hawaii David & Tessa

p.s. Boy, I'm glad I keep the Hula skirt from the 70's, that's one thing we won't need to buy!

IGetting Into San Francisco

Hey Y'all, sorry wrong geographical location, but at least I'm back on the timely track!

Today we started our touring of a pleasantly warm San Francisco, once we were armed with our "Seniors" rail passes we headed to downtown SFC, one of the key things we wanted to do was visit Alcatraz but we were informed it's booked out until 21st August which is a regular summer time occurrence, bummer eh!

Anyway we rode the hop on hop off double decker bus for 3 hours and got to see an overview of a number of key SFC sites (see photos of a foggy Golden Gate Bridge and the stunning City Hall with it's giant dome). When we got close to the Golden Gate Bridge the temperature started to plummet, as a result we have delayed our Bay Harbour cruise to see Alcatraz until tomorrow as we have purchased warm jackets from Chinatown.

So tomorrow it's Alcatraz cruise, Height Ashbury district, Castro district (gay/lesbian capital of the world) where we are hoping  to meet some new friends! Stay tuned

Regards David & Tessa

More Good Times & Good Weather In Victoria

Hi All

Yes, I know I've been a bit naughty not keeping up the blog on a daily basis, I'll attempt to return to my previous schedule effective immediately.

So Friday was another relaxing day followed to a very nice evening of fine friends, food & wine at the Royal Colwood Golf Club.

On Saturday Keith & Gloria took us to the Butchant Gardens which is an absolutely magnificent gardens that are over a 100 years old and classified as a national historic site of Canada.

Keith & Tessa went up on Keith's motorbike, whilst Gloria & I drove her "Smart Car". After we toured the gardens we had a great meal and Keith & I went home on his motorbike while Gloria & Tessa stayed late at the gardens for the fireworks display.

Sunday we walked the inner harbour and partook of refreshments at historic Empress Hotel which were promptly followed by further refreshments at Spinnaker Hotel, sounds a little like a pub crawl eh! By the time we finished a lovely 3 course dinner courtesy of "Lady Gloriana" plus a few bottles of wine it certainly felt like we'd been on a pub crawl.

So this morning (Monday) it was off early for the flight from Victoria to Vancouver to connect to the San Francisco flight. Which meant goodbye to beautiful Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Victoria and the lovely home of the Hummel's. Thank you again guys for making us feel so welcome and at home. Regarding the beer, wine, port & rum sampling over the last 8 days, after a few tests the Doctor I visited here in San Francisco this afternoon estimates my liver should recover in 2-3 weeks all things being equal.

So tomorrow it's exploring San Francisco and all that Jazz! Until then take care David & Tessa

Warning - Too Much Fun & Good Wine On Victoria Island

Hi Friends & Neighbours

Yesterday was a great golf tournament at "Royal Colwood Golf Course", Keith played badly and got a low score whilst I won with a high score of 119! Anyway it was a fun day and the weather was superb.

Today was a little more laid back with a lazy morning followed by a sightseeing tour of downtown Victoria and it's suburban coastline suburbs.

I think I'm still recovering from the Empire Staste Building day in New York, I can't get enough sleep or maybe it's just retirement kicking in.

All for now, David & Tessa

Beautiful Vancouver Island

Hi ho here we go....

After a relatively quiet day yesterday (apart from the golf practise fairway in preparation for Wednesday afternoon's golf competition) today was a full on sightseeing day that took in Chemainus a old timber logging town that is now famous for all the murals on the walls of buildings around the town.

From there we had lunch at the Crow & Gate an old English replica pub before venturing further afield to Cathederal Grove a BC provincial park that contains old growth forest. The area contained some huge trees including one dated over 800 years old. On the way home we stopped at a quaint country store with a grass roof and goats grazing on it.

Another very enjoyable day on Vancouver Island.

Bye for now
David & Tessa

Beautiful Vancouver

Hi All

Here we are in warm sunny Vancouver, we arrived late Friday night and had an even latter night catching up with our good friends (ex-expats from Jamaica) Keith & Gloria over some wine, Appleton VX and a bottel of Baileys, phew!

On Saturday they drove us around to see some of the beuatiful sights of Vancouver, Stanley Park, and then up on the gondola to Grouse Mountain where we had brunch overlooking Vancouver Harbour and the city, absolutely stunning views looking down and up at the snow capped mountains above us!

We watched lumberjacks do their stuff and viewed movies of the history and development of Grouse Mountain, all very interesting.

Then it was on to a harbourside market development called Grandville Island Markets that had nice restaurants, bars and a great fresh food market, of course that was an excellent oportunity to try the local beer!

Saturday night was a delighful fun filled dinner at the hotel where we are staying where we were joined by (two other ex-expats from Jamaica) Dennis & Judy Carey.

So today we will be doing a little sightseeing before getting the ferry to Keith & Gloria's home in Victoria for a week and a bit or until they kick one or both of us out!

All for now stay tuned
David & Tessa

farewell the oak trees, hello the mapel.

Hi everyone, me again.
At the moment we".re at La Guardia airport awaiting a flight to Canada.
New york filled all my expectations, noise, noise, and more noise. Spent the first few days in town, Central Park great, it was good to see where Jacki O and John Lennon lived, quite moving actually to see the spot where he was shot.
Wall street was busy busy busy,Time square was great, spent quit a bit of time there, it is smaller than I thought but just as interesting.
The Empire State building finished me off as far as energy goes, we were both quite exhausted that night and decided not to go to Broadway for a show, I offered to do a song and dance routine for him instead but for some reason he refused my offer, (He must of been tired)
Yesterday we stayed in and around the hotel, got some washing done, had a bit of a stroll and got the packing done, all of which was done in between short sleeps.
Today were both full of energy and ready for Canada and Keith and Gloria.

David has told me to keep this clean (spoil sport) as lots of people are reading it.
Bye until next time, David & Tessa

Couldn"t Find Bob

Hi All

Well our day yesterday visiting Central Park, Times Square & the Empire State Building drained us big time so today we took it a bit easier. As a Jamaican friend in NY said "You Guys Are Walking Down The Town".

Today we caught the subway to Greenwich Village which was an interesting place to stroll the streets as we searched for my old buddy Bob Dylan but no luck, he was obviously out of town.

From there we walked down Broadway to Little Italy for lunch at a sidewalk cafe then walked through Chinatown for the subway ride back to our hotel and a little siesta!

It''s Tessa's turn to blog tomorrow, so be ready for the Big Apple overview from an Aussie Chick's viewpoint!

Until that exciting episode cheers from David & Tessa

De Big Apple

Greetings one and all from the Big Spple.

Today was great, we took the subway to Central Parh followed by  a "Rickshaw Tour" of Central Park, then caught the subway to Times Square for lunch, followed by a walk to the Empire State for the "Big View".

It was in all a fascinating day but the long waits at the Empire State Building took their toll on our energy levals and our "State Of Our Foot Health. This was a great 360 degree view of NY but the almost 3 hours of lines was exhausting.

Tomorrow should be a little less taxing, until then ........
Cheers from David & Tessa

"The Big Apple"

Hi All

Here we are in Downtown Brooklyn, which is so far, so good.

Yesterday we bought weekly Metro Cards for a week of unlimited travel on the subway and MTA buses, so we went to Manhattan and took a Hudson River-Statue of Liberty cruise, had lunch at Pier 17, then walked Wall Street and said hi to Donald, then on to the World Trade Center where it started raining. We walked on to Chinatown before the rain got the better of us so we got back on the subway to return to our hotel.

Tessa is getting a little more comfortable with Downtown Brooklyn as we went out late afternoon to a laundermat then walked to a supermarket before finding a restaurant for dinner. By tonight we should be full blooded "Brooktonians".

All for now as it's breakfast followed by more of the Big Apple tourist gig.

Cheers David & Tessa

Obama's Pad

Hi All

Sorry about the pause in communications, but 3,000 miles of driving and almost two weeks of very hot weather finally took it's toll.

We travelled on Thurdsday from Raleigh to Maryland arriving late afternoon to stay a few nights with the Polks in Crofton Maryland which is close to Washington DC. I had already emailed Barrack & Michelle to let them know we were in the area and would like to have a chat and check out their pad while in the area.

So Friday ended up a veg out day as sat around waiting for a time to visit the Obama's, as there was no call on Saturday we decided we would surprise them and visit Washingtonm DC! We drove to a railway station and caught the train to Union Station, as it was too early for lunch at the White House we bought some tickets for the Old Trolley Hop On-Hop Off Tour Bus and made our first stop the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. It was so good we could have spent all day there, I had forgotten some of the early space events like the Sputnics, then a monkey orbiting the earth well before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon in July 1969.

By the time we visited the Abraham Lincoln Memorial  and other museums the afternoon was all but over, so we sent our apologies to the Obama's and headed back to the Polks at Crofton.

So finally Sunday was the last leg of the driving tour to the "Big Apple", we checked into our hotel in "Downdown Brooklyn" making New York the 13th US state we stayed in or drove through in 15 days. After we unloaded the car we then drove to Hertz at JFK Airport to return the car. Then we rode the subway back to our Brooklyn hotel. I have to admit we were both a little nervous but all was well, although Tessa swears she will not ride the subway after dark!. Tomorrow it's the start of 4 days of exploring New York, so that will be the test of whether my choice of hotel location was okay or I screwed up, so stay tuned for tommorrows exiting eposide.
Cheers David & Tessa

No Golf At Myrtle Beach

Hi All

I must be the only golfer that has gone to Myrtle Beach and not played golf! Considering it's a golf mecca with more than 30 golf courses it was a bit like taking a kid into acandy store with their mouth and hands taped up!

It was just poor timing that we got there too late on Tuesday afternoon to play and there was not enough time to play Wednesday morning due to the time needed to drive to Raleigh NC. Anyway we compensated at a nice New Orleans cuisine restaurant called "The Big Easy".

So this morning it's pushing further North as we are going to drive the Polks crazy for a few days instead of each other, just for a change!

Bye to the South and as the guy at the restaurant said last night "y'all come back an see us again" y'hear.

To be continued.
David & Tessa

Ever Onward

Hi All Tessa here, [Co pilot]
Thought I'd start off todays blogg.
We left Savannah this morning, great place, I loved it. The houses were just as I imagined, the streets were just as spectacular, mind you in saying that the tram tracks along the river will never be the same after Davids fall, I never actually saw it but heard it. I did feel for him but still laughed as I picked up the pieces, namely the camera which is broken, so pics will be few and far between. He was getting a shot of the river boat, I think he got it.
I have never seen so many trucks as I have during this trip, I've also never seen so many restaraunts, talking of which wev'e had some great food . Before coming I had a little list of food I had to try.

Fried green tomatoes..........DONE
Cornbread..........................DONE
Rack of ribs........................DONE [I'm sure they gave me the whole ribcage of a bison]
Southern fried chicken.........DONE
Pecan pie.............................DONE
Hot dog in New York..........COMING
Bacon & maple syrup in Canada ------ COMING (And of course the promised bike ride, not your pushbike Keith)
I have not had the courage to go for the grits though. (Don't even try it Robby)

My clothes have all shrunk for some reason, even the ones I havn't washed yet.
I told a girlfriend and she said it must of been all the humidity!!!!!!!!!
I have to believe her.

Tomorrow we're off to a place called Raleigh in North Carolina.

David here, not sure I should have let Tessa drive the keyboard, I offered to pull over and let her drive at least twice today, but she didn't take up the kind offer!

Cheers for now
Tessa & David

Savannah and Paula Dean and more Paula Dean and more .......

Hi Y'all

I'm sure if we stayed here another week that's how I'd be talking just to be understood y'all, I've tried my patrios but that was worse than my aussie accent y'hear!

So yesterday we did the big tourist thing and went on a historic bus tour of Savannah which was very good as /savannah has some stunning old homes.

All was well until we got off the tour at River Street and Tessa asked me to get a photo of the Riverboat that was travelling fast down the river. There was also a suggestion thst I should stand on the wall over the road to get a better picture. Being the ever obedient husband that I am (stop laughing), I raced across the cobblestone road dogging traffic and tripped on some old trolley car lines (read Melbourne tram lines for aussie readers) and apparently performed a western role that professional Hollywood stunt men only dream about!

Well I don't want any of you to worry as my hands and knees will most likley heal in due course, but I desperately need to find somewhere that offers instant camera repairs to tourists on the go. Sounds like a job for Yellow Pages!

Today was much better I only tripped twice but didn't fall once, see that's proof that practice does makes perfect.

Speaking of today we combined the Savannah thing with the "Tessa Thing" and her "Food Network Pin Up Gal", Paula Dean. Therefore today was another bus tour "The Paula Dean Tour" which was the history of her rags to riches story, and...... guess what the VIP gift was just for taking the tour? You guessed it all tour participants recieved a special telephone number to make a reservation for her "Lady& Sons" restaurant. You see they don't take telephone reservations for tables of less than 10 people, so we were so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky to obtain a dinner reservation for two. I said to the reservstion chick "let Paula know that Tessa will be there for dinner tonight". Bloody stuck up bitch didn't show, that's Paula not Tessa!

So tomorrow it's on the road again and golf at Myrtle Beach, y'see every cloud has a silver lining.

So y'all enjoy your day an come back an see us sometime y'hear.
David & Tessa

Arrived at last in Savannah

Hi All

We had a long drive today as we left Nahville at 9:30am and arrived at our Savannah hotel at 9:45pm, we were delayed as we had really heavy traffic for an hour leading out of Atlanta plus rain during the last 90 minutes of the trip.

So it's unpack and get some sleep ready for the exploration of Savannah over the next few days.

Cheers
David & Tessa

Greetings from the Home of Country Music

Good morning

Yesterday was a relatively short drive (3.5 hours) from Memphis to Nashville whereas today will be 8 plus hours as we have decided to drive straight through to Savannah instead of breaking the journey with an overnight stop in Atlanta. We are getting a little sick of the packing and unpacking already hence the change of plans.

Last night we went to the original home of the 'Grand Old Opry" to listen to an evening of Bluegrass entertainers, whilst it's not our favorite music we really enjoyed ourselves as they had a good mixture of older and younger groups.

That's it for now need to eat, pack and drive. I need to work out how to post photos once we get to Savannah, yee haw!

Cheers
David & Tessa

Home of "The King" - Graceland

Hi All

Well here we are in hot steamy Memphis Tennesssee, home of the King, the late great Elvis Aaron Presley. Today we visited his home Graceland which was really great because whether you are an Elvis fan or not there is no question the man changed the face of modern music and for thousands of musicians that followed in his footsteps.

Just to walk through the trophy rooms was an eye opener and a privelge to witnesses just how great his successes were and how humble he remained through it all. At the beginning and the end he was still a good countery boy!

After our Graceland visit we meet up with some friends of Tessa's daughter over lunch and then went back to their home for a relaxing afternoon, thanks Katie & Mike for your hospitality.

If we get up early enough tomorrow before our trip to Nashville I would like to visit the Museum of Blues Music.

All for now
David & Tessa

"Nawlins"

Hi All

"Nawlins" that's local slang for New Orleans, see how quick I get it on with the locals!

We had a nice night Sunday, dinner on Bourbon Street then roamed up and down the Street, we listened to a live Jazz band and a few rock groups. We were a little dissapointed at the lack of Blues groups on Bourbon Street but maybe they are elsewhere as the French District is vast or else they come out to play after us oldies are well asleep.

Yesterday (Monday) we drove downdown and walked down Riverwalk to catch an original old steam paddleboat for a lunchtime harbour cruise on the "Mighty Mississippi River", very interesting commentary. After the cruise we walkled to the French Flee Market and purchased a few souvenir items. This was followed by an afternoon swim at the hotel, and a gourmet meal at a combined Taco Bell/KFC restaurant nearby complete with a fine vintage diet Pepsi!

So now it's off to Breakfast, load the car, set the GPS for Memphis because as Paul Simon sang "We're Going To Graceland, Graceland, We're Going To Graceland". Yeh Mon!

Cheers
David & Tessa

Finally Away

Hi All

Saturday 10am, after piucking up the rent-a-car from Hertz and almost circling Miami airport trying to find our way out (I told Tessa I was checking out the car) we completed the 8 hour plus drive to Tallahasse without missing a beat. A long drive which was interesting from the point of view that the US has some big states like Oz but when you are driving highways you don't see a lot.

Somehow I got Tessa out of bed early Sunday morning and we got away before 9am for the 6 hour drive to New Orleans. A lot more to see on this leg as we travelled through Pensicola, Mobile Alabama to New Orleans Lousianna which took us over some extremely long bridges.

By the time we get here Tessa was sick of me singing old rock songs that highlighted these US towns and states. Geez wait until we start driving to Memphis and I recall those old Chuck Berry and Elvis songs!

Tonight we are off to Bourban Street for dinner and some live music, so gotta go clean up, all for now.

Regards David & Tessa

Not The Best Start

Hi All

Surely one could reasonably expect that a less than 2 hour flight from Kingston to Miami would be pretty straight forward eh! Ya seh mi!

Well apart from almost 2 hours line up to get through Immigration, when we finally get processed I was escorted to the "special customs room" to wait with about 50 other criminals "until proven innocent". This only took 2 hours 20 minutes to declare me "not guilty" of travelling on a stolen passport. So we happily arrived 3 hours later than expected to our hotel. Welcome to Miami, have a nice day!

Let's hope tomorrow when we pick-up the pre-booked Hertz car it's a little smoother.

Keep Smilling, Keep Shining......
Regards
David & Tessa

The exciting travels of Tessa & David

Hi all

Here we are in hot rainy Jamaica just days away from our road trip from Miami to Tallahasse, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Savannah, Raleigh, Maryland and New York. Then it's by air to Vancouver via Dallas, Victoria Island, San Francisco, Hawaii, Fiji and Brisbane.

The movers are in tomorrow, then it's a final 2 day aptartment clean up, then Thursday night in a hotel before flying out Friday 8th July.

It's been a pretty heavy week or so of goodbye's which are not one of my strong points!

We will attempt to blog daily or at least every 2-3 days, but travel times and Internet access will be considerations.

That's it for now

Regards
David & Tessa