BootsnAll Travel Network



Day 7 – and now is the hour we have to say goodbye…

February 21st, 2016

Strange day today, knowing it’s my last here but yet in denial. It’s been a lazy Sunday of sorts.Caroline not working but Julee doing 10-4 in the restaurant. Who’d be a chef in this weather?! Mind you down to 30 today but so humid I still feel as if I am in a stupor. We, C and I, left home about 9 for the local Sunday market on Pergian Beach – well by the beach on grass. Batman and Freddie came with us and I have to tell you Batman did not want to be there and kept lying down in the shade! I didn’t buy anything but Caroline bought me a Sunrise juice – to envigorate me it said! Was wonderful. C&J are buying a retro cabinet from a friend and so we went to check it out. Lovely girl who is going off to Lesbos next month to help the refugees. Brill. We then went to the market at Noosa marina for a cuppa and piece of lemon and coconut cake – delish! Now chilling before shower after packing ready to go out for a meal tonight. I leave here about 3.45 for Brisbane ready for my flight at 8.05. There is three hours time difference so flight will take 4 but it will be 7.40 hours later! No wonder my head is worse than normal! See you in New Zealand, been great here.

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Day 6 in the tropics!

February 19th, 2016

Another lazy day with girding my loins for the flying solo bit of my trip to come on Mon. I keep going ppff! with my lips as heat influences my pace. I have washed up and put 3 loads of washing in. No need to worry about putting it out here! I was going to take myself on the bus to Coolum beach but have decided to just be a potato! It is interesting to stay in a home and see what differences there are to home. Clothes washed every day, no jumpers to handwash. All blinds closed during day to keep sun out. No air conditioning so ceiling fans going night and day. The plant life in the garden – and I use the term loosely here as the dogs love
digging – bananas, bromileads, ferns, palms of various types and a paper bark tree. All very tropical! Very quiet in the middle of the day but more life very early (5am) in the morning and after dark.
Fruit here is wonderful – all fresh and grown here. I was surprised how many supermarket products are imported. For such a large country only a relatively small population (14 million? will check that). So few for the space they have! Petrol is half the price of here but other goods about the same. Houses quite expensive to buy if you want to live near a beach. Carolins’s house is rented and is a small 2 bedroomed bungalow type of house with a veranda and small back garden. I think they pay about $1600 (£800) a month. Less space than my flat that i pay under £500 for. They are 3 mins from an amazing beach. I will be going with Caroline to take the dogs walkies when she gets home. Such a struggle life here!

digging holes- is banans, bromileads, ferns, palms, paper bark trees – all very tropical!

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Day 5 and all quiet on the western front!

February 19th, 2016

Had a quiet day as Caroline and Julee are both working today. Been in touch with Stray travel – the bus that takes me round New Zealand, to check about my route as i was worried I couldn’t do the south island first due to the one way route of the bus. But! Yes I can. It is hot again and hard to keep cool at Caroline’s as only ceiling fans. After listening to some music and reading i took a walk down to the local beach/small shopping centre where Julee works. I had a lemon bitters soda, sat and looked at the beach and the rainbow parakeets flying around. Out tonight at Julee’s restaurant place of work for meal. Peaceful, if hot day!

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Day 4 down under

February 18th, 2016

Slow start due to a bad night. Can only put it down to the two small bottles of beer i had last night. Despite drinking gallons of water at 35 degrees alchohol does not go down well. I got up at 8 and cancelled my early morning walk with Caroline. Had a cup of tea, 2 glasses of water and painkillers. Went back to sleep until 11.55. The angel that is Caroline had booked a sunset cruise and suggested we had fish and chips to take on. We went to buy me some ‘aussie soles’ – flip flops extrodinaire and then went to the look out spot at Coolam beach. Yes! Another beautiful beach! We went for a cuppa, bought postcards and a Coolum Beach t-shirt and then went home for quick break before going on our cruise down the Noosa river. We parked up by a large plastic pelican and as we had half an hour to spare we went to the Boathouse for another of those lovely noosa river slings. Luckily the Boathouse have a take away fish & chip place so we ordered and dashed onto the cruiser with them. Other people took wine and the captain had ice buckets and glasses available but we took fish and chips! Must say they were nearly as good as Greenfield chippy in Colwyn Bay! The cruise itself took just under 2 hours with a rainstorm as the sun went down leaving an orange sky over the glasshouse mountains. The rain stopped and the captain suggested we went up on top deck in the breeze for the rest of the trip home. We had our own light show with lightening flashing every few seconds. I caught some lightening while taking the sunset – amazing! This has only happened twice in last 18 months and there it was for me! I feel so blessed being here. The days are going too quickly. I’ve threatened C&J that i might move in next year! Working on the downloading of photos and could be solved soon if the wind is in the right direction. I have put some on facebook ok. Technology eh?!

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Wed 17th Peredian Beach

February 17th, 2016

Now in touch with blog people as having problems uploading photos. I can upload from Caroline’s tablet – hence picture of her and Julee, but not from my phone. Got up 9.15 with tea from C as Julee goes off cheffing for the day. My breakfast was as normal at home – fruit and fat free yoghurt – except today was banana(normal), blueberries ( fairly normal) , passionfruit (local fresh) and mango (fresh local). Brill. We set off, me in Julee’s harem pants -very cool, for shops. At break time Caroline dragged me down the road to the national park and made me sit by this blue, blue ocean for a cuppa. Saw the black and white bird i can’t identify and a bush turkey – common but protected. She then suggested we took a 5 min walk to see if we could spot a kaola bear. Well blow me down 3 mins and just going into the trees when I spot a kaola bear!!!
Not many people here see them either so i feel very privelged. It’s like being in London zoo!
I have bought some very cheap, very hot weather clothes as it the end of the summer sales! Got a new battery for my watch which started to go slow on day 1 of the trip! I brought a cheap one i don’t don’t mind losing. Also bought larger shoulder bag so that i can carry water/ bite relief/sunscreen/ binoculars/ camera and phone etc. Still smaller than day sack. So lunch was called for and we went to Wahoo- Julee’s work place. I had fishcakes which were out of this world and Caroline had springrolls with pineapple jam – magnifique! We swopped one of each! We had a quick lookat yet another part of the magnificent beach and set off home. Quick cuppa and then off to the beach with freddie and batman. It had clouded over a bit, down to 32 degrees and a breeze so it was an amazing walk. The waves wet Julee’s trousers that I was wearing. Brill moment 1000……We came back relaxed, tried to get my photos to upload and have a beer. I went out for the washing and there sitting on rock in the

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Visit to Caroline’s

February 17th, 2016

The mad pair

Boring day!

February 16th, 2016

Got up 6.10 before Caroline and Julee. I had slept well so thought I’d try this novelty called morning! We were all up and out by 8.30 am. We went to visit the Malveny Botanic Garden and Aviary. Absolutely amazing! I was particularly taken with the jade vine tree flowers.

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Another boring day!

February 16th, 2016

Tues 16th yet another wonderful day – this is getting so boring now. One amazing thing after another no mediocre or awful things at all. Left at 8.30 for Maleny Botanical Gardens. Already hot as we left. The gardens and aviary were amazing with views and plants to gobsmack your mind. All done by one man who’s name eludes me. I was particularly bowled over by the jade vine tree with it’s amazing flowers. I will try to sort out getting pictures on here today. I was forced to eat 2 ginger and date scones with jam and clotted cream with my pot of tea in what they call a gazebo but was more like a pavillion on stilts overlooking the gardens and mountains beyond. Absolutely wonderful.We then sauntered in the car down to Montville for lunch and a be
er/4 glasses of water. 36 degrees by mid- day. We returned home for a siesta as the heat was wiping us out.
We roused ourselves by 5 and i was taken to see the local urban kangaroos – yes you’ve heard of urban foxes well these are wild kangaroos grazing on grass by garages next to a house in the
suburbs! Adults and young – exciting! We then drove to Noosa for a sunset drink at the Boathouse, passing rosie pelicans on the river. We were sitting there innocently drinking our noosa river slings when we could see the spectacle of thousands of bats flying over to a nearby island for the night. A murmaration apparently like starlings. What a sight. The sunset was the usual cliche spectacular sunset. We dragged ourselves away and went to Coles ( like Tescos) for provisions. Julee made the most amazing salad of lettuce, pear, walnuts, avacado and fennel – and blue cheese wow! We watched a programme about bush fires – very pertinent here and as i was falling asleep i went off for badly needed shower. I tried to write about my boring day but fell asleep!

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Hello Sunshine Coast Australia!

February 15th, 2016

Star date 15th Feb, galaxy in and around the world, Brisbane landing 6.45am. No sleep but lovely food and wine -impressed with Quantas airlines! Changi airport is amazing in Singapore. So civilsed and easy to find except for stamps and postbox! Can’t really complain after fiasco getting taxi at hotel who had told me i needed an SAM machine at Lavender Station to get the one stamp I needed to post a card to Jude et al. Taxi said he’d wait for me but didn’t say i had to go into shopping precinct, down under subway under (across) the road to the machine in the station. Found machine and to cut a long story story short, it didn’t take cash or my debit card so i had to abhort my mission and grumpily

get back into taxi saying that was a waste of time and money – meter still running. Off to airport and passed the beautiful borgonvilia in the middle of the motorway. Flight was on time, food (veg curry and dahl with rice, garlic bread and choc/walnut brownie and a small bottle of sauvignon blanc X 2). Watched ‘Amelie’ and just over half of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon – been meaning to watch it for years. Hopefully catch end on way to Christchurch. Farce at the airport mislaying my identification ticket which led me to risky traveller line with sniffer dogs – remembered i had apple in my bag from breakfast so told guy who said i had not declared it on my form. No i said i had forgotten i had it. Do you want i say, thinking i gad very nearly missed my bus to Sunshine Coast. No he said after dog had passed me by but please come over here and show me the apple It was a bruised granny smith. Is this it he said. Yes i said. I will have to confiscate it. Fair enough i say hoping to hot foot it to my bus. Alas alack i had missed my bus by 10 mins and they had put me on the next bus in an hour. Ok, tea me thinks. It was about a 50 min drive up to Caroline and Julee’s but the bus dropped me at the door. I was greeted by Caroline closely followed by Freddie and Batman their 2 terriers. Yorkshire tea was the answer! . We chatted a while and then i had a shower and crashed out on the bed until around 5pm. We went out to the Surf Club for dinner by the sea. Fab. Home early and to bed so that we could get up early tom. Very hot. Good to be here!

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Singapore day 2 and last day!

February 14th, 2016

Oh boo hoo have loved my couple of days in this wonderful place! Today has been spent at the world heritage site that is the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Massive, tropical, hot and steamy and extremely beautiful. The taxi was $10 or £5 a bargain as free to go in and only $1 for grey- haired ladies to get into the orchid garden 50p!!! Biggest collection in the world and all outside. I was like pig in muck! Phone overloaded with photos! I have forgotten my camera charger so hopefully buy one in Australia.
Back at the hotel cooling down before my trip to the airport. I now remember why i travel. I see and hear so many amazing places and people. The multi-cultural life here appeals to me. All living together with their different languages and cultures. Chinese new year ends on 22nd so still lots of celebrating going on. I have treated myself to a tiger orchid mug to celebrate me being a tiger in the Chinese zodiac. Monkeys rule here this year though!
See you in Austrailia! Got to look up flight length. Leave here 8.50pm arrive Brisbane 6.45am tomorrow. No idea of time difference! So ignorant me! Will look it up now.

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