After a few months in Europe, we start looking at ways to get back down under. We are wanting to go to Vieques, Puerto Rico, on the way home (yes, I know! It is hardly “on the way” haha, but oh well!) to visit friends we have made during the 2 six-month house sits we have done there. Flights from Portugal to San Juan? Amsterdam to Miami? Or should we get to London and then try for Boston or New York, then down to Puerto Rico? It is all very expensive. I mentioned this in my last story that we feel travel has become a lot more expensive since COVID and a lot more troublesome, flight schedule changes etc etc. But we don’t give up and ponder for a few days then come up with this AWESOME plan.
We are both boatie people; we love being on the water – why don’t we go by boat!! So that is how the plan was hatched. On investigation we find there is a Transatlantic cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, leaving Southampton on 13 February, arriving in Miami on 24 February. This is perfect. Cost? Yes, it is a bit more expensive than flying, but you get 11 days accommodation, full board i.e. we WILL get the all-inclusive bar package, and we get from A to B in the process. Perfect! The deal was really good but ending in a few days. We just needed a couple of days to think about it. The deal ended, but the new deal was even better, it dropped another 200 Euro each. No more thinking – BOOKED! We are sailing all the way to the USA from The United Kingdom.
Transatlantic, WOW this is quite a trip. It will take 11 full days at sea, no ports to call into, just plain sailing non-stop. I feel this trip is quite close to my heart and I never thought I would ever do something like this. My Father crossed the Atlantic as part of the trip with his family back in 1960. He was only a teenager at the time and the family were immigrating from Scotland to Australia and New Zealand on the five-pound passage incentive programme. Big deal for them back then and I think the whole trip took 6 weeks. So, I feel I am following a little bit in their footsteps.
Chris has done this crossing before. He was on a refrigerated ship carrying Kiwi fruit for export from New Zealand to Europe. They went through the Panama Canal and then across the Atlantic, in the opposite direction, his trip took 4 weeks, in 2013.
The day comes for us to set sail. We are house sitting in Shoreham-by-Sea so have to get a train to Southampton. There is a lot of industrial action going on with the English rail workers at the moment and our train is now going to be “part bus” But we still make it in plenty of time to make our embarkation slot of 1230. We walk the 1 km from the train station to the port. It is raining and as we round the corner we see her, the Norwegian Joy! She is so big; she will be our home for the next 11 days.
This is brand new for us, neither of us have been on a cruise before so do not know what to expect regarding ……. well, anything!! We had checked-in online, our bags get tagged and taken away and we join the queue. Passport control is just like an airport and is a very slick operation, they have 1000’s of passengers to process and it goes quickly. Then onto security and same, really easy; hand luggage through the Xray, laptops out and belts off, through the person Xray, done! We are cruising!
Following the corridor to the ship, up, up, up we go, everyone is so welcoming and smiling, there is happy music playing, I am feeling so excited I can hardly contain myself.
We booked a window cabin and found out 2 days before sailing that we had been upgraded to a balcony cabin, we went from level 5 to 13 on this 20-level ship. We are so happy with the cabin; it is a 3 berth which means there is extra room, and the balcony has a table and chairs. Lots of storage space, TV, fridge and a big bathroom, WOW this is awesome!
We find the buffet restaurant and have a late lunch and of course we have a glass of wine with lunch, then go to the main lobby area where a lot of people are gathering. This looks like the place to be and there is a bar. We test our key cards again and ask for bubbly – of course madam/sir – ok cool! We found a couple of very comfy chairs right by the floor to ceiling windows on the starboard side, we can see out over cloudy rainy Southampton, and we sit here and literally pinch ourselves! Is the really happening?? How did we get here? A waiter makes sure we are not without a cocktail and the set-sail party begins. Lots of music, laughter, the atmosphere is awesome, and then we move slowly off the dock, next stop Miami! This is going to be so much fun!!!
After a whirlwind visit to Western Europe to catch up with friends we have made it to England. It has been many, many years since either Chris, or I have been in the UK.
Travelling from Belgium to England was very easy, we have had a few near misses and were not expecting it to have been quite so easy. We took the train to Brussels International Airport, and went straight through passport control and security quickly and efficiently. On arrival at Heathrow, we were both stunned at how easy it was getting through. Back in the day, Heathrow was a nightmare, mega long queues, oodles of questions of your “right to be there”, which infuriated Chris back then, so much so that he was not too keen to be back. New Zealand is part of the British Commonwealth, we are under the same King. 1000’s of New Zealand soldiers lost while fighting in the World Wars alongside Britain, but still multiple questions of our right to enter. But this time? We didn’t talk to one person! It was all automated. We scanned our own passport, picked up our bags and walked straight out. We looked at each other and thought there must be more…. No, all done!
So here we are, back in the UK.
Heading to our first house sit, Weymouth. Weymouth is on the South Coast of England. A train from Heathrow to Bournemouth then a bus to Weymouth. After a couple of hours, we were there.
We had a fabulous evening getting to know our homeowners and their lovely pets, Bonnie (Cockapoo dog) and Maisie and Polly (jet black cats). We have been so lucky with our house sits, we always have amazing people to spend time with, people we would never have normally met. This is far and away the best part of what we do. The next morning, we send them off on their holiday and settle in.
Bonnie
Weymouth is a lovely town, long sweeping beach with bathing beach boxes and cafes dotted most of the way along. It was a 4 km walk from the house into the centre of town. We did this once then got a bus pass and used the busses every day. We had fantastic weather but there had been a lot of rain, so the ground was soddened, lots of mud and puddles.
We took Bonnie on the coastal pathway walk, towards the Smugglers pub. It was 5.5 km and we thought we would head there for a pub lunch. There was so much mud! The path was impassable in places, we had to climb the fence and walk along the farmers paddocks at times just to get through. It was also very slippery and the 1.5 hour walk took us over 2 hours! Bonnie had a wonderful time, at only 2ys old she was very happily running back and forth, trying to hurry us up! By the time we got there the soles of our boots were clogged with sticky mud, mine were leaking through the split in my sole so I had muddy sox. We wondered if we would be allowed inside the pub in this state, but we were, this was obviously not an unusual sight for the people here.
Smugglers Pub
We had a good lunch at this oldie-worldie pub, complete with thatch roof, then headed home. But there was no way I was going to try to traverse all that slippery mud again and was very glad when we decided that we would get the bus home. We headed up to the road to find that the buses were few and far between way out here, so we ended up walking all the way home. Surprisingly enough, we found another pub very close to home and, of course, had to stop. Bonnie by now is feeling a bit tired, and so are we.
On our first walk into town, we came across this monument. We were very surprised to see it. Made us feel very proud. Then I found online that during WW1 120,000 Australia and NZ Army Corps (ANZAC’s) convalesced in Weymouth after being injured at Gallipoli. The existing army camps and mild climate made it an ideal location. Most of the soldiers we repatriated in 1919, but some stayed and married local women. We find history of brave New Zealanders all over the word!
We found a few more pubs and, of course, had fish and chips more than once! We love the ancientness of the old English towns, the low ceilings in the pubs, the quaint narrow streets. It would be so amazing to be transported back in time to see it 500 years ago. It would be fascinating.
We took Bonnie with us on the bus most days, she was so good. We were surprised how dog friendly it is here. Most shops and cafes/pubs allow dogs, they even have doggie treats on the counters – and Bonnie knows it!
We took the bus to the Isle of Portland and walked out to the end of the peninsular to see the lighthouses. Portland Bill lighthouse is an active lighthouse. She was built early 20th century and took over from the two lighthouses that had been in use since 1716. Looking over the cliffs you can see the desperate need for safe navigation into Portland and Weymouth harbour. The sheer cliffs and rugged coastline is spectacular, but so dangerous to shipping.
Portland Bill Lighthouse
The old Lower Lighthouse
The RNLI has had a lifeboat station here since 1869, and is currently one of the busiest in the country. It was very cool to see the Weymouth Severn Class lifeboat tied up. I was lucky enough to go out on one of her sister ships from the Staithes and Runswick RNLI Station about 15 years ago. It is always interesting for both Chris and I to see these harbour towns and anything to do with maritime search and rescue and boating safety, as we were heavily involved in this back in New Zealand for so long.
But all good things must come to an end and after just 10 days we have to say goodbye. We have loved Weymouth, we are very much looking forward to returning one day.
We seem to be encountering more mishaps, or stressful moments as we travel these days. I am not sure whether it is all “Post COVID” fallout, or just that we are getting older, but we are finding that travel is not as easy as it used to be. And it is so much more expensive.
We flew from Brisbane to Zurich via Doha with no problems at all. Leaving Germany to get back to Zurich (train ride) was fraught with stress, but we got there on time and made it to our flight to Athens.
Getting to Leros Island, in the Dodecanese island group, there are 2 options. A 10 hour ferry ride from Piraeus or a flight on a 30 (or so) seater plane 3 or 4 times a week – depending on the weather. We chose the flight and it was perfect, on time, smooth and spectacular views as we flew into Leros. We could recognise the whole island from above and got pretty excited to be coming back.
Our awesome house owner came to pick us up and we fell instantly in-love with the island all over again. We were here at the end of 2019 for 7 weeks doing this same house sit and we loved it. It is so wonderful to see Michael and all the cats again.
Life on the island has not changed a lot. We felt instantly at home and spent many hours walking the tracks and hills, finding new routes and going over old favourites. The scenery is fabulous and the hospitality is still very Greek – ie so welcoming and generous. Chris did a bit of snorkelling and found more WWII relics including a pistol thingie and many bullets.
Sadly all our house sits have to come to an end at some point. The weather had been really nice, around 16-18 degC most day until the last week. The temperature dropped and the wind came up. 5 days out from our departure, we were studying the weather forecast. We had booked the plane to leave on Saturday, the forecast was not looking good. We had 2 nights accomodation in booked in Athens and a flight to Paris booked for Monday.
What are we going to do if the flight is cancelled? Just to put it into perspective, we have been on the island and experienced 4 departures, 2 were cancelled, so that is 50% chance of being cancelled and the weather was not looking good. We found there was a ferry leaving on Thursday night and Sunday night. If out flight was cancelled then we could get the next flight on Tuesday or the ferry on Sunday, but either way we would lose our accommodation and miss the flight to Paris.
Thursday morning we made the decision to leave the island early. We took the overnight ferry on Thursday night and arrived in Athens a day early, but at lease we got there. We had a fabulous extra day in Athens and on Saturday we watched to see if the flight we were supposed to be on went ……..it did not! We made a good call! But how stressful was that for the last few days on Leros?
Athens is a great city, we loved being there and it turned out to be a bonus that we had an extra day. The Parthenon and the Acropolis were breath-taking. The history and ancientness is almost incomprehensible.
Next stop Paris. Then a very easy trip from Charles De Gaulle through the Metro system to meet a BlaBlaCar in the city centre – I think the Arc de Triomphe was right above us! Our driver took us to Chatellerault. Yes! We are going back to the Chateau!
I cant really describe how wonderful it was to be back. We feel very much part of this family after having 3 months here with them in 2019. They have been super busy the last four years and there are many changes and improvements, and the whole estate is looking amazing! We met the current house sitters and had 3 days of wonderful company, food and lots of laughs.
But, again, it is time to move on. Train, Train, bus – all the way to Amsterdam. When we get to Paris we have 90 minutes to get from Montparnasse to Bercy Seine, google says it is a 30 minute journey. Cool, we can make it. Oh no, here comes our friend “travel stress” The train from Chatellerault, on time. Train to from Poitiers to Paris – delayed 45 minutes. Oh crap, we have a good idea how to get from Montparnasse to Bercy, but it will be 11pm and dark. Sitting at the station, tap tap tapping our feet just praying it all works out. The bus from Paris is an overnight bus, leaving at midnight, if we miss this, then what? Tap tap tap….. 45 minutes late becomes 35 minutes late – yes! And once we were on the train, the driver must have put his foot down because we were only 25 minutes late getting in. phew. we did it!
The Metro system in Paris is so easy. The sign posts and information is so clear, we made it to Bercy Sein Bus station in plenty of time.
The bus ride was great, Blablabus this time, really comfortable seats and we both managed to get a bit of sleep.
Our friends were there at 0630 to pick us up and oh what a fabulous weekend we had. There was still some snow in Holland, which made everything look so beautiful. We did some sight-seeing, saw clogs being made, saw loads of windmills – even went inside one! Saw a frozen lake, watched Mama Mia (well the girls did, the boys went to the brewery!) and ate a lot of wonderful food! So the motto of the weekend was “I am so full – or am I just still full” Again, so wonderful to see friends we have not seen in 4 years.
But yes, it is time to move on again! This time down to Brussels to meet the plane to London. Denis drove us all the way from Holland which was over and above, but we appreciated it so much. A rainy day in Brussels, a few beers and of course frits (French fries) and that is it, our 90 days here in Europe is done and dusted.
Brussels
Fun Fact
French Fries actually originate in Belgium. Yes its a fact! During WWI, American soldiers stationed in Belgium discovered these fried potatos. But because most people in the southern part of Belgium spoke French, they ended up calling these little slices of heaven “French Fries”
It is November and here we are back in Europe. It has been 4 years since we were here last, and we have been really looking forward to coming back. Sadly, it is Autumn (Fall) and will be full on winter soon, but we love Europe and how cold can it really get? (remember I said that!)
We are met at Zurich airport by our lovely homeowner and accompanied through the three-change train journey up to and into the village of Engen in Germany. It is a sunny day, so everything looks so pretty as we make our way through into the German country side.
The two dogs we will be looking after are shy to start with but soon come round and are so lovely. We have not had anything to do with Sighthounds before and found these two to have such gentle natures and are so loving . It did not take long for us both to fall in love.
LuminRana
The village of Engen is small, only 10,000 population. We were staying in the “Old Town”, very cute and very old. A High Street with a beautiful church and a castle. It is said to be one of the best preserved medieval urban ensembles in Southern Germany. Our house was toasty and warm, built right under the castle. With only one external wall, it was as if the house had been sculptured and pressed into a mound of clay that hardened into the bedrock that was the castle’s foundation. The house was 4 levels high, and the walls were near enough half a metre think. Shutters on the windows, door opening right onto the street, so pretty.
Living in the bedrock
The dogs were gorgeous! Such elegant faces and long legs. It was fascinating watching them sit and curl up with those long legs, they seemed to fold up like a builder’s measuring tape. We walked with them 3 or 4 times each day, there was so much beautiful countryside to explore. It was not very warm so the doggies had coats to wear if it was below 10°C, – they only went without their coats once! The colours were beautiful as the leaves had changed and were falling, we expected that all the leaves would be gone by the time we left.
I really admire people who speak multiple languages. We can only speak English but can usually get away with being understood with various hand gestures and of course “Google Translate” We love the challenge of being understood, but this one takes the cake. Our gorgeous neighbour, Maria, has lived in that same house for sixty years. She is originally from Italy and is so lovely. She would knock knock on our window and bring us espresso – Italian espresso that she had made, or a bottle of Italian Rosé. We would sit and have a conversation. We don’t speak German or Italian, she does not speak English and prefers not to speak German. So we manage with a bit of everything – a bit of Spanish even comes out. So funny! the laughs we had over that Italian Rosé, unforgettable moments we will never forget.
I had researched the weather in Engen before we got there and was told (by Google – so must be true!) to expect 4 snow days in November and that the average high would be 7°C and low of 1°C. I would love to see the snow! We do get snow in New Zealand but not, generally, in the North Island where we are from, unless you go up the mountains to ski. It was starting to get colder and colder; my app was starting to show the snow icon and the lows were getting lower and lower as the weeks went by. I could not believe what I was seeing when it predicted -13°C.
One night it said it would snow at 11pm. We went to put the light out at 11:15 and as a joke I said to Chris “is it snowing yet?” He looked out the window and we could hardly believe what we were seeing! It was snowing! OMG it was actually snowing!
Our house with the blue shutters, tucked in under the castleA light dusting of snow…..And more snow!
In the morning there was a dusting of snow and that was the beginning. It carried on snowing and snowing and snowing, the trees, the fences, the cars, the roads, getting whiter and whiter and whiter. The sky was quite grey to start with but the dogs loved being out in the snow, we double coated them as it was quite wet. Then the sun came out and the whole place became a fairy tale, like a scene from a Christmas card, it was so pretty with the blue sky making all the white sparkle. It was such a treat to be here in these conditions, everything I had hoped for.
Just had to have a go at making a snowman with Helen, Reinhard and Olivia
Sunday, the day before we leave. It has been snowing heavily for days but the sun is now shining and the sky is a brilliant blue. We have met Helen, who is from New Zealand, we all decide to go build a snowman. The snow is as soft as silk and so dry that our snowman turns out a little unconventional. Reinhard pulls a few beers out of a basket in the trunk to celebrate our fabulous snowman making skills! What goes with Beer? Sausages! Well, this IS Germany, Right? but it is Sunday! everything is closed. So we just “pop” over to Switzerland to the supermarket – Switzerland is NOT closed! This is the most bizarre concept for us, to be able to just pop over to another country to buy sausages! But we did, and we had sausages and more beer back at their house. The sausages were even cooked on a BBQ, after the BBQ was dig out of the snow! What a fantastic day!
The snow was unusually heavy for this time of the year and on our day of departure the trains on the route we needed to take to Zurich airport were not running as snow laden trees had fallen across the tracks and damaged the electrics. They had put on a replacement bus from our first train-change to a destination we could use to pick up a train to connect with the one to the airport. We had to take a taxi from the house as we could not wheel our bags through the snow. We were so thankful that out awesome homeowner came with us and we decided to take the taxi all the way to the bus pick up point. Thank goodness he was with us; we don’t think we would have found the place on our own. Then we waited and waited. The bus finally turned up and we are looking at our watches thinking “ok we will still make it”
BUT…The bus driver would not let us on the bus. A whole line of people standing in the snow outside the bus while he reclined his seat, crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes!
At least he is nice and warm in there!
20 minutes later he let us all on and we were heading out of town. Will we make it? The bus seemed to go the long way, cross-country through narrow streets and we really are thinking we will not make it. We had three options once we got to Schaffhausen, and as time marched on, each option became an impossibility. Then we stopped, about 5 minutes ahead of what my google maps was telling me. We ran to find the train that was our “if all else fails” option for getting to the airport on time. Made it! But we did ask two different people if this was the right train to the airport, it wasn’t showing as a stop on the screen and we didn’t trust that we wouldn’t end up on a train going in the opposite direction. Anyway, all’s well that ends well, we made it and got to the airport in time!
Looking back, our trip to Engen was wonderful, beautiful pets, wonderful people, cute village and the prettiest snow covered landscape I have ever seen – a bit of stress getting out of there – but hey! thats what travel is all about – expect the unexpected!
Perfect time for drinking GluhweinMore Gluhwein at the Christmas Market
It has been 3 and a half months since we left Thailand. I remember my Mum saying that time will go faster and faster the older you get, and I am seeing how right she was! Where has this year gone?
My darling Mum, New Zealand
Since Thailand, we’ve been on a roll! We’ve rocked 2 house sits, 1 camping trip and had a blast hanging out with friends and family. No dull moments thats for sure!
I took a week in NZ on the way back to Australia to see family and friends. My youngest daughter Tay, flew back to Australia with me to see her sister. It was so good to have two weeks with her and to have my two beautiful girls together, even for such a short time.
We did a four week house sit in a small village at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast called Pomona. We usually like to stay on the coast and be by the ocean, so this was a change for us being in the hinterland. We thoroughly enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of the area. We had 1 dog, 4 cats, 4 geese and 2 chickens to look after. There were kangaroos regularly visiting right into the back yard and the bird life was amazing. King parrots, Cockatoos and Kookaburras to name just a few. The Australian bush is so unique with the smell of the gumtrees and is so full of life. We spent a lot of time walking with Redley around the outskirts of the village through the bush. We did not see any snakes, that would be taking the wildlife a little bit to extremes!
Redley is a beautiful girl, an Australian Kelpie with a gentle nature, we both fell instantly in love. She was such great company and constantly entertaining.
The Geese were a new one for us. We could let them out in the afternoons about 4pm and they would run around in a line, flapping their wings squawking or is it honking?? eating up all the oranges that had fallen to the ground. Redley would round them and the chickens up, it was so funny to watch, around and around the house they would go, bums wabbling, wings flapping. The chickens, John and Jon, laid eggs most days but we had a mystery on our hands. We would find broken eggs in strange places, outside of the coop. There was one wooden egg in the nesting box to encourage laying, that egg ended up in all sorts of weird places too, then it would disappear for a couple of days then turn up again. How is this happening? The coop is fox proof, there were no markings on the dirt of a snake or lizard. Turns out it was a crow! Chris did some temporary crow-proofing and we started getting more eggs for the pan. Those crows are clever though and found a way in, again! The geese started to lay, the crows never picked any of these big beauties up! Very cool to have goose eggs which were made into bacon and egg pies!
Chicken V Goose
Though we loved being out in the country, the time came for us to leave, it was good to be by back on the coast. Chris stayed at his apartment in Marcoola, and I went on to look after my dear friend Shelley’s cat, Mr Peanut, while she went on holiday.
Shelley’s house is out in the hinterland, so I am back in the country. Kookaburras start laughing even before it is light around here! Again, so peaceful and pitch black at night showing up the beautiful stars in the sky.
The health and wellbeing of the pets we care for is always a very big concern for us when house sitting. What is normal behaviour for these pets? and what is out of the ordinary? As we don’t have that “parent intuition” it can sometimes be a bit of a guessing game. We are learning more and more what a huge responsibility this is and how much trust our home/pet owners are putting into us to do the right thing for their beloved pets.
Mr Peanut had an adventure a few years ago where he got lost and did not return for 3.5 years. It is quite a miracle really and a story we will never know fully. If only Mr Peanut could talk! Since then, he has been a bit of a “scardy cat” One day he got such a fright he took off under the house and out the other side toward the paddocks. He stumbled at the fence then ran, hell for leather, down toward the bush. Leigh (my daughter) was there at the time and we tried to find him. We called and called and traipsed up and down the paddocks and even into the bush, no sign. Oh boy! I am hoping it is not going to be another 3.5 years until we see him again!!
Mr Peanut
He didn’t come home that night, Leigh stayed over and we searched again the next day. I made a flyer and got my cousin to print it out to distribute around the neighbourhood the next day if he didn’t turn up. Late that second night he meowed at the door. He was filthy and hungry, my relief was unmeasurable, he was back!! But he was broken! Something very wrong with his face, and he was dribbling and couldn’t eat, but he was purring and he was back! I couldn’t figure out what had happened, I tried to think of all scenarios even thinking he may have had a stroke as the side of his face was droopy.
Leigh and I took him to the vet the next day and were hoping that the vet would be able to solve the puzzle of what could have happened to poor Mr Peanut. He was none the wiser other than the fact that his jaw was dislocated, and as he was examining him it just popped it back in! That looks better already! But an Xray was still needed to check the rest of his face. After consultation with his Mum, Mr Peanut stayed in overnight and had surgery the next day to wire his broken jaw. Poor boy! What a thing to go through.
He came home and was so brave. He hated the big blue collar he had to wear and didn’t much like the runny, soupy food he had to eat, but otherwise all fixed. The wire would come out in 6 weeks. Now he is shaved we think we know what happened. As he ran through the fence, the bottom wire went between his teeth into his mouth and that is why he stumbled, pretty much stopped dead in his tracks, the momentum dislocated and broke his jaw. What a freak accident.
Poor Mr Peanut.
Our last 3 weeks on the Sunshine Coast was filled with lots of friends visiting from NZ and spending as much time as possible with our friends and family who live here. We are heading to Europe and are not entirely sure when we will be returning to Australia. We have been having a very social time thats for sure! who would ever have time to fit work into this very busy schedule!
We did managed to squeeze in a quick 2 night camping trip with Steve and Shelley at Inskip Point. This is a favourite spot and never disappoints. A roast pork in the camp oven, lots of beach time and of course plenty of wine.
I feel so very lucky to have so many beautiful friends and of course my family, who are my best friends of all!
SO it is good bye to Australia for now, see you when we see you!
I am sitting here with an ice cold drink, upstairs in this wonderful house. My view is of the ocean with Thailand in the distance. I can hear the waves crashing on the shore as I reflect on our time here. I am feeling cool at last with the afternoon breeze coming in and having just got out of the pool. Only an hour ago I had sweat dripping off me, into my eyes, off the end of my nose. I was raking up some leaves and I felt someone’s gaze. I looked around there was a monkey sitting on the driveway watching me. He took off when I came toward him, I said hello to him up the tree as I passed, and he looked right at me and opened his mouth in a big smile. They look so cute, but those teeth look sharp! I had a sudden panic that he might jump at me and bite me – a smiling assassin! So I hightailed it back to the house. A reality check – that’s right, we are in Asia, wow! We really are, sometimes I have to pinch myself.
CHOGM Park
We are almost finished this house sit, 8 weeks have gone so fast. We have had such a great time here in Langkawi, what a little gem. We have always loved Malaysia and we are yet to be disappointed. Langkawi is a very chill island. Nothing really matters, you can be your own person here and no one will judge. “Island Time” is alive and well. The people are so friendly and welcoming and very generous.
Kuah
We were sitting at the café/restaurant next door one rainy night and got talking to the couple at the table beside us. We ended up swapping phone numbers and made a date to meet up the next week. Well, that was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. We have since been to their house for traditional Nasi Lamak, out for a couple of meals, and they have been here for dinner. Just a few days ago, we went to their house for a cooking lesson, Beef Ball Noodle Soup. We cooked outside, on a simple gas cooker right beside the paddy field, surrounded by their beautiful gardens. We often get asked “why?” “why do you like doing this so much?” well this is why; it is the people we meet along the way that enrich our lives so much.
Ad and Saj
All ready for the pot
Great day for cooking ourside
Beef Ball Noodle Soup – Delicious
Our neighbour Suzie, has been amazing. She has “Eagleye”, a wonderful little guest house with a bar. We have joined in with her guests and friends as if we are part of the family. She has introduced to Malaysian traditional food and presented me with a bottle of bubbles on my birthday. “My house is your house – you are my neighbour – that’s it” By just being there she has made our stay here extra special.
Suzie
Through Suzie we have met some amazing people. Sabine is from Germany and travels alone, she is a photographer – travelling and taking photos; my dream job! And Shannim, who is from Malaysia, is a spirited pathfinder! She also travels alone to places far and wide, never really knowing where the next wind will take her but embraces every step with bubbling excitement and enthusiasm. Shannim writes all about her adventures too. It has been so exciting to meet both of these inspirational women.
Shila, our housekeeper brings us treats almost every time she comes, Chicken Curry, Samosa and these little sweet white balls covered in coconut called Ondeh Ondeh. Her daughter makes the best Curry Puffs on the island, we are getting so spoilt!
There is a little round lady in the store at the end of our driveway. She is only open in the afternoons, but she does sell beer, along with hammers and nails, plastic table cloths, chain and bath plugs. We go in fairly regularly and get a couple of Tigers on the way home. She doesn’t speak a stick of English and just laughs every time we speak to her, so we laugh with her and that’s it, we understand each other perfectly! We get the biggest wave and smile every time we go past. She probably thinks we are mad!
There is a craft place down the road, it is a tourist attraction, has all sorts of traditional Malaysian clothing, jewellery, art etc etc. there are also 2 museums on site. We have been a couple of times and I got talking to the batik painting guy and arranged for a day to go in and do some batik painting myself. He designed 3 small frames with the flowers I chose, and he helped me paint the dye onto the fabric. It was so much fun and very relaxing and rewarding. I was very surprised and pleased with the results. He only took equ. $8NZD.
Kraft Kompleks Langkawi
We have had so many wonderful interactions with the people here, the Roti shop, the Chinese supermarket, the Night Market stall holders. We even got 10% off the bill when we went to the Tanjung Rhu Resort for all you can eat breakfast. The lady at the “1 o’clock” restaurant; we named it that as she opens at 1 o’clock each day, she makes the best Keow Teow Goreng on the island and whenever we go her son comes out to talk to us and practice his English. It’s a wonderful place.
Fresh coconut
The Island is so beautiful. So green with thick, lush vegetation. If you are not looking at the sea, you are looking at the rugged mountains, so spectacular in their own right. There are mangroves in the estuary’s, caves and picturesque outer islands, rivers, and many waterfalls. We did a boat tour through the mangroves which took us out onto the Andaman Sea, we got to see the island from a different perspective. And, as you know, Donna and Chris are very happy when they are on a boat!
The Bat Cave
Looking back up the estuary
View of Tanjung Rhu with rugged backdrop
Langkawi is sitting at 6 degrees Latitude North, pretty close to the equator and what we notice mostly is there is hardly any dawn or twilight. 0710 is sunrise, according to google, but it is still dark until only about 10 minutes before. Same in the evening, the sun goes down really quickly, if you don’t remember to look, you will miss the sunset!
The Seven Wells Waterfall, stunning. 600 steps to climb to get here
Crystal clear, cold water – so nice!
Telega Tujuh Waterfall, the seven wells are above this fall
Another waterfall within a cycle distance from home, Durian Perangin Waterfall
We have been out on the kayaks twice while being here. The first time our dear, loyal HobNob wanted to follow. We were a couple hundred meters out when we realised that he seriously did want to come with us! He was swimming and swimming. He gave us a bit of a scare, who knows how well this dog can swim! So we went straight back in, close to shore and, yes, he followed – phew! It became a very short paddle along the shoreline with loyal puppy following us along the beach.
HobNob
The next time we went out, we sneaked around the back of the house so he didn’t see us go. We had a great paddle with an encounter with a pod of dolphin. That was the last thing we expected. There were about 6 or 7 including a baby. Most were grey and had blunt dorsal fins which were mottled pink and their faces were blotchy pink, almost looked like they were sunburnt. A variety we have never seen before. They were not in a hurry to get away from us so we just enjoyed their company, thinking how lucky are we! We googled it afterwards and found they were Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin. We were so surprised to see them, it was a great thrill.
It is rainy season now but we haven’t had as much rain as they say we should have had by now. We feel quite lucky! But not so lucky with the mosquitos! They are the size of helicopters here and so quick! The bush mozzies will bite all over, fast as lightening and the bites will itch for about 15 minutes then its all gone. There is another variety around and when they bite, the bite will itch for days and swell up into a red lump. Thankfully it is mostly the bush variety.
Nasi Campur in the rain
We are flying to Penang soon, the next chapter is about to begin!
Thank you Langkawi, you have been amazing! See you again soon!
Tiga Pilau, this is the name of the place we are staying here on Langkawi Island, Malaysia. We only found out the other day the significance of the name, we couldn’t work out the reason for the reference to tigers. It turns out that Tiga is Malay for Three and when you look out from the beach right Infront if us there are three islands, it really is quite beautiful. They are three of 99 islands which make up Langkawi. Beyond those three islands, you can see more land, it is a magnificent backdrop and it is actually Thailand that you can see.
Langkawi is approx.. 478km2, 29km long by 16km wide, 99,000 population. Only 4 of the 99 islands are inhabited. Fun fact – Langkawi is an amalgamation of the Malay vocabulary “helang” (eagle) and “kawi” Sanskrit for the bird’s reddish-brown tone.
It is a very easy and cheap flight from Kuala Lumpur, less that $40NZD each. Our lovely home owners were at the airport when we arrived. This is a really popular place for Malaysians to come for vacation as it is only an hour flight from KL and you are transported into another world. A lot slower world. The term “island time” springs to mind.
BD – short for Brown DogHobNob
We have 4 days with our owners. Doing the usual familiarisation of the house, pets, and surrounding community. We find that there is everything you could ever need right here in this village. Then it is our turn for a trip to the airport to see them off on their 8 week trip to Europe and Canada.
We have 2 dogs here to look after and a separate little house which is used as an Air BnB, which has guests for the first week. The property is huge with loads of trees and lots of grass to mow. There is a jungle area out the back as well, complete with monkeys! And lets hope – no snakes!
Tiga Pulau
The house is amazing, it has been built to blend into its surroundings. it is completely open throughout the main areas which allows the breeze to come straight through. The pool is right in the middle of the house which has an air-conditioner effect of keeping the place cool.
We have settled into a nice routine with walking the dogs on the beach morning and night, doing a bit of garden maintenance in the mornings, picking up fallen branches, leaf raking, mowing and trimming, then we head off to explore in the afternoons. We are so lucky to have been left a couple of Ebikes, kayaks and a car.
Being right on the beach means we, almost always, have a breeze. It is so hot here. We thought that Vieques, Puerto Rico was our hottest location so far with its high humidity, but we think this tipped the scale. So having the sea right there is a Godsend! It is a sandy beach but from the mid-tide water line there are lot of rocks so it is not the best for swimming, but we only have to go 2-300m down the beach and are able to get in for a dip. We have found that just a 15 minute bike ride from here is Tanjung Rhu beach. What a beautiful spot! Wide white sand beach with water a bit clearer than our beach, lots of shade trees AND a restaurant! We spend a bit of time here, reading our books under a tree and dipping into the water to cool off – the sea temperature is hardy cooling though at 30°C (86°F), it is like a bath and you depend on the breeze after you get out to do the “cooling”. The water generally on this side of Malaysia is not the crystal, gin clear water that we have seen in other places, but still pretty good.
Tanjung Rhu Beach
Locals will light little fires right there, under the trees, to cook their lunch
Langkawi is a duty-free island! Yes that is a fact! It was awarded duty-free status in 1987, to make tourism more affordable for Malaysian tourists, since then, international tourism has also increased. So the beer and spirits are very cheap. The wine is about what you would pay at home – but it is duty-free, so doesn’t really make sense. A bottle of New Zealand Mud House Sav is 55MYR, but a litre bottle of Stoli Vodka is 34MYR ($11 NZD) and a 24 case of Tiger is 60MYR. But you must admit, there is nothing nicer than an ice-cold beer on a hot day! And at those prices, we are not holding back!
1.80MYR = $0.65NZD
The food here in Malaysia is wonderful and Langkawi is no exception. Here in our little village we have many restaurants and food stalls. You would never go hungry in this place. And everything is so reasonably priced too! There are also dry goods supermarkets, fruit stalls and veg shops. Sweets stands, ice-cream, fried bananas – everything for Breakfast lunch or dinner and everything in between. Thai food, Malay food, western food, fried food, steamed food, noodles, rice, chicken, fish, anything you could ever desire. It is always a bit of a lottery as to what will be open and when. Breakfast goes until about 1pm and lunch is still considered lunch at 4 in the afternoon. I think you just eat when you are hungry and eat whatever you feel like at that time. It is not unusual to have curry for breakfast and it is quite palatable especially if it is at 11am. Nasi Lemak and Roti Canai are usually eaten in the first half of the day.
Roti CanaiNasi Lemak
Nasi Campur – rice with smorgasbord of many dishes
one of our regular Nasi Campur restaurants
The burger stall
We have the best night market of the island. There is a Night market every single night somewhere on the island. Our Market is on a Friday night and it really is fantastic! There are so many stalls, all the stall holders are so friendly. We just cannot help ourselves and always come home with enough food for two days! Fried Chriken, Koew Teow, sweet corn pancakes, Nasi Goering, Vegitable Baji etc etc etc…. a lot of it is “deep fried goodness” as my gorgeous friend Karen would say – but oh so delicious! Each dish will usually have some sort of sauce in a small plastic bag tied up with a rubber band to go with it, yumm, Friday is our favourite day of the week.
Friday Night Market
Our village is called Ayer Hangat, we are on the North side of the island. With the geography of the island we are actually facing West and we get the most beautiful sunsets. We are a bit away from Pantai Cenang, which is the really touristy part of Langkawi. We are also on the opposite side to the main town of Kuah (which, by-the-way, means “gravy”!) This part of the island is very traditional, not so many tourists over here. It is so funny when you see a car over this side with a big red “M” sticker on the windshield, to get a free drink going through the McDonalds drive-through. It seems so crazy to think that only 20 km away is a McDonalds, KFC, Shell Gas, cappuccino’s and latte’s, when we’re out here in this very traditional village, with food on the street and a cash only society.
We love cycling through the Kampongs, the little villages in behind the main roads. The roads are so narrow, one car width, sometimes gravel, sometimes tarmac. It’s absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. There is a variety of traditional houses and really huge modern homes. There are always kids running around, playing on the streets. They always have a big wave and “Hello”. As you look up you can see the mountains behind, so rugged and lush covered in jungle. Cycling alongside a little stream almost reminds me of the towpaths and Holland except when you look around you see banana trees, coconut palms, the odd little grove of sugar cane, it’s all very green and lush and very much Asia. The water in the stream is pretty milky looking but there are still Lily pads and Lily flowers. Then you come to the rice paddy fields and the roads criss cross the paddy fields. Bright green rice fields, with cows seeming to be roaming free. One of our favourite places to go.
We are loving being part of the community here, we are being recognised by shop and restaurant owners and have made some lovely friends.
Thank you for reading our story!!
There is more to come of this awesome place, see you soon xx
It is hard to believe we have spent another year house sitting. From New South Wales in Australia, to Puerto Rico, then Thailand to India. That was 2022 – done TICK
A few months back down under to regroup and reset with friends and family and we are off again.
We have decided to do things a bit differently this year. Each year we have been house sitting we have started at the beginning, gone from house sit to house sit and made our way from one country to the next, optimising our time and following a course which eventually leads us back to New Zealand, about a year later. This year we will return to Australia between big trips. So this trip will only be 3 months long.
So start in Malaysia, only a nine hour flight from Queensland Australia where we have been recently based.
KLIA Express, direct from the airport to Sentral Station
First stop Kuala Lumpur, one of our favourite cities. We are very excited to be back in Malaysia. The food is outstanding and the people are always so warm and welcoming. We stayed in a small basic hotel right outside the main entrance of the NU Sentral Mall, which is part of Sentral Station. The public transport is so efficient and really easy to understand. It is a very simple commute from KLIA international airport straight to Sentral Station, and right to our accommodation. The warmth and smells that great us are overwhelming, sparking fond memories – WE ARE BACK!
Old and new
We had 3 nights here, re acquainting ourselves with the cuisine. Eating our way around all our old favourite places. We were very close to the Indian quarter and found restaurants with all the Indian delicacies we were enjoying while in Chennai.
Roti CanaiIdly and Sambardelicious
Kuala Lumpur is a super modern city, but still holds the charm of the old world. China Town and Little India are like walking back in time, yet you go to the Petronas Twin Towers or the Berjaya Times Square and you are immediately transported to the, almost , futuristic state-of-the-art centres with everything on steroids! We love both, maybe erring on the side of the oldie-worldie but loving the super modern, bright and shinny too.
We spend a lot of time walking around and pointing out places we have been before, restaurants we have been in, 7Elevens we have frequented and found the cheapest beer. But also discovering new things, new sights, especially as we have not been here since COVID and we do notice a change. China Town seemed very quiet now – still busy by our terms, but not that frantic business that was the total manic vibe of the place. There were not as many street hawkers or market stalls. Our old ladies pushing carts full of ice and cold drinks were nowhere to be found. It must have been pretty tough here during the pandemic, very sad.
China Town
Petronas Twin Towers
Brickfields Little India
In amongst the chaos of this busy incredible city is the Botanical Gardens. A beautiful piece of green-belt right there, hidden away from the madness. We spent a few hours here and thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace. It is a little run-down in places, but still a great respite from the heat (in all ways) of the city.
It’s a lot hotter here than what we have been used to for the last few months, we are very thankful for our air conditioning in our room. It’s a welcome relief to get onto the trains for the cool of their air conditioning. It is so cheap to ride the trains and as I said, so easy! Just have to find the right train line you want to go on, use the touch screen to say where you want to go and boom, out comes a little blue token and off you go! All over the city, anywhere you want to go for about equivalent to $1.
A few nights back here is like coming home, it had to be done, but we have puppies to look after!
Our next stop is Langkawi, an Island off the west coast right up by the Thailand border. We have been there once before for a week vacation, this time we will be there for 2 months. We love the city, but we have had our fill, lets slow our pace down a bit and get ourselves back to some Island Time!
After 3 weeks of holiday and visiting friends – its time to get back to work. We took the overnight train from Padang Besar to Hua Hin, Thailand. A driver was waiting to take us to Pran Buri where Cristina has a home with 37 dogs. We have done this house sit before for Cristina but she was on the island of Koh Phayam then and there was only 16 dogs.
It was so great to see Cristina again and see the wonderful place her and her husband Paul had created. It felt like it was just yesterday that we had last seen her. 10 of the current 37 dogs were there last time and we think they may have remembered us……. Of maybe that’s just being romantic.
Bob and YakBob and Yak, maybe they remember us
We spent nearly a week with Cristina and along with the care of the dogs, she showed us around the town of Pran Buri and Hua Hin. We were armed with lots of tips on where to shop and where to eat. She left us with a car and introduced us to a few people we could call on if needed. What could possibly go wrong!!
Feeding time is a little chaotic. The first time we just watched and frantically wrote down all the details. 37 dogs, we don’t know their names yet, how are we ever going to remember who gets what! There are three different types of food, vitamins and medicines for some and liver and chicken treats hand made by a wonderful volunteer Chris, some get and some don’t. Not quite as simple as a cup of biscuits each! When we looked after the dogs on Koh Phayam, we cooked the food every day and we thought 16 was a tough gig!
So we set off on the feeding program ourselves. Cristina is still here and she is just pottering over there, sweeping the floor, the odd little suggestion when we get it wrong, or reminder that the dog I referred to as she actually had a penis. She must have been having quite a giggle to herself watching us try to put it all together.
Showing us the ropesDear wee Muffin and Queen Feisty waiting their turnOur book of instructions didnt last the distance
Once we took the training wheels off and started fending for ourselves, we got into a fantastic routine. We got to know all their names and didn’t put up with any of their shenanigans. We fed them in groups and, all in all, they were very well behaved and knew when their turn was coming. Occasionally one would “slip” into the wrong place and try to get another bowl. Bob – the policeman of the pack, would stand guard over the old girl Poon’s food while she took herself out for a pee half way through her meal. We thought this was very admirable of dear Bob, until one day we saw he had an ulterior motive.
TinTin – not much between the earsGiGi and Big Mama – soft and gentleHowie – Ladies man through and through
Dogs can be so smart! Buttercup was a bit of a food junkie and could not help herself when any food was around, so at feeding time, she would jump into Nimbus’s sleeping crate (she could get in but couldn’t get out) and just wait her turn, she could not trust herself with all the other bowls of food around. How about that for discipline!
Feisty – 17 years old, food coma after the excitement of breakfastTilly – the newest addition – fur is starting to grow back
There is a gate between the kitchen area and the garage area and when feeding the group in the garage they all rushed up to the gate. But we just opened and closed the gate, just like herding sheep into a pen, yes-no-yes-no, the odd one got through but we got is right most of the time. They could be so quick! Sometimes I would turn around and there was one I wasn’t expecting, looking up with big brown hopeful eyes – and where did YOU come from?? Then it was the mad rush to pick up all the bowls before someone peed in the empty bowl, some with incredible accuracy!
Mumble – a bit wary of us, he has no back pawsTruffel – short for Trouble!King Louie and Blossom – ready for bed
The property is about 2 acres. They bought it as bare land and have done an amazing job of creating a paradise for the dogs. There is a big pond, several shade houses, big boulders and concrete pipes for playing on. It is fully fenced with internal fenced off areas for some of the dogs and the house section. It rained for days at the beginning, and this did cause a bit of mud in places, particularly the walk way down to the big paddock where the pond was. Some would go through but most were “NO! not doin it” haha Those rainy days were quiet, the dogs just hung out and didn’t want to go out, we just hung out with them, we even managed to watch a couple of movies.
Nobby keeping an eye on thingsBut I have to sit ON you!Yak and Mouse – digging up treasurePonfuu only has 3 legs, but still watches out for his best friend Nimbus Toffee and OscarPlay time in the paddock
We got to know the dogs really well. They all have their own personalities and problems or attitudes. Some don’t get on with others, some are obsessed with others. They love attention, I likened the pack to a group of children on more than one occasion. They had this massive big playground, a paradise for dogs, but would they go out to play? No, not unless you went with them. We got into a lovely routine every evening – once the path was passible, once the last food bowl was picked up, lets go! Down to the paddock. They would all run off barking and excited, it was so much fun. We would sometimes take a beer down and try to sit on the platform. We gave this up pretty quickly as they all followed up the stairs, and at least 2 wanted to sit on our laps, or at least sit right by you and demand attention. Dirty wet paws all over us from a swim in the pond – Oh it’s a dogs life!!
Oggie – precious little guy with a big personality, doesnt let his missing leg slow him downjust a bit of space please
Whenever we say to people that we are house sitting in Thailand and looking after 35+ dogs, we get puzzled looks, really? 35+ dogs? Why? Who for? Is it a dog sanctuary? Well yes, that is exactly what it is. This is a self-funded rescue shelter. Cristina came to Thailand from Denmark about 7 years ago, she is incredibly selfless, she feels very deeply for the dogs on the street who have been miss treated or injured and not cared for. She will not only look after and provide for her own pack, she will drive around the neighbourhood feeding street dogs. She knows them all and they know her. She has taken in and rescued most who are there today. She tries to get them adopted and occasionally they will get to go to a forever home. Buttercup was one while we were there, she got to go to a loving family which was awesome. So our original 37 is now 36! It takes so much dedication and time to rehabilitate some of the sorry stories, not to mention money.
Cristina loves and adores every one
Out of the 36 that are there now, we had 1 paralysed from the waist down, 4 with malformed or missing paws or parts of legs, 2 with only three legs, 1 with one eye, 1 with one ear and 1 with fur just starting to grow back. There is 1 Great Dane, 4 Chihuahua, at least 1 purebred that I know of and a whole lot of loveable mutts of every description in between. It’s a motley crew! But every one of them has been loved and cared for unconditionally.
Nimbus is incredibly agile considering he has no use of his back legs Such a loving boy
We spent 12 days on our own and were exhausted. Cristina does an amazing job and she is on her own most of the time. Her husband Paul works abroad, he is home as often as he can be. There are two wonderful volunteers who come and help out a couple of times a week, Sue and Chris. They both also have a passion for dogs and put their heart and soul into their care. Picking up poo is done with a smile! Chris cooks treats for them every week. Together with Cristina they sweep and scrub, bandage and brush, administer meds and creams, clip and snip, hug and kiss, they are a great team.
Volunteer SueVolunteer ChrisChris feeding the dogs in the communityNimbus needs his back legs bandaged to protect them from the ground
Remember if you see a stray dog on the street that looks in such a bad state of neglect and full of skin decease and you feel afraid because you think that dog is most likely aggressive, so you just walk on by, most often than none you are very wrong. Because under the superficial scaring, wounds and skin decease is a wonderful dog that once rescued, treated cared for and loved will in turn love you for ever.
Taken from Cristinas facebook page
This is one of Cristina’s stories,
Gi Gi.
November 2020. Cristina noticed Gi Gi tied up by the side of the road, skinny and scabby with no fur. She was told the dog was a street dog and they were trying to help her with no luck. Cristina started caring for her by going to the house 3 times a day and slowly the story began to change. Gi Gi is a purebred Thai Ridgeback and was bought together with a male to breed. After she had puppies without proper nutrition and tick protection, she got sick. No longer useful, she was given to the owners brother, who kept her tied up on the side of the road with no shelter or protection. This is where Cristina found her. They claimed they were looking after her but this was very obviously not the case. Cristina managed to negotiate with the man and took Gi Gi home. It took a lot of time and love, along with good food and supplements, but she slowly built up her mussels, her fur grew back and she blossomed into the wonderful dog she is today.
BeforeNowMiss Gi Gi
This is just one of many success stories. Working in Thailand has its challenges and Cristina does an amazing job especially when, at times, her heart is breaking with the neglect and cruelty.
BeforeNowAnother example – meet Mr Cody
Everything Cristina does is totally self funded, she depends on the help of her volunteers, any donations and sponsorship. It is humbling to know that there are still people like this in the world and we found it a privilege to have been part of it. If you are ever in the area, get in touch and go and check out this amazing operation, you will be welcomed.
SueSue cant get enough cuddlesFlipFlop and BaileyMuffin gets so excited, she dances in circles on her hind legs – she is adorableThe puppies looking guilty in Rufus’s bedTime out for the humansFixing Little Mama’s bed after Cody pulled it apart
And then it was bed time. Navigating 6 in the bed was a challenge at times, but we did it!
We had a wonderful time. At times the noise would get to us, and at times we felt so grubby we would never be clean again! But we loved every minute, Challenging? YES! Rewarding? YES YES YES!!!
We now have 36 best friends!
I know you are not supposed to have favorites …………. If only I could take you home to NZ Toffee!!!!
Thank you for reading our story
I have mentioned 31 of 37 in this story, Twiggie, Biscuit, Latte, Mr G, Big Ear and Gizmo, we love you too!
After almost 7 months on a house sit in the Caribbean, it is time for catching up with friends and having a holiday. We had a fabulous week in Boston, now lets head to South East Asia.
We are going to Jakarta to visit with a friend we met 5 years ago, while in between house sits, on Pangkor Island, Malaysia. Pangkor is predominantly Muslim, and we were finding it difficult to find beer. The strip of restaurants had entrances on the roadside but they also had entrances from straight from the beach, they went right through. You could sit at the tables on the sand out the back, very cool. We had just walked into this one place, to find, yet again – no beer. We pretended to look at the beach and then, as we turned to leave, a voice came out of the shadows, “hey bro, you can get beer at the shop over there” What? Who was that? And how did he know what we were looking for? We had a good laugh about this and arranged to meet him later at the beach for a few beers (bought from that 1 shop). We ended up having dinner together and Chris and Nitin have remained good friends ever since. We have tried a few times in the last five years to catch up again but one thing and another got in the way – COVID was one rather large thing. But here we are flying 14.5 hours from Boston to Tokyo, change planes and another 8 hours to Jakarta. Arriving at midnight, Nitin was there, bouncing with excitement, and so were we! So good to be here!
We had a wonderful week catching up on the last five years… We ate so much wonderful food – oh how we have missed Asian food! AND we didn’t have any problems finding beer! Nitin looked after us so well, took us to amazing restaurants, we met his parents and girlfriend and felt like part of the family. Nitin’s Mum taught us how to make Chapati and I showed her how to make the bread like I had learnt on Vieques. We followed this “sharing of knowledge” with a wonderful family meal. We had six days of great laughs and loads of fun!
We are very sad to leave but so thankful, yet again, for these wonderful people coming into our lives in the most unexpected ways!
Now up to Penang, Malaysia for a week of rest.
We are staying in a little place called the Rassa Motel, at Batu Ferringhi Beach. Very basic but at $30NZD a night we cannot complain. One street back from the beach. We have stayed here before and know the location is perfect. AND, it is just around the corner from the best Roti restaurant in Malaysia – according to the “Donna and Chris research group”. So, every morning we would walk around the corner and see the Roti maker and enjoy our favourite breakfast with thick dark coffee with a splash of condensed milk – match made in heaven!.
We went for a walk up to a waterfall one morning after our Roti. The track got smaller and smaller, but we were confident that we would find our way and maybe even join up with a walk along the aqueduct, which we did last time we were in Penang. Well it did, but not until we passed through a hole in a padlocked gate. What could possibly go wrong? It was a lovely walk, and we end up in the area that we recognise. Cute buildings periodically along the trail. An Aqueduct will move water by gravity flow alone and this one is still channelling raw water to a treatment plant in Tanjung Bungah.
But we were not meant to be there-apparently! So that was what the lock on the gate meant…. A car of 4 guards drove by and stopped and asked where we were from……..
New Zealand!
No, where have you come from, you shouldn’t be here!
Oh OK.
Leave now!
Yes sir!
We reached the entrance after 17000 steps to be met by a police officer who gestured for us to go back, go back the way you came! Really? Sending us back into a restricted area for another hour and a half? You cannot come out this way! He relented in the end and let us out, whoops! Our host at the hotel said that it has been closed since COVID. We really did think there for a minute that we were going to have to walk another 17000 steps, but thankfully that was not the case – it was a great walk!
After 6 nights at Batu Ferringhi we took the hair raising bus trip to Georgetown for 1 night before we take the ferry to the mainland to get the overnight train to Thailand. A walk around the old town of Georgetown is a must not miss! The street art and old buildings are fantastic. Great markets and food halls and very safe.
As we check out we bump into a man from Pakistan. He was checking out too. He said “are you going to Langkawi?” we said no, we are going to Thailand. He said “oh, we want to go to Thailand, we will follow you!” Then him and is 3 friends did indeed, follow us to the ferry. It was all a bit confusing about where they were trying to get to, but they liked the idea of Krabi (Thailand) – but they kept saying they were going to Langkawi (Malaysia) Oh well, they were big boys. They were so funny and casual about where they were going to end up. They came on the ferry with us and then, after a 4 hour wait at the train station, came on the Komuter train to the Thai border, that is where we lost them. I would love to know where they ended up. Chris asked them if they liked beer – if they were going to Langkawi, it is a dutyfree town. Oh no, we don’t drink! Then one of the guys sidled up to Chris and whispered….. “I like alcohol” he said he had half a bottle of vodka in his suitcase, would he be able to take it with him across the border? Poor man! Oh we laughed at this for days.
The Malaysia – Thailand border at Padang Besar is interesting. You line up and go through passport control to exit Malaysia, then walk around the back of the offices and line up again to go through another passport control, in the opposite direction, back into the same hall, to enter Thailand. There is a fence between that you cannot get through, but it is right there, it’s all in the same space. The guy who stamped our passport leaving Malaysia had forgotten to change the date on his stamp so had us leaving the day before. We got escorted, bags and all, back around the offices, back to the immigration officer for a correction in our passport. Meanwhile, the train was sitting there ready to leave and the conductors were being told there are 2 more passengers, don’t go without them! This has been the most bazar trip!
Finally on our way to Thailand!
We are on our own now, no family or friends with us and we spend a lot of time talking and thinking of all the wonderful people in our lives. We are grateful to the friends we are making during this adventure, and the friends we can reconnect with while travelling. We also take the time to think about and feel so thankful for the ones at home. Our wonderful friends up and down New Zealand and Australia, our families who love and support us in these, sometime crazy adventures. We miss you so much and so appreciate your love and understanding that we are not in your lives day to day. Some of our friends and family are struggling with illness, loss and other things that life sometimes throws at you. We don’t forget this and hope that we can help out, as best we can, when or if the time is right. The world has become a smaller place with the ease of communication, and although we keep in touch via messages, facebook, emails and calls, we understand that it is not the same as being there. xxxx
Kiwis Do Fly 