Experience of a lifetime Hope you got home safely and look forward to seeing you in March, Paul (revised date) and you later, Mandy. I have really enjoyed sharing your experiences from afar , or should I say endurance.test, and you and your travelling companions have obviously passed with flying colours. Your commitment and tenacity to completing the blog is worthy of many commendations and you now deserve a rest once you have overcome the shock of the coldest February on record.
We will miss your blogs for sure Hi Guys,
I tried responding on my phone and then lost my text so if you have already received my lovely comments apologies they have arrived again!
So as I was trying to tell you earlier hope you were successful in achieving your upgrade that would be a nice piece of icing on the cake and obviously have a safee journey home.
We really have enjoyed your blogs Paul it brought back great memories of our own trips and we could visualise where you were in a lot of the areas. You have some great memories and sights stored away.
How you found the time inclination and energy to do the blog is beyond me. Your trip truly has been Epic and we hope that in some small way our input helped you along the way. The girls were so pleased to see you both, it was nice of you to take time out to meet with them. We hope the jet lag isn't too bad and you soon settle back into life back in blighty. It will be a shock that's for sure but you will be pleased to see the family.
look forward to catching up with you both once things have settled down for you.
Cheers for now
Exhausted for you Just caught up with your adventures since leaving Sydney. It is exhausting to read so to experience everything you have must have been a challenge in the heat and with the distances covered. You have obviously all had a wonderful time. Have a safe journey home and look forward to seeing you in a month or so when you have had time to recover!
Thanks so much Derek. We've just got home, safe and sound, exhausted but exhilarated! See you in a few weeks and at least I won't have to bore you with loads of stories, because you've probably read about them already!!
Paul, so much of admiration for your aqua exploits, very happy you survived to put it on Blog, but next time stick to what you know best... Husky Dog Sled Driving. Your quiz ?s have me beat, but deserve a reply. 1) Fokker Nationality... much to difficult, would need to Meet The Fokkers first, & 2) Think maybe ur mixing up Capt Jacques Custard with Capt Jack Sparrow, think I can remember he was quite a hit with Calypso while Snorkelling in the Caribbean. Congrats to all, & safe journey back to normality... will take some time
Great response once again Stevie and I definitely found the husky driving easier than the snorkelling, that's for sure. All I would say is that those Fokkers are not the nationality you might expect and the singer looked a bit like the Milky Bar Kid! We have just got home matey after good final flights and will catch up when we are back in the land of the living! Thanks so much for all your input Steve; much appreciated.
Thanks so much Marie. Just got home and last blog posted; I'm not sure which was wasthey most tiring, the trip itself or writing the blog, but either way, I loved doing both! x
All very good stuff Paul, & David Coleman would have asked me to tell you that finding 2 lots of Remarkables on one holiday is really quite Remarkables. Just like when that big Cuban athlete opened his legs & showed his class! Oh & there are 3 other London Bridges, the original went brick by brick to some water park in Arizona in the 1960s, then there's the one I used to walk across from Waterloo to the City through the 1980s, plus there's a London Bridge only 5 miles from us here in Cheshire. Must take you on your next visit, it's a nice little pub on the canal. Hope Sue is feeling better by now, the Australian economy needs her back at peak retail fitness asap
A great adventure Just caught up with all the ones I missed and enjoyed them enormously. Loved the pics and descriptions of NZ and am very envious but not of the travel in between: must be getting old! Sydney and Melbourne brought back many pleasant memories of my time working out there in 1985, particularly Sydney where I used to watch the flags being hoisted on the Harbour Bridge from my bed before the walk to work! You will need a fortnight to recover when you get home!
Many thanks Derek. You're right, the travelling is tough, but we knew it would be full on! Just back in Alice Springs after a few days at Uluru and King's Canyon in 40+ heat, but absolutely brilliant nevertheless. Hopefully, you can read all about it when I can summon up the energy to put one to paper.
Sydney Harbour Bridge climb Well done to you all on bridge climb, but huge congrats to Mandy for joining you, when she might have preferred to keep her feet on the ground!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read the blog and also to comment Tina. Sorry that I have not responded before now, but wifi has been very poor these last few days. You're quite right of course, I did forget to mention the bungy jump and also the sky dive; what a mistake, ha ha! What a coincidence about Raffles as well - although seems like a lifetime ago already! Mandy definitely pleased she managed to do the Bridgeclimb but has kept her feet firmly on the ground since!? Next entry should be out later today, wifi permitting!
Paul, we continue to marvel at your planning & organisational skills. Your powers of exploration would have even put Capt James Cook to shame, I certainly don't remember him shinning up Sydney Harbour Bridge in his underwear. Well done all, especially Mandy Darling. And now Daaaarling, errrrr that is Lord Melchett's PA Capt Darling... Baaaaah... was deffo played by Tim the Mcnificent McEnnery. Could the singer of Golden Eye be Ell eye Golding, & whatever became of Opal Fruits, I just hope they are still made to make your mouth water. And so to bed, it's a big day for us tomorrow, we've decided to join in Dry January
Sorry about the delay in responding Stevie, but wifi has been very (w)iffy these last few days. Great effort on the dry Jan, hope you've made up for it in Feb so far! Fab comment again matey, although I think Goldeneye was actually Tina (Steamy Windows) Turner. Next blog is ready for Melbourne, but the wi fi not strong enough to post it; we reach Adelaide today, so fingers crossed!
Loving all the historical details - so well researched Paul! Coincidentally Raffles Hotel was also shrouded in scaffolding and closed for refurbishment while we were there in 1991, so no Singapore Slings for us either :(
Q1 Not sure, but could be the Rockies
Q2 More confident on this one... Quickies Available Now 'n Toilet, Ask Stewardess (tho I always thought it was Quaintarse)
Could 1 of your future Quiz ?'s be "how did I choose the title of this episode". On this I'd have gone for "Mandy's come to her senses"
No offence m8y
Great quiz answers Stevie, especially Qantas!!! Not sure I get the ‘Mandy’s come to her senses comment’! - the time difference must have dulled my senses!!
"We split the driving between all four of us [but] the first three quarters of the trip were, as expected, pretty dull." Kilbs - this was obviously before you created yet more skid marks having changed out of those soiled shorts, put on the Sebastian Vettel leathers, personally got behind the wheel and scorched into Wellington? Keep blogging!
With a max speed limit of only 60mph Steve, it's difficult to scorch anywhere!! What's this about Andy Carroll? If Chelsea are prepared to offer £20m, let them have him I say, although why they would want him is beyond me!
Derek French
non-member comment
Experience of a lifetime
Hope you got home safely and look forward to seeing you in March, Paul (revised date) and you later, Mandy. I have really enjoyed sharing your experiences from afar , or should I say endurance.test, and you and your travelling companions have obviously passed with flying colours. Your commitment and tenacity to completing the blog is worthy of many commendations and you now deserve a rest once you have overcome the shock of the coldest February on record.