Cutting it fine, Climbing the walls. Sun, Sea, Sand and Jellies!

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Well, when we took off from Heathrow on a dull and grey English morning Jim was still without visa. He decided to chance it and fly anyway, though there was a good chance he would be turned back, or detained for extensive anal examination upon arrival.

I managed to persuade the overworked BA check in guy that Kitesurfing kit is sporting equipment and that it should be treated as a windsurfer which travel free. So I got my 25kgs of boards and kites on without paying what would have been £100 extra baggage.

The Quantas 747 is pretty close to a sardine can, particularly when you are 6ft 3”. On takeoff the pilot apologised that the entertainment system (on which I had carefully planned 25hours of films to watch), was broken, all it would show as a graphic with a cheeky cheerful blond chick smiling and the title “Quantas, the spirit of Australia”. I soon realised that I didn’t have nearly enough books for 25 hours in a tube of screaming children and smelly old folk.

By the time we made Hong Kong for our 1hr stopover I was climbing the walls, like a feral cat wailing inanely and hissing at stewardesses. Jim on the other hand took a prescription sleeping pill and snored for 10 hours straight!

A quick Internet check in HK airport revelled that Jimmy’s visa had come through in the air, Score, Home free, no anal invasion for him. This stroke of luck helped dull the fear of another 10 hours with nothing to do but wonder what that cheeky cheerful blond looks like dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with hundreds and thousands.

Sydney quarantine and immigration passed in a the dased and confused state only the hardcore raver or the long distance travler will know. By 12:30 (syders time, god know what it was in the uk), I was passed out and glad of it.

The first day here, after a slow and confused start, we did a little shopping for the trip and wrote some lists, checked the Ute that will be our steed for the next few months and then hit the beach for an evening sail.

The Beach was Bulli, 30K south of syders, beautiful point break, nice 13 - 18kt SE, so up went the 13m Fuel. Warm water, nice clean sets, white sand, it should have been perfect, if only I could remember how to kitesurf!

I could blame jetlag, or having been off the water for 4 months, or something to do with the density of air in the southern hemisphere, but really I was just a bit crap. Jimmy however, faced his daemons, got back on the horse that had broken both his arms 5 months earlier and had a great little session, even pulled a realy cheeky back roll before coming in.

My session ended with me getting a Blue Bottle Jellyfish caught in my harness, burning pain like rolling in very aggressive stinging nettles. Got stung badly on my back, and have some nice red welts to show for it, and as I pulled the little bastards off, got little stings all up my arms and hands. The jellie stings is prity painfull for a bout 20 mins, then a dull throb for a few hours, the Blue Bottles are supposed to be rather tame compared to the variety of aggressive wildlife down under. Hopefully that’s my first and last encounter with poisonous critters! Tomorrow I’m shopping for a rashie.

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Comments

[Ceebs]

Good Good
Dear Bruce(S), Glad you got there safe and all was well with the Visa App! Looking at Tickets and Tings, hoping to fly at the beginning of March to Syds and onto Perth around the 16th, Keep me posted on your movements, So glad Bruce is back in the saddle and kicking up some Tricks!........ Bad luck with the Jelo but keep the Kites Flying, peace out and keep me posted, Bruce

[Concerned]

Did Jim pee on the stings?

[H-y]

Tobes, you are truly obsessed with your arse. ; ) Glad you survived bluebottle attack! xhxhxhxhxhxhxhx