Aussie Update

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Hello Folks!

Long time no blog. Just a quick note that one of the posts on the blog was deleted as the site crashed a couple of months ago.
We will start by giving you a quick update on life in Sydney. It is going really well, Viks has completed her first six month contract with Macquarie and has started her new job with PMI group. We haven't been up to a great deal in Sydney as we have been saving for our trip to Cairns. We did however go on the harbour jet boat for Viks birthday. We weren't sure what to expect whether it would just be a speed boat ride around the harbour taking in the sights. The first clue came when we were given full length waterproofs, the second clue was when we were given the safety brief which included things like you may get wet, loose your sunnies just the usual stuff. Then came the third and final clue, the in-depth safety talk this was where we realised what we had signed up for, the first thing was that you must wear your seatbelt at all times (this didn't sound like the speed boats in Scarborough!), the second thing and probably the most scary thing was when he told us, in quite a calm voice we must add that the boat might flip over but not to worry because he would sound a siren to warn us, we thought that was extremly caring of him. After hearing this and after a couple of minutes of deliberation we decided that we would still go on the boat ride. We have to say we were really glad we did as it was an unbelievable boat ride, the driver would follow in the wake of bigger boats so that he could perform tricks such as emergency stops which caused the whole of the front end to be submerged and create massive walls of
water that drenched everyone on board and 360 degree spins in the wakes. We got very very very wet but luckily it was a really hot day. The other highlights of the boat ride were seeing all the harbour side villas where the likes of Rupert Murdoch's son live, and also the nudist beach which Viks took great delight in as there were many more men than women!
The other thing to tell you about was when we visited the Sydney boat show. There was the most amazing collection of yachts and boats for sale. We decided we would pay the entrance fee and see how the other half live so in we went trying to look as civilised and upper class as we could! The first boat we headed for was a rather large yacht, when we arrived we spotted a few pairs of shoes on the deck so decided we would simply take our shoes off and head on board. Remember we were trying to look sophisticated but this was made much harder by the fact that Viks was wearing bright red socks with terriers on them and Rik was wearing pink and grey socks. When we stepped aboard we took in the amazing lounge with its plasma screen and surrond sound system but just to look like we did this kind of shopping regularly we decided to voice some changes we would make to the yacht. We decided after seeing enough of the lounge and full kitchen we would head up to the top deck, just as we were sprawling out in the sun we were approached by the hostess who told us we would have to hurry up as the next appointment was waiting. This came as a bit of a shock to us as we had not seen the view by appointment only sign on the way in. The hostess then quickly showed us the five ensuite cabins before ushering us off the boat. Just before we left the boat Rik casually enquired about the price of the yacht, it was a staggering 5.5 million Aussie dollars, which turned out to be the most expensive boat at the show.

After Viks finished her contract we headed up to Cairns for a week of relaxation and fun. The first thing we will tell you about was the flight up to Cairns. We flew with Jetstar which is the aussie version of Easyjet. The problem wasn't the no frills airline it was the fact that all of the kids in Sydney must have been heading to Cairns for their week of relaxation as well. Lets just say you won't be hearing the pitter patter of tiny feet from this direction any time soon. We arrived at a very tiny airport in the early evening and after waiting for all of the pushchairs to be claimed we collected our bags and headed to the apartments. The apartment was gorgeous, a one bedroom with a balcony overlooking the pool. We simply relaxed for the first couple of days while Viks built up the courage for Rik to do his 14000ft skydive. The skydive was booked for the Monday and lets just say the omens didn't look good, for instance
sitting at table number 13 for dinner the night before. The day that Rik has been waiting for all his life finally arrived and we headed to the skydiving centre in town. The first thing Rik had to do was sign away all rights to his life should anything go wrong. Once the formalities were completed Rik was kitted out in some crazy trousers and met his instructor. Ronnie was a ginger, bald, ex builder from London with a heart condition. Viks felt instantly relaxed upon meeting him! The skydive was being filmed from a camera strapped to Ronnie's arm so Rik had to make a speech about how he was feeling. He was extremely relaxed about everything. Now it was time for the jump - Rik went off to the airport while Viks played it safe and headed off to the landing zone. Viks role in the next part of the story is a bit tame, sunbathing while praying to God that Rik lands somewhere in the vicinity she is in and preferably with his parachute open. Rik however had a great adventure, starting with taking off in a plane that doesn't have a side door,
just a big gaping hole. He then had to get on all fours while Ronnie tightened the harness - I'm sure that was a sight to see, although those who have been out on the town with Rik will be used to seeing him in this position only in a toilet cubicle not a plane. Rik was now ready to jump out of the plane, we say jump he actually had to shuffle on his knees to the gaping hole in the side of the plane, once in position he simply had to roll out of the door. Rik did this without flinching - maybe having a guy with a heart condition strapped to his back made him feel invincible! Once out of the plane Rik said it was the most amazing feeling in the world and well worth the wait as they reached 120 miles an hour for a sixty second freefall. He got to see the barrier reef and all of Cairns. Viks meanwhile on the ground was nervously counting the parachutes she could see, luckily the numbers seemed to be ok. The landing was really fast but very smooth and Rik was buzzing. Those of you who haven't seen the jump we have put it on you tube the link is

The other big adventure we had in Cairns was a trip to the barrier reef to go scuba diving. We had a very early start as it takes two hours to get to the dive sites. The boat trip was a great chance to just enjoy the peace and quiet and soak up the sun. When we arrived at the dive site we quickly got kitted out and headed for the sea. As Viks has only dived in Thailand where the sea is like a giant bath she got quite a shock to dive into the cool water. The first dive was good and we got to see the local fish population including big grouper fish. We then had lunch on board before we went to the second dive site. We had been told that there was a good chance we would see some turtles so we were raring to go. After been on the dive for about ten minutes we saw the most gorgeous turtle. We couldn't believe our eyes and the turtle was so friendly, we got to stroke it, feed it and swim with it. We got some great pictures which we will post on the website. After about twenty minutes in what seemed like heaven we had to move on. Unbeknown to us there was another turtle just around the next rock, we didn't have much time to play with this one as we were at the end of our dive time. The other things that happened that day were we saw the hairest woman ever sunbathing on the top deck, lets just say the German ladies would have been jealous! and Viks spilling wine and cheese over some poor family as Rik
topped up his tan!

The rest of the holiday was spent relaxing and playing tennis on the hotel court. One thing about the tennis is that the court was on top of a building by a busy road with a high fence around it. Viks took this as a personal challenge and on one of her first hits managed to launch the tennis ball well over the fence and into the road. The next half an hour was all about Rik teaching Viks the aim of tennis is not see how far you can slog the ball over the fence, more to place your shot into the opponents half.

The trip home was eventful again as once again the curse of the airport struck Viks. It started when Rik set off the metal detector as he passed through it, now you would think Rik would have been the guy to be pulled to one side but oh no Viks was randomly selected for an explosives test and was frisked while Rik looked on giggling. This involved her been searched and swabs of the inside of her bag and clothes been taken to test for explosive residue on them. When the tests came back negative she was allowed to carry on her journey.

Well thats all folks we are enjoying Sydney once again and will try and keep the blog a bit more regular.

Once again can we ask that you post comments on the website as we love reading them.

Viks and Rik

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Comments

[Robert]

Only 3 weeks to go
Hello Vik and Rik, I cannot believe it is only three weeks til we fly out to see you. This year has past so fast. Hope you have planned many things for us to do. Debra and I are looking forward to visiting the restaurant you mentioned as well as a local tavern. I have been watching the weather and it looks like we should be bringing our raincoates. I will end by saying congratulations Vikki for the award you won at work. Cheers from Robert and Debra.