Solana Beach Cardiff

…........and so the journey home begins. Emotions are mixed as we look forward to the home coming but saddened by saying goodbye to Margaret & Dee and the fact that its all over.

This truly has been an epic adventure far beyond our expectations and the last few days has continued to build on an already amazing time.

Checking out the sunset

Dee came and stayed with us about 2 years ago. She is a passionate surfer and found a job at the Mount Surf Shop. She is now living in Cardiff some 70km north of San Diego. It is a beach side resort and not surprisingly (for those who know Dee) there are some famous Californian surf breaks in this area.

Dee is supporting herself working in a Patagonia shop while completing her Masters in English Literature.

Dee found us a little house one block from the beach and it has been a relaxing treat of good company, sunny skies, warm days, warm water and okay surf. Usually the day starts with a 6.30am swim (I'm slowing up) followed by a ride on the cruiser bikes(that come with the house) along the beach and up to a cafe for coffee before catching up with Dee and her parents.

Dee's parents, Ron and Brenda have come down for the week from Seattle to catch up with her and go to a wedding in Phoenix tomorrow. They have been very easy company and we share a lot of common values and views. Comically Dee introduces the 4 of us to her friends as her America and New Zealand parents.

 

 

 

 

It has been a chill time mixed with shopping, body boarding, hiking, paddle surfing (very cool, we might need to get a couple of these) cycling and sunbathing.

With a sunburn nose and overstuffed bags from some crazy outlet sales we found, its off to San Diego to fly via LA to Auckland.

This will be the last update to this blog.

Thank you readers for your interest in our trip, tolerance to my spelling and grammar errors and comments. English was never my subject at school and since that time my writing has been limited to work related reports, letters and emails. This has been a refreshing challenge to write descriptively without boring everyone with the detail..... particularly on a smart phone.

Credit has to be given to my children for their editorial input as they tune Dad up on length and content but this is my lot....... and its not limited just to this blog.....

Till next time.

New York

We have been staying on Manhattan with Paul Johnston and Sharon Addington. Sharon is Ju's first cousin who came to Heidi's wedding. They have serious jobs with big hours. It is typical of those living on the island.

They have been extremely warm and generous and we have lived, dined and seen the attractions like royalty.
Times square, Ground zero, Empire state building, Central park, Chelsea markets, Highline park, Niki world, Christian Dior, Trinity house, and Macy's..
just looking thank you..... I say to the male attendant  with a weird hair cut, funny voice and pink lip stick.... .. .. ... well I think it was a male.... the distinction is not always obvious.
.....No you don't want to mortgage your house to own a Loui Vuitton set of shoes, even if they are a limited run of black crocodile skins with ivory buckles ... my wallet screams, as the attendant shakes his head in disgust that I would pass up on such an investment opportunity.

But Random Margaret was getting worried that our experience of New York was too one dimensional and we have now relocated across the water to the Brooklyn district where the tone is a little  different.

...... We are back on bikes again sliding through the traffic like water around rocks in a stream as we desperately try a keep pace with Margaret's on her fixed single speed.
There seems to be only one rule regarding cyclist in New York. Don't ride on the footpath

. ...anything else goes. Down one way streets the wrong way, around the policeman,through the red light we dash and puff every trying to keep her purple helmet with the clashing pink back pack in sight.
Past the the old black man sitting on his step rolling a cigarette and the young lads huddled together with hair and clothes that haven't seen soap in the last 12 months.
We wave at the little girl with her beautifully pressed uniform, scrubbed face and tight black curls holding daddy' hand and her lunch wrapped in a brown paper bag as she goes to school.

Flying through a large Jewish district we see more Orthodox Jews than we saw in Israel. It is sukkot time and there are sukkah's erected on balconies and front lawns and footpaths.

Into the old hipster area we drift and screech to a halt for the girls to go Op shopping. The same clothes we saw up down selling at 1% of the previous price

Bronni is in her element. A 99% sale.

We charge through china town across Manhattan Bridge then cutting up the left side of the vehicles waiting for the lights, the purple helmet turns right across the front of all the waiting traffic and slides into a dedicated cycle/ walking path on the right to cross the old Brooklyn bridge
. ... With fingers crossed that the light doesn't change  and a 150 heart rate, Les and Bronni stick tight  on her tail as she scatters the wandering tourists with her ring bell, pumping legs and demanding 30km/hr pace.
..... what a ride.... what a girl.

For those not familiar with Margaret she came out to NZ in '03 and '06 and stayed with us for a while. In 06 she worked at Waimapu in kiwifruit for a season.
Margaret is studying nutrition at Uni in New York and works 5 nights a week in a high pace restaurant that turns the tables 4-5 times a night. She has matured into a lovely person with an extremely unique and quirky personality that clicks very much with my dear wife.

Now onto San Diego




 

Goodbye Europe

The Teva's have died. A minutes silence please.

These loyal sandals have carried me through streets of Ho Chi Min city, soaked up the smells of Cambodia, crossed over 5000m on the death road in Bolivia, walked through elephant dust in Botswana, Hyena dung in Kenya and seen the dog wonders of Europe.
They have sufficient organic material embedded into them MAF NZ would be requesting a quarantine period to see if the creature has fully expressed itself with its unique "international fragrance".
Like a skunk they have developed their very own defence mechanism which is not always to every one's liking.  Mellsop wanted to tie them to the rear bumper of the car, my children challenged their Spanish tongue  sourcing a neutralising agent in Peru and on many occasion they have been relegated to outside the door and never been nicked.......Lets face it they are just about have been the only thing that has not been nicked.
So after leaving my boots to some lad in Africa, my old running shoes to a dust bin in England and now the Teva's dying the only footwear I have left is my old crocks. (Not sure that I'll cut the fashion magazine in New York and I'll probably have to show a bank statement to the US immigration to prove that I can afford to live in the country.)

It is an interesting observation that as time has progressed through this holiday our packs have got lighter. When you remind yourself that you have to carry it for the rest of your journey there is a reluctance to purchase the lovely........ whatever.
Weight has always been an issue if you are a budget traveller using public transport. Hauling 32kg up and down stairs through metro's and down old cobblestone roads is not my idea of fun. As we have completed each segment of the holiday we have shed gear that we won't be using again and not particularly interested in hauling all the way back home.
Of course we have been assisted with our keen men in Cairo and Barcelona. All this is about to change as we fly through New York and San Diego on our way home.
I've already discovered Amazon.com and purchased my new Teva's and have topped up Bronni's smart card to take advantage of the high exchange rate. Last time I travelled through this country NZ$1.00=US$0.45.
Update
We are sitting in the Charles de Gaul Airport Paris waiting for our plane.

Friday was our last day of the bike ride as we rode the 70km from Angers to Saumur. The skies were clear, the sun was out, there was a slight breeze on our backs and the muscles were eager for a workout after having a lazy day.
It was a beautiful cruise which included amongst the usual some old slat mines, a river crossing on a punt boat,  caves made as houses with their chimneys just poking out of the ground on top of the bank, pip and stone fruit orchards and us biking an extra 10km when we lost the marked Loire trail and instead followed another trail to some famous (well I'm sure it must have been famous) ruin.

On Saturday we trained to Paris and after having a lazy time wandering around some arty market we finished the day by splashing out and going to a comedy show.

Both of us have mixed emotions because this epic adventure is quickly coming to an end. While we look forward to seeing family and old friends, having Cornflakes with Sanitarium Muesli and  Marmalade on toasted Vogels bread for breakfast and getting the boat ready for summer, we could easily continue with a new challenge..... and I'm sure we will.



Warning to all. Remember to lock your bike

2 padlocks no less

 

The Loire Velo Trail

Our arrival in Nerves after 500 kms has coincided with the arrival of winter. People are walking around in coats, scarves, hats and gloves. There is a light drizzle, 15 km/hr southerly and the temperature is around 8oC.
My feet are feeling half frozen, the hands have gone numb , the nose is dripping yet my body is sweating underneath the rain coat from the excursion of the ride.
We have decided that this weather is not ideal to spend the last 2 days cruising the district so have bought a train ticket to Angers to ride the coastal end of the Loire before returning the bikes.
The villages in the upper reaches of this valley have been exceptional and our biggest complaint is the air temperature and no swimming signs on the river bank. While Nemo(bronni) is not so inclined to jump in at 8oC she objects to her freedom been restricted and cannot work out why they don't allow swimming. We do wonder if it has something to do with the 3 nuclear power stations we have ridden past but this hasn't stopped people fishing, kayaking or using the river for irrigation. .... but then we shouldn't forget the Rainbow Warrior either.
2 headed catfish. Just a slight abberration of the norm. Non probleme. Oui?

As far as bikes rides the Loire Velo trail is an amazing resource to experience particularly when you put it in context with our current Government's initiative to have a trail from the North cape to the bluff. This is more than just a track between two points on the map specially for cycles. It is a infrastructure of tourist attractions, accommodation, food, freight and transport that accommodates a wide range of budgets and styles. There are special trains with purpose built carriages. Couriers running luggage between points and returning bikes for those only travelling one way. They have a range of guided assistance from books, pre-programmed gps's to private personal guides. There are a number of bikes shops hiring and selling a range of bikes and supporting equipment and there is even a discrete electrical assisted option if you think your not fit enough to keep up. 
From our self guided perspective the Tourist offices have been pivotal as an information resource in respect to the trail, points of interest, accommodation and attractions in the cities and villages along the way. They become almost a destination point between major villages and nearly all of the people in the offices responded positively to my.. "pardone.Je ne parle pas français . Parlez-vous anglais "...... pronounced very badly....
The track itself was more than just a smooth no or low vehicular trail. Its was interesting and varied with sufficient activities along the way to stop it from been just a pedal slog. It had a blend of cultures and cuisine both present and past. We biked through vineyard, grain fields and dairy farms. We crossed the river many times and bike along old trade water canals now used by tourist's house boats and every 10 kms or so the trail darted through a village with its narrow streets, old churches, castle on the hill, ruin and an espresso in the square.
While I have always applauded the Right honourable Mr Key's initiative until now I have never fully appreciated the enormity of the task to make it a world class success. It requires more that just the track and I just hope his advisors appreciate this or he'll end up with a muddy animal path used by the wild pigs, possums and a few hard core tight tourists who seem to have a reluctance to even pay our DOC hut fees.

Biking the Loire Valley-Day 6

Today is day 6 of our ride and we are in a little village called Cosne cours sur Loire. It is very cute and the B-B we are staying in is a 200 yr old villa.
After 400km the wind finally shifted from our faces to the anticipated prevailing westerly (gusting to 50km/hr) but unfortunately we haven't really benefited because the track has turned south.
Both of us are feeling pretty good and our bodies are getting accustom to the hardness of the seat and the grind of the legs. While we are getting fitter for the experience I remain uncertain whether it has extrapolated into "leaner" because our chocolate intake has risen proportionately with the exercise..... If you know my dear wife .....any excuse....
To date we have experienced only 1 hr of rain although the forecast for the remaining week does not look good.

Scenically the ride is beautiful as we cross farms and travel through some amazing little villages. Chateau's and Castles abound but there is a limit to how many one can see and we have even passed Bronni's limit.
The real gem is havivng an espresso in a little Patisseries in some Village that isn't even recognised on the map; buying 2 tomato's from a home gardener for our lunch (I think she thought Bronni was cracked in the head) or chatting to a cyclist travelling the opposite direction looking for a camping ground.
Ideally we should have done this a month earlier with a tent. It would have been a bit warmer, the sunflowers would have been in full bloom and the wheat crops just on harvest.
Bronni is thriving on relearning her high school French and I am reminded that Grade 8 (Form 3 for the kiwi's) 53% is not good enough.

UOV.....part 5

I know you all thought that you had heard the last of this series .... but wait.. there is a sequel. Bronni's spin on the matter.
This is not just a blokes pie in the sky dreaming; its a reality that gets everyone's my heart going, most will feel faint in the head and eventually your sensory nerves are screaming......overload.
This is good. .... perhaps I can sell this script to Clarkson of Top Gear.
Yes we are on bikes in the Loire valley following a trail that will take us 600+km over the next 10 days as we travel from Saumur to Nevers on a track that menders around vine yards, past old castles, thru quaint villages and along the river bank. We will be staying in cheap BandB's and have revived the gas stove and coffee pot from the camping days for picnic's. This is Bronni's spin on a UOV and I have to admit after day 2 its not to bad except a bit of chaffing in the delicates.

Boths days have been a cruisy. Covering roughly 60-70 km each day we have had clear skies, little wind and no traffic. Its a bit nippy in the morning below 10 but eventually its reaching around 20oC by mid afternoon.
It is taking us a while to get accustomed to the heavier weight of the bikes and gear and using the trails we struggle to average 15km/hr. These are not our road bikes along the Papamoa flats. Fortunately there are not a hills.
Tonight staying in a villa in a vineyard just outside of Tours.

Packing Light

Wheely bags dont work well in metro's

No resemblance

Fatness maximus

Paris..... We won GOLD

Paris..... an epic medley of stress, fitness, cultures, bureaucracy, and helpful people.
I now have a passport, an American visa and a French wife. Lets go

We hit Paris literally at 200 km/hr on Friday at 1.00pm in the TVG. The Australia Consulate closed at 4.00pm and we had to appear in person for an Application for a new passport. With Packs on our backs we fly out of the TVG as it stops and sprint to the Metro. Quickly grabbing 2 x 5 day passes we charge down to Metro 4; along 3 stations up 5 flights of stairs across the tunnel down 1 flight of stairs.... Puff puff onto Metro 1. Another 4 stations, and another4 flights of stairs we sprint 500m past the eiffel tower and hit the Australian Consulate at 1.45pm.

Through metal detector;double security doors up the lift and sweating like pigs we face this pleasant Australian (yes they do exist) who fleeces us €236. Only an emergency passport....grrr ready on Monday.
Advised to use their computer and see what America requires. Grrr ....America doesn't like emergence passports. Must apply for a Visa.

Grrrrr what ANZAC and all. Must pay Pay €14, Complete form DS106, have interview.

What! another interview......must book interview in advance
what.. ....time now 2.30pm. Things will be closed by 4.00pm and its friday Power into DS106 names, birth dates,parents details,countries travelled last 5 yrs....
what. ..... Jobs.... sweet they have a retired option, tick, ....groan now want previous jobs......
Passport. .... snookered. That won't be ready till Monday: The digger (the Australian consulate for those not fully versed in the lingo) comes back. "If you wait a minute I'll get you your passport now for you" Nows there's a mate.....
We race on Electronic photo...think think. Bronni takes pic with phone. Emails with phone. Retrieves via consulate computer etc etc etc. hurry hurry.
Time now 3.55 Ring US consulate. .... Credit Card No ....... another€ 14 just to talk. ....
Wondering who the robbers are here. Making booking for Tue.... Can it be Monday..... sweet 9.00am. Must have self addressed courier.... another €25. Europe GDP on the increase.
Getting dehydrated,faint in the head; breakfast was a long time ago. and then..........

Click...... Mobile ran out of money..........I wonder what else he was going to tell us we needed. Don't want to spend another €14 just to say hi... think the conversation was finished.

At 5.30pm we stagger out of the Embassy put our packs and dive into the Metro again like gophers down its burrow. Lots of French gophers going home now. Metro crowded. Its hot, packs are feeling heavy, no spare seats; knees are buckling;we take the escalators .... and..... stand.

We reach our apartment dead on our feet at 6.30pm.

 Saturday a 'slow day' of cultural festivals planned by Bronni of street music, art, funky markets and yummy food not found by most tourist. Brought Bronni a French beret. Doesn't she look chic. For the record a late Birthday pressy.
Sunday. A quiet day soaking up the sun, and eventually ended up sitting on the river bank watching the sun go down over the Notre Dame.
Monday 6.30am getup;into the metro by 8.00am. Starting to get the hang of these trains. With 1 interchange we arrive at the US embassy by 8.15am.
Really fancy area. Right near the Concorde. Pays to be the hero in shinning armour sometime. Police everywhere. Some idiot posted an anti muslim U-tube video. Security check detail.
We need a Compte. What...... 8.30am Maybe I should have rang back. Where do we get that. 1km away at post office. .... With no packs and Fridays training we are quick......and so are they....another €136 for uncle SAM.
I arrive back at the embassy check through. Bronni not allowed. All electronics are left behind. I go in and get a number than wait....and wait.... Lots of people doing the same. Either the thieves are doing well or a lot of Europeans are trying to immigrate to the US. Eventually seen by a pleasant chap who extracts a further US$25 confirming who the robber is working for.
Advised by the chap that there is a 50/50 chance of having the visa ready by 3.00pm. We come back at 3.00pm Same process, but seen quickly. No luck.
Advised to wait till 4.00pm or come back tomorrow. I take a punt and wait..... yes I'm a patient chap I am....
At 4.00 still no luck, girl asking for my mobile number and tells me she will ring when it comes thru. Hopefully by 11.00am tomorrow.
Walk out embassy. ..... so much for patience. Bronni waiting fumbling with my Phone. Someone just called.. Unlisted no. Take a punt and race back to embassy. Security getting to know me well and allow me straight thru. Visa just arrived. Thank you uncle SAM.
Now off to Loire Valley to go bike for 10 days.

Goodbye Corsica

It is 8.30pm and we are sitting in a very nicely appointed cabin waiting for a ferry to leave Corsica. The boat is more than an hour late leaving and we are speculating that we might be late arriving; which could cause us some grief with our rail connection to Paris. The northerly wind is gusting to 30 knots and if the captain is trying to play catch up than it could be a rough crossing.
Corsica has improved throughout the week as we discovered the southern beaches,the temperatures got over 30oC and we all got into the chill mode. ...a bit of a challenge given the personalities.
Bruce (known as Ken from barbie with his pink camera ,wheely bag and love of nice cars and throaty bikes)  had to learn that doing nothing was okay.
Les ( called Crumpy when he wore his hat and Tintin when he didn't ) was taught that 8.30am is the reasonable hour for breakfast and anything earlier was obscene.

Carol ( 3G) relearn't that you can survive without wifi/ 3g and quickly befriended every living person on the island and knows the names of their kids, grandchildren and pets.... and they know Carol's whether they wanted to or not.
Bronni (called Nemo the fish) needed water every 3 hrs be it the streams, sea, swimming pool or bath otherwise she started reverting back to her norm and began worrying about work.

In a previous expedition with a group of people I was once asked what was the challenge and my response was to remain friends at the end of the trip. Corsica, although different to what I had expected, has been a success.
Its been a 'slow trip' feel the culture, rather than rushing between places, taking  pics (now with the mobile phone) and buying the T-shirt.
Bruce and Carol have been very easy company and we've had a lot of laughs, done stuff all and only once got on the road before 8.
We have swam at least every day and every dog has had a kiwi pat (or kick depending on the provider)and we know in detail every menu on the island.

Now.. on the tvg to Paris.....

The technology challenge

 

Isn't it amazing that I can sit on a beach the other side of the world and write to you on my phone,live as it happens with a video feed and that you can read it immediately provided..... you GET OUT OF BED. ...and this typifies technology's current challenge. The limitations of the users.

After losing my laptop, I am struggle with upskillling myself to continue this blog on my phone. Android spell checkers, blog editing programs, photo resizing, 3G versus WIFI, small key board, and small screen. With my fat fingers, failing eye sight and diminishing grey matter I cannot help but reflect on where this has come from and where it is going.

When I started University calculators didn't exist and we had slide rules and seven figure log tables. There was a FORTRAN computer the size of a large room with less processing capacity than today's average calculator and our phone, attached with a cord to the wall, was a party line with a ring of 1-short and 2-longs. We stored our programs on either a stack of paper cards with holes punched out or on a 25mm ticket tape not unlike the old pianola rolls. Screens didn't exist and all the results were feed to track feed ribbon printers.

There  were paper files everywhere.

Within a span of less than 40 yrs the technology world has merged phones, slide rules,computers, encyclopedia britannica, record and movie players, filing cabinets, pin ball machines, scrabble and even the bible into this small apparatus in my hand that is not much bigger than a credit card.
In Africa they are using the phone as a credit card "bluetoothing" to the till at the checkout and with this device I can manage my bank accounts, purchase goods all round the world including bidding for my Ultimate Overland Vehicle on trademe.

We are currently staying in a old 18th century house in a little village in the hills and I cannot help but try and contrast srome of the previous inhabitants lives with our lives today and that of our grandchildren.
(well Carol's anyway. We hear about Emily every 5min)

Where I see the old folk sitting in the square chatting about politics, family and the village life I see Carol on 3g doing the same with the opposite side of the world. Instead of  the 18th century  businessman using a feathered quill to pen a letter there is Bruce powering through his emails every morning.

......and in 50 yrs time....
Perhaps it will be a direct link into that great grey mass like an extra drive on the computer. Not only will it make the key board and screen obsolete but you'll be able to download the human app to understand it.
Don't you envy the future generation..... although I'm sure many will get it wrong and hit reformat.
......now that's got possibilities.

Corsica update

I am sitting on a beach on an island in the middle of the mediterranean (Corsica) surround by a mass of blubber slowly turning white into pink, skin into leather, smooth into wrinkles and moles into melanoma's.

What is it about the human species that it cannot be happy in its own skin?

The sea, sand and warmth is a pleasant change from England although the beaches are not exactly in the same league as Croatia or Greece.

After leaving Barcelona we headed for the French Pyrenees going up the pic du Midi and following the tour de France path across col du Tourmalet (2200m). This is a serious 19km grunt up. There were a lot of cyclists on the road and the "egoistical Les" was tempted to hire a bike but the "practical Les" did a true assessment of his fitness levels and we drove on to Marseille to catch an overnight ferry to Corsica.
A really nice crossing with a top deck cabin just under the bridge facing fo'ard. A bit of luxury.

We have a week left in Corsica before crossing back to the mainland where we part with Bruce and Carol and head to Paris to sort out a passport.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.9

Moving on

In life we have a choice.
To live in a state of perpetual regret, if only's and what if's or accept that the past is the creation of "now" and make the most of what is left.
This is an advantage of a personality that not excessively reflective.
....and so we move on.

Technology has become challenging again without a computer. I'm writing this on my l phone. Just when I got it sorted. No spell or grammar checker.  Limited copy and paste. Typing with one finger. Using a Blog -Droid instead of Word.
Mellsop thinks this will be a good thing because my blogs will be shorter.
I have already written an update that got lost in cyber world so will post this to see if it works. Update to follow.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.9

We have been robbed.. a dark day

On Thursday we left Yorkshire with a degree of sadness as we parted from our comfortable nest, job,trusty steeds(bikes) family and many new friends. Bruce and Carol Mellsop met us at Barcelona and we booked ourselves into a nice hotel. The following day we walked to the Sagrada familia then packed our gear and intended to drive to La Rambler. On the road a motorbike rider signalled at our rear right tyre. Also a family pointed at our rear tyre as they passed bye. At the next lights I checked and it was flat. We pulled off the main drag to a open side street. It was about noon.




We had previously heard that this can be a scam so all got out of the car and shut the doors. Bronni and Carol stood guard over the bags while Bruce and myself changed the tyre. A man in a glow jacket(I assumed a gardener) gave instructions as to the nearest tyre place. Bronni took a picture of the action and returned my camera to the bag in the floor of the passengers seat. Tyre fixed up, spare and bags stowed we jump in the car to take off and I ask Bronni where is my small back pack. . ..... Its gone. Bruce remembers the drivers side door was slightly adjar.

Deduction.... someone crept up, open the drivers aside door and reached across the centre console and lifted out the bag with the water bottle still attached. Why only this bag we dont know.

We were done over proper and believe that there could have been 3 or 4 of them.
Conclusion.... missing laptop, e reader (again), camera, sd cards (with all my pics) money, credit card , passport, and a slashed tyre (that had to be replaced)
Carol's camera died in symopthy and her phone the following day.
With Les really dark we get out of Spain to the Pyreeness in south France.

May have to fly to Paris to sort passport.

The pics are gone. Africa, Europe, England. I had backup copies on the laptop but because we were travelling this was in the "safe" bag also. Normally they are separate.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better.