nickharris87

Friday 20th February 2015.

Another driving day today. It is the last of our long driving days and should be slightly shorter than yesterday. We got up at the usual time and breakfasted on Weetbix and coffee again before getting on the road before the 10am check out – it is a simple road to Adelaide, following the Southern Ports Highway that we spent a lot of yesterday on, then the A1 / M1. The speed limit in South Australia is 110kmh for a lot of the time – compared to a maximum of 100kmh in Victoria.

Firstly we had to back track a bit to pick up the main road, then it was north following the line of the coast. We made very good progress on very quiet, fast, straight and even a little boring roads. Hitting the 1 and going along very rural countryside. First stop was a place called Kingston, where Sue went in and chatted to the Tourist Info guide again and got maps etc. I stayed outside in the hot sun topping my tan up and taking photos.

Before we left Kingston we called into a BP garage and I put another $20 worth of petrol in to prevent problems later. There isn’t too much to see on this road, but we did make a detour to see The Granites – a series of granite rocks in the sea- what was remarkable here was the fantastic beach they were on and there wasn’t a soul in sight for miles around.

Sue took over the driving and continued north until we got to a one horse town called Salt Creek, where we stopped at the all in one restaurant / camp ground / petrol station for a coffee – Sue was chatting to the girl behind the counter who had only just arrived from Germany and was doing work in Australia – she had got this job in the middle of nowhere via the internet!

I was kept amused while Sue was inside by a couple of Aussie ladies in their sixties who were getting wound up about a ‘snake’ that was crawling around the radiator of a pick up parked outside the cafe – they were shouting that it was moving until a local Crocodile Dundee hero came to have a look and grabbed it – then snapped it, as it was a twig not a snake!!

My turn to drive again and I piloted us north, stopping briefly at Policeman’s Point for a photo op. Next stop proper was Tailem Bend, where we parked up outside a bakery and had a nice lunch of cobs. I had cheese salad and Sue had chicken salad, we got chatting to some locals about the weather and the UK once again. Back on the road, we hit the A1 again and quickly got to Murray Bridge and joined the M1 where we had to get used to the concept of other vehicles sharing the road again.

The M1 took us right into Adelaide, down a very long and steep hill that seems to have safety overkill with run off tracks and lorry only lanes – it’s not THAT steep! Our destination for two nights is the Welcome Inn 277 on Glen Osmond Road (named after one of the lesser known of the brothers presumably !)

Check in was easy into a ground floor unit number 4 – listening to the radio has not been easy en route – it is open season for ridiculing the poms on the radio, as we have been thrashed by the Black Caps in Wellington – we were all out for 123, with Tim Southee taking 7-33, and then the Kiwis knocked them off in 12.2 overs with Brendan McCullum hitting 77 off 25 balls! Steven Finn went for 29 off two overs! The radio Deejays are loving it!

Once we were sorted, Sue navigated us through the busy rush hour traffic out to Sir Donald Bradman Way and out to the airport to iron out a potential problem for Sunday – we fly out at 6am but the car hire place doesn’t open until later, and we were told when we picked it up that we would have to take it back Saturday night – Sue spoke to a very nice chap who said it wasn’t a problem – we could take it back before they open on Sunday and leave the keys in a special box – sorted!

Rather than battle back through town, we decided to go out to the beaches – First stop was Henley Beach – great place packed with people enjoying the sun, the beautiful soft white sand and the sea. We walked out to the end of a jetty, just as two cops were walking out to sort out a complaint about kids jumping off the end of the pier / jetty into the water – all the kids looked totally innocent as the cops made sure the knew it was illegal, then as soon as they had gone they were diving and back flipping off the end with no problem whatsoever 😉

We also watched some crab fishermen for a while, then went to a supermarket for a drink and then back to the car. Henley Beach is a great place, but it is one of many little beach side communities along the coast – all wonderful places to live. As we drove north, we saw a huge stadium, so thinking it may be the Adelaide Oval. We went to investigate – it was the AAMI stadium, right next to a huge Westfield shopping mall with Target, Kmart and many other huge shops. We managed to park up and watched some of the Aussie Rules boys practicing. I got talking to an old boy who is a groundsman.

He explained that this isn’t the Adelaide Oval – that is in town – this is the traditional home of two Adelaide AFL teams, the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power, but it is soon to be knocked down as they have moved to the Oval and this is going to be a housing development. He took us inside to show it off – it is a really nice modern stadium with two huge video screens and a capacity of 51,240. last night it was home to a One Direction Concert and there is still quite a bit of evidence of that about, but the stage has been dismantled and has moved on. We took photos and thanked him for his hospitality.

Back in the car we went to the shopping centre, which is shut apart from the anchor stores, we got some cash from a cash machine in the food court – I got my text from Lloyds a few minutes later – excellent! We decided to eat at the bistro at the stadium – it is called the Checkside Tavern. We got a table straight away and I had Deconstructed chicken cordon bleu and Sue had a fish off the specials board called Basa, which is a white river fish. There was also a help your self salad and hot veg bar, the whole set up including the gambling is very similar to last night in fact the bill was identical too. Sue had asked if she could have the Basa with mash and veg rather than chips, but that wasn’t possible – she could help herself to potato and veg from the self serve bar, but had to have the chips and then leave them!

After we had eaten we nipped over to Coles for cookies and beer, then had a drive back to the motel, where I put another $18 worth of fuel in at United garage, Henley Beach (15litres) Trip 1364, to take it back to half full and prevent any issues – we know there is a 24 hour garage at the airport for Sunday morning.

Back at the hotel for sweet, diary, and sorting.

Trip 1379km – 412 today.

Thursday 19th February 2015

Up at the usual time now, just before 8am and we had our Weetbix breakfast with coffee and got sorted – it is a lovely sunny morning and promises to be a hot one. We were on the road for ten and heading towards Portland, past Tower Hill in fairly busy but reasonably fast traffic. Once we left the conurbation, the traffic thinned considerably and we enjoyed the scenery as we stayed on the A1 all the way to Portland. We even heard Leo Sayer on local radio, played to celebrate and plug his upcoming concert appearance. Local radio here really is local!

At Portland we parked up at the Tourist info place which is in the harbour and it part of a Maritime Discovery Centre across from the busy docks where a big boat of sand was loading up. Sue had a another long chat with the volunteer there and came out armed with maps and tips. First stop was a photo op in the quaint town centre on Bentinck Street then we drove down the main shopping street and turned left onto Bridgewater Road.

Our destination is Cape Bridgewater, where there is a really interesting and positively spooky petrified forest. Again great free parking and a well marked path. We had a good walk to the forest and took loads of photos then walked to the Blow Holes which are rock formations of basalt and scoria rocks which create spectacular spouts of sea spray. There is also a big viewing platform to watch the Blue Whales that feed close to shore in this area – unfortunately none were in evidence this morning.

Our next stop was the Tarragal Cave and Bridgwater Lake – both of which gave good photo ops and chance to walk in the sun. The cave was a bit of a climb from the road but the rocks and the views made it worthwhile. On the way back to the Main Road, I saw a big brown snake slithering at the side of the road, we spun round but it was gone – seeing a dead one in the road a mile or two further on wasn’t quite the same.

Carrying on our next destination was Mount Gambier, further along the A1. On the way we passed over the State Line from Victoria to South Australia and as well as dire warnings about bringing fruit into the state, we also had to set our watches back half an hour, something we have never had to do before.

At Mount Gambier we parked up in some really good under cover (free) parking and had a walk in search of a late lunch We found a cafe and bakery called Metro and I had a bacon and cheese pie whilst Sue had a chicken sandwich and we both had a lovely coffee – it is really hot now, but we managed a walk round yet another very nice town centre. The main attraction in Mount Gambier is a blue lake which is just that – a remarkably coloured lake in the town with the now expected parking and viewing facilities laid on -we passed a very pleasant half hour or more climbing and walking and taking loads of snaps.

The radio news as we have been traveling has been about two cyclones (Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere) that are going to hit Australia tonight and tomorrow – one is going to hit the Northern Territories and one is going to hit Queensland – not good when we fly up there in a couple of days time.

Pressing on we headed for Robe, where we had booked a night in the Robetown Motel for the night. Sue took over the driving after a bit and took us all the way into Robe – we arrived before 5pm which was good going. The motel was easy to find and we checked into a very nice clean and airy unit number 9 without a problem. The lady checking us in, who I assume was the owner gave me a map and marked up all the good local restaurants and places on interest.

After unpacking and catching up on wi-fi we decided to have a walk onto the beach – we changed into flip flops and I put my trunks on and we walked past some lovely houses and a very busy caravan site to Hooper’s beach and then to the Town Beach – the sea is lovely and clear, the beach has really soft sand, but the water is COLD! We both had a bit of a paddle but didn’t bother with a swim!

Making our way up to the tourist info centre, which was closed, we took photos of another impressive war memorial then waled down the main shopping street – Victoria Street back towards the motel – nearly of the shops were closed even though it wasn’t six yet – a lot closed at 4pm.

The local supermarket was open so we got milk, and ice cream each and a cake for sweet tonight, then went back to the unit to freshen up and change. Once we were sorted we had a drive out in search of food – we also drove to the harbour where all of the lobster boats land their catch and up to The Obelisk at the top of the town overlooking Cape Dombey – where we saw a wonderful sunset and took some arty photos.

After a bit of a debate about food we finished up at the Robe Hotel, which is a huge place doubling up as a pub, a hotel, a bottle store and a bit of a casino. It was really busy, and we couldn’t get a table in the restaurant immediately but lovely staff suggested we ate in the bar. After we had decided Sue went to order and they had sorted us a table in the restaurant – a nice touch.

Sue had a fish called flathead with mashed potato and spinach – I had fajitas which were both chicken and beef and were a LOT of food – there was also a salad bar included in the very reasonable price of the meal – fortunately they took Visa, as we are running low on cash and didn’t fancy coppering up in the bar!

Back to the motel to sort and get sorted. We also booked what looks like a very nice hotel in Port Douglas near Cairns for three nights using an offer from Amex Platinum Travel.

Trip – 967 KM – 401 today.

Wednesday 18th February 2015.

A REAL chill morning – no alarm and a morning doing washing, sorting and diary. We had coffee and Weetbix for breakfast and weren’t in any rush at all – bliss. I managed to upload a few more days of diary to the blog and had a bit of a sort in my suitcase – Sue did another clothes wash and got stuff loaded in the tumble drier – the lady at reception said it would be okay to leave them, as most of the guests are out at work all day.

It was almost noon by the time we finally got on the road.The plan is to see the sights and do some walking. First stop was the huge sea wall / breakwater at the end of Viaduct Road – we parked up and had a walk on the rocks and then along the huge structure that helps form a perfectly flat and calm harbour area – it is a great feat of engineering – we could see the beaches on the other side of Lady Bay. We also watched huge shoals of fish moving like balls in the water, which is very clear.

Back in the car we drove across to Thunder Point, as had a walk in the nature reserve – great photo ops of the sea and and the rocks. Back in the car we were ready for some lunch, so we drove past the quaint Warrnambool railway station and into the town centre, parking up close to where we parked last night. We walked up Liebig Street and found Mack’s Snacks which is Warrnambool’s oldest cafe – established in 1948.

They have lots of lovely food on display and after some debate, we both had the same thing – stuffed jacket potatoes, with cheese, ham, spring onion, corn and other nice flavours, served with soured cream and coleslaw. With a coffee it really hit the spot. After we had eaten we walked along the shopping street and then back to the car.

Next stop was the Flume car park where we intended to have a walk on the beach – the car park is for the surf beach and the swimming, beach – there is a really good path all the way along the beach edge – clearly marked into two lanes – walk on the left! The sun was trying to break through. Off to the left is Granny’s Grave, 1300 metres away, so we made that our goal – part of the way along the path there was a beach entrance. We walked onto the unbelievably soft sand and had a walk along the beach, but it was like walking in treacle, so we went back to the path and carried on to Granny’s Grave – it is the grave of Mrs James Raddlestone, the first white lady to be buried in Warrnambool in 1848, when the settlement was less than a year old.

The sun is now out and is blazing down on a lovely afternoon. We walked back along the path and back to the car. A brief stop at the tourist office to use the facilities and thank the ladies for their recommendation, then on to Logan’s Beach which is the site of a really good whale watching platform. The whales come to the waters off Warrnambool between October and December to breed and are easily visible from the shore. There are some really nice houses in this area and some still being built – seems an ideal place to live. We then walked to the mouth of the Hopkin’s River just round the corner.

As we were taking a photo, a chap walking his dog offered to take a photo and we got talking, he asked how long we were in Warrnambool for and suggested we go to a local wildlife centre and described how emus walk round the car park and said there were free BBQ’s in the picnic area – he sold it to us but couldn’t remember its name. We said thank you and came back to the unit to sort the clothes in the tumble drier – a little internet research identified the place he described as Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, which is just west of Warrnambool along the A1.

After Sue had sorted the clothes, we went to Coles and bought salad, bread and some lovely meat – some fillet of port and some nice beef steak. the park was easy to find and a real experience. We drove into what is in effect a volcanic crater and saw some wonderful rock strata. Before we parked up se saw some Emus in the car park. We also saw some people looking up into trees and saw a couple of Koalas.

There are various walks in the park and we did the Wagon Bay Loop – just under 2km – we enjoyed the walk and saw more koalas and some rabbits, as well as several birds and more emus. We then set up camp at one of the picnic tables and fired up an electric BBQ – very, very impressive and all free. We had a lovely meal despite the attempts of the emus to pinch the food and to peck at the scraps on the hot BBQ until I shooed them off. It was an interesting experience to say the least. After we had eaten I did my good deed by pointing out a couple of koalas to some German tourists, who were blissfully ignorant of what was above them.

A slow drive out of the park and a call at Dennington Woolworths for a sweet and milk before getting back to the unit for sweet, ironing, diary and sorting.

Trip – 575km

Tuesday 17th February 2015

The alarm was set for 8am but the noisy pipes, dustbin men and other noises, made sure we were awake well before then – we had both slept reasonably well. We had a cup,of in room coffee, got packed and sorted and were on the road for 9am. It is a cloudy drizzly morning, but is still warn. We continued our odyssey west with Peter’s maps and guides highlighted at the ready.
First priority however was breakfast. The Great Ocean Road, went inland after we left Apollo Bay – it was very twisty and windy, as well as going up and down a fair bit – this did not however excuse some of the awful driving we witnessed – slow cars – last minutes decisions and just generally bad driving – it the risk of stereotyping, the vast majority of the bad rivers were of Oriental extraction – some of whom were piloting big camper vans!

Lavers Hill was our port of call – a restaurant called YatZies Pancakes – it was one of three at the crossroads – the best looking one was closed, so this was second choice, it is a restaurant /general store / petrol station / tourist info office all rolled into one. We both had a coffee, I had a bacon and egg pie, with a token attempt at salad on the side, Sue had a big slice of home made banana bread toasted. Both hit the spot and set us up for a bit.

Once we had eaten we continued on our way and the first port of call of the day was the most famous landmark on the whole road – The Twelve Apostles – a series of sea stacks emerging from the beach / sea – a stunning vista. It is well set up- and all free, there is a huge car park and kiosk on the opposite side of the road and you walk under a tunnel and along well defined paths to get to the viewing areas.

Everything about them is impressive – the size, the power of the sea, the colours, the beaches just everything. We spent a good while taking loads of pictures, it was still a bit cloudy but warm and the sun was trying to break through the clouds, there was a fair breeze but nothing too bad. It is apparent from the number of people here compared to the other scenic lookouts, that many people just come all the way to the Great Ocean Road for the one view so they miss out on so much.

After the Apostles, the scenic outlooks and spectacular views come thick and fast – some are just lay-bys at the side of the road, but some have their ow car parks and fenced off viewing areas. First major one is Loch Ard Gorge, which has three separate walks from the car park Shipwreck Walk tells the story of a famous shipwreck and takes you from the suite to the cemetery – we just saw the site and read the story of the two survivors. Back on the road through Port Campbell, we had a drive round but didn’t stop at all.

In quick succession after Port Arthur there were a number of spectacular vistas. Two Mile Bay, The Arch, London Bridge The Grotto and the Bay of Martyrs. All of them were different but all offered great photo ops. London Bridge was particularly interesting with the story of how one of the spans of the ‘bridge’ collapsed one day stranding two walkers who had to be rescued by helicopter – now you have to take in its beauty from above as no one is allowed onto it.

There was a degree of sensory overload by the time we reached the Bay of Martyrs which is a magnificent series of rocky our crops on a very powerful beach, but it was a great experience and I am glad we took our time and did it in a couple of days. After the Bay of Islands the road heads inland a bit and we then made faster progress towards our stop for the night Warrnambool.

The town itself was a lot bigger then we though it would be, and we drove along the A1 going through it there was a huge Woolworth’s / Kmart plaza and lots of motels. We followed signs to the Tourist Info Office and parked up – a lovely couple of ladies in there answered all of our questions and fixed us up with a great rate at a hotel called The Best Western Colonial Village Motel at 31 Mortlake Road, Warrnambool.

After chatting with them for a while, whilst I used the free wi-fi to get emails and get a message from Christopher, Sue navigated us to the hotel – it is still cloudy but the sun breaks through every now and again making it hot. The hotel is very nice our apartment is massive – it is on two levels and sleeps six. Downstairs is a kitchen, bathroom and living room. Two further bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom with a massive spa bath – after a couple of nights with just a shower, this is ideal.

A short time sitting, then we went out to the local supermarket, which is a Cole’s – them and Woolworth’s clearly dominate in this part of Oz although we have seen a couple of Aldi’s – so we will have to see if they expand like they have in the UK.

Before the supermarket I filled up with fuel at a BP station — Unleaded was $1.135 per litre and I got 52.8 litres or AU$60 worth.
Trip 505.

At the supermarket we got Weetbix and other breakfast stuff, as well as drinks and fruit – we have been warned that we can’t take any fruit over the border into South Australia, so we didn’t buy too much. Back at the unit for a bit of washing, a bit of internet and sorting. We also debated our plans for the rest of the week and where to stay in Adelaide – we booked a couple of hotels and we decided that tomorrow should be a chill day after all the driving of the last three days, so Sue went to resumption and they agreed we could have another night at the same rate – apparently they are full tonight but have a few vacancies tomorrow – most importantly we can stay in the same unit.

Once that was sorted, it was out again to the Kmart where Sue got another SD card, as she isn’t happy about the quality of the one she got yesterday. Food was the next order of the day and restaurants that open in the evening seemed a bit thin on the ground – we finally found one called Images, which is on Liebig Street, which is one of the main shopping streets in Warrnambool. It was fairly busy for 7.30pm on a Tuesday but we got a table okay. I had an enormous plate of fish’n’chips while Sue had chicken in a peppercorn sauce with vegetables. You get the choice with your mains – you can either have a bowl of vegetables or you can have chips and salad.

The food was excellent and plentiful, we also met the owner an ex-pat from Newbury who has been here 21 years having married a local girl. A nice night in every way. We went back to the car which was parked outside the local theatre, which included among its upcoming attractions – Leo Sayer in concert next month!

Back to the hotel to carry on with diary and getting sorted.

Trip – 520

Monday 16th February 2015.

Alarm set for 8am as we have to be checked out for ten, and we want to hit the road- it is a lovely sunny morning. We had a coffee and a nice Facetime chat with Christopher – it is still Sunday evening there.  We drank the coffee and got sorted then packed our cases, and checked out on a lovely hot sunny morning. We were on the road well before ten, which wasn’t bad going. Our route is well signposted, as The Great Ocean Road is the reason a very high proportion of people come to this area.

Straight back onto the A10, then  a turn off to the B100 heading for Torquay. The first stop was the tourist info centre, where a really helpful man called Peter, who was originally from Amsterdam (emigrated when he was 9 years old) gave Sue the lowdown on the best things to see on The Great Ocean Road. He marked up maps and gave detailed instructions for getting the best experience.

Armed with maps and leaflets our next task was to get some brunch, but first we drove down to the sea for a couple of photo ops, including one at Point Danger, which includes a War Memorial to the Anzacs. We watched the surfers below – some of whom seemed to be a school class – not a bad PE lesson! The town centre was close by and there was lots of free parking. There were also lots of places to eat and drink.

Our choice was The Torquay Deli on Gilbert Street – it had a good menu and free wi-fi. Sue was thwarted when she was told they had run out of salmon, so we both settled on poached eggs and ham on a ciabatta with coffee – very nice. the service wasn’t the quickest, but the chap running the place was very affable and quite busy – we weren’t in a rush, so it was okay.

Suitably refreshed, we headed back to the car and out of Torquay, which does look and very nice place with some lovely houses, nice shops and a fantastic location. Our first port of call was Bell’s Beach, which is only just outside Torquay but has a fabulous overview of the beaches and surf below – a theme that we got used to through the day. This is the most famous of Australia’s surfing beaches and apparently every Easter the Rip Curl pro tournament attracts thousands. Back in the car and another couple of fantastic outlooks for photo ops before the next of Peter’s tips – Anglesey.

Here he told us that if we drove up to the golf club there we may see some wild kangaroos – sure enough we parked up and immediately spotted two in the grass at the side of a tee. They appeared  unconcerned when some golfers came up and tee’d off – we got loads of photos and also saw several other kangaroos bouncing across the greens! We then drove to the shopping centre in Anglesey, where Sue bought a new SD card for her camera, as her current one filled as she was videoing the Kangaroos.

Back on The Great Ocean Road, we carried on west and headed towards Lorne – stopping for a couple more photo ops as we did so. One was at the famous Memorial Arch across the road – this was built as a tribute to the soldiers who returned from the First World War and built The Great Ocean Road. Here there was also another massive beautiful sandy beach that was totally deserted.

At Lorne we were ready for a drink and sugar boost so we parked up and went into a bakery on the main street – I had a huge apple turnover and Sue had a scone, very nice. There are two of Peter’s tips here – the first were the Erskine Falls which are actually 10km out of the village and a fair bit inland – we parked up there and went down the 200 steps for a great photo op of one the highest waterfalls in the region. We also managed to clamber over the rocks to get a close up of it, rather than just take photos from the lookout. The climb back up was a bit of a struggle and made me sweat a bit.  (Sue- I ran up – wonder if Nick will notice this addition!  I didn’t, but sweated a bit less!)  (Nick- Did notice but can’t argue with facts)

Next stop was Teddy’s Lookout, which is back in Lorne on George Street – truly magnificent views of the ocean, the beaches, the St. George River and the road itself below us. Last of Peter’s tips of the day was in Kennett River – there is a colony of wild koalas that live in the trees next to the aptly named Koala Cafe. I missed the turn and it took ages to do a u-turn, but I am glad I did, as we saw a couple of koalas, some parrots and other birdlife – the koalas high in the trees aren’t bothered by the tourists snapping away below – in fact one appeared to pose.

Leaving Kennett River, our thoughts turned, somewhat belatedly, to a room for the night. We headed for Apollo Bay, but it was after five pm and the tourist office was closed – it was immediately apparent from the number of ‘No vacancy’ signs that we saw that it wasn’t going to be simple getting a room – Sue got a list from the window of the tourist office of places that had vacancies when they closed – there were only about four. First try for us was the Best Western – they offered their last room for AU$280!! plus a charge for wi-fi. Another on the list was full and so we made our way to the Iluka Motel and Takeaway on the main road -Sue went for  look and whilst it isn’t a Marriott, it is clean and costs AU$100.

Our abode for the night is Room 4 – it has free wi-fi and a shower so we are sorted. We got the cases in and settled into the room. Time was marching on so we went in search of food -most places were closed or expensive and we actually finished up back at the Iluka, where they do an a la carte menu after 7pm and we had a lovely meal.

I had a rib eye steak with chips and salad whilst Sue had a huge salmon steak with a selection of vegetables and mashed potatoes. Very nice too. I had some of the local brew Queenscliffe Ale and Sue had a glass of wine. It was still light when we finished so we went for walk in search of a sweet – the first supermarket we went into was grubby and smelly and didn’t have a bakery counter, but the other one we had seen was closed, so it was back to the room to make do with chocolates and fruit we had in our bags. Sue also had more of her wine, but the lack of glasses meant her drinking it from a coffee mug!

Big news of the day is Ireland smashing the West Indies in the world cup.

Trip 324 KM.

Sunday 15th February 2015.

Alarm set for 8am so that we could have breakfast and go and pick up the car. It is a bright sunny morning today. Breakfast was pretty much a repeat of yesterday except the eggs were fried instead of scrambled – but all was nice all the same. While we were eating we decided to book a hotel for tonight and browsed hotels.com picking a Best Western in Geelong.

After doing most of the packing we walked along to LaTrobe Street then down to the Thrifty office on Elizabeth Street. There were two people serving , each with a customer but we were soon sorted – the car, which is a Colt GSX, which is a small SUV – Victoria plates 1DM 5GM – it is almost new and has just over 8k km on the clock. It was brought round to the road in front for us and we headed back to the hotel. We managed to park on the street not far from the hotel – a perk of a Sunday morning pick up.

After checking out and Sue saying goodbye to Euan we headed out to David’s retirement village in Wantirna – Sue navigated me along the busy roads to the M3 and then it was plain sailing – the motorway is a toll road and the tolls are charged automatically to my credit card via the rental company who add an admin charge of $3. there is no cash alternative and no getting out of it – other than avoiding toll roads – not entirely practical without a very good satnav in a city that is routinely grid locked at several junctions.

The ride out to David’s was very pleasant and we found the village and were very impressed – http://www.stockland.com.au/retirement/vic/melbourne-east/wantirna-village.htm

I rang David and he came to meet us – we last saw him two years ago, and his sight has deteriorated since then – hence he is living in an assisted community. He gave us the tour and then we went to his unit for a chat and to catch up. he then treated us to lunch at the local club. http://www.wantirnaclub.com.au/

The restaurant is very nice – he is member and signed us in- despite eating breakfast not too long ago I managed some lamb ribs with wedges and salad, Sue had some goulash with rice and David demolished the curry of the day – a beef Madras complete with rice, poppadoms and dips. We also had a real good chat and catch up before going back to his unit where the talking continued, he is a fascinating man to talk to and I love hearing his stories of old Army and Merchant Navy days.

About half four, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the city – Sue managed to navigate me past the MCG and out to the M1 and heading for Geelong – the roads are busy and I have already learned to be very watchful of other drivers in Oz! Apparently Geelong is Victoria’s second city and is obviously very industrial it has lots of railway lines and factories.

The hotel was just round a bend and involved a last minute swerve to get in. Sue checked us in – it is a two storey modern building, we are on the first floor (UK) in Room 25 – the room is very big with a little kitchenette, sofa and a chair – a big bathroom but only a shower. The chap checking Sue in was very helpful and gave her some leaflets about the Great Ocean Road. First priority is clothes wash. I sat and did diary while Sue got it sorted.

Next priority was a bit of shopping – we don’t want a meal tonight given the amount of food we have already consumed but we do need something, so we drove down the very picturesque and almost American Geelong High street to a big Woolworth’s. Here we got some lovely cheesy cobs, some tomatoes and some cooked meat to make our  own meal in the room, we also picked up cookies, pop and beer – the usual essentials.

It was still light at just after 7pm, so Sue navigated us down to the seafront where there was a lovely park and a long pier, we paused for a photo op before heading back to the hotel for diary, clothes washing, showers etc.

India have beaten Pakistan in Adelaide fairly easily.

Trip 150.8 km

Saturday 14th February 2015.

We had a bit of a lie in and started the day by exchanging Valentine cards. My phone had rung about 2.30am – I saw it was Jonno at the garage and guessed it would be about Chris’ car, so I ignored it and went straight back to sleep. We have a nice chill morning before the cricket this afternoon – the only downside is that the weather isn’t great – it is grey and cloudy and showery at the moment, but the forecast is for it to dry up.

Breakfast in the lounge was very good – the usual lounge fare with very attentive staff who tidied and replenished very well. The section of fruit and yoghurts was especially good and we were able to get a good base ready for the day ahead. By the time we got back to the room, the clouds had started to disperse and there was some blue sky in evidence.

We had arranged to meet Nick Jones, an ex-colleague for both of us – he has just retired and is enjoying an extended stay in Oz – he left home in October last year and has been here ever since, apart from a stop over in Thailand. The arrangement was to meet at a big pub called Young and Jackson at the junction of Flinders St and Swanson St opposite the exit to Flinders Station – Nick is currently staying with his cousin in the Melbourne suburbs and is travelling in by train. We walked out of the hotel to find several streets near the hotel, including Exhibition Street closed off to traffic for some sort of Greek Festival – there were lots of food stalls being set up and fairground rides -clear;y a big day in the Melbourne Greek community’s year.

As we got to the pub at about 12.15pm, Nick had yet to arrive but the pub was heaving, so we decided to wait a bit – the first game of the world cup has started with New Zealand playing Sri Lanka and it was being shown on the huge screens in the pub. When Nick arrived he was dressed in his jeans and carrying a brolly – apparently the weather in the ’burbs had been worse then hours – we had a beer in a slightly quieter part of the pub and caught up on his adventures- two and a half pints of run of the mill Carlton Lager was $24. Nick told us that he is heading home next week earlier than planned, even though he has had a fantastic time, he has grown a little weary of solo travel.

After having the drink, and a good catch up we decided to head to the ground – gates open at 1pm for a 2.30pm start. By the time we left the pub about 1.15pm the sun was shining and it was getting very warm. Nick is meeting his cousin and is in a different part of the ground – we had a wander round the ground looking for a bar without success, paused for photos and then said goodbye as he went off to meet his cousin.

Our tickets said gate 4 and we had a bit of a queue to get in but nothing major – there are still tickets on sale, but mainly for general admission standing tickets. We made our way inside our tickets are on the lower level among the England fans – a decision I was unsure of from the start. The good thing is that the seats were in the shade to start because by the time play commenced there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was red hot. At the start it wasn’t too bad, the people around us were fine and there were a group of the ‘Barmy Army’ stood at the back of our section – chanting a bit, but nothing to trouble anyone.

Australia batted first and started reasonably slowly – Aaron Finch and David Warner opened. Unfortunately Chris Woakes dropped Finch when he was on nought – a fairly easy chance that was shown over and over on the big screen subsequently – The Aussies reach 57-0 and then Stuart Broad bowled Warner and the next ball got Shane Watson to edge to Jos Buttler so was on a hat trick – Steve Smith survived but didn’t last too long when Woakes bowled him for 5 and they were 70-3 and we were fairly happy.

Our mood went down from there – Finch started to take the bowling apart in a huge stand with George Bailey and was eventually out for 135. Glenn Maxwell ( 66 off 40 balls) and Brad Haddin (31 off 24) added to the misery and even though Steven Finn took a very unlikely hat trick with the last three balls of the innings 342 was always going to take some getting. Add to this the ‘Barmy Army’ were getting louder and more repetitive as well as being racist, obnoxious and embarrassing as their alcohol intake increased. We did have some food though – I had a meat feast pizza and Sue had a burger and we shared chips – at $25.50 it wasn’t too extortionate and both were fairly tasty.

The England innings was a steady parade of wickets albeit with some fantastic Aussie bowling, catching and fielding. When Woakes was out, we were 94-6 and top scorer at that stage was Ian Bell with 36. By this time the obnoxious louts behind us had swelled in number, lost all interest in the cricket and were just behaving like total idiots to the bemusement of the police who were watching closely and occasionally picking off one or more of them who crossed some vague line  – some of their number were old enough to know better and I think will be somewhat embarrassed when the inevitable videos appeared on YouTube.

Our interest was firmly focused on the cricket – Titch Taylor put a bit of a stand together with Jos Buttler then Chris Woakes – unfortunately Stuart broad was out first ball, but with Jimmy Anderson he managed to get to 98 not out – he was then given LBW but reviewed it – they also ran for a quick leg bye and Jimmy Anderson was run out – the LBW was overturned but the run out was upheld – even though it was a dead ball after the finger went up for LBW.

A sad end to a sad game James Taylor stuck on 98no and England beaten by 111 runs and the idiots in the ‘Barmy Army’ giving everyone an awful impression of what England sports fans are like.  Having said that, we had a great time – it was a brilliant experience to be in a crowd of over 84,000 watching high quality cricket and, though it pains me to admit it – the Aussies were simply better than us. In sport that can happen. We joined the throng heading back towards the city and the hotel. We called for a beer at an offie, then went up to the lounge for a bit of fruit and a soft drink. We also had a couple of the Valentine chocs that were still out.

Thursday 12th / Friday 13th February 2015.

Up before the alarm once more. This morning we are again given the choice of a restaurant or lounge breakfast, but first we have to sort out our warm weather clothes and banish the jeans to the suitcase for a while! We decided to go and have breakfast in the Shook! Restaurant downstairs – it is a huge place with several different serving areas for the different cultures – there are Indian, Chinese, Malay and some western foods like beef bacon and chicken sausage. There is also a selection of fruits, cereals and other western items. We both had quite a cosmopolitan selection from all of the stations and had our usual fruit and yoghurt starter followed by a plate of savoury items – mine was all served on a lovely Indian bread.

Once we had eaten, we went up to the lounge for a latte, as the coffee in the Shook! wasn’t the best. The lounge guys made a real fuss of us again and asked us if we wanted another breakfast -their selection up here is more like the western Marriott fare that we are used to, including some lovely salmon that wasn’t available downstairs. We politely declined their offer but made sure check out time was 12 and our friend, the Lounge manager offered to give us late check out, but we are going to be out all day, so there is no need.

Back in the room, we got sorted and I published a few more days dairy onto the blog. I am doing much better this trip for keeping it up to date. Once we were packed, we went downstairs to the lounge and checked out. The Manager asked about web check in, because it is still new here, and once we had checked out he came to the lift with us and invited us back into the lounge when we come and collect our bags this evening! He even gave us keys to operate the lift in order to get back up.

Out in the bright sunshine, we began our wander by heading to Bukit Bintang Plaza, opposite the monorail station. We have been here on other trips, it is a six level market with lots of individual booths, though many seem to be selling the same things. We had a wander and Sue bought a new glasses case that she had been looking for. It was 5myr – which is less than a pound. There are a whole load of phone shops, phone case shops, clothes shops, shoe shops and a few that are individual. On one floor there were lots of hair establishments – mainly for the ladies, but there were some for men.

One in particular caught my eye, it appears very modern and clean. It was called Quick Cut and you had to pay upfront for a card (16myr) which then entitled you to a haircut. There was no one waiting and I need a haircut so – In for a penny and all that! I paid my money and managed to communicate the style I wanted (grade 4 all over!) and the lady got on with it. I suggested Sue go for a walk round but she stayed and watched! It didn’t take long and was very thorough. At the end they have a vacuum pipe that they use to suck all of the loose hair from your scalp and around your shoulders – an excellent concept . I was very happy with the result – all for less than three quid – bargain!

After then we went back out into the sunshine and decided to catch the monorail to the are of Chinatown and the Central Market – it was only pennies to get the three stations to Maharajalela. When we got off first stop was a very impressive temple which we had a look round, then we walked to the main shopping street of Chinatown – Petaling Street – it is more famous for its night market, but the day market is also very busy with lots and lots of fakes – watches, football shirts and designer gear – all at silly prices. It was great just wandering and looking.

There are markets and shopping malls everywhere is KL – some are official, with branded goods and very expensive shops – others are for the locals and and ridiculously cheap, but the quality of some of the goods leave something to be desired. Premier League Soccer and La Liga from Spain are big business and the shirts of Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona dominate the market. We were sort of heading for the Central Market but kept getting side tracked into other fascinating shops, malls and markets – great fun. After all of this wandering in the hot sun, we paused for a break and an ice cream cone from McDonald’s – choc dip cones 1.8myr (about 38p). Eventually we made it to the Central Market, which was completely different to any of the others – this one is aimed fairly and squarely at the tourists – it is cleaner, airier and much, much more expensive. We noticed quite a few English accents here – most of which belonged to people proudly wearing ‘Cunard’ stickers to let everyone know they part of a pack, and are tourists ripe for the picking!

Having a rough idea where we were most of the time we hit the yellow monorail line at Masjid Jamek and found another street market, where I bought a 516 gigabyte flash drive from a market stall for 10myr (less than two quid). My thought was that if it is duff I have only lost two quid, but if it is okay I will wish I had bought fifty of them! Our rough sort of destination is walking towards the twin Petronas Towers, but they are obviously further away than we thought and by mid afternoon the heat and the foot slogging were beginning to take their toll, by this time we had reached the Renaissance Hotel where we stayed on our last visit, so we hopped on the monorail at Bukit Nanas and went back to Bukit Bintang.

It was a bit early to go to the hotel so we went into the massive Pavilion Shopping Centre again – we had a look round the Japan section that has loads of Japanese shops cafes and restaurants before having a cup of coffee in Starbuck’s to take advantage of the free wi-fi. I had a Facebook chat with Christopher, his car is still broken, but he has Sue’s so he isn’t too bothered. After the coffee we discovered a huge food court below the centre that isn’t on any of the mall maps and has some great coffee and cake places. It also has Tony Roma’s and there is a TGI Friday’s upstairs.

Back at the hotel we went up to the lounge and were welcomed with open arms, Reza insisted that we have some food and drink, so we made the most of his offer with some lovely salad, meats and even a couple of slices of quesadilla, which was excellent. I had an Asahi and Sue had some sauvignon blanc to ease the journey to the airport. Reza continued to make a fuss of us, but we didn’t see him when it was time to leave.

When we got downstairs to get the bags, our friend who had checked us in and the lounge manager were both waiting to say goodbye and made another real fuss – asking if we had enjoyed the stay -we assured them we had and there would be good reviews. When we got outside, it had been raining quite hard but had stopped. We made our way to he monorail and go the tickets – the first two trains that came were on the two carriages and were PACKED! There was a couch to get on them, but we noticed that several locals remained waiting where the third and fourth carriages would be and they assured us that a four carriage train would come. The trains are only three minutes apart and it was just after 7pm – so it wasn’t an issue.

Sure enough the third train had four carriages and we were able to get on with room to spare – in fact after a station or two, we got a seat each. The train got us to Sentral okay and we made our way to the Ekspres departure area through the huge Nu Sentral Mall. There was a train in nine minutes when we arrived and it pulled up five minutes before it was due to depart – it wasn’t as busy as the way in and we got a seat easily. the journey was in the darkness, but we clearly weren’t hanging about.

At the airport, we made our way up to the 3rd level and were directed to area X for Business Class check in – all Air Asia X International flights are checked here – there isn’t any individual counter for each flight. There was only one couple in front of us and we were soon sorted – our bags are almost at 23kg each now, but I had paid extra for a 30kg allowance, so it wasn’t an issue. They didn’t even tag the bags as heavy.

There are three lots of gates for international flights once you have checked in L P and Q – we are going from P8, but according to the Priority Pass app, the lounge is by the L gates, so after we had passed through Immigration where I had my fingerprints taken (they weren’t taken on the way in, and Sue didn’t either time!) we made our way through security there and got to the lounge to be told by a very helpful young man at the Premium Plaza Lounge that there was also one by the P gates as well called the Wellness Centre, as it was also a spa. So, we had to make our way all the way back and go to the P gates. The lounge here is also a Plaza Premium Lounge, but it is before security.

The lounge was fairly quiet, with a selection of hot food like pasta and chicken with veg but I was still sorted from the JW Marriott, so I just had a Tiger beer to be sociable. Sue had some chicken and vegetables with her Tiger beer. We weren’t in the lounge long but were able to have a bit of a freshen up, as it has been a sweaty day and we have walked some miles.

We made our way down to the gate and went through another security check, we had bit of a queue to get into the gate area, which is massive and is heaving with people. The plane tonight is another Airbus A330-300 but looking at the amount of people boarding there won’t be many empty seats. We were soon called for priority boarding and got our seats 1a and 1c at the front of the plane. We watched the parade of people going down the back – the size of some of the carry ons was on a US scale! Loads of people had a big carry on and a rucksack too.

Pushback was at 10.40pm and we had a mammoth taxi for wheels up at 11.10pm and soon went into the clouds. The flight time is 7 hours 40 minutes and our causing altitude for the 6600km flight will be 37 thousand feet. We also have to put our watches forward 3 hours. As soon as we levelled out the service started – apparently I had ordered chicken teriyaki for myself and chicken satay again for Sue. The meals were the same as yesterday except we didn’t get apple juice or cake!

As soon as we had eaten, we put the seats down into flat bed mode, which is a bit of a misnomer, as you aren’t quite flat – we had been given a good quilt and a pillow, so I managed to bit of sleep – it was after midnight (3.15am Melbourne time) when we settled down. The lights came on just under two hours out at 7.45am, but there is no breakfast service – not even a drink. Below us as I type is mile after mile of flat farmland.

Interlude for impressions and memories of Japan.

This seems a good point to record my brief impressions and memories of our first trip to Japan. My overall impression is a very, very positive one. I had expected efficiency, but was taken by surprise by the friendliness and helpfulness of the people. Also how many of them were able to speak at least some English.They seem to have almost full employment and everyone who is given a job performs it to 100% of their ability, no matter how apparently menial it appears. Tokyo was as bustling and vibrant as I expected, Osaka was much, much bigger than I thought it would be and the hotel there must rate as one of my all time favourites.

The technology and connectivity is as good as I thought it would be, and the bullet train experience was just fabulous. One frivolous memory is the toilet seat technology – the ones in the hotel lifted as you walked into the door – they could be programmed for one or both seats to lift. As soon as you sit down the seat starts to warm and water starts to run – some even play music, though this seemed more common for Sue than it did for me. There is then the washing experience at the end! Different jets for men and women and (in my experience at least) very efficient.

The food was very good – we tried to experience new tastes (Octopus dumplings for example). The weather was a little colder than I thought it would be, but the occasional snow flurries in Osaka didn’t bother us.

The only slightly negative thing I would say, is the same as I have said in many, many places we have visited, and this is the invasion of the western brands into the local culture and the homogenisation of the world – the usual suspects of Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC and Starbucks are everywhere in the big cities. the worldwide luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Mont Blanc et al. have also taken a stranglehold and some local brands have obviously been pushed aside. The local stuff is still there but it doesn’t dominate like it should. Hey ho! Just my ramblings.

Later – back to the diary.

We landed on time at 9.35am but were then held in the plane for a few minutes as a man came on and had some sort of discussion with the pilot – Sue got the impression that the pilot was being told off for something, but we were allowed off after a few minutes and handed a priority pass for immigration on the air bridge. We followed signs and got in the midst of a board of people just getting off an Vietnam-air plane that had landed just before us – we followed signs for UK, Oz, EU and US passports.

A very helpful chap said we would be better using the machine readable queue, as it would be a lot quicker than the VIP area. Sure enough we put passports into the machine – answered three questions about TB, convictions and something else, and it gave us a card to put into another reader that took our photo and let us in – as easy as that. No queue, no questions. We made our way to baggage claim and had to wait a few minutes – Sue’s bag was second off, mine was a few later.

We made our way outside and bought two tickets for the city express bus for AU$18 and joined the queue. I tried to change a few Japanese notes I had left but the ANZ currency exchange would charge an AU$8 fee! We waited for the bus chatting to a guy in the queue then got on – the bus has free wi-fi and whisked us downtown to the main bus terminal – the AU$18 fare includes transfer to your hotel, which is done my a fleet of mini busses. Very efficient and good value.

As we drove into the city we could see two helicopters flying around with banners beneath them – one said ‘Lost – two balls’ with a picture of two cricket balls – the other banner said ‘If found, please return to the England Cricket team’ – a sign of things to come! We waited a couple of minutes then the mini bus took us to the hotel. We were able to check in to room 7-11 straight away, which was nice. The room is huge with a settee and easy chair and huge TV , there is no bath though – we know that since the hotel was renovated, all of the bath have been replaced by showers.

We were in desperate need of coffee, so we went to the lounge after a quick freshen up – I went first having had problems with my key, then Sue had problems with hers so went downstairs to see the concierge who was a Scottish lad called Euan, who brought her up to the lounge to make sure it worked – they got chatting and he said he would sit her a gift out from the hotel.

After we had drunk coffee and had some fruit we went down to the room and found a bottle of wine and some chocolates with a lovely note waiting for us – another great touch from Marriott. As we haven’t eaten since the meal on the plane last night, we decided to have a walk out into downtown Melbourne in search of food. We went into the centre and eventually found a little cafe in a small precinct called Thee Drops Espresso. I had a Roasted bacon and chicken panini warmed up and Sue had a massive chicken salad sandwich.

Once we had eaten, we made an abortive attempt to play the lottery, then headed through the CBD to Flinders Street Station, then over the Yarra footbridge that has hundreds and hundreds of padlocks all over it – don’t know if this a Valentine’s thing or a permanent arrangement. We turned left on Southbank Promenade and headed up to Queen Victoria Gardens pausing to photograph wildlife en route. It is a bit cloudy, but very warm and certainly sunglasses weather.

Following the banks of the Yarra, we went up to the bridge on Olympic Boulevard and into the huge tennis complex with the Rod Laver Arena dominating – there were concerts by Rod Stewart, Kylie and Rosette being advertised. There is a lot of work going on. As we walked along the river we had seen loads of film trucks and outside broadcast vans. I had wondered if they were connected to the cricket, but on the footbridge over the railway lines going to the MCG, there were loads of cameras, lights and actors all hanging around.

There was no problem with us walking right through the middle of them. We asked a lady with a tabard and a radio and she said it was filming for a series called Childhood’s End for the US network NBC – the bridge was now part of New Athens in the adaptation of Arthur C Clark’s classic sci-fi book. We carried on to the cricket ground and found the Aussies were netting in the complex that is open to the public.

There were quite a few watching, but we were able to watch the stars go through their paces at very close range. Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, David Warner and even Michael Clark (who is currently injured) were there – there were others as well, but they didn’t take their helmets off and it was difficult to recognise them They were being bowled at by young ground staffers from the MCG proudly wearing ‘Net Bowler’ shirts and really pinging the balls down. There were also some Aussie staffers doing throw downs. It was good entertainment and we got some good photos. Warner and Watson in particular looked to be in good form smashing the balls out of the middle of the bat.

After watching for a while, we headed back to the hotel via a 7-11 for a much needed cold drink. It is nowhere near as humid as KL and is a bit cloudy still, but it is hot. Back at the hotel we hit the lounge for a drink and were there when they brought the food out. I wasn’t hungry so just had some cold meats with salad and really nice bread. Sue had a beef dish with peppers and rice. There was also some very nice sparkling wine and beer.

After having just a small snack we decided to go down to the pool area – there is a huge spa pool that makes up for the lack of a bath in the room – Sue also swam some lengths and for most of the time we were the only people in the pool and gym area. I was going to have sauna but it was cold when I went in and hadn’t really heated up by the time we left. As we were there we saw lightning through the glass roof and heard some thunder and it started to rain heavily, so we decided that we wouldn’t go out, we would just go back to the lounge for some sweet, beer and G&T after we had changed.

I also rang my Dad’s brother David and arranged for us to call and see him Sunday after we have picked the car up – some Facebook chat with Nick Jones sorting out the meeting for tomorrow and an early night after our short nights sleep on the plane yesterday.

Wednesday 11th February 2015

The alarm went off at 6.50am. A reasonable night, I found the bed a little hard, and the walls of the hotel are clearly paper thin, as I was able to hear conversations/ TV, that weren’t loud, from other rooms. We got sorted and re-packed fairly sharpish and went to get the lift at 7.45am. There were four lifts and we waited as all four came in turn, and were too full to get on. Eventually Sue squeezed on one and I got on the next – we called at every floor with disgruntled looking folk waiting for one with space.

The lobby area was bedlam with lots of coaches waiting outside to be filled. Sue had already checked out by the time I got down and had identified our coach. We loaded bags on the back and got onto the 12 seater minibus. It departed one minute early at 8.04am. and headed over the bridge to the airport. It is a bit hazy this morning, but we saw what we thought was our Air Asia plane taxiing to the gate as we entered the airport.

Inside the terminal, the bedlam state got even higher – there were people everywhere queuing at the various counters. We saw on the TV monitors, that Air Asia used desks 7-12 which fortunately were near where we had come in and were an oasis of calm. The business class counter had no one in front of us and a lovely ANA employee checked us un. She told us the airport was always busy, but it was particularly busy at the moment in the run up to the Chinese New Year celebrations. She also told us there would be a long queue at security.
As we hadn’t had breakfast, we went in search of the lounge that accepts Priority Pass, which we knew was landside. After a couple of false starts we made it to the Korean Air lounge – another real area of calm. We had coffee and some breakfast I had some pancakes with chocolate sauce and picked up a wrapped package of what I thought was cake – it turned out to be a pack of boiled rice! Sue had some crackers, some peanuts and a sponge cake thing – not her normal healthy start.We resisted the full alcohol selection, which included some very expensive brandy.

Suitably refreshed, and checked in on Facebook we went to join the security queue – we had seen it as we went up to the lounge, what we didn’t realise was that it snaked round the corner and then went into tensa barrier system with just a sea of people and lots of security people shouting very loudly. We feared the worst as we joined the queue at 9.15am, but remarkably it moved very, very quickly and what we thought may leave us late for our flight was over and done in less than 20 minutes – Japanese efficiency at its best again.

We passed through immigration without any problem and into the shops. Kansai has the longest concourse of any airport in the world apparently, and it needs it this morning. We are leaving from gate 8, which is at one end of the concourse whilst we are somewhere near the middle. This meant us getting a monorail shuttle – we arrived at the gate with ages to spare and set up camp. I got a drink from the machine with the last of my Japanese coins and took advantage of the free wi-fi.

Boarding began just before 1030 and the business class boarding was clearly signed – when we got on the plane we found two nice ladies sat in our seats – 2a and 2c. There are only 2 rows of business class (12 seats in all) and the problem was quickly sorted. Apparently they were upgrades and had been given the wrong boarding passes. They moved to 2d and 2e and we took our seats. We were given orange juice just after we sat down, the seats to go down to flat beds and there is loads of leg room.

We pushed back in the sunshine at 1058 – we were sixth in the queue to take off, two behind a huge Thai Air A380 that we had seen at the gate near to ours. Wheels up was 1115 after quite a long wait. The First Officer told us after take off that we are on an Airbus A330-300, our flight time will be seven hours and our cruising altitude will be 40k feet. He also reminded us to put our watches back an hour for KL time.

We got good views as we climbed up over the snow capped mountains, then our over the busy ocean with huge container ships below, before it clouded over. We were quickly served out pre-ordered meals of chicken satay with rice – there was also a croissant, a pice of choc cake, carton of apple juice and a Kit-Kat on the tray. It was a nice meal. There is no IFE even in business class but you can hire tablets with new films on for 60MRY (£11.45) or 45MYR (£8.20) if you pre-order on line. I have plenty on my iPad to watch so I won’t bother. Sue has her Kindle so won’t be partaking either.

Later: We read, chilled, napped and ate for the rest of the flight – before we landed one of the cabin crew brought an extra veggie meal that I had apparently ordered and paid for! It was rice and potato with a few veg, so not unpleasant – we shared it. We didn’t see much of KL as we approached due to it being cloudy, but the whole flight was uneventful – which is a good thing! We landed at about 5.15pm KL time

After landing we had quite a walk to Immigration, where there was no queue at all – this is the first time I can remember entering a country with no landing card to fill in, no questions at Immigration about why we are here and how long we are staying etc. just a cursory grunt and a stamp in the passport – sorted! Our bag arrived very quickly too, after having priority tags on them. We walked out of customs and straight to the KLIA Ekspres counter, where I got two return tickets for 140myr (£25) – from experience we know that we could get a bus or a taxi, but the traffic in the city is awful and the train offers a 28 minute ride to Sentral. We got the 5.50pm train, which wasn’t a bad effort and showed how quickly the entry formalities had been.

The train journey was quick and smooth and when we emerged we went to the taxi counter, where they offered us a ride to the hotel for 100 myr – just under 20 quid. I had remembered that the monorail went close to the hotel, so we went into the main Sentral station, which was bedlam for rush hour, and after a bit of internet research (which would have best been done before we got here) – we headed for the monorail and bought two tickets to Bukit Bintang for 4.6myr (85p for us both)! It was six quick stops on the very busy monorail – it has been very hot since we got here and very cloudy – the dark clouds clearly threatened a storm, but we made it to the hotel before it arrived.

Our gold card treatment continued here – I had checked in on line and a lovely lady sorted out the formalities and then insisted on taking us to to the 27th floor to show us our room, which is 2726, she explained that there was food and drink in the lounge until 8pm – as it was just before 7.30pm by the time we got to the room, we got our skates on.

The room is fabulous in a fabulous hotel – it has massive high ceilings and a huge bed plus bathroom with bath and separate shower and is all very ornate and expensive! We went down to the huge lounge on the 24th floor and hit the buffet – some lovely lamb meatballs, fresh salmon, and loads of lovely salads and breads – a real nice spread for us to tuck into. I also had a couple of Asahi beers while Sue had a couple of very, very generous G&T’s. I tried some chicken sausage, but wan’t too impressed. There were also some lovely cakes and fruit to finish off – it was a bit of a rush, but all worth it.

After we had eaten we went out into the very, very busy Bukit Bintang area – there are lot of upmarket shops, loads of hotels – the Westin is next door to us and the Ritz Carlton is behind us. We wandered round in the hot night air for a bit – there are loads of fantastic decorations up for the New Year – they really go to town. The street vendors selling their fake watches and selfie sticks are also everywhere. It is great for people watching. Opposite the hotel is the huge Pavilion Shopping Centre – there are massive New Year decorations here – all sponsored by Crabtree and Evelyn – reminders of home !

We didn’t wander too long as although it is 10pm here – our bodies are saying it is 11pm so we went up to the room to get sorted.

Tuesday 10th February 2015

Sue had set the alarm for 7am this morning as we want to go up to the 360 degree observatory at the top of the hotel building. We had been given free tickets when we checked in, but they are only valid for entry from 7am until 7.50am and you have to be out by 8.30am. We went down from floor 55 to the reception are on floor 19, then went down to the 16th floor where we got another lift up to the 60th floor. This opening is only for Marriott guests, but quite a few were taking advantage of it.

Once we had reached the top, we were 300 metres above ground – it claims to be Japan’s tallest point, but I think there is a tower in Tokyo that would dispute this – even so on a sunny morning, we were treated to fabulous views all around. We had been given a leaflet explaining what is visible in each direction and spent a good hour or so taking photos and enjoying the view.

When we got down, the staff were just being given their morning briefing, doing their motivational speeches and bowing to each other before the public were admitted at 9am- very impressive. We made our way down to floor 19, then back up to floor 55 then down to have. breakfast in the lounge on the 38th floor.

The lounge wasn’t busy and we both had pretty much a repeat of yesterday, except that we both made a point of trying what we now know is a local delicacy, Octopus Dumplings – they look worse than they taste with the tentacles apparent when you cut them open – the taste is a little bland but the thought of what I am eating is enough to make me gulp them down.

When we had eaten, Sue asked the chap in charge about check out time and he immediately said there was no rush and comped us a 2pm check out! He also mentioned that our room wasn’t occupied tonight. This is a little strange as I had tried to book an extra night on the website after the Air Asia cock up, but it has been saying the hotel is sold out for weeks. Hey ho! We debated last night and decided we wanted to be near the airport tonight for ease tomorrow morning.

Back in the room, we packed, pillaged the freebies, and got sorted then went back down to the lounge for a drink and to sort photos etc. We could have gone for a walk round again but given the biting wind and the short time available we decided to give it a miss and make the most of our luxurious surroundings a little longer.

Around 12.30 pm we got our bags then checked out in the lounge. This has truly been one of the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in, and we have stayed in some nice ones. We took our bags down to the shopping centre and to the JR ticket machines. We knew which ticket we wanted and so that wasn’t an issue, you just buy tickets to the correct value – 880 yen in our case ( just under a fiver). Interestingly some of the monitors by the machines were warning of delays and cancellations due to snow – fortunately not in our region.

Our line is the Kansai line and we need the station before the airport – Rinku Town. Our platform is 18 and we made our way down. The monitor said there was a train in a couple of minutes at 1325, so we waited – when it came(exactly on time) , Sue was checking the boards and I saw that the front of the train said Kansai Airport. However, when we got on the boards in the carriage had a different list of stations and destination of Wakayama. We looked confused and actually got off back onto the platform, but another nice lady beckoned us back and managed to communicate that the train splits at a station down the line and the first four carriages go to the airport, whilst the bit we were currently in goes to Wakayama.

Sure enough, as we set off an announcement in English confirmed that the train split at Hineno, so at the first station we moved forward to carriage number 4, and settled back to enjoy the ride in the sunshine. We passed through abut half a dozen stations, people came and went but it was never over busy. At Hineno, we split as planned, then the next stop was ours, Rinku Town.

The Washington Hotel is right next to the station and is signposted but Sue called in at a tourist office and was given a load of stuff including details of a nearby Outlet Mall and discount vouchers for a big Ferris Wheel we had seen as we approached Rinku Town. We left the station and managed to miss the hotel entrance, so we walked right round the building before we got in. A very nice lady checked us into room 1003 on the tenth floor of 16. She also gave us a discount voucher for the buffet restaurant in the hotel called Kitchen Garden. 1003 is a nice large room with two beds,bath, free wi-fi, and the expected creature comforts of kettle TV etc.

After settling in we went for a walk in Rinku, which is a resort town on the coast with a stone beach and the amusements associated with a seaside resort. Our first stop was a massive supermarket opposite the hotel, next to the Audi Dealer the Racket Club called Trial Supercenter. It is a bit like a big Walmart, except probably bigger.We had a great time wandering and comparing prices. There were some real bargains, like the standard sit up and beg push bike which is really popular here for about £40.

Next stop was the huge Ferris Wheel, it is a sunny day, but quite cold, so we weren’t too surprised to find we were the only customers – the ride cost about a fiver for both of us with discount and Sue had to sit with a large Pokemon type character of a cat!! The ride took abut 15 minutes and gave fabulous views of the surrounding area including the airport which is on a man made island connected to the mainland by a 3km bridge – more on the airport tomorrow, I am sure.

Back on terra firma we headed for the Outlet Mall, which is massive and is very, very western – to the extent that it could have been transported from the US. Shops include Nike, Adidas, Tag Heuer, Crocs! Hugo Boss, Dunhill,Armani, Dolce & Gabana, Burberry and Clark’s to name but a few among many many shops. We went in the Van’s shop where chequer board shoes like Christopher wears were 2000 yen (£11!!) Trouble is 98% of the men’s were sized 5-9 and anything over size ten just didn’t exist. We had a good time wandering and stopped for a coffee and cake in the Food Court at a Belgian Chocolate outlet- they made a very big thing that it was Belgian Chocolate from Belgium! The cake was nice though.

Sue looked at trainers in New Balance and actually found a pair in her size, but they were quite expensive, so she didn’t bother I almost bought a polo short in Asics but the designs I liked didn’t have my size. We learned that the sizing goes S, M, L, XO, 2XO. We did manage to get a little something for Christopher in the Adidas Store. The Nike Store was remarkable – apart from the pricing in Yen, we could have been in the UK or US – including selling Manchester United shirts.

Next to the Mall is a white stone beach – we had a walk onto it, but the wind is still biting, so we didn’t go too far. Next stop was a huge sports warehouse call Sports Depo. It is massive and stocks gear for all the major sports. The one thing that is noticeable is the lack of replica kits and sports star endorsements on the displays – the exact opposite of a UK/US store. There is a massive baseball section but no team kits there either, apart from the local team. Last shop of the night was another massive one, this time specialising in electrical goods on the lines of Best Buy. It really is gadget heaven and made for interesting mooching, but we didn’t buy – even though there were some great deals on SD cards, USB sticks etc. etc.

Time was marching on, so we wandered back to the hotel and went to the buffet restaurant – we were seated straight away and had a nice meal. As you would expect, there was a cosmopolitan selection including a Chinese area, Japanese area and a nice lots of salads – the western influence seemed to by limited to a chef cooking steaks and a bowl of french fries. We ate our fill, as you may expect – at one time I had steak and chips, spring rolls, curry with rice, salad and bang bang chicken on one plate. Soft drinks, tea and coffee were included in the price, as were ice cream and sweets, but if you wanted a beer you had to buy a package of ‘all you can drink’ which was 1944 yen (£10.71) for Men and 1728 yen (£9.52) for Ladies. I stuck to melon soda and orange juice while Sue had some coke and then went on to green tea. We finished with some cake, ice cream and rather bland chewy Japanese sweets.

The buffet was more than adequate and once we had eaten, we went to the convenience store in the hotel for drink. I got a can of Asahi and Sue saw Beefeater Gin and Tonic in a bottle – sorted! We went back to the room for diary, baths and another early night for an early start tomorrow.