31/10/2009
Explored the Hunter Valley today starting next door to a winery at a cheese maker while we waited for a tour of the winery.
Some really tasty cheese and very nice bread was purchased (at a price) for a second breakfast. The winery tour was informative and the wine tasting afterwards was good with several bottles of shiraz and chardonnay being purchased.
A drive around the area with stops at several places followed, with the highlight for me being a tour of a microbrewery with some tastings. Shame I was driving as I could have spent the afternoon there, but we did leave with a magnum of their pale ale and a 750ml bottle of hefeweizen (German style with a similar hop to a pale ale, but more banana than grapefruit taste).
Overall the Hunter Valley is OK for vineyard visits but all the other shops (cheese, chocolate, gifts etc) are hugely overpriced.
Town Cessnock
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Day 123
Friday, 30 October 2009
Day 122
30/10/2009
Southbound again, to the Hunter Valley wine region, about 650km from Byron Bay. The roads are mostly good and quite a bit was dual carriageway, but we've been keeping to around 95km/h maximum, giving an average allowing for slower sections of 75km/h.
Hoping to visit a few vineyards tomorrow and sunday, but need to avoid the area around one vineyard that is holding a jazz festival tomorrow that is the cause of us only just getting a pitch at the campsite tonight. The group behind us at check-in were turned away.
Lat 32 49.55 S
Long 151 20.18 E
Town Cessnick
Distance +5280km
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Day 121
29/10/2009
Off snorkelling this morning to Julian Rock with clear blue sky and light winds. The sea was still a bit choppy and the current strong in places, but we saw several turtles and lots of colourful fish. One of the divers out on the same boat as us came face to face with a shark, but apparently it was a friendly variety. Not sure we would have been quite so rellaxed about it.
The sunshine lasted most of the day so we lazed on the beach before heading into town for the most expensive meal of the entire trip. It was also the best.
Town Byron Bay
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Day 120
28/10/2009
Overnight we had more heavy rain and thunder and this morning the sky was very grey. Went of to the snorkelling place but they weren't too happy about the conditions and talked us into postponing for 24 hours.
The rain came down again this morning so I read a book while Beth got some well earnt sleep!
The afternoon was spent walking around the headland and up to the lighthouse, passing the sign for the most easterly point of mainland Australia. Arrived back at the campervan as the rain started again.
Town Byron Bay
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Day 119
27/10/2009
South-east this morning to the most easterly point in Australia at Byron Bay, and the furthest east we will get from the UK.
Lost another hour due to New South Wales having some kind of summer time and Queensland not bothering. It's all going to be hours gained from here on.
Byron Bay's not a great deal different to Coolum Beach, maybe a little cooler, and it does offer some off-shore snorkelling and maybe an outside chance of spotting a whale at the end of the season.
Booked a snorkelling trip for tomorrow, had a look around the shops, checked the beach and read some more of our books. Life's tough.
Lat 28 38.29 S
Long 153 36.41 E
Town Byron Bay
Distance +4624 km
Day 118
26/10/2009
Back into central Brisbane this morning on the excellent public transport system, beneath rather grey skies.
Needn't have worried about doing a bridge climb in the rain as today was already fully booked so we had a day with nothing planned and nothing we particularly wanted to do. Decided we woudn't stay an extra day for the bridge climb, and filled today with a walking tour of some of the central sites and some retail therapy.
Returned to the campsite mid afternoon as the sky was looking increasingly heavy and booked a bridge walk for Sydney for next week. Then the rain came. And the thunderstorm.
Got a message from Beth's brother (Bob) and sister-in-law (Jane) to say they were in Coolum Bay on saturday too and had tried to find us at the campsite yesterday morning using our GPS position but we had already left. We didn't even know they were over here. They are heading north to Airlie Beach tomorrow!
Town Brisbane
Monday, 26 October 2009
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Day 117
25/10/2009
Headed south this morning for a couple of hours into Brisbane for a two day stop. Lonely Planet lists a campsite 4km from the city which is ideal, with a bus from the end of the street to the centre every 10 minutes or so.
I want to do a bridge walk here but it looks like it doesn't operate on weekends so I'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Walked around the maritime museum which has a WWII frigate you can wander round and also had a model of a ship I've actually been on, the SS Waverley, which is the last ocean going paddle steamer in the world.
Had a late lunch by the river and caught a ferry and bus back to the campsite.
Happy birthday Catherine, Beverley and a belated happy birthday to Todd and Tara.
Lat 27 26.21 S
Long 153 00.19 E
Town Brisbane
Distance +4444km
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Day 116
24/10/2009
Much the same as yesterday without the excitement of the grocery shop (although I did buy a tube of toothpaste).
Watched the surfers along the beach as there are some decent waves here, and quite a strong current if you get out more than 10 metres or so.
Town Coolum Beach
Day 115
23/10/2009
Decided to stay here for a couple of days and soak up some October sunshine. The campsite is OK and has a swimming pool also known as the Pacific Ocean. A lazy day split between the beach, the ocean and shopping for a few groceries.
Glad we stocked up on beer and soft drinks as fluid intake increases when the sun is this hot (and we aren't driving).
Town Coolum Beach
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Day 114
22/10/2009
Headed into Bundaberg this morning to see the Hinckley Aviation Museum telling the life story of Bert Hinckley who was one of the early pioneers of aviation. He held various flying records including the first solo flight from England to Australia, and the first west to east crossing of the southern Atlantic.
We also visited the Bundaberg brewery where they brew ginger beer. Shame the alcohol level has to be less than 0.5% by law. Might have to try brewing something a little stronger when we get home.
Moved further south in the afternoon and are starting to notice the cooler air, especially in the evenings. Had to use a sleeping bag last night.
Lat 26 31.46 S
Long 153 05.30 E
Distance +4318km
Town Coolum Beach
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Day 113
21/10/2009
A driving day today to get as close to Bundaberg as possible. We stopped after 605km, which felt like far enough on single carriageway roads with quite a strong wind blowing the van around. That leaves us about 150km to do tomorrow morning.
During today's drive we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, but there wasn't anything to mark it. Must find out the significance of the two Tropics when I get home.
Lat 24 07.16 S
Long 151 20.11 E
Town - Boyne River
Distance +3866km
Day 112
20/10/2009
Best guess at where we are this morning as I don't have a GPS with me is:-
19 47.06 S
149 09.52 E
Up before the sun and after watching it rise we had breakfast on deck. We put on stinger suits and wet suits and were in the water before 8:00 for a guided tour of the reef edge to the north of the pontoon, then a leisurely float back to review at our own pace. (Actually the current was so strong it was a challenging swim).
Walking around the pontoon about 9:45 we saw a turtle swimming towards the reef. Beth had seen 3 yesterday whilst snorkelling but this was my first.
After Beth's problem clearing water from her scuba dive mask yesterday, we had today's dive before the boat arrived giving plenty of time to get it right, which wasn't needed as she had it sorted immediately. We went down to the edge of the reef and were able to swim around a little and get the feel of diving. Might have to talk to somebody I know who recently qualified as a dive instructor about having lessons when we're back in England. Water temperature has to be at least 27C though.
Unfortunately the boat turned up on time, so we went straight back in the water for a final hour of snorkelling, then had some dinner, rode on the semi submersible sub to see a different area of the reef, then lazed on the sundeck for the last hour, amazed at how many people had come out to the reef across quite choppy water and lay on a sun lounger for most of their 3.5 hours.
The return trip was across a similar sea to that we'd come out across yesterday, so there were a few people suffering again.
A really great experience - well worth the cost, but now we're back to a campervan for another 12 days.
Town - Airlie Beach
Distance +3261km
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Day 111
19/10/2009
Bus picked us up at 7 to meet the boat at 8 in Shute Harbour. The first part of the crossing was easy enough, taking us to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, but then we went out into open water and the wind blowing at 20 to 30 knots meant a choppy sea. Sea sickness tablets were recommended by the boat's crew, and it was a wise move. The distributed sickbags saw a good deal of use.
Arrival at the reef meant shallow water and calmer sea but still a good breeze blowing.
The boat moored along side the pontoon at 11am that was to be our home for the next 28 hours, and fortunately it is quite stable.
Part of the arrangement for those spending the night here is a scuba dive or guided snorkel tour each day, so not being qualified divers, we signed up for the Introductory Dive today.
Dive went OK for me but Beth couldn't get the hang of clearing her mask of water whilst under water so didn't go down. Another opportunity tomorrow. I went down the edge of the reef and saw lots of coral and fish - but that's what the reef is all about.
Snorkelling for the afternoon showed us both a lot more of the reef life and after the masses left at 14:45 we had the place to ourselves (apart from the crew of about 7) and could go back snorkelling for another couple of hours.
Drinks were taken on the sundeck in the early evening and dinner was served with a backdrop of the setting sun. A late evening fish watch from the underwater viewing platform and then back to the cabin and an early night to make the most of tomorrow before the boat returns at 11am.
Definitely a brilliant way to see the reef.
Lat ?
Long ?
Town - Hardys Reef (Great Barrier Reef)
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Day 110
18/10/2009
Still no sign of Mr Caravan this morning so no opportunity for a covert picture. I guess we'll never know what he gets up to on a Saturday night.
Moved south today to Airlie Beach passing through an extensive sugar cane growing area. The climate here must be fairly consistent around alot of the year as we saw cane at all stages from just planted to being harvested. Seems like they set light to it a few days before harvest as the cane being harvested was chared and devoid of most of its side leaves.
Another good camp site with well separated plots. Booked in for 3 nights but tomorrow we'll be sleeping out at part of the Great Barrier Reef.
Lat 20 17.12 S
Long 148 40.41 E
Distance
Town Airlie Beach
Day 109
18/09/2009
Wash day today as the campsite has several washing machines and we will be travelling tomorrow and out at the Barrier Reef Mon/Tue. We left some of our clothes in the van so this will be a weekly chore. Don't think we'll be needing the ironing boards though.
Saturday we expected the beach and pools to be a lot busier but they wern't. Plenty of shady spots around our chosen pool, so another lazy afternoon. Dined out on the beach front again - the savings we are making by using camp sites are being spent on food instead.
Worryingly, Mr Caravan was not at his post when we got back this evening. His 4X4 was missing too and he hadn't returned when we went to bed. Perhaps he has a secret life away from his van.
Town Townsville
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Day 108
16/09/2009
Checked my e:mails to make sure we have received the Bill of Lading from SDV in Dili and confirmation that the van is on its way back to England, which we have. The good news is they couldn't arrange a ship from Singapore to Felixstowe, so it will be going to Southampton. Much easier for us.
Also booked our return flight, with Malaysian Airlines for 6th November arriving early morning on Saturday 7th. Will probably need to buy thermal underwear.
Wandered into the centre of Townsville via the beach and one of the pools. Not much of a shopping area, it all seems to be American style "out of town" but we did find a tour shop which proved to be a bit expensive as we booked a two day trip for Mon/Tue out to part of the Great Barrier Reef. The trip departs from Airlie Beach which is about 300km down the coast so on Sunday we will move south.
Lazed around one of the pools for a few hours, ate at a restaurant along the beach road and were home before dark to check Mr Caravan was in position. He was.
Town Townsville
Friday, 16 October 2009
Day 107
15/10/2009
East to Townsville on the coast where the weather is still tropical - just like England at this time of year.
Townsville sounds like one of those made up names for a city in a children's book, but it's actually named after a bloke called Towns who co-founded it as a port in the 1800s. Quite a nice place and the biggest we've seen so far at 160000 people. The beaches are well looked after and there are several pools as the whole of this coast is affected by lethal jelly fish for much of the year.
Camp site is across the road from a beach and while its not the prettiest we've seen, the facillities are good. It has the usual mix of tents, campervans, caravans and cabins for rent. Notable is the presence of Mr Caravan who sits outside his caravan from 7:30am until 10:00pm watching everybody else. He seems to have been here for weeks and has the best spot for watching as many others as possible. He has all the equipment, but it looks like most of it is still in its stowed position. I am now certain I will never own a caravan.
Lat 19 14.33 S
Long 146 47.32 E
Distance
Town Townsville
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Day 106
14/10/2009
Still heading east across Queensland and will be for another day to reach the coast. Stopped in Mount Isa, a mining town to buy food and fuel. There's certainly nothing resembling a mountain here any more. Also passed through Cloncurry where the flying doctor service started, and where Qantas airline was conceived.
Got a text from Simon and Pat to say the Land Rover had passed the quarantine inspection at the first attempt and they were going to the vehicle testing centre for the equivaent of an MOT test. They must have done an amazing cleaning job in the 26 hours they had available. Gives me some regrets not attempting to bring the van here, but a 20 year old T3 has lots more debris and nooks and crannies than a 5 year old Land Rover, so maybe it was the right decision.
The roads so far are very quiet, long and straight which means we can average a good speed, quite a contrast to Indonesia. The lorries too are a contrast - not the small lorries for twisty roads, but road trains. The Americans talk about 18 wheelers, here they have 18 axles, 70 wheels.
That's a tractor unit, pulling 3 trailors with a total length of 53 metres and weighing maybe 70 tonnes.
We were overtaken by one today, and videoed it. Will try and post it on the blog soon.
Lat 20 39.07 S
Long 141 44.41 E
Distance +2327km
Town Julia Creek
Day 104
12/10/2009
Several Wallabies around the camp site this morning picking up scraps from last night. They're probably considered a pest by the Australians, but they seem quite cute to us.
Had a text from Pat and Simon saying they expect to be in Darwin at least until Thursday. So far they have paid out AU$2185 which is about £1100 and that is based on only needing a single quarantine inspection and no extra cleaning. They are still keeping the "ship home" option in their minds.
We visited Katherine Gorge but decided to walk up to a lookout point and not take the boat ride. Great view from the top but glad we did it at 8:30 and not midday.
Travelled further south today with a stop to buy some insect repellent (they are very persistent here), fuel at 85p per litre (65p in Darwin) and a lunch stop at a cafe in Larrimah (population 13) recommended in Lonely Planet. Unfortunately there was a sign on the gate saying "Closed - Gone Shopping". As the nearest shops of any size were 200km away, we didn't hang around.
Overtook our first vehicle on the highway this evening after driving a total of 1278km. The roads here aren't exactly busy.
Camping tonight at a site by the Stuart Highway about 160km north of Three Ways where we will turn left tomorrow and head east to Queensland.
Lat 18 19.08 S
Long 133 47.47 E
Distance 1287km
Town Renner Springs
Day 105
13/09/2009
Headed out of the campsite about 8am and very soon overtook our second vehicle. The same campervan we overtook yesterday which had left the campsite a little before us.
As we've headed south the landscape hasn't shown any dramatic change. The terrain is fairly flat (yesterday's lunch stop claimed to be the highest pub in Northern Territory at 181 metres and 4cm!) and the land is covered by low trees with small bushes beneath them. For thousands of years fires have burnt the trees, bushes and grass, whether started accidentally or deliberately to clear land. Many of the trees have developed a way to cope with this and can be seen with severely chared trunks but with green leaves sprouting from their higher branches.
As we moved southward the trees became thinner and smaller leaving more space for small bushes and grasses. As we are at the end of the dry season everything is looking very parched, but as soon as the rain comes, it will be transformed.
Later in the day much of the land beside the road had been completey cleared to provide grazing for cattle, although they weren't showing much interest in the dry grass.
Another roadside campsite tonight, over the state boundary in Queensland.
Lat 19 55.21 S
Long 138 07.09 E
Distance 1873km
Town Camboweal
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Day 103
11/10/2009
Moved out of Kakado this morning and back to the Stuart Highway, heading south for about 50km before a left turn into the Nitmiluk Park which borders the southern edge of Kakado.
At Edith falls there is currently a small waterfall feeding a large pool where it's safe to swim. When the rains come in the next month or so, this will become a large waterfall and a very large pool. "Safe to swim" is a little subjective, as the signs tell you that the local fresh water crocodiles only feed at sunset and sunrise. We swam anyway.
After a couple of hours of being lazy and watching the bus loads of tourists arrive and depart for their lunch stop, we headed further south to Katherine to refuel and stock up on water and food. Current fluid consumption is running at about 6 litres each per day.
Camping tonight in the Nitmiluk Park at Katherine Gorge which is a series of water filled gorges, which we might take a boat ride through tomorrow.
Lat 14 19.03 S
Long 132 25.13 E
Distanc 25672+742km
Town Katherine Gorge
Day 102
10/10/2009
Second day in the rental van, and second day in Kakado National Park. I slept OK but Beth not so well - whether that was the bed, the noisy fridge or other noises outside we're not sure.
Kakado is, like all Australia, Aborigine land, and is famous for it's rock art. We spent quite a few hours at two sites looking at art which is believed to date from as much as 5000 years ago, right up to the 1800's.
Saw our first (live) wallaby (is that how you spell it?) crossing the road in front of us this morning. Several dead ones have also been spotted alongside the road. Kangaroos don't live this far north.
Staying a second night in the park at what is sold as it's best camp site - bar, restaurant, store, two swimming pools etc. Beer at £4 a 250ml bottle leaves a bit of a bad taste though.
Lat 12 54.21 S
Long 132 31.14 E
Distance 25672+416km
Town Cooinda
Day 101
09/10/2009
Picked up the campervan this morning and headed out of Darwin down the Stuart Highway then turned left onto the Arnhem Highway into the Kakado National Park.
Australians seem to like naming their roads. The Kakado Park is the largest of many hundreds of national parks across Australia.
Stopped off at a wetlands visitor centre where a large wetland area is being restored after many years of damage caused by the introduction of buffalo. The buffalo had churned up the ground and destroyed not only the plant life but also the natural barriers in this flat landscape which used to prevent the sea flooding it.
We then continued to the eastern most edge of the park where tomorrow we will look at the cave paintings done here over several thousand years.
The evening was spent moving our stuff around in the van ready for it being home for 3.5 weeks.
Lat 12 25.38 S
Long 132 57.10 E
Distance 25672+283km
Town Ubirr
Day 99
07/10/2009
Up early to be at Dili International airport for 6:30. Umm. It's not quite Heathrow. Barely up to the standard of St Mary's, Scilly Isles. But the Airnorth plane was on time and up to scratch and we touched down in a new continent within 60 minutes.
The time difference in Darwin from GMT is 8:30. Never quite understood why certain countries bother with odd 30 minutes of difference.
Got a taxi (a Toyota Prius, no less) to the hotel, which is in the Lonely Planet budget range, but at £80 per night I was amazed to see so many early 20's gap year kids staying there. We were reasured about LP's classification when we killed 4 cockroaches before going to sleep this evening.
Hired bikes for the day and rode out to the aviation museum, then returned via the coast road to the north of Darwin and Cullin Bay marina to see some very nice boats.
Walked around the southern end of the city in the evening and ended up in the deck chair cinema eating very good Indonesian food and watching a very forgetable film.
Think Darwin is very expensive, not helped by the deteriorating exchange rate with the pound.
Town Darwin
Day 100
08/10/2009
Our second explore Darwin day consisted of a tour of the shops where we picked up a copy of the Australian camper's bible "Camps Australia Wide", and Beth got her hair cut.
A second day of bicycle hire took us out to East Point Recreation area, which is parkland along the shore north of the city with a big lake to swim in when the box jelly fish are around in the sea from October to March.
In the evening we met up with Pat and Simon for that farewell supper, which consisted of fish and chips (rice for me) and alot of chat down in the harbour.
Their Land Rover is due tomorrow - we'll see how well they progress through the quarantine process.
Town Darwin
Day 98
06/10/2009
Not quite sure where I got up to on the blog site as we were having to post things direct on the Internet from Dili, some of which were done in draft and I don't have copies of what was actually posted.
So, the last few days in brief.
Sunday - made the decision to ship the van straight home from Dili to avoid the quarantine hassle, cost and delay in Darwin.
Monday - unloaded the van from the Australia bound container and awaited a UK bound container.
Tuesday - loaded into UK bound container, paid the extra shipping costs and had our Carnet stamped to show the vehicle was leaving Timor Leste. Booked flights and hotel in Darwin.
Simon and Pat arrived in Dili yesterday evening and Simon was at the shipping agent first thing this morning to arrange shipping to Darwin. He soon reaised that the next ship sailing on Wednesday gave them just 27 hours to do the necessary cleaning. A very tall order.
We had suggested a farewell meal for this evening but they had little time to stop to eat.
Town Dili
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Day 87
25/09/2009
The Lombok to Sumbawa ferry docked around 2am but as we attempted to drive off the ferry the accelerator pedal was sat on the floor. We limped off in the very low gear fitted to the T3 Syncro, at idle speed with a bit of a push over one of the ramps.
On the dockside we found that the linkage between the pedal and accelerator cable had come apart, so an easy fix. I must have been moving the pedal sideways with my foot during the crossing for it come apart as it did.
We continued driving until 5:30 then stopped for a couple of hours sleep. Sumbawa has quite a small population compared to much of Indonesia so has a very rural feel. The roads were quiet even in the daytime, lots of wild monkeys around and the scenery is quite impressive. If it wasn't for the amount of rubbish everwhere it would be worth a return visit.
As we drove into the major city of Bima in the east of the island at midday all the roads were blocked. It seems that on this totally (?) muslim island, even the traffic has to stop for friday prayers. Even the ATMs at the banks were temporarily out of service.
We reached Sape at the east end of the island at 2pm and established that the next ferry to Flores was at 8am the next day so checked into the best hotel mentioned in Lonely Planet, which is at the port entrance. Best is a very relative term here as the standard is nowhere near the more westerly islands. After a shower (cold water tap and a pan to pour water over yourself), we both slept almost uninterrupted until 5am.
Lat 8 34.43 S
Long 119 01.24 E
Town Sape
Distance 24545
Monday, 5 October 2009
Day 97
Round to SDV (shipping agent) first thing to change our destination to the UK, which meant unloading from the current, Australian based container and sorting out a European container, which didn't arrive until this evening after the office had pretty much closed. We ended up with another inactive (wasted?) day.
Not sure what the cost will be or when we'll have the paperwork sorted, but there are no flights to Darwin on Tuesday so it will be Wednesday at the earliest.
We were able to explore the camper rental market in Darwin and find a reasonable priced hotel in the centre but not yet able to book them. Also decided to spend a couple of days there as there are a few things we want to visit.
Eating here is a little more expensive than we are used to and there is generally alot of western options on the menu. Beer options are local (Indonesian) and several bottled Australian brands, not surprising considering it's close proximity and the number of them living here.
Day 96
Lazy day with an important decision to be made. Started with a slow breakfast, then an hour and a half massage before watching the Japanese Grand Prix.
Got a text from Pat and Simon to say they had finally made it to Timor and expected to be in Dili in about 48 hours.
Weighing up the option of shipping to Darwin and going through the quarantine inspection, re-cleaning and re-inspecting and possible time delay (and cost) is not easy. Our intention has been all along to drive our own van in Oz, but trying to clean it with limited time and resources, and hearing the experience of others when importing into Australia have caused us serious concern.
We are already 10 days later than our planned flight/ship to Darwin so our Oz time is much reduced. A further delay even of a week - the ship wouldn't arrive in Darwin until Friday 9th then unloading and getting to quarantine with weekend reduced working hours a probability - would only leave us with about 18 days. Driving time (no sight-seeing) from Darwin to our original destination of Brisbane crossing central Oz and then around the south east looks about 10 days, and that's assuming we get through quarantine. A big assumption.
So we have decided something has to give, and we will ship the van straight home from East Timor. This will let us fly to Darwin around 7th October, where after a couple of days we will hire a camper van "one-way" and drop it in Sydney, going via the north and east, and not crossing the centre or getting to the south east coast.
I have enjoyed driving most days for the last 3 months, but we'd like to end the adventure at a slower pace and see some of Australia. By not rushing around a big area, we leave plenty to explore on our next (and subsequent) visits.
Just need to let the agent here know first thing tomorrow, collect some extra stuff from the van and find out the additional cost of shipping to the UK.
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Day 95
A bit lonely today without the van. Lazy morning, worked out which channel was showing the F1 Grand Prix qualifying and watched the action at 2pm local time, which is the same as Suzuka, Japan.
Walked up to the limited shopping in Dili and found a holdall with wheels to use on the flight to Darwin and then on the flight home from wherever we end up.
This evening I started to doubt the sense in shipping to Darwin and jumping through the hoops we are likely to be presented with by the Australian customs officials in getting the van clean enough for their requirements. Perhaps we should divert the container to Southampton instead and hire a camper in Darwin (one way hire for 28 days to Melbourne would be around 1400GBP) All day tomorrow to decide.
Town Dili, East Timor
Day 94
More cleaning inside and outside the van. Can't see how you can get a 20 year old vehicle clean enough to be "as new" without stripping all components, shot blasting and re-painting them. It would take weeks.
Even took the glass out of the door mirrors and removed the dead spider, fly and spider's eggs from behind one of them. There must be more bugs around that we haven't found yet.
At 2pm drove around to the SDV office and went through the paperwork. There was another container blocking our container so we had to come back around 3:30 to load up. Blocks of wood were nailed to the floor infront of and behind each wheel, and the van was roped to the anchor points at all 4 corners of the container. Seemed quite secure.
Time to relax and do nothing for a few days. There's not much to see in Dili, or much in the rest of East Timor for that matter, so we'll make the best of not a lot for a couple of days until we get the vehicle Carnet stamped on Monday and can fly to Darwin.
Town Dili, East Timor
Day 93
Before checking out of Hotel Timor we drove around the area to see what else was available and liked the look of Hotel Dili. The rooms weren't brilliant but they were all at ground level and within a short walk of the car park. Ideal for our needs. The price was still not good, but it seems there isn't a great deal of budget accommodation here.
Spent the entire day cleaining the van. Emptied the interior then drove out to one of the many car wash places you find in every town in Indonesia and asked them to wash everything inside and out. Explained that the van was going to Australia and needed to be spotless, but their definition of spotless is nowhere near what I expect the Australian customs guys to be using.
When I lifted the engine cover I notices a large blob of black goo below the ignition coil - the coil had cooked itself at some point and spilt some of its internal insulation out. It was still working apparently OK but needed changing when we got back to the hotel.
Tried to clean dead insects from the radiator but this is a near impossible task on an old radiator as fins get bent and stop you blasting water through it. The T3 radiator has very limited access from behind and would need to be removed (and possibly re-cored) to clean it properly. Perhaps we'll need to do that in Darwin.
On our return I changed the coil and removed the luggage rack from above the front of the van. There was several years of German forest debris lurking beneath it, so definitely a good move.
As the day continued we started re-loading the van, trying to clean as much as possible as we went. Even fitted a new air filter as this is one of the things I know customs will look at.
Lat 8 33.09 S
Long 125 34.90 E
Town Dili, East Timor
Day 92
Left Kafamenanu at 6:45 to drive the last 100km to the border between West and East Timor. At the last town before the border, there were again no signs to where we were going and we ended up following the airport sign out of town, which we knew to be "roughly" the right direction. The road became narrower and more potholed, but the GPS was still pointing more or less north, and we knew we had to reach the coast and the road to the border at some point. We climbed over a narrow pass over a hill, and dropped down, finally to meet the coast road exactly where it crossed the border. We never did see the airport.
At the border we stopped at the police check point and a young officer talked to us in reasonable English and actually took us through the exit procedures on the Indonesian side. He had apparently only been assigned to the border a few days, and was as interested in understanding the process as we were.
Not a very busy border crossing and the East Timor side was also quite straight forward.
Drove along the coast to Dili, the road being of similar poor standard we have come to expect. East Timor is as dry and dusty as West, with very little vegetation growing where it hasn't been cultivated.
Dili is a very strange city to be in. There is a huge UN presence here and all they seem to be doing is driving around in their big 4X4s with tinted windows and air-con on. Makes you feel quite uneasy.
Made contact with the shipping agent before finding a hotel, and arranged to meet him tomorrow at 8:30 so checked in to the nearest hotel to where we were which was Hotel Timor. Shock. The prices here are extortionate. US$135 for a standard room. These UN people have certainly pushed up our hotel costs. Resolved to find somewhere cheaper tomorrow, and with easier access between room and car park so we can empty and clean the van.
Lat 8 33.20 S
Long 125 34.33 E
Town Dili, East Timor
Friday, 2 October 2009
Day 91
Arrived on West Timor around 7am with the intention of driving as far as we could today. This would have meant getting to the East Timor border around 5pm by our estimate, but the risk was that the border would be closed and we may end up camping there. Reading Lonely Planet, there was a warning that there had been some anti-western sentiment in the town just before the border, and they suggested not planning to spend a night in this area. We therefore stopped short in the next reasonable size town at about 2pm.
Couldn't find either of the two hotels mentioned in LP but did find one (with no signs outside) which was OK. Ate at one of the small restaurants up the street which seem to be following a similar style on the Eastern Indonesian islands of having the food on display in the window in a similar manner to a baker in England might display cakes on the type of cake stand your grandmother had on the Sunday dinner table. When I first saw them I actually thought they were bakers selling cakes.
Lat 9 28.08 S
Long 124 28.85 E
Town Kefamemanu
Day 90
90 days into the trip, and Australia is almost in sight. After a second false start on the Flores/Timor ferry which doesn't go from Maumere either, we drove to the eastern tip of the island and the port of Larantuko where the ferry was docked and about to be loaded.
We now believe the ferry actually runs twice a week - let's hope this level of luck holds.
Aswell as becoming less frequent as we move further east in Indonesia, ferries have also become more expensive. This one cost us US$115, which isn't bad by European standards for a distance of 180km, but the quality of the ferries isn't the same and I'm writing this sitting in the van which is completely surrounded by foot passengers crammed onto the car desk. We thought the previous ferry was full but I doubt there are life jackets or rafts for more than 25% of the passengers.
As we boarded the ferry, almost everybody who bought a ticket then bought insurance for the crossing. Doesn't fill you with confidence.
Lat 8 20.72 S
Long 122 57.03E (last position on land)
Town Somewhere at sea between Flores and Timor.
Distance 25230km
Day 89
Continued the 30km/h drive across Flores to the port of Ende which we reached at 3pm only to find the Indonesian ferry terminal abandoned. The Lonely Planet statement of the service to Timor having recently resumed clearly hadn't been a success.
The next possibility was Maumere on the north coast of the island, a further 5 hour drive which we decided to start, but then stop for the night at Moni (2 hours), a small village in the hills with a surprising range of accommodation for it's size. Unfortunately, non of the places had any off-road parking , and as on-road parking here involves obstructing the traffic we pressed on to Maumere.
The hotel we stopped at has been built since the latest Lonely Planet was printed but will justify a mention in the next reprint, as clean and of a good standard even if it is a little pricey.
Narrow twisty roads in Indonesia call for slightly different vehicles. The only places we have seen any lorries bigger than 2 axles is around the ports in Sumatra and on the dual carriageways around Jakarta. Elsewhere lorries of 6 to 7 tons with narrow bodywork are all you see. The cars too tend to be narrower making those we are used to seem bloated. The car of choice (for the few who can afford it) is the Toyota Kijang which is a 6 seater (3 rows of 2) small people carrier. The earlier models have something of Post Man Pat's van about them, but later ones have become more rounded, like all cars. Never seen them anywhere before.
And, of course, the 125cc motorbike is king as the affordable family car for Mum, Dad and up to 3 kids.
Lat 8 38.05 S
Long 122 12.60 E
Town Maumere
Day 88
Drove the 10 metres to the ferry port at 6:15 and stocked up on drinks while waiting for the ticket office to open.
Loading was chaotic, as a steady stream of handcarts and small vehicles went to and from the ferry loading allsorts of things bound for Flores. When the 9 vehicles actually making the journey drove aboard, the car deck was already half full.
During the crossing people spread mats across the car deck and slept, ate talked, entertained their children and of course took part in that Indonesian male pastime of cigarette smoking. And left all their rubbish behind.
We did get a brief glimpse of a dolphin swimming at the front of the ferry during the crossing.
The crossing took 7 hours and we then drove on across Flores until 8pm to get a flavour of the roads, which are narrow and twisty but not too busy. Free camping is limited but we did find a spot.
Tomorrow we hope to get to Ende to find the sailing date for the Timor ferry which we believe is only weekly and the day of week varies. This, along with the shipping from East Timor to Darwin, will have a major bearing on what we are able to do in Australia.
Lat 8 37.12 S
Long 120 22.26E
Town Lao (Flores)
Distance 24659km
Day 87
25/09/2009
The Lombok to Sumbawa ferry docked around 2am but as we attempted to drive off the ferry the accelerator pedal was sat on the floor. We limped off in the very low gear fitted to the T3 Syncro, at idle speed with a bit of a push over one of the ramps.
On the dockside we found that the linkage between the pedal and accelerator cable had come apart, so a fairly easy fix. I must have been moving the pedal sideways with my foot during the crossing for it to come apart as it did.
We continued driving until 5:30 then stopped for a couple of hours sleep. Sumbawa has quite a small population compared to much of Indonesia so has a very rural feel. The roads were quiet even in the daytime, lots of wild monkeys around and the scenery is quite impressive. If it wasn't for the amount of rubbish everywhere it would be worth a return visit.
As we drove into the major city of Bima in the east of the island at midday all the roads were blocked. It seems that on the totally (?) muslim island, even the traffic has to stop for Friday prayers. Eve the ATMs at the bank were temporarily out of service.
We reached Sape at the eastern end of the island at 2pm and established that the next ferry to Flores was at 8am the next day so checked into the best hotel mentioned in Lonely Planet, which is at the port entrance. Best is a very relative term here as the standard is nowhere near the more westerly islands. After a shower (cold water tap and a pan to pour water over yourself), we both slept almost uninterrupted until 5am.
Lat 8 34.43 S
Long 119 01.24 E
Town Sape
Distance 24545km
