HIGHER AND HIGHER

MONDAY 29th NOVEMBER

  I had an early start to the day with a call from Steve Jones at 6.00am to let me know that the tickets for the Adelaide Test Match had arrived from Rob.  After consuming a large portion of fresh fruit salad for breakfast which I had purchased yesterday.  Another shower - I still haven't had a room with a bath - I settled down to watch the last day of the Brisbane Test.  I'm fairly sure that it's the first time all the batsmen in an innings have scored a ton.  Of course it all ended in a draw, but I think England will come away the happier team.  After it all ended,  I ordered the Airport Shuttle Bus to pick me up tomorrow at 11.10am.

  About 2.00pm local time here in Perth, I set off for town catching a bus to the Supreme Court.  This is almost next door to Goverment House.  After that I rambled around the shopping precinct buying some postcards for the kids.

  Last night I spoke to Jim on Skype, and during the conversation Sarah came on line and asked if I had been to the park where you get a panoramic view of Perth.  I said I hadn't and she ouldn't remember it's name.  However I studied a map and came to the conclusion it must be Kings Park.  I followed the street map I had picked up in the hotel.  It was even warmer today, 38.3 degrees, and the walk was virtually all up hill, but I guess it is all good training in getting fit!  And indeed when I reached the park there were amazing views to be seen, as well as a statue of Queen Victoria and a War Memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the First World War.

And indeed these magnificent views kept me occuppied for some time.  I found a cafe and had a thirst queching cup of tea accompanied by a pastie.  I lingered in the park, and took the opportunity to phone Rob to let him know that the tickets were safely with Steve.  I then had the pleasure of walking downhill and soon spotted a bus stop for the 170 bus which I knew would take me back to the hotel.  I now have to go and post my postcards, have some dinner.  All the packing is done except for the things I still need to use.  Next stop Adelaide.

FROM THE GABBA TO THE WACA

SUNDAY 28th NOVEMBER

  I was awake at 7.00am today and promptly went downstairs to get a toasted egg & bacon baguette from the restaurant and with a self made coffee plonked myself in front of the TV and watched the cricket.  Everthing went well for England with both openers scoring a hundred, and by the end of the day only Strauss was out, with England ahead. The baguette sustained me all day and only now at 7.40pm am I thinking of having something to eat.  During the lunch break, more by luck than by judgement I managed to get the dongle working, and so hopefully am now able to get the Internet at any time.

  The cricket finished early due to bad light which was about 2.30pm local time, so I set off in the opposite direction to the town centre.  I came across Queens Gardens around which I meandered and observed some of the birds wandering around in the water.  There was a warning note at the entrance that this was the hatching period.

  At the far end of the park was the WACA Cricket ground.  I walked around three sides of it, but seemingly it isn't possible to get completely round it.  There was a game on in there, but quite frankly I was cricketed out, not to mention starting to get thirsty.

  At the far end of the ground was the entrance to the Gloucester Park Race Course.  It looked closed.

  I wandered back towards the hotel, the temperature was 35 degrees today, which I found pleasantly hot!  I came across a supermarket and invested in some cold drinks which are now in the fridge, and some food and nibbles to watch the last day of the Test Match tomorrow.

  I then walked down to the Fennian Pub which is on the next crossing down Adelaide Terrace, and invested in a pint of Swan Draught at the princely sum of £6.00.  (Yesterday it had cost me £4.00 at the Lucky Shag).  I know the Irish are short of a bob or two, but................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I took a book with me and sat outside in the shade for as long as the pint lasted (basically 53 pages).  I have my doubts about the accuracy of the sign post outside, but then the Paddies could always spin a tale!

  I have failed to make contact with Steve Jones today both on his mobile and home number but have left him my mobile on both.  We still don't know if the tickets have safely arrived.  I did speak to Rob who is also currently in the dark, but recommended a brewery called Little Creatures in Fremantle, which I may attempt to visit tomorrow.

  After imbibing some of my cold drink I set off to test the hotel's claim that they are a mere 2 minutes walk from the Swan River.  Allowing for my leisurely rate of perambulation they are not far wrong!

The building between the twin towers above is the Goodearth Hotel, snapped from the seat I am in below, with the river behind me.  Shortly before sunset I returned to the hotel, and set about downloading the photos from my camera and reconnected to the Internet to post this blog.  Halfway through Mark phoned on Skype, and updated me on the football results as well as telling me that the bulk of England is under snow except for Heathrow.  He hopes it will stay the same until Wednesday when he sets off for Australia.  All things being equal we shall meet in Adelaide on Friday.

SATURDAY IN PERTH

SATURDAY 27th NOVEMBER

                                                The Goodearth Hotel, 195 Adelaide Terrace

  The cricket was all over by the time I arrived at the hotel yesterday, not good news - England all out for 260.  However today it all kicked off around 7.30am local time, and I watched several hours of superb English bowling but all to no avail.  I did notice that the Australian team were all sporting moustaches, apparently some sort of charity thing.  Well of course I could not be seen identifying with the Australian team, so the tache immediately came off.

  I was surpised when purchasing the dongle and the mobile phone SIM, the shops required photo ID before they would sell me the items.  In the end they accepted my UK driving license as that was all I had with me.  Any way when I phoned through to activate the dongle with Virgin, I was told that their system didn't recognise the reference number, and they told me to go back to Dick Smith with a number they gave me and get it exchanged for another one.  With the Australian duo batting imperiously and Anderson bowling superbly but with no luck, I went off and caught a bus into town.  I explained all at Dick Smith's and was told no problem.  Then they asked me for my ID, which of course I hadn't brought with me.  Nothing for it but to go all the way back to the hotel and collect the license, because without the number their till wouldn't process the exchange!  Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin were still going strong when I got back to the hotel, so I promptly left.  I got back to the shop and duly collected a replacement dongle.

  I returned to the hotel to discover that Australia were all out with Finn taking six wickets.  I watched the last tense 45 minutes with England batting through without losing a wicket by the close. I caught a bus back into the town centre.  After wandering around the shopping precincts and finding a couple of second hand book shops and a CD shop to explore, I carried on looking at the sights of Perth.

                                                  The Western Australia Supreme Court

                                              In font of the Supreme Court on St Georges

                                          The Bell Tower on Riverside Drive by the Swan River
  Down past the Tower Bell are all the Jetties on the Swan River along with restaurants and a pub, entitled the Lucky Shag.

  Although it was pretty packed, I managed to get a table and sat down to consume my pint of Swans sitting by the Swan River, remaining there until the sun started disappearing in the west. According to my thermometer App it was 33 degrees in Perth today.

  I had a toasted cheese and chicken "Como" with a cup of latte and made my way back to the hotel.  I contacted Virgin and enrolled my dongle with them, but decided I was too tired to try it out, so left that task for tomorrow.  I successfully contacted Jane and Nick in Sydney, which reminds me that I spoke to James and Shauna before leaving Durban, and Shauna wanted to know what Merry Christmas was in Polish, well it's Wesolych Swiat - pronounced approximately as "Vezowyck shviont".

G'DAY AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY 26th NOVEMBER

  Well I guess the above photos are more or less self explanatory.  We had breakfast on the plane a couple of hours befor landing at 1.30pm and I'm glad to say that the Australian systems were working very efficiently and I was through passport control, baggage reclaim, and food control in no time and found the shuttle coach ready and waiting.  I asked to be dropped off at the Goodearth Hotel, and indedd was the second drop on the run.

  I checked in and unpacked and then asked which direction to head to get to the town centre.  Apparently it was a 12 minute walk or I could catch a free bus.  I opted for the free bus (it was almost like being home again!).  I found the shopping centre and was promptly accosted by a girl trying to get me to support Green Peace financially in their fight against genetically modified foods in Australia.  It turned out she was from Essex, but this did not sway me in my decision to tell her that I did not have any great interest in genetically modified foods nor their fight with the Australian government on that score, and we parted company.  I soon came across a Dick Smith Electronics shop where I purchased a Virgin dongle for my computer.  I also came across an Apple store and asked what provider they recommended for my iPhone allowing for the fact that I would be in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney as well as Perth. Optus was the answer, and he told me how to get to their store which was no more than a few hundred yards away.  I explained what I wanted and duly got a pay as you go SIM card and now have an Australian mobile no (0432523112) as well as access to the Internet.

  After getting back to the hotel I phoned Robert and established contact with him.  He told me he had phoned Steve to check if the Adelaide Test Match tickets had arrived.  Steve told him he hadn't checked his post for a couple of weeks, so he didn't know, but would check the next day. I had a barramudi and chips washed down by a VB at the hotel before adjourning to bed about 9.00pm.  Tomorrow I would tackle the dongle access.

TOTSIENS - SALA KAHLE AFRICA

THURSDAY 25th NOVEMBER

  The title above reads "Goodbye Africa" in Africaaner and Zulu.
 
  I watched the Spurs v Werder Bremen live on Wednesday night and did all my packing, so come Thursday morning I was all ready for breakfast, and checked out my luggage at 10.00am.  The weather had improved with the sun shining, so I went for a walk up to the Casino complex.  There were chairs and beds laid out on the seafront so I took advantage and had a lay down in the sun.  However by midday the clouds had drawn in, the sun was gone and the wind was up.  I wandered over to the shopping centre and invested in a paper that I took back to the Casino complex, bought a banana ice cream and settled down to read the paper.  By the time I had finished reading the paper, the clouds had cleared and the sun was shining again, so I returned to the sea front, found a new chair and had a bit of a snooze.  About 3.00pm I returned to the hotel to await Ricky and my cab to uShaka Airport.  He duly arrived at 4.00pm with his young daughter in the back for the ride.  We had a chat about this and that and he told me that the firm had been put on the Australian Tourist Board approved list after one of his customers and given them a favourable report.  I arrived at the airport in plenty of time, got my suitcase wrapped in cellophane for 50 Rand, and headed off to Jo'burg on time.

  This leg was on South African Airlines, and although the flight was only an hour they still managed to serve us a drink and a sandwich.  Although my flight to Perth was from the same terminal, I had to collect my luggage and check in again.  The check in was a nightmare!  There were notices saying "Please be patient and help us implement the new system".  Well by the looks of it, patience was needed in abundance, and the system was not working too well.  When I eventually got to be served the check in girl asked me where was my Australian visa, having gone through the entire passport.  I replied that I had an electronic visa, but was able to produce the receipt I got on line that I had fortunately printed off and brought with me.  After detailed examination of this document she seemed to accept that I had a valid visa.  She then wanted to know my ticket number.  I told her I didn't have a ticket number, only a check in number as supplied by Trailfinders.  This involved lengthy checking on the computer and eventually she accpted I had a valid ticket.   I guess it must have taken me at least 15 minutes to check in at the desk.  Then a lengthy walk to security check, got through that and a long walk to gate A1.  I was nearly there when I saw a check in board and noticed that the Perth flight was leaving from gate A5.  I checked my boarding card and sure enough it was A5!  I had to retrace my steps and head in the opposite direction.  To get to gate A5 I had to show my passport for the 4th time - I eventually arrived there 5 minutes before boarding time.  There was one more hurdle to overcome.  Handing in the boarding card and having it scanned.  The chap in front of me had his scanned, and was promptly asked how many bags he had checked in.  He replied it was one, but the girl stated that the system was showing two, and therefore wouldn't accept his boarding card.  Numerous phonecalls failed to resolve the problem whilst we all stood and waited.  Ultimately the poor sod was asked to stand aside and wait whilst the rest of us were processed.  Whether he made it onto the flight I don't know, but he had already joined two others who had been asked to wait as the system wouldn't accept their boarding cards.  Fortunately I had no such problem.

  Drinks and an evening meal saw out the day, followed by Robin Hood (the film), and I then attempted to snooze for a few hours.  The Flght time was around 9 hours, which certainly is better than the direct flight from London, where I gather it is getting decidely cold!

LAST FULL DAY IN AFRICA

WEDNESDAY 24th NOVEMBER

  My last full day in Africa! Breakfast was a repeat of yesterday both in terms of menu and location.  Afterwards I tried to post some more blogs but couldn't get an internet connection, so gave up.  I had read in the morning paper that there was a 60% chance of rain and the temperature would be between 18-20 degrees  (a tad warmer than London from what I hear).  Communications have been established on Skype with Alan with whom I have now spoken twice.  Giving up on the computer, I donned long trousers and took my waterproof jacket and again set off by bus with an all day ticket.

  I got off at Warwick Junction again and carried on from where I left off yesterday.  I wandered around the Berea Station which is more of a market than a station although trains do stop there!  An amazing array of produce was available, including tape cassettes which are still very popular with the African community.  Sacks of rice, various seeds, bones, remedial recipes, food of all kinds, clothing in abundance, mobile phones, curios, African carvings, meat, fish, you name it it was there.  I reached Victoria Market via a series of foot bridges where I found a CD Shop.  I was warmly welcomed by a young lad who promptly tried to sell me anything I stood in front of.  I told him I wasn't into hiphop but rather '50s and '60s music.  He tried to convince me that I should buy a double CD of African music but as it contained a lot of sides by Ladysmith Black Mambazo whom I had already purchased a CD by, I declined.  However I did find CD's by Brook Benton and Dobie Gray (original recordings) for under £4.00 each, so not everything is that expensive. Elsewhere I also found NOW 51 (African release) for under 10 Rand.  I went to pay and the chap kept saying what sounded like "two round".  After about the fifth repeat I twigged that he was saying that the price was 10 Rand as I was offering him a 100 Rand note (the price on the record said 33R - but I then noticed that there was a notice that said 9.95Rand).  I duly offered a 10 Rand note and withdrew the 100.  I went back to look if there was anything of interest but sadly could find nothing to titillate my palette.

  I was intrigued to see all the women carrying goods on their head, but did not have the effrontery to photograph them from the front, but I did catch one from the rear!  Apparently Dr Goonan Street is the place to find your Indian curry African style.  I duly indulged in a 12 Rand curry in the pink building above, the actual shop has a red frontage.

  Making my way back to the bus stop on Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, I spotted a bus approaching on the other side of the street.  The lights were still red although the little green man had stopped running.  However I had gathered from past experience that the lights don't change for a while afterwards.  I decided to run across the street.  Half way across I tripped and went flying and landed flat on my face, briefly wondering if I was about to be run over.  I could hear woman screaming and looking up saw them waving at the on coming cars.  With a speed that even surprised myself I sprung up and completed my crossing of the street at considerable speed, nearly copping it from a minibus that was accelerating on the far lane.  I cleared it by a small margin, and reached the other side to cries of "Are you alright?"  An Indian trader offered me a seat, but as my bus had my this time reached the bus stop, I yelled back "I'm OK thanks - catching the bus", and carried on sprinting (or my version of sprinting) for the bus, just catching said bus.  I got off in Dr Pixley Kaseme Street and visited several shops, did a bit of shopping and eventually caught a bus back to the hotel from the City Hall.

  I suffered a grazed elbow and a slight scratch to the camera that was in my pocket.  The First Aid kit came into play for the first time (thanks Denise), and my elbow already looks a lot better.  The knee took a slight bang but no damage done. (The camera still has the scratch!).  I must remember not to run in my sandals which are fine for width, but are a couple of inches longer than my toes, and as a result I'm liable to trip even when walking, however that does not usually result in a fall, but running is a different matter!

  I got back on line when I connected the computer and have been busily catching up with the posts.  I shall treat myself to a last fillet steak in the cafe tonight, and then complete my packing, which I have already started.  I have to check out of my room at 10.00am tomorrow, but the cab doesn't arrive until 4.00pm, so I'll have to find something to do for six hours.  More European Cup football on the telly tonight.

EVERTHING'S STILL TUESDAY

Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street

Above three photos in Warwick Junction

  After wandering along the border of the Asian quarter I returned to the People Carrier stop and carried on for another few stops right into the heart of the commercial section which includes Berea Station and is centred on Warwick Junction.  This is one of the most important commercial hubs for the working classes of Durban.  Newly built motorways go over the top of it with the roar of vehicles filling the air.  There is a whole conglomerate of markets linked together.  I set off wandering round Warwick Junction which in parts reminded me of a giant Ealing Road.  I wandered past a shop where the owner invited me in.  As it sold trainers it wasn't of any great interest to me, but the owner engaged me in conversation and asked me to take a picture of him (see above).  He then told me that this wasn't a very safe place to be, especially after dark.  As it was getting on for 4.30pm I bade him farewell and headed for the bus stop.  Drizzle had set in which was progressively getting heavier and heavier, and I was only clad in shorts and a short sleeved shirt.  Sod's law I had to wait about quarter of an hour for a bus.  However a couple of stops further a bunch of women got on complaining bitterly that they had been waiting for three quarters of an hour, so I guess I was reasonably lucky.  The state of the weather did not encourage me to disembark again and I travelled all the way back to the hotel.  I have so far only found one book shop in the whole of Durban, appropriately enough named Adam's Book Store!  Are the majority of Durbanite's illiterate, or do they not like reading?

  I spent the rest of the evening catching up on my posts, re-watching the highlights of Arsenal v Spurs three times and made in roads into my bottle of £3.00 Chardonnay.  I then watched several of the European Cup matches and as a result did not lay the head to rest until well after midnight.

EVERYTHING'S TUESDAY

TUESDAY 23rd NOVEMBER

  Breakfast was back in the cafe this morning as there was a convention on in the dining room.  Scrambled egg with wild mushrooms on toast (brown) provided a tasty start to the day.  I then took myself and my torn 200 Rand note and asked where there was a bank in locality where I could change the note as no shops would accept it.  The receptionist said there was a bank nearby, but at that point a white chap, whom I took to be the duty manager took over.  He examined the note carefully and told me that the problem was that these notes were being withdrawn from circulation and only the Reserve Bank would exchange them.  He then offered to take it and gave me two brand new 100 Rand notes in exchange.  My faith in humanity (with the exception of Jim who was the filthy swine who palmed the note off on me) was restored.

Suitably funded with negotiable currency I went to catch the People Carrier, purchasing an all day 10 Rand ticket.  I alighted at Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street which is the border of the Asian area and walked up the street taking in its atmosphere.

MONDAY MONDAY

MONDAY MONDAY

MONDAY 22nd NOVEMBER

  Breakfast was yet again served in the guest room and not the cafe, and yet again I opted for the fruit and yohgurt.  However after emerging from a satisfying repast I found the lift seemingly out of order.  I adjourned to the reception desk and inquired if the lift was out of order.  They confirmed it was and an engineer had been summoned.  So what was I too do in the meantime?  Walk up seven stories up the stairs?  Well yes that appeared to be the option as I haven't yet learnt the secrets of levitation from Jim.

  The weather was warm but totally overcast.  I had found out that "People Mover" buses ran from outside the shopping centre at the back of the hotel, and a ticket was 4 Rand.  Although they run every 15 minutes, one arrived just as I got to the stop.  The bus went up Anton Lembede (Smith) Street as both it Dr Pixley Kaseme are one way.  I got off some way past the City Hall and wandered westwards for a few blocks before moving over to Dr Pixley and walking back eastwards.  I wandered into a clothing shop where I found an item I thought I would purchase for Nick.  After queueing for ages to get to the till I proffered a 200 Rand note with a slight tear in the middle.  "We can't accept that, you'll have to take it back to the bank", the cashier told me.  "How can I do that when the bank was in London?"  (In fact I got the rands from Jim, so I hold him enirely responsible for the whole fracas and the massive inconvenience he has caused me.  He will be fined at least a pint of beer when I next see him!).   Any way back to the cashier, who responded that I could take it to any bank.  "I've no idea where there is a bank, can you give me any clues?"  By now I was starting to get irritated.  The name of some street came up which I didn't catch, and summoning all my dignity, I turned on my heels, saying "Thank you so much for your help", leaving the sealed back with the goods on the counter.  Am I deteriorating into a Grumpy Old Man?  Answers on the back of a fiver.

  The far western end of Dr Pixley Kaseme Street is definitely got an Asian tinge to it compared to tho the central part.  Upon reaching the City Hall I realised that I had been looking at the Cenotaph from the back, and realised that the front view is from Church Street.  I wandered on towards the Workshop Shopping Centre, and at one of the numerous street stalls enroute, purchased an item for Nick, carefully not offering the 200 Rand note this time!  At the back of the workshop is the Gugu Diamini Park, and there a large area of grass was cordoned off which contained Santa on his sleigh being pulled by reindeer, a crib, a choir and various other Christmasy displays.  All this was seemingly courtesy of the Natal Electricity Company.  It looks as though it is all illuminated at night.  This is one of the relatively few manifestations of Christmas that I had come across.  There is certainly little in the way of marketing in the shops relative to Christmas.

  I walked on up the park which leads to the Kwa Muhle Museum which I visited.  It shows how the city council raised money to administer African affairs by granting itself a monopoly of brewing sorghum beer which it sold through its African only beer halls.  It was known as the Durban System.  It also showed the working and living conditions of the native Africans.  There were also photos of Cato Manor, a connubation that saw Durban's worst riot in 1949 in which 142 people died.  During the apartheid era the government started moving out the inhabitants as the area lay in the middle of a white area.  It resulted in a derelict wasteland with only a few Hindu temples left standing until the late '80s when Africans started pouring into the area, building closely packed tin shacks.

  After concluding my visit I walked back to Dr Pixley Kaseme and sat at the bus stop just outside Medwood Gardens.  I sat and watched with fascination the operation of the minibuses, that move around with constant honking of horns, the doorman with his head hanging out the open window, issuing piercing whistles and shouting encouragement for passengers to board the vehicle.  The drivers don't seem to care where they stop or whom they impede, and everybody takes it as a part of daily routine!  I noticed that all the passengers were black.  I eventually boarded a bus back, having let several go to continue watching life go by.  I dropped into the Spar supermarket where yet again the cashier refused to accept my torn 200 Rand note - looks like I'm going to have to find a bank!

  I got back to the hotel and spent considerable time trying to catch up with my posts but experienced considerable difficuties with downloading photos, a problem that I still haven't quite got over yet.  Eventually I gave up and watch Sunderland play Everton, before calling it a night.  Just as I was about to go to bed an enormous storm broke with the sea being illuminated by the lightning and the the rain teemed down.  I'm glad to say it didn't stop me dropping off to sleep soon after my head hit the pillow!

YET MORE FISH

  During my stay at Marine World the sky clouded over and by the time I emerged it was heavily overcast.  I moved back to the hotel at a measured pace walking along the promenade having a look at the numerous stalls that lined its path. Upon returning to the hotel I found that my wi-fi connection was down, and it took me until Monday evening to re-establish some form of communication.  (Not having my technical support team with me can be a bit trying at times!).  I reported my problems to the reception desk who offered me the use of a computer in their back office, but the same problems ensued.  Finally I was given use of a computer currently being used by one of the hotel staff, who kindly vacated her desk to allow me access.  Upon finding the website for transport from Perth Airport to local hotels, I found a booking was only needed if you were going from the hotel to the airport, but if it was vice-versa, then you just caught one of the scheduled buses and no booking was required.  I checked my e-mails just so as to make use of the web access I had been given, and retired back to my room.