Trev's Adventure

[Jukie]

In thought i might start a thread for Trev when he gets the internet sorted. So this is a email he snet me today.

Hi All


Well the first step of this great new adventure has been taken. On Friday 19th March Guy and I drove out of Sydney after disposing of 95% of all our worldly possessions. Everything was sold, given away, recycled or taken to the tip. A very very scary but uplifting / purging experience. OOohhh and bloody hard work toooo.


To give you a hint of what this would be like go to your kitchen and open every cupboard and then imagine disposing of everything you see. And for you blokes go into your garage and do the same........ Scary.... The hardest possession to see go was my belovered Ducati S4RT.... Loved that bike :-(


Being anally retentive that I am...., we set up a document to track everything we had to do. This really highlighted how complex our lives have become. Our lives are sssooooooooo much simpler now. We now owe nobody anything and everything we have is ours........  Niceeeee feeeeling.......


Friends got some good bargains. Family (as in kids) got their family heirlooms early (Rosewood furniture & stuff (my travel trinkets)). Vinnie's got some very good corporate cloths. eBay / PayPal was our garage sale specialists and did very well out of us. And I got to know the Tip man very well.


We have a few things in storage back in Sydney (my climbing gear and my MTB gear (will send to us once we find our new home) and few things for Jordan (Guy's son)) but that is it.


Guy and I are now living out of backpacks in Adelaide and about to go to the beach house at Port Willunga for a month or so to get used to this retirement thing. Timing to relax before we hit the Philippines in May and head off to the island of Palawan where we will explore and start the search for our Bungalow on the beach.


No blog setup yet but this is my task for next week once we get some "free time" at the beach. So sorry bulk email has to suffice for now.


I wish you all well and may your retirement be sooner rather than later.


Take care alllllll...... :-)

[Stinky Wizzleteats]

Good stuff!

What a way to live. 

[Jukie]

would you stop changing you name Super bloody hell

[Stinky Wizzleteats]

I am a chameleon.

I have no identity till I have another Duc. 

[Jukie]

yes you have an identity your THE SUPER TIB

[Jukie]

just to let you guys know that Trev is in SA relaxing  at the beach and have good time 

[mattyvas]

yes i've seen the snaps on flickr

[heatherp]

Are they in a public Flickr area?

[Big T]

Are they in a public Flickr area?

Sorry Heather they are currently on my Flickr..... Will get the blog a happening for all to see soooon....

Here's a sample of our beach life......  Life is good.....

[mattyvas]

That's awful please never show them again. 
Lovely work Big T. 

[Jukie]

 Glad to see you are taking it easy Trev can I now join you

[heatherp]

Nice. Great photos too. 

[monstermick58]

Gee Trev, the foundations look solid in that first pic, but where is the house ??






                                          Mmick

[Jukie]

Hi All

Well the first chapter in our new adventure is ending and chapter 2 is commencing tomorrow on the 4th May at 8:00am. Guy & I head for the Philippines arriving tomorrow night.

The first couple of weeks we are staying In Manila with Guy’s sister and Mum while we get ourselves organized with setting up bank accounts etc.

Also the Philippines Presidential elections are on Monday 10th May so not the best time to travel. We will watch the happenings with interest before we commit to traveling in the provinces. With over 600 candidates should be an interesting election.

Oooohhhhh if there are any riots in Manila on the news look for the tall Aussie giving you a wave…….. :-)

The islands we are then heading for are Mindoro, Marinduque, Boracay, Bohol and then Palawan. Google these places if you’re looking for further info. Marinduque looks very promising at the moment. Got beaches, caves, water falls, trekking, snorkeling and diving. And I can always add mountain biking…..

Check out this web site. http://tourism-philippines.com/marinduque/

“Hospitality and friendliness are a common trait among Marinduquenos.”

After arriving in Adelaide on 23rd March we have enjoyed some quiet time along with catching up with family and friends at Port Willunga. Lots of walks on the beach (a few swims) and sleepins. And I’m re-exploring my long time love of photography. Lots of time to snap away round the beach and play with the pics.

And at long last the closing off our Australian life is completed. This involved closing off some 14 financial commitments (Gas, Power, Phone, Broadband, Credit Cards, etc.). And changing my contact details on some 31 websites (Banks, email, Qantas, Super Funds, Investments, Forums, etc.). Very liberating process and for the first time in my life in the month of June I will have zero bills to pay with none coming in after that. Awesome feeling……

Is kind of nice to now have zero commitments, and everything we have is ours (all be it one backpack full). It has been a bit of a journey though. We went from a house full of stuff to a van full to a station wagon full and now two back packs full. Has taken me 3 packs to finally get down to one back pack full. Only took Guy two packs. Have had to leave a box full of “spares” at Sandy’s (sisters) place.

So my next communication will be from a land far away and our new home. Excited and a little nervous all at the same time but all good.

Take care all.

Trevor & Guy.

[Jukie]

Well Guy and I have made it safe and sound to Manila with all our luggage.

We left Adelaide on Tuesday morning and had a bad flight to Sydney flying through thunder storms. I was a little seedy but the time we hit Sydney so the 2.5 hour stop over was very welcome.

We also meet up with Jordan & Jo (Guy’s kids) for an hour at the International terminal so that was good.

The flight to Manila was 8 hours of un-eventful nothing. Usual crap movies and food. At least it was smooth so no more motion sickness…

Arrived in Manila just after 7:00pm local time (9:00pm EST) We were given a VIP escort through Philippines immigration (got our passports stamped with no questions asked) and customs (no bag inspections at all). It was 15 minutes from off the plane to getting out the terminal. Quickest ever exit out of any foreign airport for me and loved it.

We were then meet by a school friend (and her hubby) of Guy’s who took us out for a quick bite to eat before heading to Quezon (the old Manila) to stay with Guy’s sister and Mum who live next to each other.

I started eating and drinking the local food and water immediately. So now it is a waiting game for the gastro. Day 2 and still okay (Touch wood….). Hopefully all those nasty bugs I pickup from my other trips might have build up some anti-bodies. I guess time will tell. OOohhh and I have lost my appetite since we have arrived. Still not all bad as I can certainly afford to loose a few kilo’s…  :-)

Wednesday was spent getting mobile phones (Note my new number below), mobile broadband and a bank account sorted. Turns out I am now officially an “Alien” in the Philippines, according to the bank. Never been an Alien before……. But I am a good Alien…

Today we went into Manila to an international food fare at the world trade centre. Lots of Asian food displays and some very weird tastings. There was an Australia stand and they were serving oatmeal porridge and apple juice. And served by locals. Weird…….

We are now into the hottest months of the year here and it is hot and humid. Bit of a wake up call for us both. We have definitely slowed down a bit. We have aircon in our room so sleeping at night is fine. But that 1:00pm to 4:00pm period is dam hot. Beaches here we come….

There is a HUGE mall (and I mean huge) not far from where we are that is nicely air-conditioned so might have to be a few trips there if it gets tooooo hot.

Have also been sampling the local transport which includes Triks (Motor bike with side car), Jeep Me (stretched jeep) and the Light rail. All very interesting, each in there own right. We have access to a car but there ain’t no way I am driving in this traffic.

The Jeep Me’s are an interesting concept. They drive a fixed route and have no designated stops. You just hail them from the roadside and they will drop you off where ever you want. Works well. Cost Guy and I a grand total of 50 cents to get into the city today (30km trip).

We will be here in Manila till Saturday 15th May now. Get the elections out the way on Monday, let the dust settle and then we hit the road. Must say I definitely looking forward to the beaches. I’m not a city bloke I’m afraid.

Going out to get some pics tomorrow morning of the neighbor hood with Jerry (Guy’s brother). He is going to provide me with an escort so I don’t get lost or mugged. I am the only “white man” in the neighborhood so tend to stand out a bit. But all very friendly people.

He has been great escorting us round and ensuring we pay “local” prices.

Will send some pics after my little outing tomorrow.

Take care all and some of your cooler weather would be most welcomed right now.

Trevor & Guy.