Maurice's Blog

-at hk (ed - Hong Kong) airport on free email system 15 min time limit. mobile fone nbg (ed - no bloody good)vodafone nbg. spent 2 hours on the fone with vodafone at heathrow still no good.

arrive hk nobody has ever heard of vodafone now bought an erricksonn but i need vodafone or orange systen in uk and ID and password, the card I got in Cardiff may not be world wide!

way forward is to getfrom kirstie as reg user the ID and Password for chip in my mobile as it is world roamer and it worked in Australia last Dec.

arrive darwin local time midnight via melbourn (in melbourn for 10 hour waiting for a/c)

radio mikes fantastic should have got 2

cannot get email to send fotos as it is only for recieve /send text will try

in melbourn in 12 hrs if time will send 2 e- mails tonight

Somewhat exhausted I reached London Heathrow to book in early so I can repack camera manuals etc to hand luggage for reading on the aircraft. I declared as usual that the black case had a life raft  and a CO2 cylinder. After kept waiting I am ordered to drag the offending luggage up to the other end of this concourse but no one was going to help, they knowing full well the case would have to be retrieved from halfway down the luggage chute.

There I was coming out of the hole, under the counter on all fours backwards having to pull the bag up and over the ones loaded since mine. There was much laughter on my account.

An officious character or Mr Jobsworth demanded to see the cylinder and failed to realise that all it took to empty it was  a twist with a spanner or the pull of a cord. I took the unpacked dinghy to a safe area to inflate or spanner the release valve so it could come with me to Darwin where it could be refilled.  What had already been said was that the dinghy was not going on the aircraft, so why was my offer to empty the cylinder not accepted?

I tried to get the captain and crew to confirm that lifejackets and dinghies like mine are regularly admitted, when empty of gas…he was non committal with more important things to address like pre flight preparation.

When I was then told neither dinghy nor myself would travel I took a few photos of the evidence and witnesses and went off to find a policeman.

We arrived back and shortly after his being briefed 6 armed policemen arrived. One, the biggest, grabbed me and after much pushing of me between them, their standard ploy to whip up an assault charge on a police officer,  I was then dragged out of sight of the overhead video camera into a dark ally and thrown against a wall. The one had now really lost his temper and assaulted me yet again.. During this fraca the girl with my passport thought it hilarious and said I, “could not have it back if I did not hand over my camera”.. It was wrenched from my hand by 2 bully boys now enjoying it and handed it to British Airways staff to dismantle my camera.

The police then dragged me out into the street and threw my cameras crashing to the concrete. While they waited for the police van one dragged me down an alley and threw me up against a wall again, getting abusive with fowl language. I commented that there was enough on the overhead videos to have him for assault and indicated I needed them as evidence. The police van duly arrived and I was put in the back, my luggage again thrown at the ground. I was left somewhere near Hatton Cross and had to find rope to lash up the case as the dinghy was now unpacked.

Arthritic problems now dominated my thoughts and so found an expensive hot bath and some sleep.

3.30am. Panic …..I leave tomorrow and nothings done!

I’ve been on this computer since 11 last night, after a hurried drive to Taunton and back to see Dad before I go. My typing still gets no better, its even worse! So it’s bed for me for a few hours sleep. Kirstie is up again for an emergency so we pass, like ships in the night, equally tired but for different reasons. Ah, a bed waiting for me that’s nice and warm.

Without another vet (allowed to practice) in this place, who even wants to do farm work, then she is going to drop or we just have to give up farm work and lose the very reason why we both chose this profession in the first place. I sleep till 6 but Kirstie is now back so its my turn to make the early morning tea, kick Morgan and Gen out of their beds and let loose 3 wild Springer Spaniels , Mollie, Snipe and Hector to scurry off across the fields amongst the welsh mountain ponies. Damned things, just eat my aeroplanes and too small to ride.

Replacement carburettor for the cub in Darwin has been on ‘walkabout’ and so still not on the engine due to one digit wrong in the post code box! Still no insurance for China found in UK, Australia or USA. Overflight clearances still not confirmed for Malaysia and I still have no visitor’s visa for Indonesia. It is still being processed at the embassy in London. Cutting it a bit fine but that one is to be collected on the way to the airport!

Our Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams, voiced my parents opinion yesterday that parents in this country are neglecting the bringing up of their children to respect law and order. Mum, I can hear you now. Genevieve will not be neglected to today, however, as she is only too well aware of Dad’s departure. Off to Cardiff to buy her a birthday present ….not a pink doll or a catapult but a computer! A sign of the times. Between arranging a birthday party at the local holiday camp and being on the phone tying up loose ends I have the job of preparing the new web site, co.uk, on more serious stuff to be launched this week. Detail of some of the meatier stuff must wait until my return to the UK

At 2.30pm and we are all off to Porthcawl for a party with 20 or so of St John’s pupils, most from Gen’s class. On route a baby Tawny owl is in the middle of the road. Quick, no injuries, into the boot before the fox gets her and she can be reared for our wood and my 3 year old empty owl boxes! (so far only yielded one field mouse nest , a chaffinch’s nest and a hornet’s nest!). 30 minutes of kids’ screaming and laughter and I am back in the car to get on with my preparation for the tip. But 30 minutes plus 1 and I am asleep, with the windows wide open. I awake freezing as it is raining sleet and blowing a gale. I‘m getting far too old for all this.at least I can catch up on some sleep and give these hips a rest at Heathrow before the flight.

5.30pm and Rob arrives to give crash a course on GPRS (mobile) and transfer of film etc to UK …. Wow what a price!!!! He expects me to remember the button sequence! I then conjure up some Champagne to celebrate a birthday and/or Dad going away? Back to packing…. absolute minimum and weighing for the lightest clothes hidden amongst, now, the present wrapping paper, strewn now all over the room. Bed by 10 for a 5 0’clock start.

Up at 6am to London on bus pass. First, Chinese Embassy with 80 people in the queue and protester opposite. Meet great guy with great beard who takes you through northern Pakistan in Jeeps for Safari to China…. Jeetrek@kjti.freeserve.co.uk.

Mobile goes flat and new Carburettor now lost in Aussie post and 7 days to go! Get in to Embassy 7 minutes from closing. At mid day back on Thursday for Vietnam, Chinese and Indonesian collection…too late for Cambodia and Laos...hopefully on border

Must find Brit in China for an address I am suppose to be visiting. Now on tube, man collapsed and going blue, if not black, in the face. I am dragged off by angry crowd who say I am trying to kill him! Whether it was a fit or not he needed clear airways and oxygen to the brain pdq or we had a corpse. Robby, a Slovak, survived.

On to Indonesian embassy and cannot find passport…after emptying pockets, rucksack, remember left with Chinese Embassy! Stop to talk to Ike in Grovenor Square outside the completely cordoned off American Embassy, as he did send my cub to War. Well armed Police looked at me with suspicion as I assembled a number of aluminium tubes upon which to rest my cameras but one, Craig, said he had not even seen “Day of the Jackal”.

Start calculating route though Indochina on new GPS.to keep me thinking it really is going to happen next week.

Up until 2am labelling photos in gallery on the site then to phone Australia, as they are awake.

We arrive only to be identified by pilots I have known over so many years, they having travelled from such places as Alderney CI, Northern Ireland to New Zealand leading, of course, to many yarns and tall stories on all matters aviation..

Soon I am chatting to Wing commander Wallis of ‘Little Nellie’ fame, the gyrocopter in the James Bond film, ‘You only live twice’. I had to remind him that it was father that had the first 2 seat gyrocopter in the world, in the early 60’s, designed and built in Newtownards, Northern Ireland by champion motor cyclist, Mr McCandlis. A Royal Navy Lynx helicopter, a Burma Spitfire, a scaled down model of same, from Brisbane, and variously shaped plastic, slippery but slim machines, usually with two stroke engines, all the fashion now in GA, were also scattered about to tempt you. A beautiful ‘Pou de Ciel’ of the 30’s was there, Gen being clearly told never to fly one.

My mission was to get a GPS, charts and find some Insurance. The latter proved as elusive as ever but there are still a few stones yet un turned.

A Captain’s white shirt and epaulettes was next on the shopping list. All I needed now was a hair cut and some lessons in smooth talking, with an air of authority and I was in with a chance. The bureaucratic jungle of Asian Countries, with their notoriously obscure version of logic and the way of doing things, in the minds of the westerner, is a daunting prospect for someone with my particular temperament. At least the Arab and Indian States were behind me! Michael where are you when I need you? I need some of your diplomacy skills for the next sector of this journey.

Well, it was an interesting day and enough for me to forget the Grand National Day as a horse called Nil Desperandum would, no doubt, have lost me a few bob, coming in 6th!

As a staunch Royalist I toast the Royal Couple on their wedding day but still mystified as to how the invitation was lost in the post.

Things to do today: 

Find Foreign Office website for visa search for eight countries -
Indonesia, need to visit London
Brunei and Malaysia no visas needed
East Timor need entry permit, get in Darwin
Cambodia arrange on arrival
Laos arrange on arrival
China Vietnam needs a visit to London Embassies
Thailand not needed

Still cannot find a map, chart or Atlas to choose a route, my ‘o’ level education getting a little rusty, or is it a senior moment?

Insurance ….cannot get any anywhere with this and now there’s coffee all over the lap top!!

London Air Show on Friday - might go and find someone there and a sponsor for various pieces of equipment? GPS, charts, headset, handheld, fuel/oil, money?…..name on aircraft!

Now, onto planing a route:

- Darwin to Dili, East Timor
- Dili to Hasannudin
- Hasannudin to Balikpapan
- Balikpapan to Labuan
- Labuan to Ho Chi Minh
- Ho Chi Minh to Phnom
- Penh Phnom to Danang
- Danang to Hanoi
- Hanoi to Macau

Tel. Phoenix Aviation, Darwin to assess work schedule on G-KIRK. PFA for permit issue, possible snags? DECISION GO< GO< GO.

Overflight for flight plan clearances to book and pay for (need 14 day lead). Compulsory Insurance cover required for Vietnam, Cambodia and China! She will never appreciate it! Tel Insurance Brokers, unable to find anyone to cover aircraft outside Europe! GPS supplier unable to supply GPS, headset etc. and his name on the aircraft.

Final Hepatitis B vaccine jab.

Preflight Plan, subject to clearances:

Darwin for the 20th April stay with Trevor James, Talk somewhere on the 21st, if any one in Darwin wants one.

Darwin Dhili, West Indonesia, 22nd April, for Borneo, Vietnam Cambodia, Tailand,Laos) and Macau.

Lists to be made of things to do and carry in flight to Darwin and in G-KIRK

Cameras,recorders etc to be checked

Survival gear to be checked

$s and more $s needed, lots of them and must also find my old epaulettes and white short sleeve shirt of the 70’s to help lubricate the uphill gradient of ‘Far Eastern Bureaucracy’!

Jean, now I know I have the use of a car in your name, along with Amelia’s , Amy’s and “the fat controller’s”, dear old Wilfy Barker (London Sydney Air Race Organiser), to not make it easy for them but in your day did you have the politics nonsense I am heading for? Any tips on how to keep the natives sweet?

Breed of cow down the road?

I drop gen off to try 2 daysof school.....loved it!

George, a Jersey equivalent to why the "Toilers of the Sea "chappie suffered 16 years in Guernsey, mentions a caravan to go.

Bought in minutes, blind, we are round in the "rope guided ford", rather like a camel, to tow her to the lake.

Fishing holidays for houses and caravan advertised now on site within hours of purchase .

Due at court in Loudeac for 2pm but our extended lunch of sea food, the likes I have never seen before, despite my experience, took precident over the eviction of a tenant ,squatting in a shack, next to the lake.

But I still went to Court just to see how it compared. Same old devious games by advocates.... designed just like your typical British Court ...no one in the public gallery can hear a damned thing....perish the thought if they did!

Barbeque is called for..... being first to buy charcoal at the local store this year and loaded with fat legs of fresh "poulet" and belly pork, a few bottles of locally made cider and we are off. I amuse Gen by calling over the first Cuckoo not realising my calls,mainly for stalking pigeon with a rifle, caused a plague, or equiv.word, of at least 4 or 5 Tawny owls screaching for the rest of the night,,,,fantastic!

Up at 7 to catch the boat and our horses have arrived. for next season's hunting. To think, we leave all this wild life around us just to go back to Wales and a world of bent lawyers, before Vietnam by cub.......it needed little for me to stay!