Coffee at Hillary's Boat Harbour



Some of the dwellings at Mindarie




Elaine and me at Nedlands Swan River Foreshore





Part of Hillary's Boat Harbour






The four of us

Last Day Of Leave

I suppose it all had to end. Six months away from work and six months that have seen the biggest changes in my life. Tomorrow I go back to "The Asylum". They tell me there are a few changes. These changes are things I normally would not like. But now there are more important things in life to bother about than crappy, little minded bureaucrats and the self importance they bestow on themselves to cover their incompetence and unsuitability to "manage". This of course, is common throughout every government department. Most managers and bureaucrats here wouldnt last a month in private industry. I know a few good ones though but they are very very few. I mean, I call them good because they display basic common sense. Thats all you need for heavens sake .... BASIC COMMON SENSE !

It was great two weeks ago. I caught up with an old family friend from my childhood. Elaine.S . She arrived in Perth for a few days from the U.K with a couple of friends. I took them on my regular tour of Perth and then we had a dinner at Dorothy's place. A pleasant day all up.

Olives ! Yesterday our neighbours trimmed their olive tree. Two years ago I took down nearly 10 Kg of olives. Was too much and I gave away heaps. This year I got only 2 kg of big black juicy olives. I have now salted them this morning, put it in a pillow case and sewn it up and hung in out in the laundry to dry. Should take about 3 weeks and then I will marinade them in olive oil with fresh crushed garlic, crushed chilli and oregano. This makes a healthy salad dressing.

Well People ! Until next time ... Caio !

At the Samudra Yoga Centre. I just love the rustic creatively designed outdoor furniture here. You see Val, Abel and Mel

This is at the back of the house with Danielle the Property Developer (she rents out the houses)

Abel , Dorothy and Danielle sitting on some of the furniture at the Samudra Yoga Centre.

Holiday from a holiday from a holiday

One of the Margaret River Vineyards

The Big Apple is still just out of reach !!!

Above : The entrance to one of the bigger wineries

This is the rear of our holiday

home.

Val and I are still at home on sick leave. Still doing my 3 km walks 6 days a week. Last week I went for my echo cardiograph test and also for an exercise test. After a while when the treadmill's speed and incline was increased, I asked to stop. My blood pressure was tested and found to be quite low. Later I checked on the internet and the tablet the cardiologist put me on is said to lower blood pressure. Anyway ! seeing him on Tuesday and will see what he says.
Today is 3 months since the coin was tossed .... and I won the "bet of my life". You see, they gave me a 50% chance of survival. I only discovered this percentage well after the operation.
My sister Dorothy phoned me last week and asked Val and myself to join them for the weekend in Dunsborough. For you people NOT from Western Australia, it is a seaside town about 3 hours drive from Perth. I agreed last moment and so glad i did. Abel and Mel joined us too. The house was lovely .... overlooking a lake and golf course.

Having our morning cuppa tea. The lake and part of golf course is behind us.

On Saturday morning Val and I went for a drive toward Margaret River ... One of the worlds premier wine growing regions (Google it) We stopped at a Venison Farm and bought venison sausages, salami, jerky etc. Venison is supposed to be the leanest meat along with kangaroo at about 1 1/2 percent. Also stopped at a cheese factory and a couple of vineyards. Had a lovely gourmet lunch and returned home at about 4 pm and spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the others.

Sunday morning before lunch, we went into town with Danielle, had an iced coffee each, bought some pistachio, cherry and cranberry nougat then went to the Samudra Yoga Centre ... I just had to show Val the fantastic outdoor furniture I had discovered earlier. We looked at some more shops then returned home to have lunch then left for home

OH YEAH ! I forgot .....

On our way into Dunsborough about 10 Km out ... my car overheated. Lucky it was in a housing estate and I called the RAC. the roadside mechanic assured me it was the waterpump ... gave me a mechanics number who I phoned and of course the RAC guy arranged for my car to be towed there free. The mechanic had my car ready 10 am next morning. PERFECT TIMING !!! Then when we arrived home this evening , when the last package was removed from the car, Val asked me what that hissing sound was .... I looked ..... Bloody Hell ! I had just received a puncture. PERFECT TIMING AGAIN .

Oh Well ! Tomorrow morning is going to be busy. Will pick up my dog Tanto in Vals car from the kennel and then go have the puncture repaired. May even buy a lottery ticket

:-)

Train ride to Mandurah

Val and I always wanted to make the trip on the new rail line to Mandurah. So , today we took my car into the city and got on the Mandurah train. Nice pleasant trip. We walked along the Mandurah foreshore. At first we thought we'd have seafood at Cicerrello's but then we saw this "gourmet bakehouse". We stopped in there and had pies. Val had a crab and fish pie and I had a fish, scallop and prawn pie. We also had a garden salad with the pies . They were OK. After for dessert we had a small scoop .... please note ... I said "small". scoop of chocolate and Val had cinnamon and ginger.

We thought that we must do this again..

Western Cardiology

Went in to see the Cardiologist at Western Cardiology situated at St. John Of God Hospital. Had to wait only 20 mins. He seems good .... with a good sense of humour as well. He took me off one tablet (Clopivas) and put me on a beta blocker which he reckoned I should have been on anyway. Then yesterday I had my pacemaker checked out. Well ! All is fine and it hasnt had to kick in at all since it was inserted. Just the stress test to do next week.
Today Val and I went for our walk in Kings Park after lunch. GOD ! It is so beautiful there. Lush green lawns that go forever. Interspersed with native shrubs and majestic gum trees of a huge variety. To cap it all .... beautiful views of our lovely Swan River.
So glad I survived. After all isnt this Heaven ?

12 Days Home

Back home 12 days now. Feeling good ! Started going on a walk almost daily and have now built up to 3 kilometres a day. Went to visit the people at work and to see Ivan the manager to sort out sick leave etc. Looks like things havent changed much at the asylum.
Had to decide as to wether to see a Cardiologist privately or publicly. The public system left me in no doubt......
All the treatment in "public (govt.) is free. But the next appointment is 6 months away and then too they can phone last minute and say the appointment is cancelled and to come in another 2 months even. Then too I'll get a different Cardiologist each time maybe. If I go "private" the appointment is sooner ... Like I got an appointment for the first of April and a few hours later they phoned and said there had been a cancellation and if I wanted I could come in at 11am. on the 20th March ... that is 2 days away . So I took it. But the cost is about $236 a visit out of which I will get back $115. Then there is ECG's and tests which cost as well out of which I get back about half.But the visits are only once every 3 months initially, then go to every 6 months ... then to once a year .... so it's not too bad..... I'd rather pay Dr.Kale (My Indian Cardiologist) Rs. 1000. ha ha ha .

Home Sweet Home

Arrived Perth 0300 hrs on the 6th march. after nearly 4 months away. Had a great journey home on Emirates. Was met at the airport by our son Abel with Mel, sister Dorothy (carrying flowers and balloons) and dear friends Lorna and Ken.. I just slept a few hours and then stayed awake for a lovely 10 hour + sleep in my own bed.
Next day we were invited to Lorna's house for dinner ..... and what turned out to be a super surprise. She had also called lots of other friends that used to inquire about me. Just loved it. True to "Rego's Dinners" we left after 3 am. What a lovely night . Thanks Loreena & Ken.
Today (Sunday) just lounged around. Currently waiting for Christine and Russell to bring mum over.
Spoke to another pal in Sydney who has had bypass surgery and this is the second person who has warned me about phases of depression. Coming to think of it, there ARE times when I burst into tears. I wonder why this is ............

Shopping for the steel cupboard and Valentines Day

It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and now I am finally doing it .... Buying a steel cupboard, filling it with stuff and shipping it home to Perth. I dont know if it is worth it until I clear customs ... Lets see ! So far I've paid Rs. 4500 for a second hand steel cupboard. Really thick guage steel. Wont let on on what goodies we are putting in there though. You will just have to wait and see. Had great fun buying the stuff !!!

Getting better by the day. Now I can have a good hearty cough with only a bit of pain. Still feels like a plastic plate is glued onto my chest. This is better than it feeling like a plastic plate was "stapled" onto my chest.

Taking some nice long walks on some evenings. Mumbai has been a bit warm these last two days. Next week will be seeing my 3 specialists for the last time. They will give me my final "OK" to fly. I expect to be in my "Darling Perth" in two weeks time. Cant wait.

Valentines Day ! I wanted to go into town and into this place called "Jazz By The Bay" where they supposed to have great live jazz. Was told it wouldnt be worth it as being Valenties Day it would be too crowded. So Stephanie, James & Sandy, Val & myself went to one of Mumbai's best restaurants .. "Goa Portugueso"

My! My! Had a lot of seafood done in these rich Goan sauces. They were absolutely delicious. The pictures just dont come near to giving the food credit as they just look like ordinary curries. But they were so good that I didnt mind paying for the food at Aussie Good Restaurant prices.

Val's cousins coming to pick us up today to go to their place and spend the night where we will meet other relatives for some party fun. Looking forward to it.

Dont know if I'll have enough to write on here in the next 2 weeks. So Until next time ... Namaste !!!

Waiting for the BIG operation





















Victoria Terminus or VT

REFRESHING !!!!!

Mumbai, Heart Attack, To Hell & Back

Oh My ! Goodness Gracious me !
Finally got into Mumbai and slowly got around. Didnt do much as we were waiting for our son Abel to arrive with girlfriend Mel.
Well ! They finally did .... and so did Val's brother and family from Sydney. Lucky for us we had the apartment next door. All went to midnight mass on the 24th, came home, exchanged gifts and then went to the apartment and got stuck into the bourbon. WILD ! WILD! with mad dancing and carry on. Dont know what time we finally crashed. Christmas day was more sober. Also did the tourist bit ... going to Leopolds and having some cocktails, beer and "western" food amidst the AK47 bullet holes from the 26/11 terrorist attack. Had a look at the Gateway of India and Taj Mahal Hotel as well ...... SAD !
Vals Mum and Dad's 60th wedding anniversary party was on the 27th and was a lovely party.
We continued to party every night until the 29th morning...... at about 0100hrs I started having excruciating pains. I was rushed in a taxi to the nearest good hospital where I promptly had a massive heart attack on the table at 0200 hrs. Lucky there was no traffic on the road.
Next day an angiogram showed arteries and veins blocked in 5 places .... Guess what ??? I have to have a "pent" bypass.
This was my descent into hell from which I have just about finished emerging. My heart stopped a few times, The docs said I had a 50/50 chance of survival .. I did survive !
No complaints about the docs who were all "TOPS" in their field. BUT .... I dont know why ... I spontaneously cry when I am alone or sometimes become tearful.
YET ! I know .... This HAD to happen and the way and timing of it's happening was perfect. IT couldnt have happened at a better time and place. I am so thankful !
Recovering fast now. Still those sternum bones to heal but getting better by the day. Even going out shopping etc and visiting again. Really thankful to friends and family for their prayers and good wishes and especially my darlin' Val who was always there for me with sis -in-law Sandy and her hubby James. WHAT GEMS MEN !! Vaaah !!!

Pics

Above: Only one of the typical Gujurati Thali's
Below: Snow capped Himalayas in distance (cant see in this pic)






































At the Golden Temple

Ujjain and Baroda

Arrived in exciting Mumbai 3 days ago.
The train trip to Ujjain was great. Had the compartment to ourselves except for a very friendly young manic businessman who kept both of us entertained. Had dinner and the train rocked us to sleep.
Arrived Ujjain and visited numerous religious and spiritual sights and temples.
Amazing thing I learned at the Mangal Mandir (Mars Temple). The ancient Hindu scriptures contain some amazing scientific facts. How did they know these things 4ooo + years ago ? when in Europe they thought the Earth was flat just a few hundred years ago ? Well !!! Before the Pathfinder Mission to Mars, NASA scientists visited this temple in Ujjain and had discussions with the Pandits to help their research for the mission.
Ujjain is also the place where the Kumba Mela is held every 12 years ... or is it 14 ? That is when upto 10 million Hindu Holy men converge on the town.
BARODA
Arrived Baroda at midnight and was taken by our friend Sanjay to our hotel.
Next day we took in a few temples but then the gastronomic delights began.
I have a "NEW" favourite Indian food .... and that is Gujurati. Every meal was a different Gujurati Cuisine every cuisine was in a different setting. We went to a "Corn" restaurant ... everything had a corn base. That night it was a pleasant feeling .... Comfortably full and immensly satisfied .... like .... It was just right and couldnt be more so. Lunch next day was a Bajra meal ... the breads made from the Bajra grain, the eggplant was divine and the whole thali an explosion of tastes. Dinner again was at a Jowar restaurant. Jowar is a superbly healthy and tasty grain. The restaurant is outdoors and runs only for 2 months during the Jowar season. They have typical villiage huts... your group or family goes in with the food and sit on a dhurrie floor. Deee leee shus !!!!!
Finally made our way to Mumbai. Sayjay insisted we took his car. The Baroda to Mumbai Highway was the best I have been on in India and the entry into Mumbai very scenic.
Second day in Mumbai had my first good Biriyani.
I am actually taking afternoon naps .... and this morning took a long morning nap. Great ! I am almost doing as I please. What a life.!!!!
Next time I come on will be when I have more to say. Tried to upload some pics but it wouldnt. Will try again tomorrow, or the next day or the next or the next.
Not watching much TV but take it easy ... as the indian advertisement for sanitary pads says .... "Wish all you girls there ... A HAPPY PERIOD"
Bye for now
NAMASTE !!!

Punjab, Shimla and back to elhi

Just when I was getting used to moving along on Indian city roads and highways, my heart jumping ever so often even though we had an experienced Indian driver .... we entered the state of Punjab. As my pal in Perth, Jeff, would say "Fuck a duck" .... the Punjabis are absokutely crazy. They even rattled our Indian driver mahavir which did not do much for my blood pressure.
We got into Amritsar late and looked up the Lonely Planet guide to India for a place to eat. I have to say .... except for the Rajasthani Thali that we had, Rajasthan is really boring for food. Every restaurant had the same menu.
So we chose this restaurant in Lawrence Road. ll the restaurants they reccomment are in Lawrence Road. This place Surjit is famour for their Tandoorie Chicken and we had some with some deep fried fish.... delicious after Rajasthan.
Next morning we visited the Golden Temple. Really nice ! and peaceful. The Sikhs community spirit is amazing. We had this free meal consisting od yellow rice, dhal, chappatis and kheer. You could have seconds as well. Then we saw this tremendous organisation with people collecting soild dishes and cutlery, washing , drying and then storing them away. Groups of men , women and children and whole families cutting and preparing vegetables. Huge massive cooking utensils ... some being washed, some washed and some full of food ready for the next batch. Apparently they feed 40, 000 people a day.
Next stop was the Laxmi Temple. We got into the inner sanctum and joined in the "worship" . I thought it was great the number of ways this ONE "Godthing" is worshipped and if only we all realised that there are numerous unique ways to worship It .... Oooops ! I mean HER .... Ooops .... Damn it ! Who cares ? I dont ! HE dosent either ... IT is far too great to care. Well I mean ... If we just marvelled at the way others worshipped , the world would not be in the state it is in...
Ten we visited the Jain Temple and Val had a long discourse with the Jain priest.
Back to the Hotel and then out to dinner at the Crystal restaurant. ... which was very nice again.
Into bed early and watched TV. The Mumbai errorist attacks had started.
Off to Shimla by 8am ... Along harrowing drive up the mountains and arrived after dark in Shimla. Settled into the Landmark Hotel. I awoke and opened the curtains to our huge window. Morning had broken ... like the fist morning . Black crows had croaken ...... But it was a beautiful sight. The first sunlight had hit the snow capped Himalayas in the distance.. I called out to Val and she jumped out of bed. had our tea gazing at the HIMALAYAS .... pronounced .... Him .. aah .lya ... say it ! Visited the high peak of Kufri and in the evening walked the famous Shimla Mall. Val is not well and i am getting that way too.
Early Night ...
Long , Long , Long trip back to Delhi. Arrived after 8pm. had a cuppa ... some dinner and settled to bed.
This morning ... took Val into Delhi to the Moyra Sheraton Hotel and had lunch at Bokhara. Voted the best tandoorie in the world.
Had Lassi, Black dhal, a whole chicken, naan, ... they had a few accompiaments as well. It is the best meal we have had on this trip so far.
The Mumbai seige is over and the TV is showing all the Hero Fuberals.
Here at the internet cafe and they are NOT allowing me to upload my photos.
On the 1st Dec train overnight to Ujjain. Then on the 4th train to Baroda. Will probably be able to update this blog there.
So until then my friends ....
NAMASTE !!!

Bikaner

It was a long drive into Bikaner. Finally got in about 5 pm. Checked into the Hasara Havelli Hotel ... a charming place. You can see Val sitting in one of the two little bay window enclosures. We then took an auto rickshaw to Chotu Motu Joshi Sweet shop as reccomended by Lonely Planet and bought some Ras Mallai and numkeen. Bikaner is supposed to be famous for this. One or three of my Indian pals in Perth will be amused by the name of this sweet shop.



























Today saw the Bikaner Palace and fort ... as usual the buildings are glorious with fantastic artwork and history. But like all things , we are now getting tired of seeing forts and palaces. The trip to the camel research farm was a pleasant change.

What you see above is patchwork quilts made from old royalty garments. The embroidery and work is exquisite. These can be bought at handicraft shops. One good thing ... They do not seem to hassle you so much at Bikaner. In fact, Rarely.

Well ! It's onto Amritsar tomorrow .... a hell of a long drive. Will get there by sunset.

So until then ....... Namaste !!!!

Visual Overload & Mind Fucked

Drove into Jaipur and it started as a visual feast. Here is a pic of me taken by Val with a famous Jaipur landmark in the background ... The Lake Palace.
I am facing a multitude of rides ... camel, bullock cart and elephant. Well ! We chose the elephant ride




















We got onto Poonam and off we RRrrockked for the sum of Rs.200 + tips.
















Then it was the Amber Fort ... we couldnt get the elephant ride up the steep hill as the elephants are only allowed 5 trips and they had finished that when we arrived .... so we drove up there with our driver Mahavir. Gees ! The "tourist guide" pests are never ending + the touts for small cheap souvenir objects. They cant take NO for an answer.
Just loved it here once we got inside. Val and I went exploring the multitude of passages and steep dark stair wells. We even got lost which was a little adventure in itself. From there it was to lunch and both of us had a traditional Rajisthani Thali ... what was really nice was the maize chappati and mint chappati. Then it was to the City Palace .... The touts here were bloody awful .... It was nice inside and we had mp3 audio guides to explain all to us. But we were getting tired .... On our walk back to the car the touts continued. Even a beggar woman with her infant asked me for Rs.50 so she could feed her child ..... Got into the car truly exhausted and mind fucked. Sorry for the language folk but there is no word strong enough for how I felt.
















Got back to the hotel and ordered a refreshing pot'O Chai. You can see us on one of the hotel terraces enjoying the pot. Took a rickshaw ride up the street for Val to buy some bangles (She got ripped off by about $6.00)
Wrote out this blog report on the hotel internet and now just going to have a snack for dinner. Of course the lassi and saffron, cashew and pistachio infused Gulab Jamun is mandatory for me. Then tomorrow we are off to Bikaner at 9 am ... Wonder whats in store ... The Rat Temple will be fun ! Hope I can get to an internet cafe. Until then .......... Namaste !

Bharatpur and the Pink City !

Bharatpur was a really nice rest from the hustle and bustle. It is a small country town and country folk are the same everywhere. ... Just so nice ! We awoke at 6 am had a couple of cups of chai and then took the cycle rickshaw to the bird santuary .... Gosh ! Such a multitude of different species all abound in this nice quiet wetland. We rode about 6 km and returned. Had brekky and continued our drive to Jaipur.
Oooh ! Wow ! I just love Rajasthan. On the drive I was at the edge of my seat, camera in hand. Camel carts, women in brightly coloured saris, odd vehicles, herds of camels ... it went on and on .... not to mention the green fields of mustard, that are about to explode into a sea of yellow.

Drove into the pink city and checked into Kernot Mahal. An old haveli (residences for the Maharajah's courtiers). A lovely place full of character. Val and I sat down to a snack. Val had 2 "real" samosas ... I mean NOT the crap we get in Oz. and a hot cuppa masala chai. I had half a real samosa, a lime soda and also a REAL Lassi with bits of clotted cream in it ... like it should be. AND ... Mango lassi is NOT real lassi. .... just a gimmick. A pom will tell u what clotted cream is. Also had the softest two Gulab Jamuns ... not too sweet and with real saffron and crushed cashews and pistachios in the centre....
Then went and bought some handicrafts .... now after I finish writing this report will go and have dinner ...... Hmmmm ! I wonder what culinary delights lie in store....
Until next time ... drool , drool ... my friends ... slurp slurp ..... Namaste !

Fatehpur Sikri then to Bharatpur

Fatehpur Sikri has always been my favourite after the Taj Mahal and after this visit it continues to be. Val and I spent a couple of hours here. The carvings and works of art are incredible. This is the city that was built by Akbar the Great and then had to be deserted by the entire population because it ran out of water. The tourist touts are also incredibly irritating and cannot take "NO" for an answer

Always been a lover of snakes and first opportunity i get , I will hold one. Unfortunately Val has different likes. Well ! She missed out on this cuddly creature.

Then it was on to Bharatpur ... a small country town. Stopped in a Dhaba (roadside inn) I just had a lime soda and nibbled on Vals vege Pakoras. Our driver had a stuffed potato paratha. Then another cuddly creature came and stood next to Vals feet. Poor little harmless mouse. What did she have to make such a fuss about. Booked into the Pratap Palace hotel. and had lunch on the lawns ... black dhall and Chappatis, Lassi, lime soda. Relaxed on there for quite a while then started walking toward this internet cafe. Val started ooohing because we had to walk close to a cow. HOLY COW ! She really started to panic when two donkeys started galloping toward us .... Val took off up a drive way.

OK ! Will now take a cycle rickshaw back to the hotel. Have dinner and settle in for the night. We have to wake early to get to the bird santuary. Birds from Northern Asia migrate there. ... Peacocks, owls, kingfishers, storks, cranes etc etc.

Catch you from Jaipur I hope. Till then .... Namaste !

Delhi

Oh NO !!! Not again ......
No ! Dont worry it's far too high above the Qtub Minar. But the Moghul monuments here are superb.
The traffic of course is horrendous.
Thanks to our expert driver Mahavir I avoid having heart attacks. He instills confidence in himself.






This is Humayuns tomb. Imagine one huge building to intern one mans body .. and his wife's.














Outside the Red Fort. The queue was huge. About 2000 or even 3000 people long. We gave up.














India Gate. The buildings are really stately.
















Part of the Indian Government buildings













We set out this morning at 0830 hrs. The drive through the country side was very interesting. What with tractors used as transport, camel driven carts , etc, etc
We arrived Agra and went into the Agra Fort which was the Moghul Capital of the empire. The fort was started in the year 1000 + and did not come to it's present stage until the 1400's. From the Agra Fort we could see the Taj Mahal in the distace. Through the perpetual haze it looked like a dream ... like something out of the Arabian Nights.
And the Taj itself ? It was my third time and I appreciated it's beauty more than ever.
We just had dinner in a fancy kind of restaurant ... mutton Korma, Hyderabadi Biriyani, Butter Naan, Garlic Naan and a beer and Val had a Lime Soda.
Now here at this internet Cafe. with a tremendously fast broadband speed of 120.
Tomorrow off to Bharatpur to see the bird santuary .... looks good ... and will spend a night there.

Until I find another internet cafe (in Rajisthan) Be Cool people .... We are "trying" to be