Gabb and Deb Travel the World A Diary of their Travels
Thursday August 31 - Tuesday September 5 2007
The Gang had invited us along on a cool holiday with them to Key West - right at the bottom end of Florida. What could we expect? Well, the Aussie Crew had just got back from the Bahamas with news of the heat, so we were (kinda) ready for that. And knowing these guys and hearing stories of their previous crusades, a spot of drinking was on the cards, so that had Gabb keen!
We got lots of photos of the trip, so we've dedicated a full page to it.
OK, so you can hardly call this an up to date blog. Oh well. Anyway, I was going to do a page on Deb's birthday celebrations, but realised it would be much easier by video. This is also an opportunity to show you the fun we had around at Mark and Julie's place with their sound studio set up (aka dining room). So Mark got out one of his guitars, Julie on mandolin, Sandra on Dulcimer and Gabb on his brand new bass (more on that later!) and threw together the sound track for I'll Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cuties (crazy I know) and then we had Deb sing over the track a la professional studio mix. Both tracks were the first take, so that wasn't bad. Here it is, with some shots from Deb's Week of Birthday. Big ups to the Tom and Sandra for hosting the party at their place - Tom smoked up a superb Boston Butt with corn and beans and Sandra worked hard on decorations, the cake (thanks Chris!) and some great photo mosaics of Deb's time in Memphis so far. Great company, food, beers, the Margaritas flowed freely and the pool was lots of fun...
Note: this video will be updated with more pics sometime later once I get them from Sandra...she got some goodies!
Tuesday March 20 2007
Excitement at the Drive Thru - Kiwi to the Rescue
Another morning where Deb left early. Gabb hit the breakfast area at about 8am - you can bypass the buffet and get the lovely ladies at the grill to cook your breakfast for you as you wait (as she asks everyone if they want this or that, the reply is always "Yes ma'am"). Looks like these yanks have cheese on top of everything - including cheese omelette! Gabb tried the pancakes this time and yummmmie!
After breakfast , Gabb went for a walk around, buying a few things. They has indicated a high of 23 today, but it sure was hot - worked up a sweat just walking a mile or so (that's 1.63km to you advanced metric folk).
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's a KIWI!
Gabb had just walked past the drive-by bank next to the sports store when he heard a crash noise. He looked around and an old Lincoln Continental (like Ironside(?) used to drive) looked like someone had left it and it had rolled back and the open door had crashed a metal sign over.
As Gabb took all this in, a lady from a nice white BMW behind the Lincoln (looked like it had backed into her car) got out and was yelling help. Well, us kiwis gotta help - Gabb ran around and there was an old lady lying next to the lincoln. And we are talking old - wrinkled skin to the bone type old - surely over 90.
What had happened was her Lincoln had skipped out of gear as she was out of the car waiting for her money and rolled back knocked her down. By the looks of things, the lady in the Bemma, who quickly put her car in park, may have saved this old lady from being run over by her own car as she was kinda trapped between the concrete island and her car. So Gabb lifted her up with his strong kiwi arms - she had scraped her arm so there was a little bit of blood, but seemed OK...more dazed than anything.
Everyone all calmed down and a staff lady came out and insisted the old lady go inside and take a rest. The others got the Lincoln forward to release the pressure on the sign which was toasted. Gabb then packed away his cape away and carried on (before they could get his name and sue him!), being thanked profusely by the ladies around (their accent is so classic). They are all so nice around here - that's East Memphis for ya, Midtown may not be so pleasant.
And that was certainly today's excitement live from Memphis.
Monday March 19 2007
Welcome to the Working Week
Deb was up nice and early to head into work (about half a mile down the road). Gabb got up in support, but Deb told him to relax and go back to bed, so he did! As the kiwis back home entered their second day of the week, Memphis was starting theirs. A Skype call to Edward at Torque to suss out time differences and test the Skype thing comfirmed how brilliant this VOIP is.
Deb had told Gabb about a liquor store nearby, so he went looking for some beer. It ended up being a rather large and rather flash wine store / spirits store. "Do you have any beer?" asked the bulky kiwi lad. "Only Big Beer Sir." replied the assistant. Ends up this means high alcohol (or maybe just big, 'cos most of the bottles were rather large). So Gabb settled for a 6 pack of 6.7% Belgium Grimbergen Blonde Ale and a couple of bottles of wine. Once again we saw the backwardness of the States - not a single screw cap wine in view.
Before lunch Gabb tried out the gym at the Embassy Suites - small but high tech. He did just over an hour on the sit down cycle. Being America, each unit has its own TV, but Gabb just cranked his MP3 up and pushed it hard - hardly able to walk after.
Deb returned rather zonked as both our travellers are still having trouble sleeping through the 2am-6am period, so it was room service, a bit of Seinfield / Family Guy and off to bed.
Sunday March 18 2007
Body Clocks Gone Wrong
Our two intrepid travellers took the opportunity of a Sunday morning to roll over and catch up with some quality sleep - the bed here is great! The free breakfast didn't stop until 10.30 in the weekend, so why not? A later brekkie might allow them to avoid the soccer kids.
Disc Golf Set in the sports store - ideal for begnners like Marty.
But before they knew it, the phone was ringing - it was Pat: "Its after midday and the basketball is on soon - get up!" So much for breakfast...
The town is all abuzz as their college basketball team, University of Memphis' Memphis Tigers, is doing well in the National Knockout Tournament (the NCAA) and it was only right we should check it out.
And so their first full day in Memphis was to start with a breakfast/lunch at a Memphis pub - that's gotta be the kiwi way! We jumped in the car and headed out with the crew from Aussie and NZ to a local a mile or so away. The carpark was a tad empty which had us wondering about their loyalty to the team (or perhaps church goes on all day here?) until we learnt the game had been put back to 3.45pm.
So we scoffed down some lunch - impressive burgers indeed: they ask you how you want your burger done! Gabb's medium Bleu Burger (bacon with scattered blue cheese) went down a treat with a Bud or two.
The team all had things to do (mostly work - no rest for the wicked) and so they all headed back to the hotel with the plan of hitting the pub again for the game. Deb and Gabb hit a "pharmacy" for a few supplies. Walgreens, as it was called, it more than just a pharmacy in our terms - it was basically a supermarket with everything from stationary supplies to food, cellphones, magazines, electronics and more.
The resulting bag of purchases was too much for Gabb to carry, so it was next off to the sports store in another mall for a backpack. Whilst there, Gabb checked out the disc golf area (looks to be Innova territory) which had a decent supply of goodies. The two troopers couldn't resist the opporunity to get in the spirit of things and Deb walked out with a Tigers tshirt whilst Gabb now sported a blue Tigers cap.
Screens and Smokers Everywhere - Another traditional mid west pub - the Garden Bar.
Upon returning to the pub, the sporting spirit was alive and kicking with plenty of supporters and plenty of TV screens everywhere. The 6 kiwis (well, a Pom, an Aussie and 4 kiwis [go into a bar...]) set themselves up and enjoyed a relatively exciting game. The Tiger hit out early against Nevada State and never let go of the lead, 2 points being the closest Nevada got. The next match looks to be against the favourites sometime Friday, so that will be interesting. Looking at the enthusiasm of the supporters, it will be interesting to see their response to a loss.
Cough Cough!
Getting used to smoking in pubs is going to be hard to get used to. But one observation was that the cigarettes there don't seem as harsh as back in NZ - not as bad as the disgusting cutting cancerous attack on the nasals that one gets when Pistol lights up on the golf course. Not pleasant all the same and it was nice to get back out to some fresh air after the game.
Another point about the pubs is the great service from the staff - constantly walking around offering to grab anything for you. Possibly part of the don't-get-up-have-another-upsized-burger culture but good to see.
Deb headed into work for a meeting that had to happen before Pat flew out, so Gabb got Room Service (another burger!) and worked away for a bit, talking to Edward on Skype which worked a dream. Deb and the crew were going to get pizza in, but this never happened and upon her return she was to learn that Room Service had just that second closed. Poor thing - they wouldn't budge and after trying to find any delivery possibilty, she was resorted to a bunch of Oreo biscuits(!).
Saturday March 17 2007
Land of the Angels
Check this out Marty! - Room Service delivered a Four-In-One Rotating Game Table - we spent the evening playing Foosball, Pool, Gridiron and Table Hockey!.
Being a weekend, the breakfast was pretty busy. We passed on the cooked omelette as the queue was a good 30 people long. It was most interesting to see some guests coming down for breakfast in their pyjamas! That wasn't all that was weird...light switches that are upside down, taps that turn the opposite way and toilet that are almost full of water (this has me thinking who has this right: us or them?)!"
"Once we got back to the check-in counter for Northwest Air, we were to learn that our dramas were not over. Yet again we were told that a booking number was not enough. The chap we had - Mike - was great though and was determined to get us through - like the other times, he could see us marked down with our seats etc. Qantas were once again illusive and passed him onto others that were of no help. But Mike and his boss Oscar took the bull by the horns, overwrote a few things and sent us up through security and into departures."
Keeping up the patriotism in USA - in her Memphis hotel room, Deb proudly displays the New Zealand flag that Kimbo gave the pair
before they departed on the Friday - great idea!
"But yet it wasn't over - the woman taking our boarding passes wouldn't let us on without tickets. Grrrr! It wasn't looking good until a bloke with the balls to make a decision overwrote her and put us on the plane. We thought we might yet be rejected when the unfriendly lady came back onto the plane - but this was to argue with the stewardesses over getting a couple of people onto the only 2 remaining seats."
"And then we were in the air - yippee! Deb slept most of the way in the 'first class' seats whilst I accepted a glass of wine or two whilst checking out the view - pretty much barren brown terrain most of the way when I could see through the clouds."
Welcome to Memphis
"We were picked up at the airport by Pat (on St Patrick's Day), Deb's boss, who whisked us back to the packed hotel ('we don't appear to have you booked for tonight Ms Cuthbert') where I was looking forward to the end of lifting those bags once and for all. It appears to be a very nice hotel (Embassy Suites, part of the Hilton chain), although it was full of kids running and screaming everywhere - some weekend soccer tournament - but I'm told it will quieten down once the weekend passes."
"We had dinner with Pat in the hotel restaurant - very nice (and quiet!) with an Italian theme. Deb enjoyed a yummy beef lasagne whilst I tucked into a Pollo Florentine. During conversation, I was to be further impressed by Deb and her corporate businessness(!), seeing what a high flying decision maker she is at the top levels".
Bed wasn't too far away with Gabb trying to suss out the confusing hotel television ("I just want TV!") and getting over the disappointment of learning there was looking to be no way of seeing any World Cup cricket. We did learn from Pat that the Warriors had a good win against the Eels though. Heads hit the pillows before ten, but some adjusting is still required - Gabb unable to sleep and so was up at 3am typing out this page!
"Possibly the last time I get to tower above you" quipped Uncle Gabb to Nathan as they made their farewells...
Friday March 16 2007
Talk About Drama!
Well, the day finally came. After screeds of legal papers to sign, insurance to organise, stuff to box up, people to wave bye bye to, Deb and Gabb were ready to walk through customs to the Qantas lounge (care of our Business Class status!). But not before a farewell to family - it was probably going to be the last time Gabb towered above Nathan (if you call a 4mm advantage towering!). A few tears were shed as Deb said goodbye to her mum and sister - and also as Gabb stared at the upcoming NRL league schedule(!).
Deb was a wee bit disappointed to be on Qantas versus Air New Zealand. And rightly so!
And so it was on the plane after the prolonged security measures. As the passengers settled in, the Captain announced that there was to be a slight delay due to electrical problem (the main battery was not recharging - would have worried the passengers that had boarded in Melbourne!).
Not long after, it was announced that the delay was to be a protracted one and there was the possibility of a need to replace the battery! After about 90mins in the plane still parked by the terminal it was announced that sure enough everyone was to get off and wait in departure lounge as they had to completely shut down the electrics to replace the battery.
400 passengers stuck in a small Departure Lounge with just 2 toilets. The behaviour of the people was commendable.
And so a full plane of 400 passengers were rather tightly packed into the departure lounge of Gate 8 with just 2 toilets - there was quite a line indeed!
The Sprit of Australia
Eventually everone was put back on the plane and underway after about 3 hours in all. It was obvious to Deb that they would miss their connecting flight from LA, but the Qantas staff assured all that they would sort this all out for us in advance and things would be easy all upon arrival. This was to be the first assurance from Qantas staff that was to prove nonsense...
Gabb hadn't done Business Class Air NZ before, but Deb's description left this Qantas Business Class feeling like the back of a pickup truck. Not that Gabb was complaining - like the kid he is, he couldn't wait to get the personalised video screen up and check out the games! But the reclined 'bed' of the chair was not at all comfortable. And then there was the kid across from us screaming every hour or so (meanwhile her parents had been doing their best to drink the plane's wine collection dry!).
Gabb was to be disappointed with the video games too - his impressions were that he was going to be blasting around as Mario, or driving Formula One. But all this setup offered was chess games, pixelated spacies with a useless controller and not much more. So he settled back with the CD player and cranked up Midnight Oil's Diesel and Dust followed by the recently released Beatles: Love - well worth a listen right through for the all new mixing of the tracks together.
Despite the flight dramas, our intrepid travellers were able to stop for one of those familiar "we were at LAX" photo opportunities.
Gabb now describes the events for the rest of that day...
"So, despite these wee let downs, it was good to be on our way eating well and landing in LA (smog very evident from the air!)."
"As we waited at Customs, one of the checking agents organised by Qantas came up to us and - 'to save time' - supplied us with our connecting flight info on a computer printed sheet. So we walk 25 minutes with all our luggage (4 big bags plus 3 carry-ons) to the right terminal for a flight that would mean grabbing yet another connecting flight in Phoenix Arizona."
"We then spent 50 minutes with this airline (US Airways) who, whilst they could see us on the flight schedule, would not let us fly without a ticket or FIM. Looked like the agent who was 'saving us time' was going to in fact, waste us a day."
The US Airways check-in person tried to call Qantas to sort this out - no answer (3 times). The flight was over sold, so we couldn't even buy tickets!!! Weather issues were not helping - the East Coast was having heaps of trouble with snow (over 15 inches of snow in some places!)."
Cheers - a quick room service meal in LA before crashing out big time.
"Anyway, that flight looking to be a lost cause - we end up walking all the way back to the Qantas terminal - no Qantas person around there at all. Over this period, we had met a few people from the same ex-Akld flight having dramas too. Deb decided to ring her Travel Agent in NZ, who was getting tons of calls more about the weather (in fact she didn't even know about the delay of QF25)."
"We had reached the point of saying stuff it, book into a hotel and go tomorrow. I just wanted to find someone from Qantas who had some clout and intelligence, but as they had no flight scheduled for a few hours, you could find absolutely no one."
"Deb rang the hotel chain she's using in Memphis and booked us into the equivalent here in LA. We caught their courtesy bus (man their 'small' buses are something else...I can just see Slick driving one for the MTB club!). On the way out there, the agent called back and she had gotten hold of a Qantas Senior Customer Service Person: 'tell them to enjoy their evening and Qantas will cover everything', so that was a relief. They had booked us for the next day on the same flight as originally booked on, direct to Memphis at 12.50pm. Deb specifically asked if she needed any paperwork / tickets: 'No just quote this number' - this was to be another Tui's yeah right moment".
"So we eventually got ourselves a nice little room, had a room service feed and had an early night due to poor sleep on plane. The timing of the flight the next morning meant we could take our time in the morning.
