|
Advertise with Classic Motorcycling Australia
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
| |
Current Topic Rating:  | Join the Forum to Rate this Topic at: Classic Motorcycling Australia Forums
|
|
|
Former Member
deleted
25 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Oct 2003 : 9:35:49 PM
|
As I'm about to get chucked out for failing to post anything, here's my news on my trip sans bike to the Island last weekend. By the way, my bike riding is improving, I went for a 10km ride today and didn't fall off so it must have been a successful ride.
Yes, I did go to Phillip Island. And I can't believe everything that went wrong. I'll try to list the things - I still can't believe it!
1) I did not note where I parked my ute at the airport parking lot. WHY? I ALWAYS draw myself a map of where the car is before leaving on a trip.
2) They did not have the Toyota I ordered in Melbourne. Instead they gave me a brand new green Renault. It was shaped like an enlarged Mazda 121, it was awful, the indicators/wipers were on opposite sides to where they are in Australia, every time I indicated the wipers came on, the battery in the key that unlocks the car went flat after 2 goes, the car had been run in at 130kph and it did not want to go at any other speed other than 130kph and you know how hard I am trying not to get a speed camera offence.
I had to keep taking my foot completely off the accelerator and braking and then it would creep back up to 130 where it would sit unnoticed. If I don't get a bluey in the mail next week it'll be a miracle.
The car was auto (which I hate) and there was nothing on the gear shift to show what gear you are in - no handbook in the glovebox - I eventually found out there's a sign on the dashboard that lights up to show you what gear it is - not before I nearly reversed into a wall. A light on the inside kept coming on and I could not find
where to make it stay off. I could not work the radio which was stuck on classical music or Turkish music stations.
Anyhow I drove directly to the racetrack. I had been told to expect cold weather so I was wearing warm stuff.
3) A heatwave happened. It went up to 30 degrees in no time. Some galah told me it would be fun to walk right around the track. They never said it was 10kms. Half way round the track I needed the paramedics who gave me oxygen and said my blood pressure was 170/110 and I should go straight to the medical centre. I said no, I'll get my blood pressure pills from the car.
4) I continued on with the walk back. On the way my bag broke and I had nowhere to put my keys, money, etc, but in the pockets of my bike jacket. I was extremely hot and sick by then.
5) It was 3.30 so I decided to go back to the car and just go to the motel and rest - there was nothing very good going on anyway.
I went and asked a security guard where the parking lot was and he said "There's only one parking lot - it's that paddock over there.
When I parked the Renault I was careful to note where I was. There was a stand of trees I parked near, and I also took a photo of the area. I knew I could find my car. I had a brief look at the parking lot which contained around 1000 cars and could not see a line of trees like the one I parked near. I asked an attendant and he said "Well, your car has to be here - this is the ONLY parking lot there is."
6) I walked until 4.30pm when I realized I was not going to find the car. I went back to the attendant. I showed him the picture I took of the trees that I parked near. He said "It looks a bit like those trees over there - if you wait half an hour I'll go and look for it on my bike."
So I waited in the shade and he took off with the car keys on his bike and came back some time later saying "I think it could have been stolen." I said again, "This does not look like the parking lot where I put my car. I bought an orange ticket and stuck it on the dashboard."
He said "We don't sell orange tickets here. You can't have." Imagine how I feel: I am wearing heavy clothes including a bike jacket, I am hot, my BP is up, I am sick and dehydrated and I have a bit of sunstroke. God!!!
7) I waited until 5.30pm when a lot of people had left - only about 200 cars were still there - and the Renault was not among them. I walked up to the main gate and asked several people there 'IS THERE ANY OTHER PARKING LOT' and they all replied "No, every year that farmer hires us that paddock and that is the only place there is to park."
8) I waited until 7.30pm when EVERYONE had left. I said to a security guard nearby "I am just going to report this car stolen even though I don't think it is, I'm going to abandon the car and return home tonight. I have had enough." I felt sick again and a passing paramedic put me on oxygen again - I must have looked awful. I felt a mess. The paramedic kept saying "What day is it? Did you come here with someone? Can you remember coming here on a bus? Are you sure you came in a car?' Obviously he thought I was mad or maybe escaped from an old people'shome.
An ambulance came along on the way back to base and the driver said "Jump in, let's just drive up the road and see if there IS another parking lot."
So that's what we did and you know what, one and a half kms away in a paddock, all alone was the Renault. And it wasn't a blue Renault, it was GREEN, which is what I'd been telling people all along, that what was written on the key, "Blue Renault", wasn't true. Apparently some new farmer decided to make some money from his paddock and forgot to tell anyone.
9) The ambulance driver got out while I tried to open the Renault with the key, which by now had a flat battery. The car wouldn't unlock. So the driver broke into it somehow, I don't know how he did it, I was nearly unconscious by then I felt so sick.
10) I drove 120kms back to Melbourne and found the street my motel was in quite easily. The street turned out to be around 20kms long. It's called Punt Road. It's a heritage listed area and unknown to me big neon signs for motels are not allowed - so the motel had this tiny little sign. I had been told it was called the Quest Motel in Prahran, but even if I could have seen the sign right away, it said "Quest on Windsor". So anyhow I could not see the sign, and the
street numbers made no sense, like they'd start from No. 1 every time there was a new suburb and I didn't know what suburb I was in. Along the 20kms of Punt Road there were 5 different suburbs each with a new set of numbers. After half an hour I phoned the hotel on my new mobile phone. Suddenly I got
a message that the money was running out (it's pre-paid) just as the lady was telling me how to get there. I said to her "I don't know what to do, my phone's going to cut out" and she said "Give me your number and I'll call you back" and you know what, I DIDN'T HAVE THE BLOODY NUMBER WRITTEN DOWN
ANYWHERE. So the phone cut out and all I heard was "It's only a little sign, it's near a private hospital."
11) I drove up and down for a further hour asking every pedestrian I could find. Finally by chance I found it.. In the meantime I had tried to figure out how
to put more money into the mobile phone but couldn't.
12) I finally got to sleep around 12.00. I had been sending friendly little sms messages to some friends to keep me going and help me not feel so alone in the world
but after receiving no reply from my sister in law, finally after she received one that said "Jason from Wollongong won his race by 7 seconds" she sent one back "SO?" What a conversation stopper. SO? I was already feeling vulnerable and was incredibly hurt by this. I needed some friendly messages. I felt devastated as recently she came over here and we made friends (so I thought) after not speaking for years. What a time she chose to tell me she really didn't give a stuff where I was or what I was doing.
13) I went back to Phillip Island on the Sunday. Same problem as before, car would not do any speed but 130kph. I wore lighter clothing. Suddenly the weather changed. It became freezing cold. Winds from the Antarctic struck and rain fell. I sneaked into the grandstand but it wasn't covered.
I sat there shivering but determined to see the main race. It was torture. I waited and saw the race and then went back to the car - which was not locked this time.
14) I drove back and on the way I saw a Victorian copper picking on a young Japanese tourist on a new Kawasaki. I stopped the car and went over to see what was wrong. I asked the young fellow what happened. He said he bought the bike for his holiday here but on the way from Sydney the rego label holder had fallen off. I said to the copper "Why don't you let him go? He's a tourist, he's spending his money here in your state and keeping you all in a job, it's not a criminal offence, it's accidental, the bike is new, it's registered." The copper was very nasty so I said "I'm going to videotape this then, and the bloke can use the footage of you harassing him in court." So I started to videotape the proceedings while the cop wrote a ticket. The Japanese fellow hardly spoke any English. Eventually the cop let him go after threatening to confiscate my camera and arrest me. I said "I informed you that I was going to videotape you and you did not object so I have not broken the
Federal Telecommunications Act." I had him stumped there. I said "Go and have another hamburger and leave the bikers alone."
Then someone in the crowd came and spoke to me and said "Good on you - that cop rode his police bike in front of the Jappy bloke, slammed on the brakes and deliberately caused him to run into his back tyre, then he started harassing him about it and saw the rego label was off."
15) Again in the dark it took an hour to find the motel, but at least I was able to ring them for directions from time to time.
16) There was a horrible queue at the airport the next day, then at the last minute I realized I left the phone in the Renault. I ran back to get it and nearly missed the plane.
17) At the Sydney airport it took me over an hour to find my ute. I went into another half-day of parking which cost me an extra $90 or something because of the delay in
finding it.
WHAT A HORRIBLE WEEKEND
Other things happened, too many to mention - but all of them bad. If you were in a grandstand I can send you my photos so you can see if you're in them.
|
Louise |
|
|
keith campbell
Level 3 Member
Victoria
248 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2003 : 10:20:44 AM
|
congrats on your effort to stick to your guns and tuff it out.i hope it was all eventually worth it witnessing the great noise and 10 sec. recovery by rossi.next year camp at the track,its much easier.cheers keith.
|
 |
|
|
john
Forum Moderator
Victoria
3130 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2003 : 12:41:07 PM
|
| I reckonyou deserve an award for the effort and living to tell it ti us. Well done! |
John Daley Sidecar #68
' there are those who do, those who dont do and those who undo. We must lampoon the latter." |
|
|
|
matcho mick
Advanced Member
New South Wales
570 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2003 : 11:31:01 PM
|
IM with you John,definately a medal,if 1/2 of that happened to me i'd be temted to take up drinking again!,look on the bright side illawarrian,1), you know who your friends are!,2), next years gotta be better,hang in there!,mick |
|
|
|
Former Member
deleted
25 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2003 : 10:24:22 AM
|
I think I'll just ride my bike down there next year - it's sure to be easier than going through all that!
I'm coming along well and get up at 5am on weekends to ride when there's no traffic.
Louise |
Louise |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Classic Motorcycling Australia Forums |
© 2000 - 2025 |
|
|
|
|
Topic Locked
