So the storm raged all night, the wind ,whilst so refreshing battered the van the whole night through and by 0430 hours we gave up trying to sleep. The sunrise made up for the ungodly hour, and was peeping through the trees opposite the campsite, setting the skies alight.
Not having much left to do packing wise, we folded up the beds, and bedding, and took the van around to the camp kitchen so we could wash up and wash down the work tops before taking it back. It was treated to a brush out, ridding the floor of dust and sand, the bins were emptied,all the dishes put away,and by 0530 we were heading towards Midland to drop off the van. Unfortunately the depot didn't open until 0900hrs so we had more than a bit of time to kill... we took the van to a car wash just around the corner and gave it a good wash to get the dead flies and other bugs off it, before going in search of a coffee. Google came to the rescue and took us to a fab little coffe shop not 2 minutes away. The food smelt great and we could see them cooking it so given we had a fair bit of time to kill we settled in and got comfortable.
By 0830 we were finished and waiting outside the depot to hand the van back in. We didn't have to wait long before Telea came out and dealt with the handover. What a superstar she is and a real credit to the company. There were a few issues with the van, the tracking was out, and the brakes were wearing so were juddering when we came to a stop. They are only minor things but people put a lot of miles on the vans. Telea said that the van had been tested before we had it, but that she would get it chcked out again. We went and completed the handover inside where it was much cooler, and chatted about the next part of our trip, with lots of great ideas, hints and tips packed away from her i think it's safe to say we need a lot longer here.,
Si had been nibbled in the night in Mandurah and the bites had now started tracking, were very red and hot to the touch.,we were recommmended to get some pawpaw cream for it, which we will be getting once we get back into the city.
I booked an uber to transport us to the hotel and when it came the little old man wasn't sure we were going to get everything in his car. It was a new one and he'd only had it 2 weeks. With all the skill of the ultimate expert in packing small cars, Si got all our stuff in with room to spare whilst the man juststood there shaking his head bless him. In the way in he was telling us he was 80, and we think he had a bit of altzheimers going on because there were a lot of repeated conversations.. His powers of observation weren't the best and its a good job Si was in the front to alert him to stop so he didnt run into the vehicles in front of us. Flashback central right there. ugh.
We made it to the hotel in one piece, and walked into the blissfuly cool reception to see if we could leave our bags. We could have checked in if we'd been willing to have paid another 60 dollars a night. We declined their "kind" offer and as long as they would keep our bags safe we were happy enough to wait til 1400hrs for our room to be ready.
Whilst we were waiting we went into the centre, sat in the sunshine, had a nice long drink, and watched the world go by. Si got some of the magic cream for his bites that looked like they were spreading to me. Over another drink we chilled out reflecting on the trip so far the highlights, what we'd do differently on the next part of it and had a few laughs over the experience. 1400hours came around surprisingly quickly and we went back to the hotel to shower and unpack.
The room is .... interesting. You walk in through the door off the landing and directly on your left is the bathroom, not a door in site, just the shower, toilet and sink,.. the bedroom is on through, and compact but ok for us. Especially after being in the van for 10 days. There is a sliding door that separates the bedroom from the bathroom so you can use the loo in peace, a small hanging rail, a safe on a box and a desk with a telly on the wall. The room does have a fridge which we filled with our leftovers, that contained water and milk, and a rather nice nesspresso machine sits on he desk with a selction of coffees for our consumption. In the drawer under the coffee machine is a selection of teabags, mugs and spoons. After the camper it feels massive, I think if we were coming into it off the plane it might feel a bit claustrophobic .
The shower gels, soaps and shampoo smell great very lemony and the towels are soft and fluffy.
Once we'd showered and I'd had a nanna nap we went over the road to Elizabeth quay for a drink and some food. It was really busy, lots of hen and stag parties, and also boat dinner cruises going out. The sunset was lovely and once it had gone we meandered back to the hotel for some sleep.
much love
x
Comments