Author: Duebs

The Hastings Sideswipe – One Year Later

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About a year ago we experienced one of the few hiccups during our global entire trip: a car accident.  I hesitated to post while we were traveling, but now that all the bills are paid and we’re back to the routine of home, I thought you might all want to hear this tale. So, as the Brits would say, sit back, grab a spot of tea and some biscuits, and I’ll describe the event and its humor. It seems long, but is worth it.

In mid-November of 2016 we arrived in Gatwick (London) airport late in the evening after a great visit to Finland. We successfully retrieved our rental car from Europcar and I paid with my Chase card, declining the expensive extra insurance, as usual, and began the drive to Hastings, England. Jody was not at all excited about riding on the left side of the car, on the narrow roads, in a foreign country. The dark and gentle English rain just made the trip even more exciting for her…the stress level from the passenger seat was high, but Google maps got us to our rental house, no problem. The next day I went and got some groceries and then we explored Hastings by car and by foot, just as Storm Angus began to ravage the English coast.

So,now you have the setting. On Friday, our second full day in Hastings, we spent a day by the sea, watching and running from the ever-growing waves, hanging out in the driving rain at Hastings Pier, enjoying some treats, playing on a playground, etc. We headed back to the house around 4 to make some dinner. I was driving up the hill from the town and beach area on Elphinstone Road, which is a main road but is narrow. steep, and a bit winding, like most roads in coastal U.K. towns. As we began the three mile drive, a small truck (aka small lorry) was bearing down the hill toward us (on my right) but was well across the center line.  Now, even in bright sunshine with no traffic there is barely enough room for 2 compact cars to pass on the road, between the parked cars.  These roads were made for horses, not lorries.
I slowed down to give the other driver time to move over on to his/her side of the center line. He/she didn’t.  I hit the breaks a bit more.

Then time slowed down for me.

I saw the headlight from the oncoming truck coming at my right front fender and several cars parked on our left.
That split second seemed like 30 and I assessed the situation and that I decided it was better to veer farther left than to take the head-on collision.  Essentially I decided to control our destiny with swerve instead of just hoping the other driver would move.
As I veered, the truck narrowly missed hitting the fender in front of me. WHEW!
However, on my left there was a scraping noise and a big crashing BANG as our left side mirror shattered when it smacked the parked car’s driver-side mirror!

The oncoming truck, I can only assume, just continued on its merry way on my side of the center line with nary a care in the world.

Meanwhile, in my world, there was much well-deserved consternation from both the front and back seat passengers. They were a bit shaken.  I, on the other hand, had some combination of relief and sweet, sweet adrenaline rushing through me.  In the big picture, all was well.

I found a rare parking spot about 100 yards from the point of impact and stopped to regroup. After making sure everybody was OK and taking a quick look at our car to make sure it was still safe to drive, I walked back to check out the other car. I retrieved its shorn-off mirror from the middle of street and walked up to the small business nearby, assuming the car belonged to somebody there. I asked the people in the front lobby if they knew whose car it was. One very friendly lady said, “Oh, that’s Bonnie’s car. Thank you so much for stopping, most people just drive off.” WHAT?!?!?!

Note: The car owner’s name is not really Bonnie, I changed it to protect her from further ridicule and embarrassment at her workplace…keep reading.

The nice lady in the lobby said the car’s owner, here known as Bonnie, was on a phone call. So I set what was left of the dented mirror on the counter and went out to our car tell Jody and the kids what was happening.

The kids and Jody were still a bit shaken, but clearly fine.  Leo decided to come back to the business with me while Jody and Grace stayed in the car.  Bonnie came outside with us and was very friendly about the accident, also THANKING ME FOR STOPPING!!!  There was no sense of “woe is me” or even “you stupid bloody American”, just very friendly and seemingly happy.  We checked our her car damage – lots of minor scrapes, and some ugly dents, and missing one mirror of course.  We figured we’d better call my rental agency, Europcar, right away so I could report the damage and figure out what to do next.  Leo, Bonnie, and I walked up to our car to get the rental information and Grace and Jody. We chatted about our trip and found out Bonnie had just returned from a trip to the US. She couldn’t have been any  nicer, especially in lieu of the situation.

Since we didn’t yet have cell phone SIMs for the UK, Bonnie offered to have us come back to the office and use their phone and have Jody and the kids sit in the building instead of the car. Then, as we crossed the street, Bonnie’s heel got caught on the curb and she fell straight down without even getting her hands in front of her.  She smacked her face on the pavement really hard.  When she sat up her face was bloodied as she’d cut the bridge of her nose!!!

OH MY GOSH!  So, now I’ve sideswiped this woman’s car AND she’s got a bloody cut-up face too!  However, as we walked in, she was LAUGHING at herself and the situation.  Bonnie jokingly blamed her own jet lag on the spill.

So, now the five of us walked together back into her office (some sort of children’s social services office), and her co-workers couldn’t figure out what had happened!! To them I’m sure it seemed like some American hit her car and then brought her back all bloody!  Bonnie quickly explained what happened and then, while still bleeding, asked if one of her co-workers would get the kids and Jody a cup of tea while we tried to get the rental company on the line.

Jody, Grace, and Leo all reported having delicious cups of tea with milk and one lump each, served by another very sweet lady.  Bonnie got cleaned up and she and I called Europcar and I told them I should have full coverage through my Chase credit card.  I did!  After about 30 minutes Bonnie and I had given all the info (multiple times) to the nice Europcar rep and got a case number, etc.  Since the car was still drive-able, I was told to just keep the car and return it in a couple weeks as planned.  Here are a few photos…nothing some packing tape couldn’t solve.

As for Bonnie, she got a rental car from Europcar to drive while hers was being fixed.  In addition, her co-workers got a great laugh out of the whole situation.

So, we said goodbye and thanked Bonnie and her co-workers for the tea and biscuits (cookies), and we were on our way. As soon as we got into the car, I told Jody it reminded me of this scene:

Funny,no?

Just in case you think the movie snippet above is ridiculous and a bit over-the-top, here are some emails we got from Bonnie during the rest of our travels.  This is from 11/22/16, right after the accident:

“Hi Mike and family, hope you are all well. Just a quick note to say thank you so much for last week. I really appreciate that you took the time to find out whose car it was and waited to get it all reported. Only for me to then hurl myself on the road (I am still blaming jet lag!). My face is healing well; not so sure about my pride!
Just to let you know that I am taking the car in on Thursday to start the process for repairs so it’s all working out. I hope your kids were not too upset by what happened and that they are reassured that it has all been sorted.

Happy travels.
Thanks”

So yes, we bashed her car, cost her time and effort to get it fixed, bloodied her nose, and she THANKED US!!
Here’s another after we sent her the URL for our blog (12/12/16):

“Hi Mike and family, thank you for the link – I was wondering how your trip was going only this morning. Face has healed fine – I still dine out on the story though obviously!
My car is now in for repairs and in its place, I have a brand new VW Golf. It is an absolute dream and I’m so happy!! I am trying to think of different places to drive just to get full use! I will let you know (and send pictures) when my car is back.
What a great trip – I have never been to Scotland but it’s on my list. I’m going to enjoy reading the blog.
Have a fabulous Christmas and I hope Santa is kind to you all.”

See, I wasn’t joking.  She’s one happy lady!
Finally, we see that all is well (12/21/16):

“I hope this photo comes out – car is all fixed as if nothing ever happened. They wrestled the courtesy car keys from my hand so I have been reunited with my car. They even washed and vacuumed it for me – win, win I say.

Wishing you and your family a peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year.”

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Storm Angus hit England hard so we had to make a few changes in plans due to some coastal flooding, but it was still grand.  Jody never did really get comfortable in the left passenger seat for the rest of our UK adventure…or for the several weeks in Australia…or while we were in New Zealand…or probably ever.  But we managed.

So, while I certainly wish I didn’t have to choose between hitting a moving truck head-on or sideswiping Bonnie’s car, nobody got hurt and it really turned into a very cool afternoon.  In the end Europcar and Chase paid for everything, we got to meet Bonnie, she got a repaired and CLEAN car, and the kids got to see how a potentially trip-ruining event was really just one of many great experiences we had, and will continue to have.

Aloha…and…The Show Must Go On

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We’ve been essentially off the grid lately, too far off for Jody to publish information about all our Hawaiian adventures.  More posts will be coming soon…with photos and descriptions of foods and all such details that she includes.

My recent research came up with mixed results, but somebody once said “Life is not a dress rehearsal.”  A good high-school friend of mine in Honolulu recently reminded me of this phrase after noticing my now very-worn black Gustavus t-shirt with the phrase “Make Your Life Count” in faded gold letters.  I imagine you’ve seen the shirt in about 80% of the photos of me on this blog…we travel light and my wardrobe is very limited, but clean.

In any case, this friend suggested that I was definitely making our lives count and fully  living life by taking my family on this adventure.  We have been making what he called “life memories” every single day over these nine months.  Our experiences will create specific memories we probably wouldn’t make in our living room in St. Paul or during our normal day to day activities during our REAL lives.  Yes, there are big costs associated with doing what we’ve done, but there are other costs and regrets we might have had by NOT leaving home.

He is wise, this friend.

This is a bit of a serious post compared to most of my lighter work.  That’s because the airline tickets are booked and we’re coming home next week. Yes, next week we have to start our re-entry process.  I need to find a job and a car, the kids will go back to their own bedrooms, we probably won’t see each other 24 hours/day 7 days a week, and we’ll get to see our family and friends again.

I’m not ready.  None of us are.

Re-entry will be difficult, I know.  I studied abroad in college and I experienced what was then called “reverse culture shock” upon my return to Gustavus.  Every member of our family is much different than we were when we left last September.  We’ve seen a lot and learned a lot about the world and other people and cultures and languages and foods.  And we’ve all grown up together every day and created more life memories than I think I even realize.  Now, we need to keep making our lives count by continuing to learn – at home or on the road.

In Europe, Australia, the South Pacific, or St. Paul, I really hope we can all work to keep understanding that we only get one shot at this life…we gotta live it while we can, enjoy the moments we have and, easy or difficult, fun or toil, the show must go on.

Hopefully you, dear reader, can do the same.
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We Get Mail – Mailbag!

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Our thousands of readers…hundreds?…dozens of readers…OK, our 6-13.5 average daily readers send in tons of questions.  Here are a few I’ve chosen to answer along with some additional tips:

Do toilets really flush in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere?
I get this question a lot from our North American readers.  All toilets in Australia and New Zealand flush down, just like at home.  Thank goodness.  What a strange thing to ask.

How do you carry/afford everything you need?
Step 1 is to redefine what you NEED.  We all want a lot, but what do we really need for a trip like this?  One NEEDS three days worth of clothes (some for warm weather, layers for colder days, a jacket for the wind and rain), some toiletries, our tablets, computers, and chargers, sunglasses, and a cheery disposition.  The more you have the more you need to carry.  We’ve sent home three huge boxes of stuff as we better understand our needs vs. wants.  We’ve also acquired a few things along the way (details in a later post).
Step 2 is to make due with what we have.  Some simple examples are:

• I coat my beard in olive oil before shaving (We almost always have oil on hand for cooking).  Add some warm water and free hair conditioner and the blade slides better than with most shaving creams.  And I smell like a wonderful salad.
• We bought a small, rechargeable electric clippers instead of paying for haircuts (for L and me, anyway).  I figured we saved well over $100 by cutting our own hair. Somehow we didn’t get offered any modeling contracts, however.
• Refill travel-size containers when possible (shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, dish soap, etc.)
• Just say “No” when the kids (or spouse) ask for things or if you want things.  If everybody gets used to hearing “No”, it makes actually dusting off the wallet and buying something just that much more exciting.  Except beer, cider, and wine.  Don’t say no to those…it’s bad form.

Where do you stay and how do you figure out good places?
We’ve stayed almost exclusively in self-catering places. AirBnB and VRBO seem to be everywhere but each country also has their own local version (Sykes Cottages in the UK, Stayz in Australia, BookABach in New Zealand, etc.)  First, I filter everything so we’re only looking at places with an entire home, with two or more bedrooms, WiFi, a washer, a kitchen, no mice, only limited exposure to deadly snakes and insects, and at a good price. We look at location, accessibility via public transport, other reviews and, of course, the photos and then email a few places until we find the right match.

• Use our link here to join AirBnB and we all get discounts: www.airbnb.co.nz/c/mdueber
• Most AirBnB and VRBO places have good discounts if you stay for a week or more.  It might be worth booking 7 nights even if you’ll only stay for 6.  Play with your dates to figure it out.
• Just ask.  In New Zealand, sometimes linens and towels aren’t included. Ask if roads are flooded or closed due to earthquakes (also New Zealand).  I also often mention the kids’ and their ages and sometimes the hosts have little gift packs.

Why in self-catering places and not hotels and motels?
There area few reasons, but mostly for comfort and to save money. The homes and apartments usually have 2 or 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, WiFi, and at least a clothes washer for the same price or less than a hotel or motel. Then we can buy groceries (we can live a long time on cereal, milk, yogurt, PB & J, apples, cheese, bread, COFFEE, and some sort of fish/meat). And grocery shopping is a GREAT way to compare and contrast different  places and cultures – bring the kids, it’ll take MUCH longer.  With multiple bedrooms, we also don’t all have to sleep in the same room and listen to each other snore. As a bonus, the people that rent out their apartments or homes are typically very nice and usually really interested in helping us figure out the best things to see and do. I think you have to be of that sort of personality to allow some strangers to stay in a property you own.

• Lots of places have the “side” groceries already provided.  This includes stuff like olive oil, ketchup, salt and pepper, scrubby pads, soaps, etc.  Check before you go shopping.
• I heard from a friend that one can often extend a stay for a couple days at a self-catering place MUCH cheaper by offering cash than by going through the fee-laden websites.  Remember, a friend told me this.  Cash is king almost everywhere.

How do you communicate wherever you are and with home so well?
We’ve used both Google Hangouts and Facebook to do free video chats with our parents.  I’ve used my Google Voice number to send/receive texts so I can stay in touch with just about everybody, for free.  I’ve also used Google Voice to call credit card companies and banks and stuff when necessary…also for free.  And I’ve had a few Skype calls for interviews and such.

For local communication I’ve gotten cheap SIM card with unlimited SMS texts in each country.  That allows Jody and me to stay in touch when we do separate activities (like if I want to go watch rugby at a pub while she and kids go craft) AND it allows me to easily communicate with the locals for lodging, rental cars, etc.  We both have unlocked phones and it costs less than $25/month total for both of us to stay connected.

• Don’t pay extra to get a lot of data.  We just rely on WiFi and keep a bit of data on hand in case we need a quick Google Maps update somewhere.  And do you really NEED to know immediately that the same actress from “The Ten Commandments” also played Lily Munster?
• If the WiFi someplace isn’t working well, just power down the router for a few seconds and fire it back up.  I’ve done it every place we’ve been and the simple recycle has solved 99% of our issues, so far.

Other thoughts and tips

• Cook bacon on the BBQ grill whenever possible.  It’s delicious and doesn’t make the stove all greasy.  And, it’s BACON!
• Wash clothes daily if you can.  They will dry on your body if you NEED to wear them…clean and slightly damp is better than stinky.
• Assume things won’t go perfectly.  I still get a bit frustrated once in a while but, overall, we’re getting more and more comfortable with ambiguity.
• Finally, here is a Southern Hemisphere water direction analysis link from Scientific American.

Cyclone Cook and Weird Brad

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We spent a few extra nights on the South Island in Picton while Cyclone Cook moved through. The North Island again took the brunt of the damage (much like a week earlier when Cyclone Debbie hit). We had very high winds for a full night and tons of rain for two straight days. The place we stayed had some chairs blown across their yard, there were flooded rugby fields and lawn bowling clubs, and we watched some people bailing out their boats in the harbor. It was nothing like the damage done up north, but still a weather event.

We stayed in a very cool Bed & Breakfast with the greatest hosts I’ve ever met named Kevin and Leita. I’m sure we’ll have more posts about them, but they have a few rooms they rent out in their house so guests are coming and going.  The night Cyclone Cook came through, an American named Weird Brad stop in, hoping for a room and to get out of the rain.  I changed his name slightly because I don’t know his last name, and he was weird. Anyway, Weird Brad stopped in whilst we were making dinner and we exchanged pleasantries and found out he left the US in 2014. Then we had the following conversation:

Me: “So, what brings you to New Zealand?”
WB: “I’m looking for freedom.”
Me: (Quickly answering to try to cover up my discomfort) “Oh, so are you here on a work visa?”
WB: “My work visa ran out months ago. Now I’m seeking refugee status. I went to Wellington to renounce my American Citizenship to find freedom. They told me it would cost $5K, which didn’t seem right. Then the man on the phone wasn’t very nice to me.”
Me: (Thinking “Hmm, if you’ve been traveling since 2014, what happened that you are ‘looking for freedom’? And then thinking, “Did you really just say, ‘The man wasn’t very nice to me?'”) “Oh, we’re having some frozen chicken strips for dinner.”
WB: “Oh, I made a bunch of chicken strips before I left Christchurch so I’d have something to eat.”
Me: “Yep, they’re easy and cheap so we like them once in a while.”

I kept pulling dinner together for a few minutes. Weird Brad then picked up his small backpack and his plastic bag of stuff and went out the door. I assumed he went out to have a smoke or something, but then he never came back. We were like two ships passing in the night. Or like one ship and one somewhat odd, disgruntled, “freedom-seeking” goofball passing in the night.