NOVEMBER 8th, 2001

Hey all once again.... Sorry for the delay in correspondence. Zule has seemed to settle somewhat in UK, he is in Earls Court at present but doesnt know if he'll last there for too much longer. He says it reminds him of Broady or the Bronx.yuk. A bit dodgy. He has hooked up with Travis Kenny, so who knows at this stage what that will mean, we all know Kenny pretty well?! ha ha ha ha ha

He was under the impression that he wouldn't be able to get work, having lost his working visa, but has managed to get work as a labourer I believe, already bought a hard hat and work boots.... This job may mean his trip is extended for a bit longer, as long as he can put up with the weather and the life of work again, in a strange place? I hope he gets over it pretty quickly!!!???

Ben is home this weekend, after also losing his passport.... Too much alcohol perhaps?

Will get back soon, hopefully with more info ;-)

Cheers Cathie

OCTOBER, 25TH, 2001

Hey, I got an email from Zule this morning, and he has a new passport!!!! Yeah!!! No longer an ass ;-) Don't know what I mean?????? Follow this link to see a picture of a guy who loses his passport.....

He says they are ready to go to UK by Monday 29th October, so that may be the next place we have contact from him. It seems they have an address in London to use as a contact for now anyway, so hopefully it wont take them long to get set up in a place of their own.

OCTOBER 24th, 2001

Well, I got an email this morning, and then a parcel this arvo. Finally we have some rolls of film to develop (10 in all). I think we'll wait for a bit, it'll cost too much.... I want to get some done though so we can update this site. He sent me some Turkish Rosary beads and a lovely stone cross, I presume from Turkey also, seeing they did the churches while in Istanbul. He sent his first 4 days of travel journal writing but confesses to getting slack and stopping. Shame!

He got out of Czech thankfully, and is now in Berlin Germany. He says in his last email that they are hoping to be in the UK by this Sunday, so we'll wait and see.

Cheers! ;-)

OCTOBER 21ST, 2001

Well, what a drama..... I got an email from Zule last week saying that he had misplaced his passport......All systems alert!!! I contacted some consulate in Aus to get info, and was advised to send him to Warsaw Poland??? The closest Embassy he said. Only problem was that he couldnt cross the border into Poland without a passport.

They then trecked across Czeck Republic for a few hours the following day to get to the consulate, which by the way wasnt in the place it was meant to be (if you took any notice of the Australian website????) Long story short, he has a temporary 4-day passport just to get him out of Czech and into Germany to go to the closest Aus Embassy and apply for another passport. They are heading for Berlin in a bus now, travelling through the night.... I guess their whereabouts after that depend on how long it takes Zule to get a replacement passport. He said last night via phone conversation that they would like to be in the UK within 2 weeks. Then again that causes a problem as he needs to re-apply for a working visa too, so work may have to wait a while.

Will let all know what's going on soon!!!!!!! Can't wait myself ;-)

Cheers.......?!!!!!!!@#$&^%$

OCTOBER 14th, 2001

I got another email today from the boy, and they are in Prague, Czech Republic at the moment. They are seriously struggling with the lack of English over there, but Zule seems cool. He actually sent a message in his email about a travelling friend who had an experience with a guy of muslim background, who told her to leave the UK by the 15th of October....... Who knows if this is to be a truth or not??? Zule says they are not due to leave for the UK until about 3 weeks from now. Its a bloody worry!! Let you know when I get another update!! ;-) Cheers

OCTOBER 8TH, 2001

Today I received an email.......

"Did Gallipoli today by far the most interesting part of Turkey so far. A big and exhausting day though. The shits going down around the world at the moment. Pretty dodgy hey!!!! I feel just as safe in Turkey as i would in Oz though. Maybe our last week in Turkey this week, all depends. Anyway signing off for today. You must be back at school by now = Suffer!!!!!!!!!!! C Ya and Miss Ya Ryan "

OCTOBER 4th, 2001

Well I see we all got another email from the boys today. They are having a ripper of a time, and all travelling I picture wearing crew cuts. What a sight that would be!!!! Especially Ben with a bald head!!

They are busing it to Istanbul in the morning, which will take many hours, so that'll be fun for them. I actually managed to speak to Zule tonight on MSN briefly before we got disconnected which was lovely. Its nice to be on the computer at the same time, which may not happen everywhere, its just we are only 7 hours ahead of Turkey so when I'm on late, he's on in the arvo.

Will update when I hear from Zule again. Cheers ;-)

OCTOBER 1st, 2001

I heard once again from Zule via reverse charges tonight. They had returned from their four day cruise around Turkey, and had come in to Olympus. Tomorrow they head for Cappadocia which is inland. I have added a quick little link of photos of Cappadocia on the front page if anyone is interested...

They are going to maybe stay in Cappadocia for up to a week, then go on to Istanbul and visit the Bay of Gallipoli no doubt. They have heard that Istanbul isnt really very nice, so they'll keep going, most likely on a bus and start travelling through Bulgaria on the way to Czech where they intend to stay in Prague for a while. They have a 30 day Visa for Prague, so I guess its up to them.

They seem to be having a great time, and have met up with a bunch of tourists and they are sightseeing together. I'm hoping to hear from Zule again once he hits Istanbul, but we'll see. Keep posted!

SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2001

I finally tracked them down, and got to speak to Zule on the phone last night. He seems really relaxed and to be having a great time. After we spoke on the phone for a while, I received an email outlining some of their trip in more detail. Ryan seems most upset that the Bombers prevail, but I'm sure he'll be quite vocal in barracking for the Lions this weekend, purely in spite of Ben!!!!! Go Brisbane. They have been in traditional Turkish baths, mud baths, hiking in gorges, swimming and snorkling, white water rafting, paragliding etc...... And I presume they've been drinking their fair share of alcohol too!!!

They were leaving today (26th) to go on a four day boat trip around the very Western Islands of Turkey I believe, and after four days will come into Olympia. From there they plan to go up into Turkey, through Ankara and to Istanbul (I'm presuming purely for Gallipoli). From there Ryan said they'll bus it through Bulgaria on the way to Czech where they plan to spend time, especially in Prague.

Once they have spent all the time they need to in Czech, the plan to date is to spend a week in Amsterdam, then move onto London for Christmas. That's where they envisage looking for work, as their money will be drained by then. Lets hope its all run out and they all come home after Christmas!!!!! ;-)

I'll add another installment once I hear again from them after their cruise. God willing they'll all be kept safe and sound and away from world tensions!

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2001

Well, I haven't exactly heard from them, but on Saturday night we were at dinner at Donovans. When I came home there was a message with Zule talking to who I presume was an operator on the machine. Damn, I missed him.. Since then I have had a phone divert thingy put onto the home phone so in the event of another call, it'll go to mobile!!

Dave and Tanya came over for dinner last night, so we searched where we thought he may be and rang there.....lo and behold he had been there but had moved on. The guy at Sammy's Palace told us where he thought they'd gone, so we called there too. Lo and behold, we got it right again, but the boys were out on a boat and wouldnt be back in until 7pm Turkey time, which made it 2am here, so we gave up. Tonight I called there agin, and they had slipped out from under our nose once again, and were on their way to Oludeniz Beach, further south. Supposedly they will be there soon, so I'm waiting for the time to pass to give them another call. I'm not stalking, I promise!! ;-)

SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2001

Heard from Zule again today, and alas, they are in Turkey, somewhere in the West. Zule says that the part of Turkey they are in is lovely, and that Greece had killed them financially. They are seeming to be having good experiences in an Aussie Hostel there, (the place they're at is called Kusadasi I think. I checked after our MSN conversation, and that is the closest holiday destination near the Greek border, so I'm presuming that's it......will find out for sure though!!)

Today they were setting off on a bus tour around the country side, and they must have began early, cause he was online 8:30am Turkey time.

Yvonne also heard from him yesterday, and has his direct number in Turkey. He says Turkey is beautiful and not as expensive as Greece, which he said is dirty and the people there are not as friendly as in Turkey. Zule stated they'd like to stay there for a month. God willing Turkey will remain calm and not become involved directly in the world crisis. They are however close to borders on the Western side of Turkey, so quick exit to Greece, or Italy even seem good.

We're looking forward to hearing from the boys again soon!!!

SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2001

Heard again from Zule today. He emailed us from the Island of Ios saying he was feeling quite seedy, and enjoyed a great night out last night. It was 42 degrees and he was feeling the effects of too much sun, although is appreciating how easy it is to tan over there - no need for the solarium!!!! he he he

The following day they were off for another Island called Samos.

SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2001

Well, finally we heard from Zule, after days wondering and waiting on word that they are alright, stressing like we do, and not eating, flying at the phone each time it rang, etc etc etc...Last night Ryan called here from Greece, just out of Athens. They are currently planning to go to the Island of Ios in the Greek Islands tomorrow, where I think they'll stay for a week or two.

Zule said the trip out was delayed in both Sydney and Egypt, so they didn't get to Athens on Thursday night until 8:30pm Greek time (3:30am our time), and everywhere to call with their phone careds were closed. The phone lines out of Greece are seemingly difficult and the boys had trouble getting a good line out to us.

I should hear from him again via e-mail from Ios, so will update this page then.

FOR YOUR USE>>>>

Check out International Time Zones - http://times.clari.net.au/index.htm

Please, e-mail Zule here, or sign the guest book and make our conversations a bit more fun...get everyone involved!!!

HEY ALL, A NOTE FROM CATHIE..........PLEASE SAY A PRAYER FOR OUR BOYS WHILE THEY ARE IN TRANSIT, WE LOVE THEM ALL AND WANT THEM TO BE SAFE AND RETURN IN ONE PIECE.!!!