Hot News - May 2006 (Krabi/Thailand, May 13th, 2006)
- Website statistics: In April we were able to welcome on our website 32'946 visitors
- from ??? different countries* who did 695'678 (= record) hits.
- (March = 39'826 (= record) visitors - 104 countries** - 671'616 hits)
- (* = the country counter didn't work at all in April)
- (** = the country counter stopped working March 23rd)
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- Once again we had to renew our Thai immigration permit with a 'visa-run' to the Burmese city of Kawthoung.
- While the healing of Liliana's broken leg improved considerably due to Ranong's hot springs, our LandCruiser
- started suddenly to give us headaches. Not only that the brake system isn't anymore functioning properly due
- to a leaking valve - far worse - differential oil was dripping off the rear left axle housing, what revealed that the
- shaft was worn out once more, this time after only 13'000 miles of driving. Although we know that this is our
- never stopping trouble maker due to our (over-) weight, we question the reason of this incredible short running
- time - normally a shaft operates for 45'000 to 80'000 miles. Was it the badly paved Thai roads, the heat, or
- was the shaft which we replaced in the Caribbean simply a flaw? At least, we didn't carry a new replacement
- with us, and our inquiry at the local Toyota dealer showed immediately, that there is none available in all of
- Southeast Asia. Hence the damaged one had to be taken out, torn down and rigged up with a sleeve. It's an
- absolutely temporary solution as we lost already twice a wheel due to such an emergency repair - once near
- Pondicherry in India and the second time near Los Angeles in the USA. On the other hand, another sample
- fixed the same way in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates performed well for 80'000 miles!
- As a result, we are driving now very smoothly and slowly and with mixed feelings the approximately 500 miles
- to Penang in Malaysia, where we intend to containerize and ship the car to Bintulu in Sarawak on the island of
- Borneo - let's cross fingers that the wheel doesn't brake off! We have chosen now Penang and Bintulu as
- harbors, because that way we can reduce 600 miles of driving (= reduction of risks). It's in Miri, - which is
- situated on the East Malaysian side at the border of Brunei - where we plan to overhaul the whole vehicle
- (engine and body) until the end of August - in case that Toyota Brunei is ordering the necessary spare parts
- from Japan. Actually Toyota Venezuela promised already at the end of 2004 this "rejuvenation", but dropped
- it surprisingly later on for unknown reasons. Inevitably we came up with the following conclusion: "Do it
- yourself, otherwise you end up in misery!" - 24 years, 153 countries and more than 380'000 miles since its
- "maiden voyage" (= purchase of car May 1982) ask its toll. And our journey definitely has to go on!!!
- OK - how does it go on? We are still waiting for the car entry permits for Indonesia and the Philippines. It
- started so positively - but obviously, it takes an incredibly long time due to the immensely slow and
- enormously complicated bureaucracy. Concerning Indonesia, there seems gradually to be some progress, but
- only, because somebody we know over there is helping us. Regarding the Philippines, we are not at all sure
- whether they are really working on it yet. But time is on our side: We will have now three months ahead of us
- for waiting, inquiring and repairing.
New Reports/Pictures
- SOUTHEASTASIA: mouse over picture shows comments
- click a picture to see details
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| + added from a earlier visit to the USA: | Las Vegas (Millennium change) |
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| + added from our Arabian Peninsula round trip: | Pictures from Yemen (May-June 1996) |
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| + Flashbacks of our Worldrecordtour: | Pictures from "all the continents" (Oct. 84 - April 97) |
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