2003 | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

David Herd unforgettable year 2003

July 1, 2014 by David Herd

David-herd-Barcelona-Brazil-Bangkok-Pattaya

David Herd unforgettable year 2003, not sure how I survived, it was one of the busiest & best years for travel, & at home on the Gold Coast, that I have ever experienced. I went to Vietnam twice in January & April, Thailand in April & July, then around the world in November starting in Chile, then on to Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Barcelona & Bangkok on the way home to Australia.

In August I took 3 lovely Japanese girls on a 7,000 kilometer road trip through the Outback to Uluru, stopping at Broken Hill & Coober Pedy then on the way home we went to Airlie Beach & Hervey Bay to see the whales.

This is not a travel blog just a personal photo collection from 2003.

Lovely Japanese girls + Vannessa

Most of these lovely girls were students, I took 3 of them on a 7,000 kilometre road trip through the Outback and to Uluru. My friend Vannessa Teo is the lovely lady on the right.

The girls loved my Mercedes.

I had a couple of Japanese girls staying in my home, they loved my yellow Mercedes & here they are after I had taken them & their friends for a Yum Cha.

A very happy group Friends family students

Harley is looking like a stunned mullet, the other guy is Jack, an Aussie who I met in Vietnam in January.

My beautiful home

I lived here from 1990 to 2011 & loved every minute.

David Herd unforgettable year

I enjoyed these beautiful sunsets for 21 wonderful years living in my beautiful home on the Gold Coast in Australia.

My beautiful Mercedes

I owned this lovely car for 17 years, I reluctantly sold it in 2007 when I was starting to downsize with a view of moving to Thailand.

Duranbah Beach Tweed Heads

Duranbah Beach (NSW, also called Flagstaff Beach) is the most northern beach in NSW. The 500 m long beach faces east and is located between the northern 400 m long entrance wall of the Tweed River mouth and the 30 m high black basalt slopes of Point Danger, which marks the Queensland-NSW border.

Lunch with friends Ross & Mariana Kennedy

Lunch at Omeros Brothers restaurant with good friends Ross & Mariana at the Marina Mirage.

Chevron Renaissance in Surfers Paradise

One of my favourite people watching locations.

Getting ready for out road trip.

My 3 Japanese friends Yukako, Noriko & Megumi who came on the Outback road trip. Did I mention life 2003 was frantic? Well our 7000 km journey in 2 weeks certainly was. 🙂

life 2003 celebrating my 60th birthday

My 60th birthday with John Sinclair, Bruce Donachie, Ross Kennedy & Phil Thomson.

Owned by Billionaire Bob Ell.

It would cost me a years wages (if I had a job) to fill it up with diesel.

Tony Murphy’s houseboat

My friend Tony Murphy lived on his houseboat here in Surfers Paradise and previously in Townsville.

Coffee on Chevron Island with Ross Kennedy.

I rarely miss a day going to Chevron Island for coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner. 🙂

David Herd unforgettable year with some sweet Japanese girls

On the left is Sayuri with her friend and Ziggy in the background. Sayuri stayed at my home for several months while studying English.

Sonia from Beijing.

Sonia & I went out together for a while, we met in Toowoomba where she was going to university, then hooked up last year in Beijing. She moved to Sydney and found a husband. 🙂

Sydney Cricket Ground

I was at the Sydney Cricket Ground to watch my beloved Sydney Swan play Australian Football. Luckily my friend Peter Hesky had a private box which makes the game more enjoyable.

Pothole, Apple and Sue

John Martin aka Pothole, Apple and Sue in Sydney for the weekend.

Sue, Apple Pothole & his sister Anne.

Strange how things turn out, it is 2016 and Pothole live in the same building in Pattaya Thailand.

Apple was the best Thai cook I have ever seen.

Finally after the love affair finished with Pothole Apple wound up married to an ex cop in London. She was with him at Buckingham Palace when he received an award from the Queen, not bad for a girl from Nana Plaza. 🙂

Visiting my brother Bryan

Bryan built a lovely home at Cobbity which is near Camden west of Sydney.

Sue and I at Manly

Fish & chips is compulsory for lunch at Manly.

Manly

One of the nicest Sydney seaside suburbs,

Magnificent Sydney skyline

Sydney from the Manly ferry.

Andrea & Gavin Kernot

My friend Gavin with his gorgeous girlfriend Andrea. Have a look at my 2005 Paris post where I spent some time with Gavin and and Cheryl Kernot who was a well known Australian politician.

Melbas Xmas lunch with Graham (Biff) LaRoche.

Each year a group of ex Melbourne guys would get together for a Xmas lunch at Melbas in Surfers Paradise.

The whole crew

Sadly time waits for no man, four guys from this group have now passed away, Noel Smith, John Woods & Ron Collier, RIP.

Dave Allen & Kerry Townsend.

Dave was the manager at Melbas and Kerry was the receptionist. Dave was the son of the owner Paul Allen who sadly passed away in July or August 2011. Melbas was the premier restaurant & nightclub on the Gold Coast since 1981. It was also my local drinking hole, the memories I have from there are unforgettable.

Xmas day lunch at home for David Herd unforgettable year.

David Herd unforgettable year 2003 was frantic with Friends family students I was happy to spend Xmas day alone with my best friend Ziggy (my Doberman) enjoying my beautiful home that I built in 1990. I ate magnificent seafood and washed it down with my favourite white wine from Margaret River in W.A. a Salitage unwooded Chardonnay, life does not get much better than this. It was great having a quiet day to reflect on my wild & frantic year.

Thanks for visiting my David Herd unforgettable year photo blog.