The story of persistence – it pays off.
Two years with Covid-19 – damn how time flies. After we've all walked around looking suspiciously at coughing people and been outraged by people without masks. Then the preparations are still underway.
Australia and New Zealand closed down as the strictest countries in the world. Curfew and doomsday. Even their own citizens had to forget about going back to their homeland – or not even be allowed to attend the funerals of their loved ones.
CLAP – said it and even an oyster seemed like an open and easily accessible animal.
We then had the following options:
1. be angry – be very angry.
2. give the car the VERY big lap, where only fools and enthusiasts venture out.
Everything was also closed in Denmark.
After exploring point 1, we moved on to point 2.
The body was taken off the frame and examined at any point that smelled even faintly of rust. Frame was sandblasted, metalized and epoxy painted.
A conversion of the body so that central heating is sent up to our luxury fusers in the roof tent. New storage solutions were incorporated. Every surface is thoroughly examined and varnished. Lots of nice new interior and visible parts (as well as a huge pile of invisible parts) have been replaced and the car is brand new. All this work takes time, but we had thought that this Covid thing was something that the world would have to deal with for some time.
In the spring of 2022, there begins to be faint hope for the world again.
Australia and New Zealand are starting to air thoughts that they might want to open up again - before the summer holidays.
We immediately set about getting container freight... but there we found 99 plans that didn't work and not yet the one which led to success. Container shipping has gone completely awry, ships are queuing up and can't get to port. Freight prices skyrocket - at a pace that would be worthy of the Frederiksen government - when they slaughter an entire mink industry
However, we found a company that would like to send our car to Australia, for only three times the normal price - with no guarantee that the car would arrive at the same time that we would also be in the country... it was a no thank you.
New plan (again – again – again)
We're buying a damn car in Australia!
We head across the continent and after mature (immature) consideration we threw our love at a Toyota Landcruiser Troopcarrier. It was love at first sight, unfortunately it was obviously not reciprocated - it was sold to the other side. Feels a bit like it actually fool… biiiiib.
However, love quickly blossomed again when we found another Troopy Camper for sale. This time it was about being fast.
Call Australia hours after it went on sale – convince skeptical man on the other side of the globe that we were real people. After a few e-mail exchanges, send a larger sum of money for a piece. Toyota Landcruiser VDJ78 Troopy, which is an ex-rental camper.
So now we own a car on the other side of the world... now we "just" have to get a Visa for Australia.
Yes – it should be easy, right? Finally, we were approved for long-term visas within 48 hours.
We apply for a Visa immediately, about 2 months before - it should be in good time.
Good time - my bare ass. After 40 days we are still waiting for a response, or just at least a simple sign of life. The Australian authorities themselves give 37 days processing time for 90% of the applications.
Johnny calls Australia and gets a long nose - please wait - it will come when it comes.
Johnny calls Australia a lot more, because time is running out and now it's getting critical.
Johnny does not understand bureaucrats….they are friendly and correct, but without independent will to live and adventure.
7 days before departure, we must withdraw the long visa applications.
New plan... we are looking for short visas for 3 month tourists who are 90% completed within the first day.
Again absolutely nothing happens and Johnny calls Australia again...guess what - no result.
On the very day when we had (expensive) plane tickets and still no visas, Anne (the eldest heir) created a visa application and was approved in less than a minute!!!!!!!
What is going on?????
The night before we had to cancel our plane tickets – the situation was simply too unsustainable and if we wanted to have even a Chinese man's chance to save a little plane ticket money – it had to be done NOW.
After much frustration, it turns out that our old Immigration accounts that we created in 2019 have not been properly transferred to Australia's new smart online based system.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH.
After some palaver back and forth with the authorities, we have to delete our old accounts, create brand new accounts from scratch, apply for exactly the same visas and VUPTI then we are suddenly welcome in the lovely land of the kangaroo and the koala.
HURRY, then we just need tickets... which will only be possible in 3 weeks, unless we want to fly business class. We would like to, but there is just the challenge that SEK 50,000 is far, far, far too much for a ticket.
So we fly 3 weeks later. We now have visas and tickets - to be continued.
