I'm here!!

Well I'm finally here! I've settled into my room, got the internet up and running, had some bloods taken for sending to Greece where they test to see what chemo drugs will work best, and now I'm just waiting for the Doctors to come and visit me for the first time.

While I'm waiting for that I'll tell you about the trip here.I don't like Hong Kong, I'm glad I'm out of there. Too many people, too much pollution and there are policemen everywhere you look. Combine that with the recorded voices that tell you to "mind your step" or "please stand clear"
in Cantonese and then English at every escalator, lift, or train door and you start to get paranoid that big brother really is watching.

The seating on the Lufthansa flight was worse than than Air New Zealand. The seats are even closer together and there is no LCD entertainment system built into your seat like Air NZ.
My legs kept falling asleep and I could not stretch them out far enough to regain any sort of comfort. I won't even try to discribe the yellow foam rubber they fed me for breakfast, apparently in Germany they call them scambled eggs!

Munich airport was a different story, really well laid out and because it was so early in the morning the place was empty. I found my battered, split and one wheeled suitcase on the carolsel. It looks like it's exited the back of the plane by parachute drop! I'd checked my luggage right thru from Wellington to Munich on saturday and I think it's been doing a bit of globe trotting of it's own. The case is toast, I'll need to buy a new one for the return journey.

The customs guy asked where I was staying, I told him Leonardis Klinik and he said "Proceed".There was no baggage check. I walked thru the green door and into the main foyer without a single security guard in site. There stood a guy who looked a lot like Graham McCall only older, he was holding a card that read "Mr Stanlan".I figured he meant me.

We jumped into his taxi, a yellow Mercedes station wagon, and sped off towards the Bavarian foothills. Now when I say "sped" I'm not kidding. He asked me what the speed limit was in NZ, I told him 100kph. He pointed at a large "X" on the overhead gantry above the road and said.. on this road there is no limit. He floored it. We sat on 180kph most of the way, speeding past every other car on the road, along side were open green pastures that reminded me of the Canterbury plains.

After driving for nearly an hour we eventually arrived at the Klinik. This region is incredibly beautiful, rolling green hills and little Bavarian villages dotted along the way. I must say that the air here is very clean and no different to that of NZ. Certainly no hazy grey blanket like HK.

Karen, I know you'll really appreciate this.. As we drove the last 200 metres up the private road to the Klinik, Crowded House came on the radio, the song... "Don't dream it's over". I was blown away.

I got here at about 7am, the kitchen staff where just setting up, and none of the medical staff were ready to see me.I was ushered into the dining room and given a choice of breakfasts from Cornflakes through to a mixed grill. I chose the cornflakes, fruit and yoghurt. The staff are so friendly and helpful. They keep apologising for their english but it's very good. Heck I can't say a word of German! (well I can but I'm too shy in case I get it wrong!).