Sydney Appointments

I read this encouraging word from the Lord just as I was starting on my new journey: Judges 18:6 “Go in peace,” the priest replied.  “For the Lord is watching over your journey.”

Having hit the tarmac on the run, I continued at a hectic rate, carrying me through my first week in Sydney.  Praise the Lord for Sydney’s train system which carried me from one appointment to the next around the southern suburbs.  It took me awhile, and a few mishaps, to get used to the routes.  On one occasion I was heading for Bondi Junction and needed to change lines at Wolli Creek so I made a quick toilet stop then seeing a train pull up rushed to catch it.  The doors closed and I suddenly realised I was heading back the direction I had just come.  I conferred with two other passengers who laughed at me. It was rather funny.  I hopped off at the first stop and caught the next train back to Wolli Creek to catch the correct train on a different platform.  Praise the Lord I usually leave plenty of time to reach my destination.

My first full day in Sydney I had booked in a physio appointment with my favourite physio.  There was no rush; I spent some time before leaving the house mapping out Vi-Lay’s and my schedules for my stay so we both knew what each other was doing during my time here.  Both of us like a hard copy calendar which shows us at a glance what we are planning to do. Wow! What a jam packed agenda!  She often works at home, she is also in involved in Christian activities both in person and online so it was good to see it all laid out before us. I kept adding more events as I made contact to catch up with friends.

Although my first physio appointment was at 3pm in Rockdale, I left early as I wanted to stop first at my optometrist in Kogarah to get my eyes tested and new glasses.  Unlike Perth, where my health fund doesn’t cover the cost of my classes, my optometrist in Sydney is totally covered. I was pleasantly surprised to know my vision hadn’t changed much except for reading.  An extra bonus was that I could pick up my new reading glasses in a few hours.  What a blessing, I didn’t need to make a separate trip back. While I was in Kogarah, I stopped off for lunch at my favourite Thai place where I had been coming since 2012.  Gay, the owner, immediately recognised me.

I had plenty of time to walk to Rockdale after lunch.  The weather was beautiful, sunny and cool. I wandered around Rockdale surprised at so many local shops that had closed down. I stopped at the library to fill in time and noticed a section that said ‘Dyslexia-Friendly Junior Fiction’.  Wow they cater for all types these days.  Praise the Lord, I headed off early for my appointment as I couldn’t find the clinic where it usually was.  I called them and was given directions for their new address, right on the main street of Rockdale, I must have walked straight past it!  Thank God it wasn’t far to walk and also closer to the train station.

On the train home, I was catching up with emails so was distracted and then couldn’t remember which stop to get off at, alighting at the wrong station.  It was nearly 15mins before the next train but this time I got it right.  I’ve met some interesting people at the stations, while waiting for trains. One old man with whom I was chatting was proud to tell me he had been in the Second World War and was turning 104 in June, showing me his ID to prove it.  Wow!  He looked much younger and fit too.  Another time I overheard a young girl and guy speaking in Thai so to I asked them in Thai if they were from Thailand.  They replied in English, (I don’t think they realised I was speaking Thai) “How do you know we are Thai?” I replied in Thai, “Because you are speaking Thai.  With a look of surprise it suddenly dawned on them I was speaking Thai.  We had a lovely conversation before their train arrived.  While at the Physio I heard a Thai accent and asked my physio if his next client was Thai.  I called out, in Thai; “Are you Thai?”  She came out from behind the curtain, surprised to see a non-Thai face.  My physio laughed, as we had just been speaking about my pending trip to Thailand.  It looks like the Lord is preparing me for my next adventure.

The following day, Wednesday, Vi-Lay was out the door by 6:30am.  I had had trouble getting to sleep that night, waking up at midnight, not being able to sleep again till nearly 4am.  I woke at 8am exhausted!  I was glad I didn’t need to leave the house till 2pm.  Still, no time to sit around on my laurels!  I still had my Bali to Perth flight to book.

After lunch I took the train into Bondi Junction with a quick loop back on the wrong train before arriving well in advance of my next catch up.  Shelly had called me in Perth some time back wondering why I was in her address book.  We worked out I had helped her daughter with a Brit Milah for her son. Our conversation ended with a promise to catch up when I was in Sydney.  We had a lovely time before she went off to do some shopping and I walked to where I thought I was picking up the car I’d offered to drive to Mullumbimby.  Well, I hadn’t realised there was a bit of a mix up. That morning I had also received a call from a woman who wanted me to take a box up in the car, I suggested she meet me at the address I had been given for where the car was parked. I arrived at the address half an hour before due time and waited. Praise God it didn’t rain although it was getting cooler as the evening drew near! Just before 5pm I knocked at the door of the house I thought I was getting the car keys from.  An elderly lady come to the door, she didn’t know Jemima or where she lived.  Hmm! I called Jemima and after a bit of a confusing conversation where she asked me to meet her at her place in Bellview Hills, another 40 mins walk away, we settled on her going back home (she was out shopping!) to collect the key and bring it to me.  I would hope so!  Why was she out shopping when we had arranged to meet at 5pm?  And why was she not bringing me the keys to Woodstock St in Bondi Junction where the car was parked?  Gen Z, who can comprehend them?  In the meantime the woman with the box arrived.  I hadn’t met her or Jemima so when another young woman drove up I introduced myself to her, she acknowledged me, then after parking said thanks Sally and walked to her house.  We laughed.  It wasn’t Jemima, it was a local looking for a parking spot!  It was nearly 6pm before Jemima arrived to give me the keys.  No one had asked if I could drive a manual but thank God I can. Jemima and her boyfriend didn’t know anything about the car and she was on her ‘P’ plates so she wasn’t much help. The other lady put her box in the back of my car and helped me with the hand brake which was stuck (actually I was trying to manoeuvre it the wrong way). Then, finally I gingerly pulled out onto the street.  Praise the Lord it was a quiet side street. I was quite nervous as I didn’t know the car and it was now dark and peak hour traffic.  Although I had driven in Sydney before, it was over ten years ago.

Having waited so long for the car, my bladder was now complaining. I was now on the move but I needed to find a convenient place to stop, like a petrol station.  Firstly the mat under my feet was bunched up so I had to get that out of the way.  Then I put my phone on the holder and on charge as the battery was very low.  I had to stop three times before I worked out how to keep the phone attached as it kept falling on the floor!  I then drove along familiar streets out towards to the airport taking the express way around the airport and onto Forest Rd where I used to live, then down past Bexley heading further south.  Finally I found a service station and thank God they had a toilet I could use.  So many these days don’t. Now I could relax, I only had 15 mins before arriving back at Vi-Lays, just before she left for her Bible study group.  That evening I was glad to be able to relax, post my blog and make a few phone calls to organise more catch ups with friends here in Sydney.

I slept well thanks to assisting drugs. Vi-Lay had gone before I rose to another quiet morning.  This time I wanted to apply for my Indonesian visa but when I went online there was a message saying ‘Visa processing service will be temporary closed from May 14-15, 2026 due to the Ascension of Jesus Christ public holiday and collective leave.’  Hmm! I thought it was all done online and only checked by someone later.  Oh well never mind I had other things I needed to do before going out to my dental appointment at 3pm that afternoon.  I had forgotten how good this dentist is.  He does such a thorough job, my teeth never feel cleaner.

It had been a lovely day, I had avoided the rain and now back at the house it was good to relax and chat with Vi-Lay.  That night to help me adjust to Sydney time I took another tablet which knocked me out till 7am.  Kat had sent me a message of the train timetable from Grafton to Sydney; one left at 5:15 which meant getting up before 4am for the hour’s drive to Grafton from Iluka or at 9:53am arriving in Syd by 8:10pm.  You guessed it I booked the 9:53am train with a senior’s discount. For a moment I couldn’t find my seniors card and was a bit concerned I’d dropped it somewhere. I had recorded my number so was able to give that for the booking but would need to show the card on boarding the train.  Praise the Lord I found it safely tucked away for safety in another pocket on my money belt. I have a different money belt for traveling, one that I can lock onto me and is anti-theft but the compartments are different to the one I usually use which means I have to remember which pocket I put things into.

After making a coffee for Vi-Lay and myself, with my lovely new coffee grinder and portable coffee gadget, I was back on the computer applying for my TDAK which is the Thai Digital Arrival Card and saw I must apply three days before my arrival! Ok, that means the day after my train journey, that worked out well.  Vi-Lay was working from home, she put on a load of washing including what I had been wearing since leaving Perth.  She lent me a T shirt as I had forgotten to pack two.  For lunch we walked to a Malaysian restaurant where we shared two plates of noodles, roti pisang (banana) and Chendal a sweet coconut, red beans and jelly desert drink. En route back I took the train to my second Physio appointment in Rockdale and Vi-Lay went home to work.

Early as usual to my appointments, I decided to have a look at a few second hand shops to see if I could find a pair of bedroom slippers and a T shirt. I found some slippers for $5.00 but none of the shirts were suitable.  As I wouldn’t been needing the slippers other than here in NSW I thought I’d donate them to Vi-Lay for her guests.  My physio did a great job on my neck and shoulders before I retuned via train to the house.  That night I didn’t take anything to assist my sleep but couldn’t fall asleep till 10pm and what’s more I woke at 3:45am.  I stayed awake for a few hours before sleeping again till 7am.  Vi-Lay was also up but then left for her Saturday morning gym class, not returning till after I had left to meet my friend Grace in the city for Yum Cha in China Town.

Once again it was a train trip; this time into Central Station. Then a short walk to the restaurant where I waited for over an hour as the trains in Stratford Station were cancelled due to track work. I didn’t mind as there were things I needed to do while I had a quiet moment and amazingly the restaurant was very quiet. Grace finally arrived, we had a wonderful time catching up over our lunch, which was delicious.

I trained back to Padstow, called in to look around the shops for something to take with me when I drive north but didn’t find anything that grabbed my fancy.  I had been trying to get in touch with Toyin, who I’ve known since 2011 at Kirkplace Church in Kogarah. Her two little boys who always gave me big hugs are now in Uni. Vi-Lay had an electrician around to replace the meter will a smart meter. Since then her WiFi hasn’t worked! She rang her provider and was told they’d send out a new one in 2-4 working days.  So much for working from home.

I was exhausted and very sleepy that evening so went to bed at 7:30pm and slept like a log, waking at 7am! By 9am we were off to church, Vi-Lay was taking the children’s church but I wasn’t alone as Sonali and David, who I also knew from Kirkplace, had taken the opportunity to join us so as to catch up with me while I’m here.  We had a lovely chat after church with them and church members before Vi-Lay and I went for lunch at her favourite Vietnamese Pho restaurant. Unfortunately David wasn’t feeling well so was unable to join us. After lunch we went shopping in the Asian supermarkets looking for snacks for my journey the following week. Then home to relax.  Well I thought I’d be relaxing but then I tried to apply for my Indonesian visa again!  Boy! Oh Boy!  I needed to upload photo of passport and facial of me but must also include my shoulders. Then once all the information was documented it didn’t take me straight to the payment page but just indicated that the form was submitted and payment was pending.  Well where do I pay?  I tried logging in again but kept getting a message saying the activation of my login was invalid!  After trying multiple times I sent off an email to the immigration department hoping to get a reply soon.  It took 2 days for a reply to come; in the meantime I’d tried several times more including taking screen shots of the response.  Finally a reply with a request for me to video my attempt.  That was also sent off.  Praise the Lord I’m not needing it tomorrow!  I haven’t had this kind of problem in the past!

Monday I spent a lazy day at the house while Vi-Lay, with a work from home day, tried to do her work online using hotspot instead of the WiFi. Then at 3pm Nathan from the Baptist Mission and I caught up for a drink at a local coffee shop here in Padstow.  It was lovely meeting him face to face. Muana was unable to come and it turns out he will not be returning to Thailand till after my departure but he may be in Perth when I get back on the 24^th August.  Let’s see where the Lord leads.

I slept well that night but woke at 3:40am and although I tried to get back to sleep around 6am I couldn’t so gave in as I had a busy day ahead of me.  I caught up with Bev who I had known when I was working as a Mothercraft nurse at Karitani Mother and Baby home here in Sydney. I had also helped her daughter Wendy with her two babies.  It was lovely catching up with what had taken place since we last saw each other, over two and a half years before.  I also had a chat with the barista, giving her a Christian tract for her to read later.  And with all our chatting I forgot to pay her for my coffee!  Oops!

I took the train back to Wolli Creek where I went for a wander around the Asian supermarkets before catching another train to Banksia where I was meeting my old gym mate, Susan, who lived just nearby.  Unfortunately she got lost but called me so I could instruct her. I had to laugh as this was her neighbourhood; she could have walked from her house.  When she arrived, very late, I had finished my Zarta and together we laughed as she has been to the Banksia post office just close by, on numeral occasions.  On her way home she dropped me at Rockdale although I could have walked.  I had over an hour to fill in so wandered around the Asian stores before attending my last physio session and training it back to Padstow.  I thought I’d have a relaxing night, but things worked out otherwise!

I checked the car’s oil and sorted out the floor mat so it lay flat and out of the way of my feet.  I wrote and messaged my contacts in Thailand and touched base with a guy I’d met before leaving Thailand in 1992 who had gone as a missionary with his wife to Macau.  He had been back in Thailand for over 11 years and hoped to meet up with me in Chiang Mai if I was staying a night there before going on to Chiang Rai. I replied to the Indonesian immigration email requesting a video of how I was trying to login, gathered things for my trip in the morning and packed my small carryon bag. I left the big heavy suitcase at Vi-Lay’s, only taking the essentials plus some of Kat’s thing she had left at my place in Perth.

That night I took something to help me sleep so I could get up early.  It had been a long day but I was eager to start the next leg of my NSW adventure.

Photos:  1. Mushrooms seen on a walk with Vi-Lay   2. Dyslexic friendly books    3. Sydney’s train system    4. 104 years old and thriving    5. Vi-Lay and my Vietnamese lunch    6. Sunset from Vi-Lay’s home.

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for His continuing grace, providing leading, guidance and protection at all times.

Please continue to pray for my journey here in NSW and my overseas plans, that the Lord will continue to lead and guide me so that I can be effective in the work He calls me to do.

Praise the Lord for open doors for me in Thailand. Pray that the Lord will use me to be a blessing to others there and that I can continue to practise and learn Thai.

Praise the Lord for His presence, peace and strength as I travel around NSW and for my flight and arrival in Thailand on the 29^th May.

Please pray for my Indonesian visa which is being held up as I’m unable to login to the portal to make payment.

Pray also that I will have quality time with Kat.

Continue to pray for world peace and countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live with despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.