Well, This Is Going To Be Interesting!!!!

16 April 2013

Okay, we packed our stuff.  Asked for a late checkout at the hotel.  Caught a cab over to the van rental place, because it was close to 95 degrees at 9:30 AM.

Nice Dutch guy, we chatted, we laughed, he showed us the van.  We looked, Richard tried driving it.  Engine has a strong putt putt sound, as if a piston is missing?  Air filter clogged?  Gasping for breath?

Then he tried the brakes.  NO emergency brake, just doesn't hold.  Regular brakes squeal horribly, metal on metal.

Not good when one is driving around on roads where the occasional kangaroo hops out in front of the vehicle.

So we chatted with nice guy from Delft (who was impressed that Delft is my fave Dutch town, it really is!) - and he looked to see what else was available.  He shows us a Toyota Corolla.  With a tent.  We discuss with him, with us, back and forth.  I'm okay, Richard is so-so.

He shows us on another vehicle how the tent works.  Tent is on top of the car.  You unzip the three edges, and fold on the fourth.  You reach up and take the ladder, and pull - the tent unfolds.  On top of the car.  You climb up the ladder, which is the leg or support of the part of the tent that has unfolded and is now popped open.  You climb into the tent, and unfold the mattress.  Then you tie up the windows, zip the door shut, and go to sleep.  On top of the car.

On.  Top.  Of.  The.  CAR!

Okay, so this keeps us away from crocodiles, spiders, snakes, centipedes, and all the other things that might try to eat or poison us.  It's all good.

We chat back and forth.  Upshot is that yes, we did drive off with the car, tent folded up.  This is where we'll spend our next two weeks, sleeping in a pop-up tent on the top of a Corolla.

OMG, the thought makes me just crack up laughing!  Plenty of room, though, tent normally sleeps three people.

Can you picture this????

And the adventure continues.........