The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hello All,
This is Archie finally posting about my road trip to Cairns.

My IT Contracting job with KBR finally wrapped up on Tuesday. The KBR Project Boss and my State IT Manager took me out for lunch and it was really nice. Unfortunately the economic climate is such that instead of simply slotting into the next project.... I am going to need to find the next job myself! Oh well..... that is what you get after 15+ years of economic boom! At least there are some great second hand bargains in the market place!

The road trip to Carins is 1675kms according to my Garman - that is Brisbane to Cairns. I decided to do a road trip instead of flying for a number of reasons:-
1) It allow me and the family (wife and 2 young kids) to enjoy the country side.
2) Our 2007 Honda Accord has only 21,000kms on it.... that is after 18 months of ownership. I really love this car and a road trip is a good way to appreciate the car more.
3) I don't trust airline staff with my LOUIS VUITTON luggage. My KBR Project Boss (who is an absolute "nice guy" has an airline horror story with the Richard Branson airline "Virgin Blue" - whoever names a business "VIRGIN" is really a sexual deviate....) had serious customer service issues and I can image me losing my cool if my LV Bistern 65 was damamged.
4) It allows use to have a car to use in Cairns.
5) It allows me to have a good mental break after being on a project for almost 3 years.

I decided to take the following Louis Vuitton pieces:-

Bistern 65 - Suitcase
President briefcase - using as a suitcase for the kids
Diplomate briefcase - using as a Jewellery case for our watches/jewellery
Serviette Fermoir briefcase (softcase) - using as a reading bag - magazines, books - I just got the book "Vintage Luggage".
Randonnee - swimming clothes bag/towels
Petite Noe - other kid related stuff
Nice - wife's perfume, creams and stuff
Bucket bag - in car stuff
Damier Alma - dress bag for entertaining
Speedie - More kid stuff

I decided to take the following jewellery pieces:-

MENS
Rolex DateJust 2 tone with diamond dial
Brietling Navitimer fitted on a bright yellow Italian strap
Omega Speedie Pro fitted on a 1171 bracelet
Cartier Personal line clock
Cartier Tank Clock - I need to drop off to the Cartier Boutique as the previous repair was not up to standard - It needs to be returned to the Customer Service Manager.

LADIES
Rolex DateJust 2 tone with Ivory dial
Rolex President 18K Solid gold with diamond dial and diamond bezel (in case we need a torch!)
Tahitian Peal necklace
Tahitian Pearl/diamond ear rings
Edwardian Diamond/Emerald/Gold bracelet

I have decided to break the trip up....
Day 1 - Brisbane - Rockhampton
Day 2 - Rockhampton - Townsville
Day 3 - Townsville Cairns

Accomodation:-
Day 1 - Travellodge Rockhampton
Very middle class motel at AU$135 a night. Nice and clean at all..... TV faulty (volume too soft).... hot tap either VERY HOT or off..... Only 1 lift! - this is so annoying!
I would give this motel a 6 out of 10.
Very lower middle class.

Day 2 - Townsville Casino
Jupiters Townsville - Home
This is a 5 star hotel. At $145 (ok - I am sneaky and asked for the discounted room rate! - GFC and all) it is excellent value. A step above the previous night. Hotel is a little tired and is very 80s in design and fittings! (But hey.... I loved the 80s - greed was good then!). Had room service bring up a few wood fired pizzas and they were fantastic.
I had to explain politely to the baggage boys that NO I did not require assistance. I mean I am carting AU$28,000 worth of LV and the jewellery in the LV Diplomate is AU$80,000. I don't want anything damaged / lost. Those boys are so nice..... but I just want to transport this stuff myself. Sorry.

Day 3 - Carins Hilton.
I really love a quality hotel. This is like the difference between a Chevrolet and a Cadallic! Both are GM products but 1 makes you very proud!
I WILL ADD MORE ABOUT THIS HOTEL ONCE WE ARRIVE!

WE HAD A BIRD STRIKE!

Driving from Rockhampton to Townsville at lunch time..... I set the cruise control to 110km + 10km police allowable extra! = 120kms per hour.....

Then a wild bush turkey ran out in front of the car..... As instructed at all times.... DO NOT SWERVE OR BRAKE TOO HARD!

Unfortunately the bird went to its maker..... feathers everywhere.....
I thought no damage.... BUT .....once I was refuelling the true extent was revealed....

1) Large bend in bonnet with paint broken.
2) Feathers on front and in engine bay.

Oh well.... that is what insurance is for! The wife and kids are all ok so I am happy.

I will post picture very soon.

I photographed my Honda on the morning of the road trip - as I just fully washed the car!
Now .... it has a big dent in the front!

CAR 20mins BEFORE ROAD TRIP. Just cleaned for the Road Trip!


Just after the bird strick....


Damage (after cleaning car to remove feathers/blood/marks)


Luggage being packed for start of road trip - this is what we took.



After 3 hours of driving it was time for lunch....


Townsville Casino - 5 Star experience

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I need more watches....

Quality post there Archie! Completely off-topic, but very entertaining!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

I think the idea was pics not what LV your taking and what it will be used for or anything to do with how much more hotel costs,Take pictures and post them and we dont want to see any LV your car or you just pics of the scenery and maybe some of your family if there is no LV in them or anything else that we dont care about.

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LOL......LMAO... I guess Archie's never heard that a picture is worth a 1000 words... "Click" more and type less I guess is what Sonyman is trying to say.

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Jerome

Come on guys, we're in the off-topic forum now!

I feel a bit guilty laughing at the before-and-after-bird-strike pictures, but I did

Unbelievable.....................(sigh)

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Polenzo



Breitling For Bentley 6.75 on Speed!
Headwind TT on SS Pilot
Super Avenger, Black,Batons on Ocean Racer

CARINS PHOTOS

Carins Hilton - 5 Star Luxury
The Cairns Hilton is getting a wee bit old however I still love this hotel. Located in the city heart/luxury heart on the water and with a forest growing in the middle of the hotel!
Pictures are needed to describe this hotel.....
We stayed at this hotel just before we got married in 2005. I have always had a soft spot for Hiltons!

Lobby


View from our room on the 6th floor



Forest in the heart of the hotel!




LOUIS VUITTON CAIRNS - WE LOVED VISITING LV STORES!



INSIDE THE STORE - they very nicely let me take a few photos. I purchased the LV bible and a small accessories pouch for my darling wife.








My purchases.... ALL VERY NICELY WRAPPED! 1st class service!!!



Cairns is a 2 Tier Town..... LV / Rolex at 1 end.... and Seiko at the other....

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I need more watches....

Obviously I assume there's a "bag forum" somewhere that's being inundated with watch pictures about now, because we sure aren't getting them.

Come on Archie, less pics in the way of bags, a few more pics in the way of watches and a bit of the great Australian scenery!........ Or else I might start to regret saying that a few pics from your trip was a good idea.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Hmmm D8 exactly what I was thinking these are NOT the sort of pics I had in mind or want to waste my time looking at,Pics of Watches,Cars People and Scenery please archie anything else dont bother,Oh yes car but not Hondas please.

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archie i see you could only splurge for the smallest bag in the store. why my guessw not second hand and you are trying to act like ypur the most luxury of all mankind. i thought you would have had to ship a full luggage set home for yourself. enough with the purses lets see the some of the
trip and senery.

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Emergency
Bentley GT
Chrono Colt
Avenger Skyland Blacksteel
Steinhart LE#9/15

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm just WAY too bored at work today, but I'm actually finding this thread entertaining (I know, scary).

Or maybe, just maybe, I'm finally starting to get Archie's sense of humor.

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Breitling Colt GMT
Breitling Navitimer World
IWC Portuguese Automatic
Breitling Transocean Chronograph LE

I found the first post pretty entertaining, but there's only so much LV stuff I can look at in one sitting!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

lets face it if any of us did like LV we don't anymore!!!!!!!

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Hello,
I have heaps more photos to upload.... photos of 2 Breitling ADs in Cairns.... more photos of the countryside.... and all things excluding LV Bags!

My camera is just battery-dead at present!

I will upload this details once I return back home.

Kind regards,

PS - I also got the new Breitling 2009 catalogue at one of the AD!

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I need more watches....