beijing Uncle Jumbo in the front part of his emergency van. beijing Uncle Jumbo, Marie and Terry in their beautiful house. Where they all jumped down..

In the rainy days there are always rainbows

A gift from Thailand was presented to Naville, NZART's hon. secretary

How Are You?

The last night party in Auckland before I left ZL. The most left were Dave and Pam.

When looking back, I could not help wondering, shy and very inexperienced, how I traveled alone to so many places. It would not had happened if not because or the kind caring or all those ham friends.
All my trips were well planed by them. Sometime I did not even know what would be happened in the next minute.

Trip to ZL land was arranged by David Andrews, ZL2SX to be hosted by NZART. They had arranged the meeting, in Auckland, New Plymouth, and Wellington. NZART approved the payment from New Plymouth to Wellington and Wellington to Auckland. I saw this the report in Q-Bit newsletter.. At that time I did not understand much.. David had arranged everything efficiently.

It was in 1996, after the ARDF in Townsville, VK, I landed in Auckland airport at night. Uncle Jumbo ZL1HV was there waiting for me. Jumbo was 83 and was regular SEAnet member. I have met him many times. One of Thai characteristic is the caring and respectful to the elder, so when I saw this very kind old man waiting at midnight in 10C of weather, I felt very guilty. I should have selected the flight that not that late..

Jumbo brought me to ZL1AD Dave Brekette’s home. Pee On, his wife was Thai. Their daughter Pamela ZL1PAM was a genius. She got Extra Class License since she was 11. She was very good in music and sport, so was her studying. She also had contacted the astronaut. She was the pride of her parents and the ZL hams.

Dave showed me how to bake bread with automatic pot. He put the ingredients into the pot, set the time for it to work and in the morning, nice hot bread was waiting in the pot, as easy as our rice cooking.
He also cooked a smoked salmon, this time, manually, and it was so nice. Pee On made the vegetable fried without having really fried it. She also made papaya salad without papaya.. :-) The cooking was so easy when looking.

Jumbo came in the morning. He brought me to visit the Civil Defense office. He showed me the ham station together with CB station. There was a large working plan chart on the wall. Jumbo also showed me the communication van renovated by him and Bob ZL1BNE. Everything that would be needed for emergency station was all there. He was very proud of his work. I really like the idea of putting big PVC pipe over head to keep the antenna inside. The outside became the place to hang ropes and other things. The bench was the container. The back of the van was the radio room. The room walls could be
Pull up like wings. The end of the ‘wings’ had some locks to extend the space under the ‘roof’ with canvas. Everything was very cleverly designed. I was very impressed.

Then he brought me to his nice garden home to meet his wife, Noelle. She looked sweet and delicate. They lived alone without children or anyone to help. They were mainly clinging on each other and the loving feeling was gently filled the air..
Jumbo's garden were full of healthy plants, big red Mexican peppers in the green house, tiny but lovely crape apple outside.. Daffodil’s, snow bells.. and so on.. joyful to me.. There were 3 kinds of fruit that I hardly tell the different.. lemom, orange and grapefruit. They looked almost the same..

While I was taking picture of one of them, I felt an animal bumped into my knees, made me... Jumbo laughed saying that it was his cat ....
'CAT!!! He can not a cat.. He is a little tiger.' Jumbo laughed to my comment. How can you call the animal that looks like cat but as a large as a dog cat? He was as high as my knees. My dear uncle Jumbo could raise anything large and healthy..

The next day, Jumbo picked me up in the early morning. We were going to New Plymouth. He stopped at the place, where the river met the sea and the iron sand were black. I had taken the most impressive picture of the place. He even stopped to let me take picture of the sheep closely.. but the sheep were not that cooperated.

Terry Baldwin, the president of the New Plymouth club and his wife Marie were our host.

Terry brought me to the Pukernagiora historic reserve. It was a small forest up on the cliff. It was very high. The tree down there looked like grass. Terry told me that it was the place where the government had the native stay. All of them selected to get their freedom, rather than be in the reservation. They walked to the cliff and all of them, old, young, men, women, children and babies, jump off the cliff to the river far below. What a shocking story.. I looked at the cliff, how high and scary it was.. It must have been so oppressive for them to live in the reservation than the scaring of jumping down. Tears came to my eyes.

That night they arranged the meeting. I thought it was their regular meeting. I have learned just now that it was specially arranged for my visit!! I have learned quite a lot from the meeting also.

The next day Jumbo had to drive home alone.. and again, I felt guilty.. Terry and Marie sent me to bus. The bus driver was also nice. He gave information of each place that we were passing. The bus stopped at noon for the passenger to fill their stomach. I was not sure what to do. Here in Thailand, the bus fair would include meal. Looked at people around, they bought food so I bought some from the bakery. It was something white, fine, a little salty.. and very smooth taste.. The only thing that was close to this food was KFC biscuit.. which no longer available in Thailand.. I do miss it.

Out side of the shop was one yellow rose and a lot of its fruits.

'Hey! that is the fruit of the rose!!'

I was surprised and laughed to myself, recalling that human being's eyes were not the beauty of the rose's main target. It was her effort to continue the new life after her time.

Reaching Wellington in the afternoon.. I had just realized that I knew nothing. If no one came to pick me up I would have to stay at the bus station.. I walked slowly along the path way.. and pop! David ZL2SX was there with his broad smile. He laughed at my surprised.
He packed me up in his car. While driving to his house he asked whether I mind that he would stop at a customer’s place to do an urgent job. I was sure eager to see how he would do his job.
David stopped at the gate of a factory, quietly and solemnly looked at the guard who was about the same age. The man leaned on his box and looked at him also very solemnly. I was wondering..

Finally the man asked very seriously: “How are you?”

David answered very seriously: “I am very handsome.”

The man waved his hand solemnly and said: “OK. Go on.”

My eyes and mouth were round with astonishment and then could not stop laughing..

What a conversation!

David laughed too. The man was his friend since they were young. I was surprised again to see David spent only half a minute to open the locked locker and his job done..

When we were nearer to the house, David called Jill on radio by using the CTCSS. That was my first time to see the used of it. We were not allowed to use any tone code at that time.

Writing this, after 11 years passed, looking at all the pictures, reading notes and reports.. I am surprised that it is like yesterday.. I do appreciate all those lovely comments and preparation on my visit.. They were so kind and I myself should be the one who thank them for all their very friendly welcoming. They might have forgotten me, but I still remember them and their friendliness.

I look at the pictures.. but I see the movie of yesterday.. many lovely people I met had passed away.. Naville, Ken McGuire, Jumbo and Noelle. Looking at their pictures, feeling sad.. then I realized that they are in my mind.. It is there that they stay alive forever..