Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts

Monday, July 28, 2014

It's been too long

There were so many occasions to blog about. So many opportunities to share and yet, I couldn't find the motivation to write things down and memorize the important things in life. Weeks go by and there are still not enough hours in a day to sit down and relax. We just came back from Florida, the same day MH17 got shot down in Ukrain.. It makes you reflect over life and you come to the realization life can be over in seconds. So many families that have lost loved ones. Children who have lost their parents, parents without their children, grandparents who have lost both children and grandchildren. We are thankful for having returned home safely and most important: as a complete family.

Florida was like coming home again. It felt so good, so natural. We didn't come in through Sanford Airport this time. We decided to pay Miami a visit before driving that Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Edition all the way to Kissimmee. It was amazing. So different but yet so familiar. How I have missed those trees, the highways, the weather, the people. This vacation was more active than our previous ones. We swam with manatees, went kayaking in Wekiwa Springs, did some shopping, visited numerous restaurants, had the best sushi, shopped some more, enjoyed different beaches and springs (we had never before seen water that clear and pure as in Juniper and Wekiwa Springs), celebrated July 4th near the Lakefront Park in Kissimmee, screamed our lungs out on a local rodeo event, visited Saint Augustine (man, my calves hurt for 3 days after climbing that lighthouse - I really need to work on getting in shape) and had the honor to spend a day at the Children With Diabetes congress in Orlando. I had been invited by Scott Johnson, a T1 colleague who lives in Minnesota and has been a wonderful diabetes advocate for many years. We met so many wonderful people on the congress and I felt blessed for this event, that has been created to make life of children with T1 diabetes a little bit easier. 
It was wonderful. We had been looking forward to Florida all year and it was no disappointment. I really hope to go back next year.. 

The girls did well in school and as usual: we are very proud of them. It's a privilege to see them grow up and do well. They are amazing and a true blessing. They are growing up alright. Lana has bought her first car (thank you Mammie, for giving her this opportunity) and she's been loving it ever since. It gives her independence and I can relate to her joy. It is such a big step into adulthood to have a car of your own and to be able to drive yourself to wherever you want to be. I still get that same overwhelming feeling whenever I get another car. By the way: the next car is a fact: right before we left for Florida, my new car found its way to our home. I didn't want to give up on 4x4, so this time we got a Honda CR-V. It's been a joy driving it so far.

Eva started working weekends in a restaurant. It gives us something new to talk about. I'm proud of her. Working in restaurants is hard and working late hours isn't easy if you need a lot of sleep. But she's holding on and she'll be combining it with her job at the nursing home during the summer holidays. It gives her some extra money to spend and it makes her realize life is hard and you need to work for a living. She gets responsibility and praise for what she's doing and that is so important at the age of 17. It is important at any age.

There's so much more to tell and I will get to it eventually. For now, let things be and get some rest. I need to go to bed and get up early in the morning. 

Friday, January 31, 2014

Trying to read between the lines

He told me it was golden and its condition was immaculate. It was "only" 75.000 Belgian francs (we didn't have Euros back then). I thought that was a very reasonable price for a Triumph! After all, my former boyfriend drove a similar car, a Triumph Spitfire to be accurate. That car in mind, I agreed to buying my first second hand car.. It took many hours of labor in restaurants to purchase that car, but it was mine and I loved the freedom it gave me.

I'm peeking through the window. The black monster just turned around the corner. I can see its headlights glow in the early morning hours. You're holding the steering wheel with both hands, waiting for the bus to move on. I feel confident and proud. For the very first time, you're driving to school all by yourself. Not without a reason: last night, around 5:00 PM, you were staring at your computer screen, waiting for your school results to appear. And YES!! you did it! You succeeded for all classes. Your hard work paid off. So happy to hear that and what a relief.. There was no reason to go to school to discuss your grades, but you planned on going with your friends so you asked for the car.

A little bird has told me it won't be too long before you will buy your first second hand car. You're ready. You have some money in your bank account and your driver's licence in your pocket. We'll have to think about this and discuss the conditions, before we come to some agreement. I can relate to your desire to have a car of your own. It means freedom and independence and another step towards adulthood. After all, you're almost 19..

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Sigh..

If I would still have had my gall bladder, I'm sure I would've felt bile coming up my throat..

There were 4 of us in the car and it was only 5:15 AM. We had just turned on to the Highway on our way to Bruges Railway Station, when we saw this black, sporty car. It was not looking its best. The roof of the car had been scraping over the street. Since it was still 18°C, the window at the driver's side was rolled down. We could see a young male, wearing a white short sleeved T-shirt. He was in deep trouble. A young couple in a black Mini Cooper had just stopped and was running towards the car that had landed upside down on its roof. A truck was involved into the accident as well.
It was not looking good at all. My stomach twirled and I told my daughter to look the other side. I tried to keep my eyes focused on the traffic light and it had never taken so long to jump green. A bunch of young people - I assume around 8 - were in despair, walking around the car and looking for help. Despite the warm morning, all of a sudden I was really cold. Whose parents would get a phone call, this early in the morning? In which house would a mom howl like a wolf for her lost son? Whose dad would try to keep back his tears, his arms holding on to the woman who once put this child into this world?

Was there a technical problem with this car that made it cause this accident? Was it speeding? Were alcohol or maybe drugs responsible for this awful ordeal or a combination of? I don't know. I could only hope there were no other youngsters involved. Somehow I felt the presence of friends in this car and all of them had gone out together and were on their way looking for some more fun. The good weather must have made them feel invincible. So many lives will be torn apart again. All this grief and pain and sorrow for a night full of happiness and laughter.

Am I crazy for picking up our daughters after a night out? Is it selfish to ask them not to get loaded or forbid them to get into the car of a driver who's been drinking?
This is not what I was thinking of, when I told my daughter to get up early this morning, to be in time to leave for the Railway Station. She couldn't understand why we had to get going at 5 AM if the train wouldn't leave till 6:25? I told her there could always be obstacles on the road and I didn't want her and her companions to miss the train to Paris. Her friend's mom told me, her older son had not come home yet, from his night out. It freaked her out to see this accident. My daughter thought she saw her cousin looking at the wrecked car. I hope he was in bed, where he should be at this time of the day.

I wanted to go back to sleep, after I came back from Bruges. Blue police lights and orange lights from the towing service, were there to prevent others from bumping into the wreck. I saw nothing but uniformed men. The ambulances had already left the scene and the bystanders had gone home, trying to get this experience out of their system. I knew I would be checking the newspaper regularly this morning. It will be a while before this devastating image burned into my brain will have faded..

Only a couple of hours later, I read the newsflash. A truck driver was crossing the highway, when this young man wrecked his car by speeding a red light, into the back of the truck. Severely injured, but alive, and with alcohol in his system, the driver of the car was taken to the hospital. Let's keep our fingers crossed he will come out of this accident without too much damage...

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Let's call that progress?

I normally write my blog in English, but I will make an exception this time. This blog has to be written in Dutch, because I want to reach Dutch people, since they are possible customers of car company Cardoen. We have had very bad experiences with this car company, for they have sold us a "brand new" car (that was one year older than they told us) with tons of defects. Especially the arrogance and  rudeness of this one particular concession in Dendermonde (they avoid taking their responsibilities), is something that is totally unacceptable. We are still waiting for their apologies and a compensation for all of the aggravation and unexpected bills we have paid so far...

I posted the message on Facebook July 13th. I posted the same message on TalkToo, since Cardoen is willing to solve problems through this website. They haven't called us since or made any attempt whatsoever to find a solution for the shitty situation they have put us in. Does this mean they could care less? Do they not care about safety? How about their conscience, selling us a car that was full of defects, pretending it was new and carefree?

We are counting on you Cardoen, like you counted on us for paying you for this car.


Bij Cardoen vind je meer dan 1000 nieuwe auto's & jong gebruikte aan de laagste prijs,met een keuze uit 25 merken ! Ook open op zon- en feestdagen ! Bekijk hier de auto's die net zijn binnengekomen :

Vind ik leuk · · Delen


This is the message Cardoen sends out to (potential) customers on Facebook. It really pissed me off to read it and I couldn't but react, especially after just having picked up my fixed car and having paid another 1200 euros because of the lousy car they sold me...

My reaction: Auto gekocht als zijnde nieuw, in april 2010, bij Cardoen Dendermonde. De auto werd echter al ingeschreven bij Cardoen in april 2009.

Autoradio met stuurbediening installeren was te moeilijk voor Cardoen. Oplossing: dan maar geen stuurbediening, zelfs niet na het aankopen van een nog duurdere autoradio.

Verschillende lichtjes branden op dashboard. Oplossing: zekeringen worden gewoon uitgetrokken en het probleem is opgelost?

Auto gaat aan het slippen zonder aanwijsbare reden. Geen regen of gladheid of overdreven snelheid. Oplossing: geen!

Auto begeeft het in het midden van kruispunt. Kan niet meer gestart worden en moet weggesleept worden. (niet door Cardoen)

Auto kan niet meer optrekken en heeft niet voldoende kracht meer. Auto moet weer weggesleept worden (niet door Cardoen) Oplossing: verkeerde zekering. Werd vervangen. 

Lichtje airbag blijft branden. Oplossing: sensor kapot of airbag kapot? Geen idee?

Auto kan niet meer bestuurd worden. Stuurhuis kapot! Cardoen wijst alle verantwoordelijkheid af. Stuurhuis wordt op onze kosten vervangen bij een andere garage. Het vertrouwen in Cardoen is helemaal weg.

Verschillende lichtjes branden: airbag, ESP, HDC en ABS. Auto maakt akelige geluiden bij remmen. Auto binnengedaan bij SsangYong Hoofdzetel. Oplossing: nieuwe batterij, nieuwe wiellager, nieuwe sensoren. Wiellager was volledig verroest! En dat voor een auto die 3 (4?) jaar oud is?

Ondertussen gehoord van andere klanten die met dezelfde wagen rijden, ook van bij Cardoen Dendermonde, dat zij dezelfde problemen ondervinden. De betreffende wagens zouden in een opslagplaats in Polen onder water gestaan hebben!!! Dit is niet wat wij gedacht hadden toen we deze auto aangekocht hebben als zijnde een nieuwe auto, zonder problemen!

Voor een auto waar wij 23.000 euro voor betaald hebben, is dit zeker niet iets wat we verwacht hebben. De houding van Cardoen Dendermonde is ronduit arrogant en absoluut niet behulpzaam. Geen vervangwagen ter beschikking, neergooien van de telefoon als je om meer uitleg vraagt. 

Na mails/telefoon naar Cardoen Antwerpen, zijn we nog niets wijzer. 

Wat zal het volgende probleem zijn en vooral: wie draait op voor de geleden schade?
43 minuten geleden · Vind ik leuk

Reaction Cardoen Oei, dat klinkt niet leuk. We bekijken dit intern en zullen je zo snel mogelijk contacteren !
17 minuten geleden · Vind ik niet meer leuk · 1

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

What's in a name..

My first boyfriend had this amazing car (yes, the sports car on the right). It was a flashy green Triumph Spitfire. It was great fun to ride it as a passenger. I remember we drove it to my sister's wedding. The weather was beautiful and we didn't bring the hard top. I thought we were pretty amazing in that convertible!

Imagine my excitement when I finally got my driver's licence. I wanted a Triumph too! And when my father told me, his body shop had a Triumph for sale, I wanted it. He told me it was in good shape and it had a golden color. I handed him my savings (75.000 bfr. at the time - and yes, that was a lot of money for me) and he went to pick up my car. I couldn't wait for him to come home so I could see the car and go for a ride. I heard him pull up in front of the house and I rushed outside. O.M.G.... that was no Triumph!!! I was so upset! Who said I wanted that shitty car??? It was not golden: it was the color of runny diarrhea! It was not a convertible! It was not even a sports car! Oh yes, it was a Triumph alright.. Really. It was quite similar to the Honda Accord. Absolutely not the car I had in mind. But I had paid for it and I couldn't take it back. What a bummer.. That car has cost me so much money. It needed a bottle of oil a week. A week! I was a student at the time, working hard on the weekend in a restaurant, to earn some money. It took a lot of gas too. A full tank would last for 200 kms before the red light appeared, warning me to get gas. Absolutely not the best buy ever.

A little while ago, that first boyfriend got married. When I saw him in that wonderful Spitfire, it warmed my heart. It was not flashy green this time. It was deep blue and it was definitely not a Triumph Acclaim..

Monday, February 20, 2012

Mr Cab Driver

What a jerk..

We drove all the way to Antwerp to have dinner at El Warda, a wonderful Moroccan restaurant. The weather was absolutely crappy. I assume all the rain in Belgium was coming down in Antwerp that night..
Dinner was delicious, although my blood glucose wasn't in the same range by far. Numbers like 380 and 408 are not exactly hopeful, are they? Anyway, I had parked my car in a nearby Q-Parking, just one kilometer from the restaurant. Being dressed up and wearing my highest heels ever, I was not looking forward to walking to El Warda. So we took a cab. The cab driver was too interested to know where we came from. Hearing that we were not locals and that we had no idea where the restaurant was located, she took us on a little tour around the area.. That should have rung a bell..

The owner of the restaurant called a cab for us to go fetch the car, since the weather had only gone worse. We rushed to cross the street, hopped into the cab and asked the cab driver to take us to Berchem Railway Station. He turned around, gave us his most nasty look and shouted: are you making fun of me??? We were gobsmacked.. eeeuuugghh??? Excuse me??? Why would we make fun of you?? He was in rage and he had no intentions to take us to our destination, since he was not going to make any money. Oh common please! Had he not seen the weather out there??

With a blood glucose of 408, wearing no more than a sleaveless dress and a light leather jacket (I already mentioned my highest heels), we walked all the way back to the Railway Station. I was truly pissed off.. I felt like a kitten thrown out with the trash.. I was cold and soaking wet and I felt like I had eaten a bag of cotton balls..
I would love to go back to El Warda - despite the high BG - but it will be on a sunny day..

Sunday, November 13, 2011

The perfect pitch

I'm not a good singer, but when I think of it: not one day goes by without singing a song. In the car, in the shower, cooking meals in the kitchen.. The radio is on and I sing along. Modern music, oldies, Arabic songs.. doesn't matter, as long as I can sing along. My singing is not pitch perfect, at least that's what my audience says when I sing in the car. I like to crank up the volume, tap the wheel with my hands and throw it all out. What a fantastic feeling that is! Singing cheers me up. It releases stress and it makes time fly by faster if you're waiting in line. It doesn't matter if other drivers look at you like you're out of your mind. I could care less. My windows are closed and they can't hear me. They can see me shake my head or mimic the words, but further than that? No, they are not bothered. I try not to sing when there are passengers in my car, but sometimes I get caught up in the moment and sing along anyway.. O well.. it brings me pleasure and I won't stop singing..

Monday, August 22, 2011

Burst the bubble

This is it.. our vacation has come to an end.. We have a couple of more days before the girls have to go back to school, but nevertheless, the end of August will be there before we know it.

We packed last night and we were sad but happy at the same time. It's been a great vacation and we have had tons of fun. I asked the girls if they wanted to come back here and the smile on their face said it all. Eva hopes to be come back in the Spring of 2012. We'll see..

The apartment looks empty, now everything is cleaned up and packed. It won't be long before our friends will take a plane over here and spend their vacation at the resort. I'm sure they will have a great time too!

I'm not really looking forward to the flight. It's not that I don't like to fly, but once I'm ready to go home, I want to get there as fast as possible. We have a night flight this time, but I already know I won't be able to sleep. There's just not enough space and I'm not even that tall! Airplane seats are not comfortable, period. The staff does their best at serving us goodies and drinks, but there's not much more they can do, is there?

I can't wait to pick up the pets. We did miss them! We were happy our brother-in-law and his girlfriend took care of our house while we were here in Florida. It was too long for the dogs and the cat to stay at home by themselves, so we need to pick them up at their hotels. It's good to hear that they had a good time as well. Little Inthe will jump all over us and probably lick us to death, while Rebba will just crawl up in bed and sleep for days. She'll be worn out from taking care of Inthe. Arthur will look great, since he didn't have the opportunity to play outside in the backyard. His fur will be shiny and dirt free. We'll have to keep a close eye on him in the first days to come, so he doesn't wander off too far.

Grandma and grandpa can't wait to hear from us. We have called them a couple of times so they knew we were okay. They wanted to make sure the girls were not kidnapped and nothing bad had happened to them, and we could reassure them. We'll be home soon. We'll be home..

Friday, August 19, 2011

It's too good to be true

It's still hard to believe all four of us are here, in Florida. We are so grateful that we could make this trip together and enjoy a wonderful time. Tomorrow is my 40th birthday. What a strange number.. Am I supposed to feel old now? Because I really don't. I feel younger than ever and life is awesome.

Yesterday, hubby had this bright idea! He wanted to see the other coast line of Florida. In January I had been to Daytona Beach with our friends and the four of us have seen Cocoa Beach this vacation, so the Eastern coast could be checked off of our to do list. But how about the West coast?   The beaches along the Gulf of Mexico must be totally different, right?

We packed some towels and beach wear, put cold drinks in the cooler bag, grabbed some snacks and told the GPS we wanted to go to Clearwater Beach. It was a 2 hour drive, but hey, we were not in a rush or anything. Lana wanted to take a lot of pictures, so wherever she wanted us to pull over the car to stretch our legs: we did.

We thought Cocoa Beach was pretty special. Well, I can tell you: Clearwater Beach is even better... Really! You'll agree once you see the pictures! We had an awesome day, although the weather forecast wasn't with us. They predicted 50% chance of showers and T-storms. All the way down there, the weather was great. But once we reached Clearwater, it was pouring so heavily, I thought we would have to turn around and go back. None of that happened. We parked the Jeep right by the beach, hopped into our little bikinis, spread our towels and ran into the ocean. What a great feeling to be here! The water was warm and so clear! That's probably where Clearwater Beach got its name! It's no lie! You can see your own legs through the sea water. That's so awesome! We saw fish swim around us and floating on our backs, we watched the pelicans dive into the ocean to catch their lunch.

On our way to Sand Key, we made several other stops. Parks, marina's, .. so many beautiful places to visit. The Columbia Restaurant at Sand Key was a superb place to have lunch. Right by the water, Spanish atmosphere and excellent cuisine. We were sitting there, amazed by the luxury of this vacation..

Around 5 PM, we went back to the shore. Near Pier 60, there were activities and people were selling craftwork. Every day, you can hear live music on the beach and on Fridays and Saturdays, you can watch a movie on the beach, on a huge screen, sitting in the sand. Isn't that romantic???

pirate boat at sunset - Clearwater Beach
all pictures taken by Lana Joos
We waited for the sun to set, so Lana could complete her album. We had a 2 hour drive back to Caribe Cove Resort, but it was definitely worth the ride. Worn out and aching from a horrible sun burn, we got back to the apartment, to get that shower we had longed for... I'm off to bed.
Night night..

Monday, August 15, 2011

Sound of Silence

To be honest: it was awesome.. It was breathtaking. It was phenomenal..

We had been looking into visiting a State Park in the Kissimmee area. Lana wanted to take pictures and train her photographic skills. She's particularly fond of making nice sunset shots.
caterpillar on flower
In the afternoon, we headed towards Clermont, Florida, a half hour ride from the apartment. I had googled the Lake Louise State Park and it sounded promising.  At the cost of only 5 dollars, we spent a wonderful afternoon and evening in the park. It was like we had entered a completely different world. This is the real Florida. This is so different from Disney and the parks, although they have a charm of their own.

A gopher tortoise - the state turtle of both Georgia and Florida - tried to cross the road while we just entered the park. Okay, that was worth a first snapshot. We knew not all wildlife would be that slow..
We stopped at three lakes: Dixie Lake, Hammond Lake and Lake Louisa. At the first stop, we saw this prehistorical looking alligator in the lake. It was really creepy! We intended to rent canoes but we kinda chickened out after we realized there were actually real gators in the lake. What if our canoe tipped over and we fell in? Or what if an alligator came up to our canoe? Would we have to hit it with our paddle? I'm not scared that easily, but I wasn't sure about this idea anymore..

gopher tortoise

alligator in Dixie Lake


There was another alligator prepared to pose for the camera, in Hammond Lake. It was just so surreal but then again it was more real than the rest of Florida we have seen so far. The lake was full of beautiful waterlilies and numerous fish.

We decided to follow the signs so the next stop was a hiking trail. We thought it was going to be a brisk walk through the woods, but in the end, we must have walked for over an hour. Supposedly there were bobcats, rattlesnakes, wild turkey, raccoons, opossums and squirrels around, but we didn't see any - except for a troop of turkeys and 1 squirrel. The walk took a bit longer than expected and my pace was slowing down. Stupid me.. I had not taken my purse.. meaning no glucose meter nor dextrose within reach. I didn't want to hold up the rest, so I kept going and I couldn't do much more than hope we would reach the end of the trail pretty soon. We had followed the blue track, but all at once, there were no more blue signs to follow. We only saw red signs, so we changed tracks. My blood sugar kept dropping and I knew I had to get out of these woods somehow. After at least another 20 min we arrived at the parking lot, where I tested and corrected that 42 mg/dl with half a tin of lukewarm ginger ale and about 8 animal crackers. Man, that felt so good..

hiking trail in the woods to Lake Louisa
mating butterflies

Those are moments I truly despise diabetes. You always have to consider what you bring and how long you will be gone. I know that, but see: every now and then, the excitement wins from the brain and that's when you get in trouble. I'm glad I didn't pass out.. There was nobody to be seen in that forest and we had left the cell phones in the car. We did not even have a clue where we were.. I'm glad that hypoglycaemia got fixed in an instant, because we were ready to visit the third and biggest lake: Lake Louisa. That was too much... so serene, so pure, so untouched.  Lana was over the moon. She said it was her best day in Florida.  And yes: she made extraordinary pictures. We even came back later that night to watch the sunset. We were all quiet... for once, the radio was not turned on while driving back to the apartment. I believe we were all moved by the beauty of this scenery..



Eva and Lana in Lake Louisa

sunset Lake Dixie


Saturday, July 2, 2011

Changing overnight

Last night, you were just 43 and this morning you turned 44. Just like that! Isn't that strange, that in a snap of your finger, you age one year?

Too bad you have to work today. Keeping that in mind, we treated you in a restaurant this Thursday. Just the 4 of us. You said you didn't want a birthday party. Maybe when you're 50. But not just yet.

You were a little surprised when we handed over your birthday present. The three of us thought it would be nice to get you a new car for your birthday. But since that is a pretty personal gift, we gave you a certificate to pick out your own car. You spend quite some time in your car, driving to Brussels to go to work and although your car is still in good shape, you wouldn't mind trading it in for a newer example. I'm pretty sure you'll stick within the same brand, since BMW is your favorite. You'll make a good choice, no doubt. Although you say that you really don't need a new car, we'll join you to the carshop and help you make the best choice.

Happy Birthday Hubby! Happy Birthday Daddy!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

I want to ride my bicycle

A number of years ago - it must have been on Mother's Day - hubby bought me my very own bicycle. He was thrilled by the idea of his wife riding a bike and leaving her car in front of the house..

Well.. at least that was the plan. I'm not very good at hiding my responses to what's happening. I had a very hard time putting on my happy face. Wasn't too sure whether hubby got the message, but his excitement didn't convince me. I just don't like to ride a bicycle. They're a pain in the.. butt! Literally!

But I behaved and we decided to go for a ride. The kids got their bikes, hubby was waiting on his and I took a deep sigh before I climbed my spic and span new bicycle. By the time I got the bike from the terrace all the way through the hallway and up to the front door, I was done with it.. Bikes are so not me.. I prefer 4 wheeled vehicles. I like to sit inside my vehicle, not on some hard saddle. But I wanted to give it a go. You never know what happens, right?

The kids loved the ride and so did their dad. I was not impressed though.. So what?? I don't like bikes! Period! I don't like bikers who think the roads are designed for them. I don't like groups of bikers in the pouring rain. I hate flat tires and non-working lights. Don't even think about those bright yellow vests you're supposed to wear to get noticed in traffic. Sorry hubby, bikes and your wife are not a good match.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Karma Kars


We knew our friend was planning a special surprise for his upcoming birthday. We knew it was going to be something different. He asked us to stand in front of the Lancaster Hotel - where we were staying - around 6:50 PM. We were to be picked up then and there. He was pretty secretive about the plan and he wouldn't give us any hints. I knew it was not going to be a limousine that would pick us up. It had to be something unique, more personal, more him. And so it was..

Lifestyle guru Tobias Moss and his friend Kawa from Karma Kars picked us up in two unique Indian cars. The journey is more important than the arrival, is the logic behind this idea. And what a journey it was! We had the time of our life! As soon as both cars drove up the hotel parkway, we all had broad smiles on our faces! How colorful the cabs were decorated! Just awesome! Flower garlands around the cars, Indian tapestry on the inside. Kitsch pink metallic car mats, beads, Indian outfits. It was all there!

Tobias and Kawa drove us around London in their unique vehicles. Trust me, we have been noticed all right. Tobias had this special horn in his car. It made animal noises. You should have seen the look on the faces of the pretty ladies he honked at. Making people smile is a very fun way to earn money. We haven't seen one ugly look towards Tobias and his Karma Kars.

Thank you my friend, for another unique experience..