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Sunday 24th November – Thursday 5th December 2019

Being so out of date, this post is a summary …. that’ll teach me to get behind.

Gas Truma Trama

The replacement Truma regulator arrived, but the new version is configured E and S, ours is N and S.  Our regulator is also positioned too low down, as it should be above the top of the gas bottles … apparently the into-habitation pipes are often cut as motorhomes are imported into the UK and a cheap regulator attached.  We had met a lovely local ex-pat couple Anthony and Julia … who just happen to be motorhomers and he is dead handy, having been a vehicle mechanic.  As soon as the Truma arrived, we hot footed it to Anthony.  No, due to the different shape, it would not physically fit in our locker with the two bottles.  However, they very kindly loaned us (and fitted) their spare French gas bottle (propane and more pressure, which is why it worked with our failing regulator) so we could heat water and shower!  It felt such luxury.

Anthony and Julia’s French gas bottle enabling much needed showers … and you can see the N /S regulator is too low in relation to the top of the yellow GasLow bottle.

The replacement E / S regulator.

We then bought a Greek bottle … propane and a hose and bottle end attachment …. just needed the connection to the regulator.  Nope.  We drove in the AndyPandyCar into 2 specialist gas places in Chania … no way would anywhere in Crete be able to supply us with the connector, we were told!  GRRR!  Having bought a regulator that didn’t fit, and now a gas bottle we couldn’t use, it is definitely a case of of throwing money at a problem BUT not getting anywhere!

On the phone to GasLow in the UK and a really helpful Martin … they could send us a N and S regulator which would fit in the locker.  No crash cut off sensor, but we do have rupture thingies built into the bottles … apparently!  It would take about 11 days to get to Greece … ah Maddy could bring it out with her and save on postage.  I checked with EasyJet about a regulator being allowed in hand luggage …. no it will look like tools so must go into the hold.  Maddy not delighted with this news as she only has 1.5 hrs between flights at Athens and historically airlines have a history of losing her luggage.  I balked at the fee of £59 for a case in the hold one way!  Quickly back onto the phone to GasLow … no it had not been collected by Parcel Force yet … £30 to post to Greece, which incidentally is the price of the regulator.  Fortunately as we were sorting this out, lovely Ann, who lives in Kalyves walked past and allowed us to use her postal address.  She messaged today, that the parcel has arrived.

In the pursuit of extending the pipe so the new Truma Mono would fit, we had a local plumber look at it.  No … nowhere in Greece would we be able to get anyone to extend this pipe.  He did remove Anthony and Julia’s French bottle, which we felt we ought to return before we consumed all their gas.  In putting our two GasLow bottles back, he managed to create a gas leak!  Some plumber and EUR20 later … more money with no solution!  The system had been running the fridge and I had been using the slow cooker and Remoska on days that I did cook, but now we had no gas at all.  So we ended up at Camping Elizabeth, Rethymno with hook up for 5 nights for EUR19/per night …basic but right on the beach, a cold fridge and HOT SHOWERS!

Whilst all this was going on, I had emailed the Greek mainland Truma wholesaler who had sold us the Truma Mono regulator to say thank you, but it didn’t fit in our cupboard as the pipe is too low, but does he sell the Greek bottle connector to a regulator?  He was promptly on the phone …. he was going to send a Greek gas bottle to regulator pigtail (new term to us) and the pipe to extend our into-habitation pipe to his Crete agent in Heraklion.  This is the agent who said he was too busy to help us.

When the parts arrived the miserable Truma agent said he would fit them.  Result … not your usual motorhome service centre at all.  He is so busy at the moment as he fixes olive harvesting equipment (and water pumps etc) and as the harvest is in full swing he is working 12 hr + days.  They put a motorbike across the front of the shop to secure a parking for Jez and he worked squatting on the pavement!  But he knew what he was doing, which is the main thing.  He spotted the next problem really quickly. He could extend the pipe and fit the new regulator …. but as we have a T bar for the two GasLow tanks, one of the hoses would be pointing N and there is insufficient room!  Double GRRR!  He got on the phone to the mainland wholesaler … we now needed a right hand junction …. it’s ordered and now on its way.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS … he quickly extended the pipe, fitted the new regulator and the Greek bottle pigtail … so we are now on gas!  Both he and the wholesaler are adamant that while in Greece we should use the domestic exchangeable bottles as the service station LPG is low quality.

The Greek bottle all pigtailed up.  Good to go.

 Not convinced the service statin LPG would be too much of a problem as we have inline filters fitted.  They were replaced in September and I had checked they were clear.

Amazing what you learn when things go wrong.  If there were evening classes in motorhome maintenance, or a week’s residential, we would be the first to sign up. And I KNOW NOW that we should have had a spare regulator … but I had asked on a forum what spares to carry and no-one mentioned a regulator.  We do have a spare water pump at £125, which of course, will not fail now!  And once we pick up the GasLow regulator, we will have a spare … finally!

Moni Arkadhi

30th November

Similar design, but not as attractive as Agios Triadha, but interesting for its history.  During the 1866 rebellion against the Turkish rulers, the monastery was a Cretan stronghold and sanctuary for many local families.  After a two day Turkish siege, the defences were breached and the Abbot ignited the ammunition store where many families were sheltering.  Enraged, the Turks killed the Crete survivors, thus inciting a wave of independence sympathy for Crete.

A Venetian structure Church.

The well laid out museum included samples of the intricate embroidery carried out by the monks.

The tree had a arrow pointing to a Turkish bullet still wedged in its trunk. 

The ammunition store which the Abbot ignited once the battle was lost.  All the women and children sheltering here were killed … preferable to slavery and being placed in a harem.

Acroplis of Eleftherna and Museum

30th November

A new museum for only EUR2, with excellent English explaining how the ancient town of Eleftherna had been one of the largest and most significant in Crete, dating back to C8-7 BC, and then changed / adopted by the Romans.  The museum hosted a temporary exhibition of ancient coins … intricate detail and each town minted its own.  They were traded, based on weight.

The picnic spot was the very much closed ticket office carpark for the Ancient site.

Given all these ancient structures spread over a huge area, we though we’d get a bit of walking done, but it was all locked up and no way in. Shame as most places are left open so people can still visit out of season.

This was the view of the necropolis from the road … as close as we could get.

CO2 Update

Locals in Kalyves warned us that sometimes poison is put down to quell the stray cat population.  The German word for poison is Gift … not much of a gift at all.  And as CO2 both like to eat whatever bones, and stick their trouts in the free food for stray cats and dogs (I know the locals feed them and the kill them!!!) and have both had upset tummies from what rubbish they’ve consumed, the muzzles have had to come out.

Corrie is more accepting, but they are both frustrated they can’t pick up sticks!  Sadly most people seem to think they are muzzled as they are aggressive. 

Morning walk along the beach to the small harbour and the view looking back to where we are parked.

Leich is a particularly nasty non-curable disease for dogs.  They cannot catch it from other dogs but from sandfly, in most Mediterranean countries. CO2 have been wearing Scalibor collars since Corsica, but they only last 6 months.  I nipped into the vet to check I could remove the collars, but was told that as Crete is warm and there is a lot of wind, the sandfly are around all year here.  There is also an injection and as neither injection or collar are 100% prevention, it is recommended that they have both.  Duely sorted.

Whilst at the vets, I was given the run down on why I should have Oscar castrated (again).  Poor lamb is booked in for 17th December.  It will be interesting to see how we cope with his cone of shame in the motorhome for a week!  Might be the muzzle or us being very vigilant that he doesn’t worry at his wound during the day.

Walks

We have been making good use of the local walking books Ann gave us.  I’ve done a few when J nanny naps in the afternoon.

So it rained last night and someone sensibly wore boots and gaiters … not saying who!

We often come across threshing areas and ancient wells.

The beach by Camping Elizabeth looking back to Rethymno, and its fortress.  We found the non-touristy centre and liked it better than when we visited with the Aged Ps … lack of tourists, says us!

Fully loaded but not tied down … we kept our distance!