HOME AT LAST

I left Sydney, Australia, at 1:50 pm on Sunday, May 9, 2010, (Mother's Day). The flight took 12 1/2 hrs and during that time I watched 4 movies; read; ate dinner, a snack, and breakfast; and dozed on and off when I could.

Arriving at LAX, I had to go through immigration, pick up my suitcases, go through customs, give my suitcases back, walk to the next terminal, go back through security and walk to the farthest gate (why do you always seem to leave from the farthest gate????). I had a 3-hour layover, so I had plenty of time. It was like 2 or 3 am Australian time, and I could hardly keep my eyes open waiting to board the plane. The plane departed at 1:00 pm LAX time, and I arrived in Phoenix on Sunday, May 9, 2010 (Mother's Day) around 2:20 pm. Meghan and Matt were there waiting for me to give me a big hug! It was so good to see them!

When we arrived to my place, this is what greeted me. This is what 3-months of mail looks like and most of it is JUNK MAIL. Unbelieveable.

Katherine and John had set up a really nice dinner of sandwiches, chips, and cookies and Karin, Ron, and Ron's parents stopped over with veggies and dip. We all had a very nice visit and it was good to see everyone. It was my second Mother's Day celebration (the first one was in Australia) and it couldn't have been nicer.

My trip is over but the memories will last forever. This is my last blog and I want to thank you for taking your time to follow along with me. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly did. Thank you Scott and Juliet for everything!

LAST WEEKEND IN AUSTRALIA

On Friday afternoon, May 7, 2010, after packing all my belongings in two large suitcases, Scott, Juliet and I headed to Sydney via the train for my last weekend in Australia. We checked into our hotel, North Sydney Harborview Hotel, around 6 pm and then walked a few blocks until we found a nice outdoor restaurant called Billi's Cafe. The food was excellent and the dessert, Mudcake, was yummy!

Saturday morning we headed to Circular Quay via the train to catch the cruise boat to Taronga Zoo. Taronga Zoo, located on the shores of Sydney Harbour, officially opened on October 7, 1916. It is home to over 2,600 animals, making it one of the largest of its kind. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning "beautiful view." In the mid-1980s, a gondola lift was installed that runs from the bottom of the park close to the ferry wharf, and transports passengers to the top entrance of the zoo.



My favorite animals were the Kaolas and the Giraffes. I could have watched them for hours.

The Komodo Dragon is the world's largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 6 to 10 ft and weighing around 150 lbs.

The views of Sydney from the zoo were spectacular. Notice the Harbour Bridge in the background of this picture.

The Cassowary is a very large flightless bird native to northeastern Australia. It is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the Ostrich and the Emu. Cassowaries are very shy, but when disturbed, they are capable of inflicting serious injuries to dogs and children.

The short beaked Echidna is covered with fur and spines and has a destinctive snout and a specialized tongue, which it uses to catch its prey at a great speed.

The Saltwater Crocodile.

Below is the Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard. Their tongues range from bright to dark blue, and they display it prominently and hiss loudly when disturbed.

After leaving the zoo via cruise boat, we got off at Darling Harbour and walked from there to the Tony Roma's restaurant where we feasted on their delicious baby-back ribs. We took the train back to our hotel - another perfect day in Sydney! Sunday morning, Mother's Day, we had a buffet breakfast at the hotel and then left, again via train, for the International Airport where I boarded my plane to go home. I can't thank Scott and Juliet and Juliet's family enough for making my trip to Australia so memorable. It was the most fantastic trip I've ever taken and I will always treasure the experiences I've had exploring Australia.

MELBOURNE - PART 3

On Monday, May 3, 2010, I took a 13-hour tour on the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is a 243 km (approximately 151 miles)stretch of road along the southeastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The highlights of the road are the spectacular coastline views, seeing Koalas and other animals in the wild, walking through the cool temperate rainforest, the beautiful limestone Twelve Apostles, and the Loch Ard Gorge.

Our first stop on the tour was to Bells Beach, famous for its international surfing competion and its feature in the movie, Point Break.

We stopped at Great Otway National Park, Maits Rest Rainforest Walkway, which offers spectacular views of huge, extremely old tree ferns, Myrtle Beech, towering Mountain Ash and Blackwood trees.

Our tour guide stopped along the Great Ocean Road at a spot where he had previously sited some kaolas. We were lucky and spotted three! It was very exciting to actually see kaolas in the wild!!!

Views from Cape Patton Lookout

This arch commemorates the building of the Great Ocean Road as a memorial to Victorians who served in the First World War, 1914-1918.

I was fascinated by the foamy suds on the beach!

Loch Ard Gorge is part of Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia, about a 10-minute drive west of The Twelve Apostles. It is a visible example of the process of erosion in action. The gorge is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground in 1878; of the 51 passengers and crew, only two survived.

One of the options on the tour was to take a helicopter ride over the Twelve Apostles which I decided to do and it was awesome! The views of the coastline was magnificent and I couldn't snap pictures fast enough. The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Cambell National Park. Originally the site was called the Sow and Piglets. The name was changed in the 1950s probably to lure more visitors to the state. Despite the name, there are not twelve individual stacks visible in any one location.

The stacks have been formed by erosion, and are all different heights and thicknesses. A 50-meter tall Apostle collapsed on July 3, 2005.

This formation is known as the Seahorse.

It was an exhausting day but so very worth it! One more weekend which I am spending in Sydney and then this fabulous trip comes to an end. It has been more fantastic than I ever thought it could be.