We really are here...really!

Well, it seems like forever, trying to find time and energy to write this blog: it has been growing in my mind for a few days. Probably won't have pictures for it today, but will add some to it when I can.

After about forty-eight hours of travel, we finally got to Perth Sunday afternoon (which was Saturday for most of you - Date Line antics). But let me start at the beginning.

The trip actually went well, or at least as well as it could have. Got to the airport in plenty of time, left our coats with the taxi to await our return, and moved quite quickly out of the serious cold and into the airport. The usual check-in and waiting things, then we were on our way. And the flight to Vancouver was ahead of schedule, so we got to be there in lots of time.

We were met by Darlene's cousin Jane, who stayed at the airport with us for a wonderful visit during the five hours we had in the Vancouver airport, prior to getting on the long flight. We got outside - the day was sunny and about ten degrees (a big improvement for us), walked and ate some, generally getting prepared for the long haul.

Air New Zealand was great. The seats we had paid for were called Premium Economy, and they gave us better comfort, more space, a good almost-bed, better food (and wine), and better service. Well worth the price. The flight began with the usual safety video, but Air NZ does a great job of making it memorable; this time, they played on the Hobbit theme, and there was a wit and intelligence which made you want to watch it (why can't all airlines do this?). After a very good meal, some movie time, some reading time, and some settling time, we slept. Yes, actually slept, and did a pretty good job of it. Both Darlene and I were pleased with the amount of sleep we got, and felt almost refreshed when we woke at whatever time in the world it was. And then we arrived in Auckland, at 4:45 AM local time - a whole hour earlier than expected.

We had a long lay-over in Auckland, and had decided that we would go into town. Temperature was about twenty, so this was even better than Vancouver. Finding a coffee shop turned out to be a bit of a challenge, at that hour on Sunday morning. But we walked, talked with the cleaning and security people, who were the only others up outside of the street people, and re-acquainted ourselves with the very pleasant downtown of that city.

But we still had the seven-hour flight from Auckland to Perth left to go. Turned out it was quite full, and we were in regular seats, so it was a bit more challenging, But uneventful, and we arrived in Perth, and were met by a man named Graham, one of those self-made men, strictly free enterprise, that you can visualize in Australia.

Going with the trend, the temperature was even higher in Perth, about thirty. We got to the hotel, each of us anxious for a shower, but otherwise feeling pretty good. Who the hell knows what time our bodies thought it was, and we were savvy enough to know that we wold hit a wall sometime soon. of course, we arrived on the Sunday of what is an important long weekend in Oz (Labour Day), so not much was open. But we managed to get a pizza and a glass of wine, before heading to bed early, and sleeping like the dead. We didn't get a major impression of Perth, but we're coming back.

The next day, we were on an organized day-trip by coach to the south-west area, including the Margaret River wine region, Cape Leeuwin at the juncture of the Indian and Southern Oceans, and a cave complex along the way. Several of our fellow-travellers were Aussies, from Queensland, the far Eastern part of this country: they were most congenial, and it was fun to listen in on their conversation, comprehending maybe a quarter of what was said. It was a long drive, but we stopped for a splendid charcuterie lunch at a craft brewery, visited the Busselton Jetty (where we dipped our toes into the Indian Ocean, and listened to musicians playing L Cohen's "Hallelujah", sweet!), walked through a large cave in the limestone rock, and were delivered to this place in Margaret River. Our companions went on to dinner and the 3 hour drive back to Perth. We were happy to be spared the latter.

Time for a new post.

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Location:Wallcliffe Road,Margaret River,Australia