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Tuesday, April 03, 2012

I’m home!

What an experience………..

Our return trip was draining, but uneventful.  The boarding gate for the first leg of the trip seemed to be about as far away as was possible, we checked our bags and were given 4 random seats all around the aircraft……then we walked and walked and walked…….then we walked some more…..stopping only when we came to a Duty Free Shop……there I resuscitated myself with the purchase of very cheap grog (Kahlua & Baileys)  We then had to get comfy until departure time.

Sadly there were no food outlets we wanted to eat from, so we walked and walked and walked and then walked some more, back to the food court…….everything on offer was almost inedible by to time we got it back to where we had parked Gail  with all our carry on  luggage!

Not walking this time, but catching the shuttle bus……..it took so long to come, we could have walked it faster and even worse, I had turned into a cranky, traveller!

To break up the narrative I will now insert a photograph!

Hawaii 2012

This photograph was taken on our 2nd day in Honolulu.

When it was time to board our flight the boarding staff magically produced, at our urging, 2 sets of 2 seats so we could sit together!  Certainly pays to be a little insistent when you really want something.

The flight was very smooth with only slight turbulence, and we arrived ahead of schedule, thank goodness because we only had 1hr 30 minutes to get to the domestic terminal  for the last leg of our homeward journey.

While the passport control area was busy, it moved smoothly and there were no holdups at the customs desk either…. so we hotfooted it to the transfer area….. completely losing contact with Gail as she wasn’t flying that night to her destination……I can only assume, until I speak with the others that she made it home ok!

Barely getting aboard the transfer shuttle, and making it to the domestic terminal with about 10 minutes to check in our bags, get seat allocation and get to the boarding gate, while they held the flight for all the passengers coming from our flight.

By the time I threw myself into the seat I was in a lather of sweat and more importantly had almost lost my duty free grog in my haste!

The final 1hr flight was just as smooth as the preceding 10 hours….we were so very lucky with all 6 flights we had over the course of our holiday!

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Learning to Hula

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Paddle Boarding

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Wanda & Gail laughing themselves silly!

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They had an interesting way of disembarking too!

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These photographs were taken by the tour staff on the day we went Swimming with the Dolphins.

We landed in Brisbane and collected our luggage with no further incident…..and walked across the road to wait for Greg to pick us up…..apparently our luggage could be seen from space?

Arriving home at midnight, it was 4am for us and I was in need of a shower and to clean my teeth….only then was I able to fall into my bed, Jordan came in for a cuddle, ahhh it’s good to be home.

Monday morning my first order of business was to have Vegemite on toast for breakfast and a cup of English Breakfast tea…..with milk!  Such simple pleasures!

Leah and Brooklynn came for a visit, and Brooklynn had lots of new tricks to show Nanny, she can just about say her own name, shortening it to Brook!

It was time to unpack my suitcase and distribute gifts to them all.  I can safety say I did a fabulous job spending my money!

So now it’s all over, I know it is because I did 6 loads of washing today. Greg did a fabulous job of taking care of everything while I was away, and I can do it all again knowing they will cope without me!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog

Julie xxx

8 comments:

Unknown said...

What a Great trip You had..looks like you had a Ball..
Glad you arrived home safe & sound.
cheers

FlourishingPalms said...

Goodness but didn't you have a wonderful time!? From all the great photos and your edifying descriptions, it seems it was everything you hoped for and more. So glad for you to be back in the arms of your dear family, and to have made them happy with your excellent taste in pressies. Returning to your toast, Vegemite, English Breakfast tea and milk just makes me smile. I'd feel the same about my granola and yogurt, and decaf coffee with soy creamer. Isn't it marvelous how we all live so differently, yet the same, the world over?

Luv 2 Sew Things said...

You now have proof that the family can survive very well without you so where is your next adventure going to be to? !
Thanks for sharing all the wonderful photo's. Can't wait to see you in the flesh get all your tips on travelling overseas. x

Di said...

I've loved reading your Hawaiian adventures, Julie, and your photos have had me smiling. What fun you all had together! Thank you for taking me along on your holiday :-))

Dianne said...

Oh dear, this had me giggling out loud with your friend 'disembarking' from the canoe. I can relate. Sounds like you had a marvellous time all round, Julie. It is always good to get home to our families and familiar things tho :-)

Jan Quigley said...

So glad your holiday went so smoothly & good to know everyone coped so you can plan the next one. :-D I enjoyed the ride along with you.

Sue said...

It would have been Marmite for me. haha! Nothing like a bit of a stir Hey??
Looks like you had a fabulous time with the girls.
I am green with envy. Ah well,I'll see you soon, and we can have some fun!!

Sue said...

Oh P.S. Loved those fabulous photos. :-)