Epilogue

We have been home for two days now, and the old routines are coming back. Josh went to school today, and I go back to work tomorrow. Pam's bible study starts again next week, and by the weekend, swimming lessons, groceries and the errands will creep back in. We were all commenting that we missed the breakfast buffet this morning - something that becomes strangely familiar.

Our trip was an amazing adventure, and it was breathtaking and awe inspiring to see the amazing work of creation from God, in the land, oceans, forests and huge array of animal and plant life.

I posted about 60 new pictures on Flickr today, which you can access to the left of this post. Pam is creating a photo book, which we will share with our friends and family in the future when we visit each of you.

All the best for 2011!

Paul, Pam and Joshua

By the numbers

Some numbers from our trip...

Total number of flights: 8
Total hours spend in the air: 48
Total km's travelled by air: 36,693
Number of airline meals consumed: 7
Bags of pretzels eaten: 9

Hotel nights: 16

Highest temperature we enjoyed: +32C (Port Douglas, Dec 21st)
-lowest temperature: +10C (Melbourne, Dec 23)
Days that I wore shorts: 16/16

Number of Lego mini-figures we got to keep Josh entertained during the flights: 16
- Archie comics: 7

Number of times Josh went swimming: 8
Hours spent in the pool at the Sydney Olympic Pool: almost 3
Cost to get into the Sydney Olympic Pool waterpark: $19.70
Cost to take the train to get to the Sydney Olympic Park: $20



Cost to do the laundry:
- Melbourne: $3 wash, $3 dry, $1 per load for soap
- Port Douglas: $0 wash, $0 dry, $1 per load for soap
- Sydney: $8 wash, $8 dry, $2 per load for soap

Cost for several regular items on our trip:

Bottle of Coke
- Vancouver airport $2.50
- most places in Australia: $4.00

Bag of chips $2.50
Package of TimTam cookies: $2.97
Litre of milk: $1.59
Bananas: $2.59 / kg
Apples: $8 / kg
Pineapple: $1.99 each
Ice cream cone at McDonald's: 50 cents

Hotel in downtown Sydney on New Year's Eve: $670 / night

Internet cost
- Melbourne, $19.95 a day
- Port Douglas, $5.95 per hour
- Sydney $11 per hour, $25 per day
- at most McDonald's in Australia - free


I will post more pictures to Flickr later this week, and add one final posting for our blog.

The end of our 40 hour day

Home at last. With the time change, and the crossing of the international date line, our January 1st has lasted 40 hours.

Time for some serious sleep. I think I got 4 hours on the flights in total, after staying up for the fireworks the night before. I need about 12 hours to catch up.....

Zzzzzzz

Halfway home

We are in Canada, awaiting our next flight to Toronto, via Calgary. Unfortunately, we couldn't get seats on the direct flight to Toronto, but we'll be home soon enough. I know that we are all looking forward to a good night's sleep in our own beds. The Vancouver airport is pretty quiet at this time of day. I'm sipping on a Starbuck's latte, while Pam has found the bakery, and Josh is munching on a chocolate chip cookie with a carton of milk (though he claims he isn't used to Canadian milk anymore).


More later...