I am writing this entry aboard my Qantas flight back to the United States because with 16
hours in the air what else am I going to do? I left Sydney at 2:30 PM Sunday and will arrive in Dallas at 1:45 PM on Sunday. It’s like back to the future. From there I’ll hop a flight back to Chicago and will be ready to sleep for 48 hours.
My final night in Sydney featured the Gay Mardi Gras parade and I tried my best to see it. Unfortunately, so did 200,000 other people. The streets were blocked off and police barricades were everywhere. I tried to get through them but unlike Chicago, the police refused my $20 tip and wouldn’t let me in to where all the action was, but I certainly heard it. There was music and shouting and dancing and it seemed like everybody was having a gay old time (no pun intended). Revelers were dressed in all sorts of attire and some were barely dressed at all. There was definitely a party going on and I wound up watching it all on TV.
Preparing for the trip back home required packing which is always a pain in the valise. At least I didn’t have to worry about anything getting wrinkled on the way back. I just threw all of my dirty clothes into a suitcase, tamped it down, squeezed it shut and headed for the airport.
Once I got on the plane, I settled in for 16 hours of boredom, interrupted by cocktails, food, movies, snacks, more cocktails, more food, and eventually sleep. Unfortunately I fell asleep at the same time we started hitting speed bumps in the air and I wound up dreaming that I was a kangaroo. When I woke up, I had a pouch full of biscuits.
Over all, I would sum up the country of Australia by saying that it is a long way away, filled with very friendly people, who use odd looking money, eat some odd tasting foods, and wash them down with a multitude of great tasting beers, The people have accents that I could listen to all day long and their own words and phrases that take some getting used to. It has animals you won’t find anywhere else including many varieties that can kill you and features sports like cricket and rugby which are entertaining to watch, even though I don’t know the rules. The natural beauty of Australia is astounding and everything is easy to get to. If you have never visited Australia, I highly suggest you add it to your bucket list.
Now that I have been there would I ever consider going back? Like a boomerang, mate, like a boomerang.
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