After a good nights sleep we again packed up our things, checked out and piled into the Hotel shuttle to get us back to Dubai International Airport for the final leg of our trip. Our flight was at 10.45am so we had no need to hurry, which was great, and once we had been dropped off in the departure area we did an electronic check-in which actually worked (please take note Qantas), the conveyor whisked away our cases and then we had time to find a great little cafe that got us coffees and a snack.
Food and drink are very cheap here in Dubai and with no taxes whatsoever and with optional tipping it makes an easy place to visit. The coffees and snack for four of us came to about 70 Dirhams which is about $AU19.00!!!
The huge International Departure hall was nearly deserted, so we took our time and bought a few trinkets, cashed in our remaining $US and local currency, did the security check (Mumsies passport failed to read and another white robed official was called to verify it - you should have seen the look on her face!) and made it to the departure lounge just as our flight was called. The plane was a brand new Boeing 777 200LR, naturally it was immaculately decked out and we settled into our seats ready to depart when I suddenly realised I had no mobile phone in my pocket!!!!! Panic stations!!! We checked the back pack and anything else we could search, but no bloody phone! I had given it to Mumsie to put in her handbag while going through the security screen and she gave it back so the only place it could be was on or under the seat in the departure lounge. I rushed up to the front and asked a hostess if I could go look and we ran back to the area but no phone! b*****! Thinking that once again I had lost all my contacts and would have to go through all the drama of cancelling my sim card and getting a new one, I got back to our seats (in a very bad mood) and as I sat down saw the bloody mobile wedged in a flap on the side of my seat! Oops! Very red faced I relayed the result to the hostie who had the nerve to laugh at me!!!!!!!!
That drama over and seat resumed it became pretty obvious this was not going to be a peaceful flight as there were at least ten children around us including three babies!!!! Crap!!!! A technical problem with the galley saw us delayed for three quarters of an hour and we finally took off with the babies screaming and us wanting to be somewhere else!!!!!
The flight itself was quite uneventful, but between the kids, about twenty passengers coughing themselves sillly and one old duck barfing into a bag the ten hours passed very slowly and very annoyingly! I watched as many things on the sensational Emirates entertainment system as I could, including the film "Social Network" which is about Mark Zuckerburg, the founder of Facebook. It's a really good movie and well worth a watch!
So we were nearly an hour late getting into Perth (about 2am) and we grabbed an armful of Duty Free booze - I still had dollars left on my Travel Card, yippee! - and used our electronic passports to quickly get through Security. Except for poor old Mumsie, her passport lucked out again and she had go to a separate line - luckily only for a few seconds! Our bags came through quickly and we joined the Customs queue and finally, avoiding a large puke on the floor, fled the arrival area! Welcome back to Perth!!!!!!!!
I located my car keys in the locked box and we walked the few metres to the waiting car and headed for Hammond Park, to be greeted by a wildly enthusiastic Ted (Katies cat). We stayed long enough to unload Jase and Katies cases, say thanks for a great trip and hit the road home!
It was a bit before 5am when we pulled into Birkdale Place and we grabbed a couple of hours sleep before starting to unpack.

It was a great trip, we all enjoyed it immensely, and the best part was that we actually saw the snow on Christmas Day that we wanted to! It might have only been a dusting but it was real snowflakes and we got to see plenty more in New York.
There were many highlights during the three weeks, the great night in Vegas at the Kahunaville bar then watching Cirque du Soleil, the snow in Central Park, seeing "Chicago" on Broadway and of course New Years Eve at the Lounge 47 bar in Long Island City.
And the disappointment of missing our helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon and Mumsies mutiny over the flat in Eastern Market were just mere speed humps in what was a very well organised trip! Well done Katie and Dadsie!!!!

As for America itself, there were a few points that really stood out for me:
1) America still has huge financial problems, with the class gap getting wider and wider! We saw many, many more people sleeping in the streets and subways than we did two years ago and yet no-one acknowledges that they are there! But the money being spent in the casinos of Vegas and the shops in New York ( by locals) was mind blowing!
2) New York is still not my favourite place! It is old, impersonal and very dirty! I think I am about twenty years too old to enjoy the place.
3) Most Americans are genuinely nice people and are only too happy to offer help and guidance when asked!

Would I go back again? Most definitely, but I would try and see some more of the less popular places and not the major cities. The USA has some amazing sights and history which would be better seen by hiring a car and driving!

I hope you have all enjoyed my blog, it has been nice be able to make a proper record of the trip and all thanks to my great iPad which has made doing it so much easier!