Leaving on a jet plane don't know when I'll be back again..... The day began early with me finishing packing. So proud I got 5 out of 6 suitcases 23 kgs or less and one ended up at 24.6 which both American and V Australia blissfully turned a blind eye. Thank goodness !!!
Breakfast at Zimmies to say goodbye to Sheraton Vistana which I would highly recommend to anyone!! Headed off via the gas station to the Orlando International Airport to return the car and get sorted. We did this safely and had some lunch before the flight. Got on the plane and then we headed off for the runway only to find out there was an issue with the fuel pump to the left engine. So back to the gate we went and sat there for the next hour. Good news is that the problem got fixed and we safely arrived in LA!!

From here we collected our bags grabbed two trolleys and headed off in search of Terminal 3 from Terminal 2 and , in ten minutes, we had found where we needed to be.  Checked bags through to Melbourne and went through to security and off to find somewhere
to watch the Giants 49ers game. Sadly Katie and I were cheering for the Baltimore Ravens ( for two reasons - one being we'd travelled through Baltimore in the train and , two, because they wear purple!) in the earlier game against the Patriots. We were going for the 49 ears in the next game - reason being cos Faizal, a friend from school , lives there and cheers for them. Extra time played to decide and , let's say,  Kate and I were not smiling again.

So next weekend in the big Grand Final - the Super Bowl - New England Patriots play New York Giants  at Indianapolis. Naturally, we will cheer for the Giants  as we "lived" in NY. Adrian, who really supports Giants is not sure he wants our support based on our success today!!! Lol!

Our search of the International airport down Gates 30 through 39 way found the the food court- Burger King and Gladstones for fish. Tough choice - a sit down restaurant or Hungry Jacks!!! TVs to watch the remainder of the game vs HJs.  Tough choice but we opted to put our name down, wait 30 minutes while standing with 30 new friends outside watching the game waiting for a table. We did get one and the meal was okay - overpriced by a long way ( who would believe that of an airport food place !!!) but our one find was Sterling's Vintner Chardonnay. Expensive to boot but by far the most superior wine of the trip!! Funnily enough while waiting for boarding in Orlando, we met a young guy heading back to Chicago from sales conference, a couple heading on a tour that took them from LA to Brisbane for flight change to Cairns for 4 nights then Sydney, Queenstown, Mt Cook, Christchurch and Auckland 4 nights each. They were from Washington , and a young family from LA. The wife was from San Fran originally and there was a great discussion about our next trip based around my Golden Oldies trip. In that conversation she told us of a winery we should visit- none other than Sterling's! Hence why we tried the wine and why we will be visiting there in the Napa Valley!

Chatted at LA boarding gates with several Aussies and a Canadian young man before boarding on time and as you read this we are just over half way across the Pacific some seven hours and five and a half thousand kms from home!!!
Arrived home safe and sound- happy to hear Aussie speak again and our home etc. lucky me had ankles the size of America which were painful and uncomfortable!!