Sydney to Christchurch 6 am came far too quickly! Mike and Rose were checking out later in the morning as their flight to Singapore wasn't until later in the afternoon, but they said they'd be up to say goodbye to us, which we thought was pretty nice of them; very much appreciated! And it was really hard to say goodbye to them, even though they should be home in about two months' time. It was fabulous to spend time with them and we really enjoyed their company - ...

(St Patrick's Day!) Another glorious day with gorgeous sunshine and a cloudless sky. The had day started rather ingloriously, however, when Tom informed us via Skype that we'd left some Travellers Cheques in the hotel safe in Dubai! After half an hour on the phone, we headed for the American Express Exchange [and another half hour to fill out a form with all the information we'd already given over the phone] for replacement cheques. Luckily, the American Ex...

Had a brilliant night's sleep - thank goodness! When I woke up I thought it was after the more usual three hours I've been having, but Iain informed me that I'd been sleeping for nine hours! I don't think I moved all night; excellent. The internet in the apartment is so expensive - especially compared with Melbourne - but we decided to have it as the management reduced our rent because the air conditioning unit is broken and the rebate will go a long way tow...