The basic summary of our Manchesterian experience was: Flew into Manchester and caught the train to Leeds (for £18 each!). Unfortunately for this fine British city, it provided us with our first (unwelcome) experience of English winter (freezing and dark). After our haf hour stay at a very dark 5am, which consisted of us lugging our numerous suitcases from the airport to the train station (which I must admit was fairly conveniently located), I must say I wasn't...

PAUL Well we have arrived in Leeds, England and are beginning to settle in and sort things out. There'll be more on all things English in the coming entries, but first to our journey here. We left Brisbane on Monday aboard Etihad flight EY473 to Abu Dhabi. Thanks to everyone who came to see us off, called or sent a farewell message. The first leg of our flight was to Singapore and we made good use of the in-flight entertainment systems with a wide range of mov...

.LISA Just in Singapore for a quick stopover. The airport is massive, and quite nice with all of its greenery and water features. However, the guards armed with automatic weapons kind of limit the welcoming feel of the place :S During our exploration of the airport we stepped outside for a moment to sample the fresh, cool Singaporean air...and my camera lens fogged up. Hmmm, didn't realise just how hot and humid it is here. No wonder they can grow some beautifu...

. LISA We set off this morning full of ambivalence. Excited about the adventure ahead, but nervous about leaving all we knew behind....and having to put up with each other for six months!! The reality of the situation only really hit me when the plane left the ground and we saw Brisbane (and later in the flight, Australia) left far behind. However, in catering for the entertainment needs of their passengers, Etihad Airways helped to take our mind off the scary...