It is November 2nd. It is the day after Darryl's birthday and Melbourne Cup. We are starting to think about Christmas at the Treehouse and I have wanted to sit down at the computer and finish the blog so I can have it printed in time for Christmas. Rarely does a week go by that I don't think about this amazing trip. It has been a conversation starter many times and stories from the trip have been used to cheer us up, slow us down and even boost our moral on th...

We landed early in Sydney, cleared Customs the enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the airport. Caught trains home, collected Chris' car then the short drive home to "the Treehouse" where we were greeted by Chuck and Samuel. Eight months prior to RoChDa 2016 I was having a coffee in our sitting room - Rod & Chris walked in and surprised me by giving me airline tickets and accommodation to join them in Sweden halfway through their trip. Because of their generosity I...

Well after about an hour of queuing, Chris and I are having a quiet drink on the less stressful side of the customs wall. Our bags have come in at a feather weight to the point that the check in lady was impressed. Chris's bag weighed 7.6kgs and mine at a staggering 10.8kgs. Plenty of room for souvenirs me thinks. Anzac Day was quiet on public transport. We had lunch with Mum and Dad then Dad dropped us to the station in Gosford. Quick stop at Chris's work for ba...

Less than 24hours to go. All our bags are packed....almost. All the paperwork,tickets, passports money etc are organised. Chris and I said goodbye to Chris's family yesterday and we are having lunch with my parents tomorrow. They will drop us to the train to Sydney to get to the International Airport, Qatar Airlines flight something or other to London via Doha. Everything is getting real now. Written by Rod

I am sitting in bed, it is cold and drizzling rain outside. I should be a bit melancholy, but I am in fact quite excited for the first time in a while. We finally have all the transport and accommodation booked. The trip is now solid. 38,640 kms flying, over 4,000 kms by land transport, 12 flights, 8 trains, 2 ferries, 8 youth hostels, 4 apartments and I expect a few "where the hell are we" taxi rescues. The wonderful, and I reckon, stressed Alara at Studen...