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Throughout our time in Australia, Jesse (3rd son) and I were in Youth Hostels, staying with interesting travelers from Korea, Japan, Germany, U.K., Belgium, Argentina and some other places I can't remember. Plus the price was right -- about $24 a night for both of us! At the end of the trip I presented Jesse with a photo album containing each day's photos, museum tickets, copies of faxes/emails to and from home and other memorabilia. 

Jesse and I had an absolutely wonderful time on our recent travels. We visited Hawaii and Australia. We did a three-day layover in Hawaii on our way. This helped to break up the trip and "gently" introduced us to the 14 hour time difference. In Australia we visited cities in this order -- From Honolulu we came to Sydney, then Brisbane, Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), Ayers Rock, Perth, Melbourne and then back to Sydney. And then home. By the way, Australia is huge -- about the size of the USA. The seasons are opposite -- while we are experiencing Summer, Australia is experiencing Winter. Our time in September ushered us into Spring in Sydney. As we got closer to Brisbane and Cairns, the weather got noticeably warmer. After all there are rain forests just above Cairns (pronounced "Cans"). 

Here's a quick overview of the trip, in chronological order: 
*arrived in L.A. Stayed over night. Left for Honolulu the next morning. 
*stayed at YWAM's base in Manoa Valley. I have visited this base many times. They allowed us to 
  stay in the guest  room. 
*rented a silver mustang convertible that Jesse thought was real cool. 
*visited Pearl Harbor 
*snorkeled several times at Hanuama Bay near Honolulu. Saw exotic fish. 
*saw the beautiful bridge and opera house in Sydney. 
*visited the Australian Zoo, home of TV's Crocodile Hunter. "Crikey, it was a beaut!" 
*sailed out about 2 1/2 hours by big catamaran from Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef for an all-day 
  excursion. 
*snorkeled and scuba-dived at the Great Barrier Reef. Jesse got underwater pictures of two reef 
  sharks during a dive. 
*went hot air ballooning -- up about 2000 feet over the outback. Unbelievable! 
*Jesse received a silver "promise ring" -- his statement of preserving sexual purity till marriage 
*train rides from Sydney to Brisbane (14 hours) and then from Melbourne back to Sydney (11 
  hours). 
*saw Ayers Rock -- a huge red rock that erupts out of the outback in the middle of Australia. 
*met a pastor in Perth. he took us out to dinner one evening. Had a great time. 
*ate at McDonalds, KFC and Happy Jacks (actually Burger King) -- good Australian food! 
*saw a giant 3-D movie at a museum in Melbourne. 
*14 hours in an airplane from Sydney to Los Angeles -- nonstop. This was the first flight from Sydney 
  to North America since the tragedy of 9/11. I have never felt more secure on a flight. 
*both kept daily journals 

Where were you when you heard about the tragedy in NYC and at the Pentagon on 9/11? Sydney is 14 hours ahead of NY / DC time. We were ready to come home and the guy in the next bunk said that we weren't going anywhere. I told him that I was sure that our flight was leaving that day. He then suggested that we should go watch the developing events on CNN. That is where we discovered that all flights to North America had been cancelled. For three days we tried to phone home. We couldn't get through. The lines were jammed. We communicated the best we could by email at an Internet Cafe. This was a very disconcerting for both of us, and of course everyone back home. Jesse and I tried to keep things in perspective by remembering that our inconvenience was nothing compared to the heartache experienced by thousands. 

The Australian Prime Minister was in Washington, DC at the time of the attack. He was giving a briefing about 400 yards from the Pentagon when the plane hit. Needless to say, the Australian press was all over this story for several reasons. 

In the Youth Hostel at Sydney there is a common area, with TV, on each floor. During the first few days, we were mesmerized in front of the TV, watching CNN with 20-30 others. While watching we would hear people from other cultures groaning or sighing. The international concern and outrage was obvious. People would meet us in the streets and after learning we were from America, they would physically reach out and touch our arms, expressing empathy. It was quite moving. 

For over four days we did not know how long we were going to have to stay in Australia. Some might say that being stranded in Sydney is not so bad and they are correct. It is just that we were ready to come home, with both of us feeling a wee bit homesick and also with both of us not feeling well
physically. 

Plus every morning, my main task was to find out the airline situation with Quantas Airlines before 10AM, because that was when we needed to let the Youth Hostel know if we were staying another night. The phone lines were always busy. What complicated matters even more was that the 65-year old Ansett Airlines (2nd largest airline in Australia) suddenly shut down all operations the very day we were to come home. People all over Australia were stranded in airports with no way to move. That is the main reason why the phone lines to the airlines were all jammed. Add this to everything else and it was quite a a wild experience. 

We're exhausted and we had a blast! But it sure is good to be home!