Home ... Merry Christmas

---

Arrived back home to Melbourne on Christmas morning!!!

So my 15 hour flight from LA went by pretty smoothly as I lay back in business class! Fantastic! As I caught up on some Aussie movies and some shut eye before awaking and about 3 hours left until touching down in Melbourne. Although the rude lady and her kids beside me were annoying! Anyway got off the plane virtually first and straight through customs and picked up my bag with no worries.

Going through those doors, this was the end of my travels and it was rather bittersweet, as you think of the great times you had overseas and now going back to what was normal for so many years of your life. With it being Christmas morning I decided to wrap myself in some Christmas decorations and saw Mum waiting. Great seeing the family again and it sinks in more seeing them.

Had Chrismtas Day at home, which looked a little different with some things changing to the house and trying to adjust back to it all. It was good though as we exchanged presents (as you do!) and I was out fairly early on.

The next day it was off to the Boxing Day Test, what I had been looking forward to for a while. I caught up with some friends all throughout the day and it was great catching up with these people I hadn't seen for ages and enjoying some jovial chat and a couple of drinks. It was freezing cold though and the cricket was rather boring until Shane Warne picked up his 700th wicket and it was great to be there to witness this at the most amazing stadium of the MCG.

So thats it! I am home! The end of all these, probably, annoying travelblogs ... well for the time being anyway! I know these next few days/weeks will be both good and bad as I catch up with people and also get back to normal life and I can't wait to get back to MUCC and some cricket. I know I will have times where I wish I was overseas having all those experiences I once had, but hey thats life!

I end this all, very happy in what I have achieved and jealous of anyone about to go overseas and do it now!

My life is much better now that I have done it, and I hate to think of where I would be if I hadn't. It is something I always wanted to do ... and I am proud I went out there and did it!!! I learnt so much while being overseas, a lot about myself, about the world, about how people operate, different cultures, how others live etc. there really is so much to be learnt and I think I am a better person for it all.

From my time overseas last year - playing cricket and working in England. Going to Turkey and the time at Gallipoli, then to Portugal. Then my Contiki tour, through Europe - France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands etc. (an amazing time - quite possibly the best month ever!). Then to the USA, to five cities and then to South America for some trekking in Peru to Macchu Pichu and to Argentina and Chile, before going home via New Zealand. Then after some months at home, once more off and all of that you have read through these travel blogs I have put on here! I can't believe I have visited many of the places, done much of this and had these experiences ... I will forever be grateful that I had this opportunity!

Thanks for coming along for the ride with me! They were the GREATEST days of my life!!!

---

Photos

Melbourne
Coming in from the North East

Flight
Hitting Australia

Warney's 700th
Getting Strauss

Comments

[T]

Welcome home you amazing man!

[kev]

Home in Moonee Ponds!
Well mate you may be home after all those amazing travels, but as you'll find, your journey is about to start all over again!! Just a different place!! Using all that experience gained overseas!! So first there was Dame Edna, then Dan the Kodac Man, and to think they're both from little old Moonee Ponds!!

[tuffers]

Taking MUCC to the world
Magnificent work Doc. Blogs have been a revelation. Quite possibly your magnum opus. Happy New Year.