The Jolly Swagman returns from his walkabout

---

I have returned to my humble abode here in Burnaby after 9 weeks on the road down under. I had a great time, a holiday I'll remember for the rest of my life; I did it all in Australia. There was city life, coastal towns, the Great Barrier Reef, deserts, camping under the stars, splelunking, swimming, driving on the left, great long train rides, 4WD over tough terrain, kayaking, spotting wildlife, walking through zoos, opera, cooking on camp fires, attending an Aborigine school, mining. Certainly more variety than the other trips I have done.

I have added some photos to each blog entry. Not all my photos, of course. I took 1909 photos with two cameras, wide angle to super zoom. It'll take me a while to decide which of my photos to print.

It's good to be home, the cat hasn't left me alone. The return trip was easy, but not effortless. I didn't sleep at all on the flight from Melbourne to LA. It was 13 hours and during the day on Melbourne time, I just wasn't tired. We arrived 3 hours before we left, LA time. Then another 2 1/2 hour flight to Vancouver. I was awake for 32 hours before I went to bed last night, in the evening Vancouver time.

I tried some vegemite at the airport in Melbourne. Let me try to describe the taste: You know how sounds can be so loud they are painful? And light can be so bright it hurts. And smells can be so strong and awful that it's impossible to breathe. And touch can be so intense it's painful. Well, vegemite taste so bad it's painful. When it was on my tongue, I saw my life entire flash before my eyes.

So my trip was the best of times and it was the worst of times. The best was everything that happened except the smashing of the thumb, getting sea sick on the reef and tasting vegemite. I don't know what was the best, but I certainly enjoyed the camping in the top end: under the stars, in the middle of nowhere, with the fabulous scenary all around.

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

---