South of the Equator

It's cold down here! I've just spent the last two weeks in the Southern Hemisphere catching up with family and friends, as well as working in Sydney. It's winter here and boy did I feel it. I don't remember being so cold. We were much warmer in Austria and London during winter. The difference is simple. None of the homes I visited in Australia and New Zealand had central heating, unlike every home in Europe.

Garry and I flew into Sydney on August 5 after four days in Japan. Garry's parents met us at the airport and drove us to their home in the Western suburbs of Sydney. His brother and sister came over to the house shortly after we arrived with the kids in tow. Everyone was thrilled to see us again.

Late afternoon we headed into town for a reunion with our central city friends. We also booked ourselves into a local hotel to save a late-night journey home (translate this to really mean that we could drink like fish and not worry about driving). During the course of the evening, more than 16 friends showed up at the White Horse Hotel in Surry Hills. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces again. A dozen of us then went for a tasty Thai meal in Darlinghurst and then on for drinks at a new nightclub on Oxford Street called Slide. What a great venue.

The rest of the week in Sydney was spent catching up with Garry's friends out West and with work colleagues in North Sydney. I also visited my tax accountant, dentist, and skin specialist. I had several skin cancers removed the night before I flew to New Zealand, including one that was cut out of my face. I must admit that I hadn't planned on traveling for the next ten days with stitches in my head!

Thursday morning (August 10) I caught an early flight to Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. The Southern Alps were loaded with snow, and even the Port Hills next to Christchurch had snow on them. The entire scene was spectacular! New Zealand really is a beautiful nation. This trip to Christchurch was only a flying visit - my first in almost seven years. I stayed with my Aunt and spent the evening catching up with cousins I hadn't seen for years. Everyone was in good health and enjoying life.

On Friday morning I flew to Auckland and was met at the airport by my parents. Garry didn't come with me as he'd elected to spend extra time with his family. I spent a relaxing three days in Auckland with my brother's family. My niece Brooke is quite a character now. She had us laughing time and time again. One rather funny highlight was the afternoon she dragged me from my table to join her on the dance floor at the local 'kids' disco'. That girl can boogie!

At the unearthly time of 3:30am on Monday, my father took me to the airport to catch a 6:00am flight to Sydney. The early start was necessary as I had to catch a connecting flight to Johannesburg for work. While sitting in the transit lounge I checked my UK bank account and discovered to my horror that someone had withdrawn almost £3300. It seems that my ATM card was skimmed (copied) in Prague at some point.

Qantas did its best to cheer me up. I found myself unexpectedly upgraded to First Class. This certainly made the 14-hour flight to South Africa a little more comfortable. I have to say the difference between First and Business wasn't that significant. I got the distinct impression that Qantas has some work to do with its First Class product. There was a little more space in the cabin, a terrific dinner menu, and a padded duvet on my sleeper bed - otherwise business class is just as comfortable. I certainly wouldn't pay extra for First. Perhaps the new A380 will include some significant improvements?

I also reached a small milestone during this flight. Qantas granted me Lifetime Silver Frequent Flyer membership. Another five years of flying at this rate and I'll qualify for Lifetime Gold membership. I suspect I won't want to fly that much if I reach this membership level..!

Tonight I finally fly home to London after 3.5 weeks on the road. While it's been wonderful to see everyone Down Under again, I'm looking forward to my own bed - and filing a fraud report for the bank. Bon Voyage!