4/14/06
All the Traveling
I haven't posted a travel map of where we've been for a while so here
it is. It shows
how much we've seen of Australia and at the same time, shows how little
we've seen! The Aussies we meet constantly tell us we've seen more of
this country than most Australians, but I am often in awe in how much
there is left for us to see. Our plans are to head back to Sydney on
the Tasmanian Ferry and continue north to see Brisbane in Queensland
and the Great Barrier Reef before our trip ends in a month and a half.
We'll see if we can make it to Carrns on the north east coast before we
have to turn around to fly home from Sydney.
The mileage tally so far on our Ford Falcon is 5133 miles and the
rental car mileage is as follows:
Northern Territores: 2530 miles
Western Australia: 2200 miles
New Zealand: 2720 miles
That's a total of 12,583 miles (20,246 Kilometers) in a car, not to
mention the air mileage
we've flown to get to Alice Springs, Perth, and New Zealand! It's no
wonder we're so tired! We're looking forward to sleeping in our own bed
and cooking in our own kitchen when we're done. I'm also looking
forward to working on
my cars!
Six months is a long time to live out of a suitcase. Most people who
travel a lot go home every so often to regroup before heading out
again, but our trip has been non stop. I have a lot respect for people
who tour with rock shows or race car teams where they often don't get
home for months at a time. My wife and I have decided after this trip
that we would
probably not choose those jobs for our next careers.
Not working has been a pleasure, however, and being away from home also
relieves us from house keeping chores. Grass doesn't need to be cut and
maintainence on the house can't be done, so we have a lot of time on
our hands to do other things. Much of the time is taken up hanging out
with my family, but I've also been using it to read. I've read seven
books so far, and for me that's a record. Reading a couple of
newspapers from cover to cover each day has also been something I never
had the
chance to do when I was home, and reading the "Australian" and the
local
papers really gives us the feel for the country and its people.
As we head into the "home stretch" of this adventure, I'm glad we took
this trip, and look forward to seeing what awaits us on this final leg.
Thanks to everyone who has written while I have been away, as I have
been reading the e-mails, but findinng internet
conenctions to reply has not been easy. I hope you're still enjoying
the updates on
Australia, and if you haven't, I'll be back in NY in a couple of months
to resume the Ferrari posts soon!
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