Australia

Well, that's it then, my three week Australian holiday is now all booked up, I have even organised my visa now - you can do that electronically and don't have to get your passport stamped, which is a bit of shame as it would be nice to have my passport officially stamped!

So, what am I doing? Well, as I mentioned earlier I am flying to Sydney, and stopping over at Changi airport in Singapore, which, from looking at it's website, knows how to be a transit airport - there are lounges where you have a nap, massage and a shower (there are other things to do like have a swim, but that was just a selection!) before you get back on the plane again to fly on to Australia - yes, you have to pay for these things, but I think that it is so worth doing so just to freshen up before going on otherwise you end up at Sydney feeling very very grotty!

I have five days in Sydney before flying on to spend five days in Adelaide and celebrating Sarah's wedding. Then it's off to Melbourne for four days before flying to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays to get some tropical sunshine and much needed R&R after all that rushing about making sure I see everything! So, after three days of lazing on the beach and perhaps doing some sailing and snorkelling, I then head back to the UK via Sydney (and Singapore again) and end up back in London early on Sunday morning, with just about enough time to get over the jet lag before going back to work. Before you all start saying but that doesn't add up to three weeks, yes, I know, it is just that I can't really count the days when I am travelling!

Anyway, it is really nice to have it all sorted out, however it has meant organising quite a few separate hotels and internal flights!! But I think that it has all come together really quite well. I did think that I may have had trouble getting a hotel in Adelaide or Melbourne because of the biennial Arts Festival and Grand Prix respectively. Adelaide wasn't too bad, but there wasn't as much choice in Melbourne as I had hoped, but I do have a place to stay, thank goodness!

Of course, I am hoping to keep you all abreast of my travels via my little blog!! But, after all that planning and booking and getting all excited, I am not actually going for another five months!!! Unfortunately, it is not like booking a weekend cottage in Cornwall, I had to book now or end up sleeping on the beach!! Besides which, I think that I would have gone crazy if I waited until, say, January to book as I would have been so worried that I couldn't get flights or hotels. Needless to say, I am one of those people that much prefer to be at the airport (or station or any other appointment type stuff) way too early!! I am quite happy to wander around or read a book secure in the knowledge that I am not going to miss anything because I decided to leave at the last minute!!