It is great to have finally reached our destination! The flight over was long and brutal. I saw John catching flies on the flight over the Pacific. He was lucky... I spent most of the time watching in flight movies.... most of them bad and only tolerable for an hour or so, before switching to the next one. Tried to sleep, but it was fruitless. The entire flight over was in darkness. It was strange to be so alert with a midnight sky. As we approached Sydney, daylight was breaking and we were able to see downtown, the opera house and bridge. It was a pleasent surprise.
The next hop wasn't so bad - alot shorter. I had a chance to catch up with our fourth relay member Dave Hendrickson. There was also another person whom I swam with many years ago - Greg Smith. It was great to relive experiences of the past. Most of the plane was filled with people going to the world championships from the various sports. All with stories similiar to our own. Upon our arrival in Perth, the weather was sunny and warm. Paradise at last.
The next adventure was driving on the left side of the road. The local driver tips are to look right and stay left. Those two tips turned out to be very helpful. The biggest adjustment is getting used to cars coming at you from unfamaliar directions. It is very unsettling. Right turns are a pain. You have to cross the entire intersection, with a right turn light. Been rubbing the curb a few times. One thing I learned very quickly was to keep John on the curbside.
The house we are staying is very nice. A quiet, affluent neighborhood - John did good!
Thursday we will be warming up at the pool and running a few errands. My first swim is friday, tommorow 800 m free.
By the way, everyone hear is very friendly and helpful.
