August 4, 2012

August 4, 2012

Tucson is still fully in the grips of summer, so we are back on the road. Metaphorically speaking this time. We are actually in the air leaving the RV behind. We are taking our adventure overseas, headed Down Under, to Australia. No matter who we speak to, people are jealous. Australia is a dream destination even for Americans who don’t travel. I think that is because Australia is this mythical place south of the equator on the other side of the world. A mini-US where the water drains counterclockwise and kangaroos run wild. A foreign country where the inhabitants speak English with a funny accent, and invite you to their barbie for a beer.

I must admit much of the glitter of Australia has faded for me during the planning of this trip. Our Australian adventure is the antithesis of our typical trip. I enjoy freewheeling it around, lingering as long as we want, and then moving on. For lots of reasons, that isn’t going to happen. In fact if asked, I can give many very good reasons not to ever go to Australia. I would tell people first to look at a globe and find Australia. It is just about as far away from the US that you can go. Anybody who has flown cross-country knows LA to NYC is a grueling five-hour flight. LA to Sydney is three times longer. And for Tucsonans add another hour to fly to LA (and six more on a layover at LAX).