We have left Australia

Monday 3rd August ’09 Time: morning!!
We are at Dubai Airport awaiting our flight to Dar Es Salaam
We arrived here a couple of hours ago and were driven from the plane (that landed a fair distance from the terminal ) by a bus in which everyone stood holding onto a bar whilst the driver drove to the terminal on the right side of the roads. Weird feeling!!!
The airport here is HUGE and you walk and walk and listen to a very pleasant young arabian girl speaking broken english giving instrustions to all the people from all different places around the globe. It is just HUGE – the largest building I’ve ever seen and which I think is undergoing extensions!!! Workers everywhere out in the terrible heat and humidity – at 5.50am this morning when we arrived it was far worse than Cairns in the middle of the Wet Season!!!
Whilst in Melbourne – on Friday – it was great to meet up with Murray who is doing research into what my Dad, George, did in the Territory – Arnhem land, also he is researching an Aboriginal from Kgukurr – where I went to relieve a Sister in 1971 – it was very interesting to hear different things he has found regarding the mining up there and the Royalties that were to go to the Aborigines there at Groote Eyelandt.
On Friday afternoon I also caught up with Hugh and Dorothy who left Africa about 18 months ago – great to catch up with them and to meet some of their family. On Sunday morning I was able to go and catch up with Dulcie – who by the way turnes 90 in September – it was really great to catch up with her and to see where she is residing now.
Saturday evening we had a gathering of some of the Pearson family together with my good friends Helen and Karl – and we had a super night together over the evening meal. Sunday lunch was with John’s family and my older brother Geoff came too – that was a great time of catching up with some of the extended family in Melbourne.
When I got back to John and Janet’s place i needed to repack as John said I had to have a total of 20kg .... anyway we will see how we get on. The main concern was with some of the very small planes we will be flying in whilst doing some hops in Tanzania.
Hey ... the report on the first l-o-n-g leg on Emirates ...... seats not that comfy, John had a dodgy one in front of him and the little table kept on falling down; the food was great .... and even came during the night at regular intervals!!!
What did we see from the plane the darkness of night .... the whole 14 hours of flying!!