Well this is it, the last day of our trip. It's the point where we really look forward to going home. We'll be replacing hot and humid with cold and damp but it'll be great to be back home after nine weeks living out of a backpack. What joy to be able to extend the choice of what to wear from this top or that top each night to a whole wardrobe of clothes.
The train journey from Cairns to Brisbane on the Sunlander sleeper in Queenslander Class was splendid. We were able to relax in our own compartment and the lounge car, trying to spot kangaroos from the windows. Numerous Aussies were able to explain the landscape and tell us about the damage caused by bushfires and cyclones.
Then Brisbane surprised us as it was stunning, especially the South Bank at night. Like Chicago, some thought has been given to the design and location of the skyscrapers in relation to older buildings. The road layout seemed to take account of pedestrians, keeping much of the cars to a fast road on the north bank of the river. There was also a free City Hopper ferry to take us across the river and around the banks. The layout of the cultural quarter on South Bank has created some wonderful spaces using planting and water around the impressive buildings.
We've been in Singapore now for a couple of days. It's something like 95% humidity, so just walking around saps our energy. They are celebrating Deepavali at the moment and we particularly enjoyed watching a family outing in the restaurant of our hotel, with all the guests dressed in beautiful outfits, including the children. Our hotel room has a channel which shows Premier League football constantly, much to Ralph's delight.
We've marvelled at the views from the iconic hotel by the marina, shaped like a ship on top of slender towers. Then the Gardens at the Bay were fascinating, with cooled conservatories which were very appealing, and a memorable Cloud Forest walk over the canopy.
We've only a few problems on this trip, apart from my nasty bike accident on day five which could have been disastrous. Ralph lost his sunhat at Uluru and I cracked the screen on my tablet at Cairns, trying to cram it into the hotel room safe, still working thankfully. Ralph's backpack sack got ripped to shreds by Air New Zealand so we bought two new backpack covers which are much stronger for flights. Just now we both have sunburned backs from snorkelling. My water colour ambitions came to nought as there didn't seem time to fit much painting in, but I will get stuck in when we get back.
There've been many highlights, ranging from the America's Cup in San Francisco to the penguins in Oamaru, the SkyRail above Cairns, the Getty Museum in LA, Milford Sound in NZ and sunset at Uluru. But we look forward very much to seeing the family again.
The train journey from Cairns to Brisbane on the Sunlander sleeper in Queenslander Class was splendid. We were able to relax in our own compartment and the lounge car, trying to spot kangaroos from the windows. Numerous Aussies were able to explain the landscape and tell us about the damage caused by bushfires and cyclones.
Then Brisbane surprised us as it was stunning, especially the South Bank at night. Like Chicago, some thought has been given to the design and location of the skyscrapers in relation to older buildings. The road layout seemed to take account of pedestrians, keeping much of the cars to a fast road on the north bank of the river. There was also a free City Hopper ferry to take us across the river and around the banks. The layout of the cultural quarter on South Bank has created some wonderful spaces using planting and water around the impressive buildings.
We've been in Singapore now for a couple of days. It's something like 95% humidity, so just walking around saps our energy. They are celebrating Deepavali at the moment and we particularly enjoyed watching a family outing in the restaurant of our hotel, with all the guests dressed in beautiful outfits, including the children. Our hotel room has a channel which shows Premier League football constantly, much to Ralph's delight.
We've marvelled at the views from the iconic hotel by the marina, shaped like a ship on top of slender towers. Then the Gardens at the Bay were fascinating, with cooled conservatories which were very appealing, and a memorable Cloud Forest walk over the canopy.
We've only a few problems on this trip, apart from my nasty bike accident on day five which could have been disastrous. Ralph lost his sunhat at Uluru and I cracked the screen on my tablet at Cairns, trying to cram it into the hotel room safe, still working thankfully. Ralph's backpack sack got ripped to shreds by Air New Zealand so we bought two new backpack covers which are much stronger for flights. Just now we both have sunburned backs from snorkelling. My water colour ambitions came to nought as there didn't seem time to fit much painting in, but I will get stuck in when we get back.
There've been many highlights, ranging from the America's Cup in San Francisco to the penguins in Oamaru, the SkyRail above Cairns, the Getty Museum in LA, Milford Sound in NZ and sunset at Uluru. But we look forward very much to seeing the family again.
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