Daniel's Visions: Australian Holiday - Sydney to Adelaide

We took the train back to the hotel, picked up our luggage, and boarded the shuttle bus back to the airport. We checked in for the Qantas flight to Adelaide well before the 4:30 PM departure time and had a leisurely lunch at a Thai restaurant in the airport. Rhonda had Teriyaki chicken and Dan went with the chili pepper chicken, which had him sweating profusely.

The flight to Adelaide was great: clear weather and a fine view of 1,000 miles of Australian countryside ranging from plains to hills to farmland to near-desert, then orchards and vineyards as we passed the Adelaide Hills. We also enjoyed conversation with a chemical engineer who works for a New Zealand brewery but grew up in Adelaide. He said he had a large family – four kids – and was surprised to hear that we have eight!

The flight arrived five minutes early. We took the escalator down to pick up our checked bag, and headed outside to watch for Brian and Sarah. Meanwhile, Brian and Sarah arrived upstairs and watched for us to come down the corridor from the arrival gate. After waiting 20 minutes, Dan called Brian’s cell phone from a pay phone and left a message. About 10 minutes later, Brian checked his phone, realized we had called, and he and Sarah headed down to find us. It was a joyous reunion!

We loaded our luggage into Brian and Sarah’s Ford Falcon and headed across town to 9 John Street, Payneham; a right cozy abode that they have furnished very nicely. We were fading fast – falling asleep in mid-conversation. After a supper of chicken kabobs, we hit the sack at 9:30 PM. Glorious rest in a great guest room bed!

Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens