Later today, my wife and I will begin a 24-hour-long journey to Perth, Australia where my daughter Ruth and her family are waiting. This will be by far, the longest trip I have ever taken in my life, exceeding the visit to Spain and Portugal I made with my parents and sister in 1971. Being no fan of air travel, I’m not looking forward to the flights, especially the 17-hour Qantas flight from Dallas to Sydney. But there is obviously no other reasonable way to get there. A cruise to Australia from the west coast of the U.S. would take almost three weeks, and the cost would be astronomical.

Perth is a good place to meet John and Ruth and their three children. There are numerous playgrounds in the area as well as a zoo only a few blocks from the house we are renting.  A shipwreck museum in nearby Freemantle appears to be a place I would enjoy, and all of us are likely to have fun walking through Kings Park and Botanic Garden. This trip to Western Australia is also important because it allows us to see our children and grandchildren in between their furloughs to the U.S., the next one of which won’t come until May 2019. As nice as it is to keep in touch with them through Skype calls, there is no substitute for having them close enough to hug.

After eight days in Perth, John and Ruth will return to Bandung, Indonesia, to prepare their two older children for school. (The Indonesian school year starts in late July.) Becky and I will fly to Sydney for three days before heading home on the 14th. Our Sydney plans include a dinner at the iconic Opera House, a cruise around the harbor, and a walk through the Royal Botanic Garden. We’ll want to do some souvenir shopping in Sydney and try some of the good food offered in the city’s restaurants. Although our hotel has an exercise room, I’m not sure we’ll be spending much time there. My hope is that walking — instead of driving —  to different places will help us keep the weight off.

My next blog will provide a review of this trip-of-a-lifetime to “The Land Down Under.”