Australia

Danny and I are spending a month in Australia.  Details of the trip and photos so far are here:

Oz blog

Oz photo albums

Thus far we've visted Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Sydney, Blue Mountains and will spend 6 days and 5 nights in Tasmania. 

Travels

We are going to Australia day after tomorrow to visit Danny's relatives and to sightsee. Our itinerary includes Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Great Ocean Road and other areas.

I will do a travelogue and upload lots of pics.

We're a bit chilly and missing the sunshine but happy to be home. It's nice to be retired as we can do things on the spur of the moment. We can't get totally settled into the house right now since we'll be travelling and when we return we'll be doing remodeling and redecorating.

In just over 2 weeks we'll be going to Australia for a month. A few days after we return home we'll go to the US for xmas.

Photos: the paddlesteamer Waverly going past our house. Benmore Botanic Gardens near our home

Settling back in

We have been home since Saturday the 9th and are so happy to be here. Been extremely busy getting the house organised and digging out warm clothes and all the household goodies which have been sitting in our loft for 2 years. I am gobsmacked by the amount of stuff we have.


Someone wondered how long it would be until Uganda seemed like just a dream. It's already beginning to feel that way but we still feel very close to all the people we came to regard as dear friends. The house is filled with souvenirs I bought in Uganda and gifts that were given to us as we prepared to leave. When we are organized I'll pick out some photos to print and put up in our photo gallery in the hallway.


Our environment in Uganda and the one here in Scotland couldn't be more different. There's a million miles between these places.

Some of the most obvious differences.....

• the conveniences--the washer and dryer, the hot running water, the shops filled with so many choices-too many choices, drinking cool, clean water out of the tap
• fast internet!
• foods I missed
• good roads
• sleeping w/o a mosquito net, no mosquitoes!
• being able to take a bath or shower in the evening w/o worrying about getting attacked by mozzies
• the awesome scenery, the water everywhere
• not worrying about food poisoning
• a house that feels huge
• cool weather, completely different clothing, having the central heating on
• higher prices for everything
• autumn - leaves changing colour
• using a debit and credit card again
• 24 hour electricity
• completely different accents
• much less simple lifestyle
• realizing just how much 'stuff' we have....does anybody really need dozens of shirts, dozens of socks, and so many shoes??
• great bread
• waste and extravagance everywhere

HOME!

On 2 Oct 2009 we left Uganda and flew home, stopping overnight in Dubai. We arrived at Glasgow Airport exhausted and were met by Danny's daughter, her husband, and two of Danny's uncles - Hugh and Dan.

Instead of going straight home we are spending our first week home in Inverness with Danny's daughter and her husband, Kathleen and Riaan.

The gorgeous scenery, the stone houses, the great roads are the first things I appreciated. Also enjoyed my first dinner of haddock and chips, then a breakfast of bacon and egg on a fresh roll.

Thus far we've visited Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle (photo), Fort Augustus, Strathpeffer for the most delicious hot chocolate in the world, and Glenmorangie distillery. Before we go home on Saturday we plan to visit Nairn, a seaside village, Culloden, and Cawdor Castle.

What I'm most looking forward to....

....when we arrive home in 6 weeks time after living in Uganda for 2 years.

• Family and friends
• Being in our comfy home with the lovely view (in sidebar)
• The gorgeous scenery, winding roads, greenery, flowers, the lochs everywhere
• The pubs, the culture, the architecture, the traditional music, the ceilidhs, the evidence of history everywhere
• Conveniences: washer, dryer, oven, bread machine, microwave, big fridge, freezer, hoover, etc etc.
• Hot water. Bathtub. A long, hot bubblebath.
• Fast internet connection. Having my own printer and scanner.
• Electricity and water ALL the time
• Foods: haddock and chips and peas, bacon rolls, scones, sweet potatoes, strawberries, oranges, grapes, Pink Lady apples, edible chicken, smoked tofu in a curry, broccoli, radishes, celery, sweetcorn, Walkers crisps, Quorn, Hob Nobs, Galaxy chocolate, being able to buy diet sodas, SO MANY CHOICES
• Shopping: finding anything I want easily. Tesco, M & S food, Boots
• Being surrounded by Scots! The accent, the humour, the friendliness
• Good bread good bread good bread good bread good bread
• Good roads. Drivers who usually obey the rules. Being able to drive again.
• Big screen tv - satellite
• My masseuse at Eco - Suzy
• Hiking up hills, bicycling, kayaking
• Puck's Glen, Benmore Gardens, The Whistlefield, Ardentinny beach
• Riding on the ferry from Gourock to Dunoon
• The long route to Glasgow via the Rest and Be Thankful
• Breakfast in our big, cozy bed with a lovely view over the loch
• Very clean, delicious water out of the tap
• Wearing soft fleece

After we return home I'll post any additions to the list that I've forgotten and how much I felt I really missed the above.

Returning home

In 3 months time we will leave Uganda on the completion of our 2-year placement and return home to Scotland. At that time I'll revamp this blog which serves more as a website. My photo album will be transferred to a better site and I will add/replace many photos. I will continue to update my Uganda blog until after we return home:
http://volunteersabroad.blogspot.com