It took me over five hours to book the tickets online, something I don't think I'll bother trying again. The internet connection kept on time out while I sorted out the information to fill in the next answer. It drove me nuts. But more on that later. As it turned out, our flight was the inaugural flight to open the Saigon - Adelaide service.
We stopped in Saigon for a couple of days on the way, to catch up with relatives and for Nga to do shopping for small presents to take back for friends in Australia. The weather wasn't too hot and sticky, and it seemed that the air in Saigon was rather cleaner than usual.
We has a long, five hour stop over on hard seats in the crappy, overcrowded Air Asia transit terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The upstairs concorse is much more relaxing and interesting.
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| Air Asia transit terminal KLIA |
Adelaide Airport has undergone a complete make over. The terminal is now much larger and more attractive. An old work mate, Michael, met us at Adelaide Airport and took us to his car in a new built, multi-storey car park. "Wow," I thought, "this is all new and swish." For those who have not been to Adelaide, it is a very clean, quiet and civilised city, with good universities and is a leading centre of medical and military research in Australia.
Then we took the 45 minute drive to his house to meet again with his Vietnamese wife, Hanh, and three sons. Son John and daughter in law Lisa flew over from Melbourne to be with us for the first week It was Lisa's first visit to Adelaide. We spent several days doing the tourist thing: looking at the zoo, botanical gardens, eating out, visiting a few pubs, and having a family barbeque with Michael and Hanh in the 'urban forest' in their back yard.
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| Eating outdoors instead of at the $50 restaurant in Adelaide Zoo |
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| Gazebo, Botanical Gardens. We had to leave, due to a booked wedding |
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| Pacific Islands exhibits, Adelaide Museum |
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| Botanic Hotel, where a 15oz beer averaged $11 a glass |
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| Rundle Mall, the main shopping street, Adelaide |
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| BBQ in the urban forest |
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| An, Bob, Hanh and Bob's 18th birthday cake |
The highlight of our month in Adelaide was the four days we went camping at Newland Head Conservation Park, around 100km south of Adelaide on the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsular. Mike set up a large kitchen/dining/lazing fly sheet, which worked brilliantly to shade our days. Mother and joey kangaroos came into the camp site every morning. "Wake me up in the morning to see the kangaroos !" An told me excitedly. She loved it!
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| Mike relaxing in kitchen shelter. Our dome tents for sleeping in background |
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| An sniffing wild flowers, but no smell at all |
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| Rugged coastline and permanently closed beach, due to dangerous rips. |
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| Kangaroo and joey at camp site |
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| A pleasant afternoon walk |
.The weather was kind to us in Adelaide most of the time, with temperatures of 23C-26C mostly and no rain. It was good to get back to see friends and to see how much Adelaide has changed in six years. There are new, multi-storey office blocks all over the city and entire new suburbs in the south. There wasn't much evidence of the world financial crisis in Adelaide.
All in all, we had a very busy, enjoyable time introducing An and Lisa to Adelaide and catching up with friends
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