Day 40 - The Finale
Our last day on the trip was also Talia's 13th birthday so whilst on the trip our little girl turned into a teenager. As a surprise, we ordered breakfast to be delivered to the room with a special order of bacon, eggs, toast and croissants for Talia.
Talia had written down a list of activities that she wanted to do on her birthday so post breakfast we commenced ticking off items on the list. Whilst away, Talia has become keen on increasing her fitness and wanting to go to the Gym. As there was a gym at the hotel the first stop for her was a 30 minute workout which included treadmill, cross trainer and doing some basic weights. I was very impressed with how well she went and hope that she continues on doing more fitness work. In fact, since we left, she has dropped just over 3kg.
To cool down after the gym it was off to the hotel pool. The pool is located on top of the hotel roof and as it was raining it made for a unique experience - particularly when the rain became quite heavy. It was also quite a good spectacle to watch as the drops of rain formed what Zac called "Eiffel Towers" across the pool. After a nice, wet relaxing swim it was back to the room to get changed and off to a Sushi restaurant located in the i-square shopping centre. We all enjoyed a bit if sushi (well Jacq did not as it was not here favourite) before heading back to the hotel room to pack the bags for the journey home.
One unique item within the i-squared building is a unique light show that is displayed on one of the longer escalator rides. There a projections of trees and flowers on the walls however as people go past the images, the trees and flowers move as if the wind has blown and seeds fly into the air. It looks really cool. There are some photo's below.
The rest of the day was uneventful as bags were packed, we checked out of the hotel, took the shuttle bus to the airport, checked in and waited for the plane. We were delayed in heading out due to a rainstorm that had set in however eventually hot the skies around 8.00pm. Unfortunately due to some extremely poor parenting and a brat of a child sitting behind us none of us were able to get any sleep so by the time we arrived in Melbourne at 8.00am we were very tired.
Whilst on the place, Talia received a nice birthday surprise with the purchase of 2 make-up kits through the tax free shopping that is available. I am sure that the make-up will be used on a very regular basis.
Having arrived back in Melbourne we collected our bags and made our way through customs in readiness for our trip home. Unfortunately even though I had sent advice as to the size and number of bags that we had, the driver service still turned up with a vehicle that would be lucky to fit in 3 people and 3 mid-size bags. So basically being tired and grumpy, we dumped the driver service and grabbed a maxi cab home. A nice surprise was a phone call from Jacqui's mum who was taking both coffee and breakfast orders in readiness for our arrival home. After dragging the bags inside the house, saying hello to the cats (who appear to have spent 6 weeks doing nothing except eat), it was great to sit down and enjoy a nice coffee and some breakfast.
It has been an amazing journey and one that will not be forgotten. To experience the places, people and cultures that we have has been a privilege and I am looking forward to reading back through the blog, looking at the pictures and reflecting on what a great time we have had and how lucky I am to have such a beautiful wife and fantastic kids to have shared it with.
Talia had written down a list of activities that she wanted to do on her birthday so post breakfast we commenced ticking off items on the list. Whilst away, Talia has become keen on increasing her fitness and wanting to go to the Gym. As there was a gym at the hotel the first stop for her was a 30 minute workout which included treadmill, cross trainer and doing some basic weights. I was very impressed with how well she went and hope that she continues on doing more fitness work. In fact, since we left, she has dropped just over 3kg.
To cool down after the gym it was off to the hotel pool. The pool is located on top of the hotel roof and as it was raining it made for a unique experience - particularly when the rain became quite heavy. It was also quite a good spectacle to watch as the drops of rain formed what Zac called "Eiffel Towers" across the pool. After a nice, wet relaxing swim it was back to the room to get changed and off to a Sushi restaurant located in the i-square shopping centre. We all enjoyed a bit if sushi (well Jacq did not as it was not here favourite) before heading back to the hotel room to pack the bags for the journey home.
One unique item within the i-squared building is a unique light show that is displayed on one of the longer escalator rides. There a projections of trees and flowers on the walls however as people go past the images, the trees and flowers move as if the wind has blown and seeds fly into the air. It looks really cool. There are some photo's below.
The rest of the day was uneventful as bags were packed, we checked out of the hotel, took the shuttle bus to the airport, checked in and waited for the plane. We were delayed in heading out due to a rainstorm that had set in however eventually hot the skies around 8.00pm. Unfortunately due to some extremely poor parenting and a brat of a child sitting behind us none of us were able to get any sleep so by the time we arrived in Melbourne at 8.00am we were very tired.
Whilst on the place, Talia received a nice birthday surprise with the purchase of 2 make-up kits through the tax free shopping that is available. I am sure that the make-up will be used on a very regular basis.
Having arrived back in Melbourne we collected our bags and made our way through customs in readiness for our trip home. Unfortunately even though I had sent advice as to the size and number of bags that we had, the driver service still turned up with a vehicle that would be lucky to fit in 3 people and 3 mid-size bags. So basically being tired and grumpy, we dumped the driver service and grabbed a maxi cab home. A nice surprise was a phone call from Jacqui's mum who was taking both coffee and breakfast orders in readiness for our arrival home. After dragging the bags inside the house, saying hello to the cats (who appear to have spent 6 weeks doing nothing except eat), it was great to sit down and enjoy a nice coffee and some breakfast.
It has been an amazing journey and one that will not be forgotten. To experience the places, people and cultures that we have has been a privilege and I am looking forward to reading back through the blog, looking at the pictures and reflecting on what a great time we have had and how lucky I am to have such a beautiful wife and fantastic kids to have shared it with.
