A day in Perth before heading home

Well, this morning was an early start. We left the house at 5.15 to get to the airport on time to make my 6.30 am flight to Perth. At the airport, I had to pay $10 for 1kg of extra baggage but I didn't think that was too bad. As Dad and I were going through the scanners, the Virgin check-in guy came running up to give me my passport wallet - thank god he did otherwise I would not know what to do!

By the time we got through, the plane was pretty much ready to board so we headed to the gate and I said goodbye to Dad. The flight was pretty painless and I enjoyed my yoghurt and blueberries that I managed to smuggle on board :-)

We arrived 45 minutes early in Perth so I sat myself in Dome and had a coffee while waiting for Lisa to pick me up. It was already hot by the time we left the airport at 7.30. It was so nice to see her again and also Colin and Alita who had turned 1 not too long ago. Lisa's other daughter Ashlee was at her grandparents place.

We chatted for a while and played with Alita before heading out for brunch at one of the cafes in the Swan Valley. It was an awesome breakfast! And the weather was great for sitting outside - not too hot yet. Colin took Alita home and Lisa and I went to have a look at a few galleries around the Swan Valley.

At one gallery, this guy was making 3D art out of stainless steel. It was quite amazing! As you walked from left to right past a piece, the landscape or patterns seemed to jump off the metal. Incredible! But definitely out of our price range with nothing under $4000.

We also went to an Aboriginal gallery and I picked up some gifts for Sonja and Brian. By this time it was so hot - 36 - so we decided to go home. We sat chatting for a bit longer, I took another shower and then we headed back to the airport for my flight back to KL.

Lisa came in with me and we sat chatting again at Dome before it was time for me to board. I said goodbye to Lisa and headed through immigration.

On the plane, I ended up sitting next to a Belgian lady. Although she had lived in Perth for 38 years, she still had a strong Belgian accent. I normally don't talk to people on planes and prefer to listen to my iPod and read a book but from the second I sat down, we were chatting away about everything from organic food to the oil industry. We talked non-stop for 5 hours! The only break we had was when she went to the bathroom! It did make the flight go quicker though.

Back in KL, I was so happy to see Ross again. We drove home and I pretty much collapsed into bed after my 21 hour day. So great to be home.

Today's photo is of sunrise over the wing on the plane to Perth.