Back in Gullane Mabel was delighted to be reunited with the mummies and the cat decided that if he sat in my case I wouldn't forget to pack him next time!
The rest of the day we took it easy and were in bed by 6 pm. On Saturday we eased back to life, catching up with family and friends, walking to the best beach anywhere (here in Gullane) and lunch in our village coffee shop.
For anyone thinking of a trip to the other side of the world - yes it was worth it. I'm so glad we had a taste of Australia too - flights in total were £1,300 each so that the major expense of going so far away. Hotels were average £80 a night. The most expensive was Mount Cook at £171 and the cheapest £56 for our last night in Bargara which was cabin stuck in the 80s decor wise, but clean with air-conditioning and beach just across the road. The cost of food was equal to UK. We didn't eat out much to keep to budget and noodles were a popular supper!
You can obviously spend what you want on trips when you get there - our most expensive was going to Lady Elliot Island at £230 each but considering this was return flights on a private plane, boat trip, lunch, snorkeling on GBR with equipment and talks and walks if you want to join, it's actually a steal. They've just been voted second best place for snorkeling in the world and I am happy to contribute to their conservation work.
In conclusion I would do it all again but meantime it's lovely to be with Gary, pets and comforts of home. We had no issues re COVID-19 - just got asked at check in if we'd been to China last 2 weeks. We'll have our feet on the ground for a while as we pay off bills and enjoy spring and summer in Scotland.
Thanks for reading and until next time 😘