We did it- I can't believe my children made that extremely long flight over and back, but we did it! I'm so proud of my little world travelers. We haven't been to my husband's home in Perth, Australia in over 10 years because I was worried that that trip would be to hard on the kids. But last summer we decided to give it a try and booked a trip over.
We did not break up the trip for cost purposes, which in hind-sight was a mistake. It took us 35 hours in total to get to Perth including lay-overs. My kids and husband did great, but I was the one who was really grumpy. Our first stop was L.A. where we did nothing but wait in lines. The lines consisted of re-checking our baggage (long lines), going through security (more long lines), and finally a line where they double checked our passports and boarding passes before we were allowed to go to our gate. Note to international travelers:you need a good 4 hour layover in LA to get throuh all the queues to finally arrive at your gate. We flew Air New Zealand where the flight attendents were all extremely courteous and I felt like we ate as if we were on a cruise. We had menu options at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and were offered snacks and beverages about every two hours. We ate very well, that being said, my son is a very picky eater and had trouble even with the kid's menu they offered. He lived on the snacks we had packed for the long plane trips. Note to travelers with children: pack lots of snacks!
The service was really good, but the plane we were on was an older model and we did not have the mini TV's to pass the time (Note to travelers with kids: bring portable DVD players in case you have the same experience) and my seat was broken and wouldn't recline, so I had to sleep in the "upright posisition". We had a layover in Raratonga in the Cook Islands and that felt very exotic and fun, they let us out of the plane for about an hour and we stayed in the little airport's courtyard while they re-fueled the plane. Then our next stop was New Zealand, where we hung out in the airport and ate Burger King (my son was so happy to see a Burger King and ate very well). Then we were off to our final destination of Perth.
We stayed with my in-law's for our two week vacation and had a really lovely, very sur-real Christmas. It's summer in December in the land down under, it looked to me like Christmas in July! Everyone was barbequeing and going to the parks and beaches. We went to the Perth Zoo, visited a Wildlife Sanctuary where we were able to feed Kangaroos and pet some teddy-bear soft Koalas. The city is very beautiful and in pristine condition, people are friendy, and I feel a bit like I'm in a time warp. Stores still close at 6pm and everything is closed on Sundays. People pack real plates, cutlery, and glassware for their picnics, no plastic-ware to be found. They haven't experienced the water-bottle craze yet, their tap water is still suitable for drinking water, and it tastes good too!
There are parks everywhere, and it seems as if there is always water near-by. Whether it be a beach or a river or an estruary, we were always near the water. Downtown Perth is even situated right on the Swan River. Australia is a melting-pot of cultures, people, and food.
The flight going home was most enjoyable, we flew on a brand new long-range version 747 Air New Zealand plane that had personal TV's with remotes that gave us access to a huge movie and video library. The kid's had a variety of kid channels, movies, and video games for their entertainment. We were in electronic heaven and it made time fly for us. We had a 12 hour layover in New Zealand, so we left the airport and caught a nap and shower at a nearby hotel, which was GREAT. A shuttle bus took us from the airport to the hotel, where we relaxed, stretched our legs, and freshened up before going back to the airport. Note to travelers: New Zealand does not charge a departure tax if you are in the country for less than 24 hours.
Be sure to give yourself a minimum of two days to recover from some serious jet lag once you get home!
Must see's in Perth, Australia:
-the beaches
-the city of Freemantle
-the city of Mandurah
-downtown Perth
-the Maritime History Museum
-The Maritime Shipwreck Museum
- King's Park
- the Wildlife Sanctuaries
-the Perth Zoo
-Swan Valley wineries
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