San Diego

Charlie Steppa (former e-Learn employee) and Dan and Cam Carpenter (former squashies from Tarragindi Squash Club) were on our flight. It was great to catch up with them. Flight took 13 hours on board a new 777 with all the latest gadgets including a USB port for my IPod, individual entertainment consoles etc. I can recommend VAustralia for the Australia/USA Pacific leg - not expensive and the food etc was great (all included in the fare).

Arrived in LA at 7:00 a.m. and caught the airport bus to Union Station and then the Amtrak train to San Diego and the Bristol Hotel. Found a very close supermarket and stocked up on food and alcohol including my favourite Korbel Brut champagne.

Our first 'outing' was a 2 hour harbour cruise and I took a great photo of sea lions sunbathing on a platform and even more photos of the huge number of US navy ships docked in the harbour. San Diego really provides a great example of the might of the US navy!

Hospital Ship "Mercy" in San Diego Harbour

Spent half a day aboard the decommissioned USS Midway aircraft carrier. It is ENORMOUS and once supported about 200 pilots and a crew of about 4,300. It would have literally been "a city at sea". On the flight deck there was an assortment of helicopters, jets and propellor aircraft. The choppers were from the Vietnam war and the recovery aircraft included the one used to recover the cosmonauts from Apollo 10. The jets were from the early 50s up to the present day and the propellor aircraft were examples of supply and surveillance craft. I've never walked up and down so many ladders and in and out of so many compartments in one day. I had no idea where I was on the ship. I asked the guide who talked to us on the bridge and control tower how long it took a new recruit to become familiar with the layout of the ship and he said "about a month - they get to know where they eat, sleep and work first and then the rest follows".

Visited Old Town State Historic Park yesterday (site of first settlement in California in the mid 80s), Little Italy where I had a fab coffee and then onto Coronado Island and its landmark Hotel del Coronado. It was all very beautiful but still not the best beaches of the Pacific Ocean. We have those in Northern NSW and SE Queensland.

The cruise ship terminal is close to the hotel so can walk there to board on Monday. I can't wait to see and hug Phil.

I'm not sure when I'll get Internet access again but will try and update blog regularly.

Love to family and friends.