It so surreal to be sitting in an Istanbul airport writing this, having been in London for the past 2 days, Sydney, 4 days ago, New Zealand 8 days ago and sailing around Vanuatu for the month prior to that – but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Our goodbye party at the Opera bar couldn’t have been better. Winter disappeared for a day as Sydney put on a show with 29 degrees and sunny blue skies all around. Thanks to all of our friends (and sorry about the Monday morning hangovers guys!!!) who made it down, the perfect way way to sign out of Australia.

The drinks were flowing freely and it all got a bit confusing towards the end, with some people thinking they should start talking "pork n cheese’ or at least that’s what Todd thought when Luciana suggested that he should learn "Portuguese"… funny times!!

We somehow managed to pack the last bits and pieces on Monday, and jumped on QF1 to London via Bangkok. Great flight, we slept, ate, slept, drank, watched movies, drank, ate, slept, ate, drank and arrived in London at 7:00 am feeling a strange energy to keep going – akin to our old party days when one would get home at 5 or 6 am and decide to carry on to a recovery party…. so in the spirit of yesteryear, we had a quick catch up with Monica and Gianni (my uncle and Auntie whom we are staying with), donned the darkest of sunnies and hit the tube on our way to the West end… with about 3 hangovers back to back, no more than three hours sleep in the last 48 hours and a time zone change of around 12 hours we felt like we were part of a Hunter s Thompson’s script – "Fear and loathing in London" .

Piccadilly Circus, Wow we’re finally in London, SOHO,  look Luciana this is where we used to party when I was 22… Luciana, oh shit wake up baby, Leicester square… come on let’s go for a beer… oh ok a coffee probably is a better idea, Covent garden… whoah there are soooo many people here, it’s so loud…. ok let’s go for a beer… actually make that a double shot bloody Mary…. Gavin… Gavin… wake up, I can’t feel my legs, don’t know what’s happening… oh yeah this is where I had a beer with Scotty in 1997… so many Brazilians everywhere… are we back in Manly??? Gavin I’m serious, i forgot to tell you I had a sleeping pill on the plane and I think it’s finally starting to work… blank look… Luciana… Luciana, we have to go now. Oh look Gavin, a ferry floss stand, I love ferry floss… Take a picture, take a picture…. take a F&^%ing picture now!!! ok, ok, ok … it’s just a WILD mood swing darling…. maybe we should go home now… good idea… where’ the tube station… I don’t know, how should I know… oh yeah we’re standing in front of it… have you got your oyster card… my what??? the ticket – it’s called an oyster card here… remember…. yeah yeah…. let’s go sleep… Day 1 over… hmm not yet, afternoon Rum & Coke with Uncle Gianni, than Dinner with Monica, Steffi & Gianni, a couple of quiet red wines and then the most blissful sleeeeeep known to mankind!!!

And that was Day 1! Day 2 was all about answering emails, re-packing bags for Turkey, 29 degrees and sunny in London…amazing!

We then headed into the City, to meet up with Nina & Richard, for a great dinner at a Japanese Restaurant near Holborn. Great catch up, fantastic food and lots of laughs and reminiscing about being kids!

A quick 3 hour sleep ensued, before we got up at 3:45 am to get a cab to Gatwick (Note to self: NEVER BUY CHEAP AIRFARES you idiot!!!) to fly to Istanbul, where we have a 4 HOUR (see not self above IDIOT!!) layover in a sweaty airport… on a positive note our $18 flight (EZY5461) from London to Istanbul on the 20th of August was the smoothest landing I have ever experienced (apart from that one in 1995 on the way back form NZ when we were so drunk that we didn’t even realise we had landed – CC BRENT & TODD) – back to Easy jet flight – not often you get the whole plane clapping… pretty funny, nice work captain!!

So we’re about to go and check in our bags and spend some Turkish Lira on a falafel – can’t wait to see Luciana explain her order in Turkish, yes I would like no cheese, a little bit of onion, do you have skim….

London to Istanbul:
Easyjet www.easyjet.com

Istanbul to Dalaman:
Pegasus: www.flypgs.com