I stayed in my room as long as possible to get maximum enjoyment of my luxurious accommodation. I had coffee in bed while watching British archeological programs, took a swim in my big tub, spent hours on the free WiFi.

By 11:30am they were calling to see if I’d like to stay an extra night so I reluctantly left to go for a wander. I’ve 5-6 hours to kill before needing to take the train to the airport so I headed off in the direction of The Rocks, the historic district now full of pretty old buildings and shops, galleries, and cafes.

Dark clouds and strong winds had me scurrying back to my hotel where the adjacent cozy bar had a burger special that sounded perfect for a leisurely lunch.

I returned to the Royal Botanical Gardens to stroll amongst the Herb, Asian and Rose Gardens. There’s lots of benches set out to enjoy the changing vistas and lots of funny bird life to wonder at. A large Begonia garden that had discreet samples placed naturally amongst other plants and trees. By late afternoon the winds brought down the smoke from nearby bushfires and the skies turned hazy so I headed back to my hotel to read in the lobby until it was time to head to the train station. Unfortunately the smoke followed me inside the hotel; when my eyes started to sting I decided I might as well head to the hermetically sealed airport even though I would be arriving hours early. Read at the hotel or read at the airport, no difference.

So I arrived at the airport with 5 hours to kill. Waiting for the check-in desk to open, lining up at security, eating a delicious pasta dinner, and my faithful reading will pass the time. I have an overnight flight to Taiwan tonight, 19 hours on the ground there, then another overnight flight to Vancouver where I’ll spend the night in a hotel and hopefully catch up with Mike & Penny, before finally making it home on the 4th.