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We took a cab to the airport for the relatively short ride to the airport. We were asked to give ourselves an hour due to the unpredictability of city traffic, but made the trip in half that time. The flights were all smooth and event-free. The Sydney to LAX flight was mostly empty which allowed us to stretch out over three seats if we needed for a nap. Sheila watched movies and TV all the way over electing not to sleep despite my advice. Jay watched a lot of TV, but managed to sleep a little. I watched a few movies and also slept some. We had a long 5-hour layover in Los Angeles which we spent lounging and napping in the Delta Sky Club.

It has been a fantastic trip. Traveling with the kids is quite different than traveling alone. I really don't think I would have done as much if the kids weren't with me. Given the length of the trip, it is astonishing how much we accomplished in terms of sightseeing. There was not a single day we spent lounging around the hotel. Despite taking our swimsuits, we never got to use them. Every day was packed with activities relevant to the place we were visiting. Hopefully the blog has highlighted all the things we did over the 12 days we had in Christchurch, Queenstown, Sydney, and Melbourne. I saw and did more on this trip than I have in my previous two trips to the region. Overall, I would rate it as my most successful trips to Australia-New Zealand. Queenstown was one of the highlights. Not only did I manage to attend every conference session (except one, where I went on a walk with Ekant Veer, the conference organizer), but the kids got both a day of skiing and a Lord of the Rings tour done during that time, ensuring they were never bored. The people were exceptionally friendly in both countries and we all realized how much more there is to do if we had more time to spend in those countries.

I woke up at a respectable 7:30 AM on July 18 and am quite ready to head to work today. It will take a bit readjusting to the daily work schedule, but I think I'm ready ...