I am home (and so can you!)

I landed in Sydney this morning. I am very tired. I will keep this short.

As I headed for the airport, there was a bit of a boo boo with the Airporter - it didn't stop where it was meant to - but apart from that, the whole trip went more or less without a hitch. Once I arrived at the airport, I checked in and got through US customs pretty expediently. I was actually surprised at how quiet the airport was, especially for an international airport.

As a result of my good luck (if that is what you'd call it), for most of the wait I sat opposite a television, watching game two of the MLB World Series. When I boarded the plane, I was once again reminded of the quality that Air Canada stood for. The seats were fairly spacious, and the entertainment was very flexible, with each passenger getting their own touch-sensitive screen, which they could use to select the program they wish to watch (or hear).

Once I arrived at Sydney International Airport, it was simply a matter of retrieving my snowboard bag at the oversized luggage claim area, and my backpack at one of the carousels. Of course, the trip couldn't finish without a bit of drama. Only a bit, though. I was stopped at customs for a random bag check, which was done with a lot more politeness than my last experience through customs.

After that, I met up with my mum outside of the gates, and knew that, finally, I was home.

North America trip overview

Trip dates
Nov 26, 2006 - Oct 27, 2007 (11 months and 1 day)

Highlights (off the top of my head, and in no particular order)
Epic snow; catching up with friends I knew and friends I've never met; road tripping; waiting in line for 10 hours; being in a train for almost 40 hours; getting soaked in the rain; seeing a movie on the side of warehouse at a pier; watching 23 movies in 15 days; hiking along a coastline; hiking up a mountain; picking fresh blueberries; ordering a double double; swimming in the Atlantic Ocean; seeing bears in the wild for the first time (they were having sex); inline skating around a Formula One circuit; discovering new hobbies; discovering Vietnamese food; cheap sushi; camping in the middle of the desert with nobody else in sight; riding The Cyclone; writing.

The playlist
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Green Day - Good Riddance
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild
Arcade Fire - Cold Wind
Simon and Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song
Infusion - What lies Ahead
Holly Throsby - The Shoulders and Bends
Regina Spektor - Summer in the City
Architecture in Helsinki - Vanishing
The Waifs - Lighthouse
Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple
Feist - I Feel It All
Pearl Jam - Present Tense
Stars - Reunion
The Strokes - You Only Live Once
The Living End - 'Til the End
Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye