So you might be wondering what this picture is all about...it's the result of something sent to me by Debbie and Pete: "Useful" Maori phrases. The one that goes with this photo goes like this: "Ki tonu taku waka topaki i te tuna." (Hint: Vintage 1970 Monty Python)

Let's see if anyone figures it out...without using Babelfish! :)

This time tomorrow we will probably be flying over Pittsburgh... or somewhere in that vicinity... on our way to LAX. Then it's a connecting flight to Sydney...and another one to Cairns, where we will touch down after 29 hours of traveling! Yikes! Seriously, it's going to be all right! Been there - done that and survived! It is totally worth it! "A journey is best measured in friends, not miles." ... and we are traveling with friends, old and new!

So, my fellow wanderers, please think of this adventure as not simply a trip to the South Pacific, but an opportunity to see things in a new light, to make new friends, to discover new cultures and, perhaps, even yourself.

Kia pai te haere, one and all!