In March 1997 I returned to Australia after living overseas for 38 years. I didn't
keep a diary at the time, but I'm gradually writing down what I can remember of the
experience. Don't be mislead by the present tense: all of these entries were written
years later.
After the course, back to the hotel to have a beer. To our surprise, the state
of Andhra Pradesh had reintroduced
prohibition: it seems that some
extension to the status quo hadn't been applied for in time, so by default the state
was subject to prohibition. Kumar and I made the best of it, I with lime juice. While we
were talking, something happened that almost made it worthwhile: a group of (I think)
English people were standing at the bar, and one of their friends arrived, beaming from ear
to ear. When he reached them, they said something, and his face dropped. I thought he was
going to burst into tears.
In the evening, to the airport with all my baggage, and somehow managed to avoid paying
excess baggage on the flight to Chennai. My hand baggage included my main computer in a
minitower, and while walking to the plane I managed to pull my glasses out along with the
boarding pass, shattering them on the ground. Not happy.
Spent the night in a passable hotel in Chennai, late to bed.
Off to the airport the following morning, and finally on
an Air India flight
to Singapore, this time first
class—presumably they had not been able to get any other booking. Waited for ever in
Singapore: my connecting flight
to Adelaide didn't leave until the
evening. I can't recall leaving the airport.
Going through boarding was a problem: the bag with my computer was so big that it got stuck
in the X-ray scanner, and I had to unpack it. Boarding the plane, the cabin staff refused
to let me take my computer in with me, and despite my protests put it in the hold instead.
At least they didn't charge me excess baggage.
The flight arrived in the middle of the night, or so it seemed. Got a taxi to my uncle Max
(Schaedel)'s house, not far from the airport, where Yana had
been spending the last month. It was still dark when we arrived. But I'm back in
Australia! And it's home again!
In the afternoon, got my car, and off with Yana
to Echunga to stay at “Hazlemere
Homestead” for a couple of months until we could move into Wantadilla, just a few hundred metres down the road. Setting up my computer
discovered it had been knocked around, and the DDS tape drive had been damaged beyond
repair. Thanks. Qantas.
Up early in the morning to go to the airport, telling Yana that I couldn't sleep and was
going for a walk. Picked up Yvonne with no problems, and
back home, where Yana was still asleep. It was rather amusing to see the look on Yana's
face when she saw Yvonne.
