**Sorry for poor formatting. I haven't got used to the blogger iPad app, yet..**
Our first five days in Adelaide were spent staying with relatives in their house on an acre of land in the hills. We were spoilt rotten during our stay as they drove us round to beaches, view points, wineries and islands. Home time was just as good, with hot tubs, home grown veggies, Auntie Jill's swimming pool, air-con and roos in the garden.
It was nice to arrive in a new country and instantly feel at home. Sally and Stuart were constantly telling us facts and stories about the places we passed or visited, and by the end of our stay I felt like we had a good grasp of their way of life. I was hugely envious of how self sufficient they were. So much so, that on our last morning as I lay in bed at 6am checking emails (jet lag still not passed), I got excited about hearing rain on the roof outside. So excited that I ran out in my pants and vest to see if it was true. Rain at last!
My highlight of this part of the trip was two fold. One was arriving at one of the prettiest beaches I've ever seen* and us being the only four people on it. It was a Friday, and ridiculously hot, which partly explains it's emptiness, but it was just stunning.
Part two was on our first full day in Oz, after a long hot day of sightseeing, we returned to the family home and went for an evening stroll around their land. Not only was there a beautiful sun setting over the sea, but in the dusk light, kangaroos were out, hopping around the garden. We saw about seven in total, including one mother with a Joey in her pouch, and another male being followed by a young roo. I didn't really think we'd see them properly in the wild. But that twinned with the sunset was the perfect end to our first day.
While in Adelaide, the weather was pretty crazy. Not much below 39 degrees at any point. We coped pretty well though. We spent the hottest day, all 44.7 degrees of it, on the beach having a swim. I didn't even burn, and I'm the whitest person I know. Most days ended with either a swim in the pool at Auntie Jill's, or a dip in the hot tub at Sally and Stuart's. That's a routine I could get used to...
*The prettiest beach I've ever seen is possibly on the Perinthian Islands in Malaysia.
