Day 21 - Sunday 16 January

Hi all - no day 20 as we lost that one in flight!
We boarded the plane and departed LAX at midnight headed for home, and many of the group were sound asleep before the 747 struggled to lift off the ground (maybe Robyn and Lynne did do too much shopping), but once we were airborne and settled we enjoyed a lovely dinner and then hit the sack. I'm struggling to mention much more about the way the flight went - it was my longest and best night's sleep for the whole tour! I am told there was quite some vigorous turbulence at some time during the night. We had a wonderful Flight Attendant named Anthony who took a liking to our group and really looked after us - making the flight much more enjoyable.
A tail wind meant we landed at Brisbane airport at 7am, and after what seemed a long wait, our luggage appeared on the carousel and we headed out through customs and quarantine to meet all those waiting.
Overall, the trip was an incredible 21 days - we fitted in so much, saw so many things and met so many wonderful people. Those who say we went on a basketball trip miss the point of it - the basketball gave us many opportunities and opened many doors - but it was the people, the history, the learning, the great things we saw, and above all the fun we had, which was why I put the trip together. My highlights are very simple - seeing boys become young men, watching leaders develop, seeing these young men achieve some of their life goals, and the strong friendships, not only within the group but with our overseas hosts - these are the things which give me energy to do such a trip.
My personal thanks to all the tour participants - many said I was crazy to have so many touring - 50 is a very big group - but we had no issues, no problems and very little sickness - the boys behaviour was exemplary and they represented Nudgee so well it made us all very proud. Thanks for giving me such respect. Thanks to the parents who paid for the trip - I trust this blog has helped you to see what value you have given your sons. Lastly, thanks to Nudgee for letting me take on such a trip - and yes, the next one is already bubbling away in my mind!
Over and out on the blog - there will be plenty of photos uploaded to Flickr over the next day or two so check out our sets at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nc_usatour/ as they will grow for the next week.