Australia - Air Travel

Needless to say, it is a long way there, and a long way back. Going, you lose a day, thanks to the International Dateline - but even so it is easier to adjust.

I left Memphis on a Tuesday morning. Checked my bag, which is an accomplishment since I can't remember the last time I checked a bag. Since it had a bunch of snorkeling gear (fins, wetsuit, mask, gloves, boots, etc.) I wouldn't need it, but it bulked a good bit, leaving lots of extra space for outerwear and little things. I didn't know if the bag would go all the way to Perth, and I eventually found out it wouldn't.

Memphis to Dallas/Ft. Worth was uneventful. One of those nice little jumps that is barely longer than takeoff and landing. Dallas to Los Angeles was in the same concourse, which for Dallas is saying a lot. There are at least four, some that can be walked, others that require a shuttle rail. This flight was the warmup for the big jump. About 4 hours, with the first of several time changes. Again, uneventful, but a pretty full flight. Kept myself occupied with a big puzzle book - you know, sudoku, word search, crosswords, acrostics...all that stuff. Once we arrived at Los Angeles the fun started.

For some reason the jetway didn't reach the plane, or maybe it lost power. In any case it took an hour for them to exhaust all options and wheel those old-fashioned metal steps to the plane. Then the nearly full plane took what seemed like forever to disembark. Once inside the terminal I had a decision to make. I needed food, but I also had to change terminals, to the International terminal. My long walk through the domestic gates showed me all the typical, and overpriced, options you expect in an airport. Still, I had six hours to kill, so I decided to walk to the international terminal, which was about 50 yards beyond the exit from where I was.

The International Terminal at LAX has a food court, upstairs, overlooking not much to speak of. McDonalds (which I didn't know, but I wouldn't see again until I returned to the states), Starbucks, and a few no-name food court type places. Got a tray of food, and realized there were not enough tables, so sat across from an Asian girl who probably didn't speak English, which was no problem since we ignored each other. I figured there would be plenty of things, like shops, etc. in the terminal itself, so I went through security (second time of the day) and found that most of the terminal was under renovation. My gate was at the extreme far end of the terminal as well, and the only thing nearby was a little snack/coffee shop. No gift shops, no bookstores, nothing but a very long bare corridor. I got to watch it become night outside, two other international flights departed. Finally hours and hours later more people started arriving for the Sydney flight. Turns out the darn thing was packed full. And even better (sarcasm), I had been booked into a middle seat from checking in at Memphis.

Middle seat, bare bottom economy. Guy on my right, in the window seat, was kind of talkative, but also informed the two of us between him and the aisle that he had two Benadryl and would sleep the whole way. My biological clock was telling me it was past midnight, but I have this odd rhythm that keeps me from sleeping when I travel or arrive in a new city. I stayed awake, watching Paul Blart, Mall Cop until the meal service. One nice feature was the on-demand video, which includes current movies, some older movies, art house stuff, international, TV shows, etc. Even an in-flight map and status of the flight. I stayed awake until about 3am body clock time, then dozed. We got a little snack sack in case we got hungry during the "night", plus a travel kit of socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste. Sleeping sucked. I couldn't move either direction, and even with a pillow and a blanket couldn't make myself comfortable. Woke up at my "normal" Memphis body-time of 6am, and then proceeded to watch Taken, Quantum of Solace, Juno, and during breakfast Benjamin Button.

14 hours of flying, everybody is itching to get off the plane. But wait, we are being diverted to Brisbane, since the Sydney airport is fogged in, and we don't have enough fuel to circle. So we fly an hour north, land and fuel up (pity the people who were supposed to go to Brisbane via Sydney) then go back an hour. Saw very little of the Syndey airport. Had to walk through a department store called Duty Free (a little joke, but it was like the first floor of any department store, with all the perfume, except it had liquor too). Cleared customs, then had to claim my luggage. My first time with the bag, and I watched it go past 3 times before I recognized it. Then I drag it to quarantine, where I gave up the fruit/nut mix the airline gave me, as you can't bring in any produce, even if the airline gave it to you. Then drag my bag through multiple corridors to reach the domestic check in for my bag, where the lady was very nice and directed me to the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. See the symmetry?

Short bus ride, then another security checkpoint. Full flight again, since the airport had been closed for fog. Instead of leaving at 8 something, it was a 10 something departure, but the first plane out. So I arrived in Perth around 2:30pm, instead of a few hours earlier, which plays a role in the next portion of the saga: Ground Transportation!

Or maybe I will cover the return flights first, not really sure.