The Penguin Parade

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

[NOTE: The photos will be added later. For now, just the Blog.]

Fell asleep last night around 10 or 10:30. I was exhausted from a combination of bad sleep on the train, bad sleep on the bus, and walking all around Melbourne. At least the rain waited for the evening.

I sat the timer on my cell phone for 4 hours thinking that would give me enough of a nap, and that I could get up to pick a tour for Wednesday, post a blog entry or two, and some photos online. It was not to be. I was still dead tired 4 hours later, reset the timer, and fell asleep again. Next time the timer went off I didn't bother to reset it, and went back to sleep again.

* * * * *

Eventually I awoke around 9:00 to a dreary, cloudy, rainy day. I perused the tour booklets and picked the Penguin Parade. I love penguins, and it had the bonus of leaving in the afternoon. I'd already missed most of the tours since they left around 8:30am.

Next I attempted to transfer photos from my camera to the computer. No such luck. It refused to read the cards, or acknowledge the existence of the camera when I connected it directly. I'll turn the computer off when I leave the room today, and try again tonight. The NetBook can be rather temperamental.

I had planned on leaving early enough to pick up my convention badge at the Crown Plaza, but I spent too much time  trying to coax the computer into working. So by the time I was ready to leave, all I had time to do was grab a hot chicken and mushroom pie (think Hot Pockets) and a Coke at the corner 7-Eleven, and walk up the block to the Holiday Inn where the tour bus would be picking me up.

I didn't feel like standing out in the rain waiting, so sat inside. Turns out that the bus had to park a block away, and the bus driver came in to look for me.

Off through the streets of Melbourne toward the Gray Line tour office so I could pay. It still freaks me out that they drive on the left here.

Next to the ticket office is a museum with a Tim Burton exhibit! Why didn't I see that advertised anywhere? I'll have to check that out before I leave.

So, it's a 1.5 hour ride to the first stop in Churchill. Our bus driver is giving us awesome information along the way. We even got to see Queen Victoria's backside (we passes the back of a statue).

* * * * *

The bus driver had us all introduce ourselves. Turns out that the woman in front of me is from New Brunswick, Canada, and she's here for Worldcon! I've always said it's a small planet. Other people on the bus are from China, South Korea, Denmark, Arizona, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Norway, and Taiwan.

* * * * *

Giant Earth Worms of the Bass Valley. The bus driver said they have worms that grow to 12-13" in length. Ewwww.

* * * * *

First stop was Churchill Island where we got to grab coffee and walk through a Wallaby enclosure. I got some awesome photos, including a mum with a Joey in her pouch.

Turns out the San Francisco couple are here for Worldcon, too. Back on the bus now, where 10 other people have joined us. I heard someone is from Italy.

And now the battery on the camera wants changing. 2.5 days of photographing with it is an enormous improvement over the 2.5 hour battery life on the old camera bit needed new batteries again.

Next up: the Koala Conservation Center.

* * * * *

Woo Hoo! I just saw about a dozen different Koala Bears, all up in the trees. I took lots of photos, but I think most were of Koala behinds. A couple took a notion to glance down at all the people taking their photographs, but mostly they just looked disinterested.

* * * * *

Bummer. We won't be allowed to tale photos of the penguins as they return from the sea.

* * * * *

I got my photo made with green screen penguins. Unfortunately, I was wearing dark green pants so the woman had to adjust the colors so my pants weren't invisible.

These are the smallest penguins in the world, about 12-13" high, and weigh about 2 pounds. I later found out that some people call them Fairy Penguins, but they never mentioned that during the tour.

* * * * *

That was just awesome! First we walked along a boardwalk down to some bleachers set just past the high tide line. We got to watch the sun set while the waves crashed softly against the shore as the tide came in. The rain had stopped, but everything was very wet, so I was happy I decided to buy the rain poncho, which I used as a seat cover. Unfortunately, I stepped in a water puddle and got my socks wet, and
Now my feet are quite cold.

Slowly, the penguins returned in small groups, and made their way up the hill toward their burrows. We could see them thanks to the soft lighting provided by the Penguin Parade facility. After about 15 minutes if watching the penguins arrive via the water, I started my trek back up the hill, and watched the penguins walking around the hills searching for their homes. I even got to walk along side about 5 of them who were walking right next to the boardwalk. It was worth every penny for the trip, and the wet socks.

Of course, any place like this kindly allows you to exit through the gift shop. I got a penguin in a tiny snow globe magnet for the fridge, and at last I got a nice fleece zip-front jacket that isn't a hoodie. And it was a reasonable price, and on sale. I'm happy! And warmer.

* * * * *

Now on the bus headed back to Melbourne. We should get back around 9pm. I didn't have time to get food at the Penguin Parade, so I ate a breakfast bar. See why I always travel with me? I just wonder what will still be open that late.

* * * * *

I finally managed to fall asleep on the bus. I just got back to my hotel room, and it's 9:30pm. I am disappointed to find the room light was left open because you can see into my room from the hallway.

I'm debating on napping for an hour or finding food now. I did get out of my wet socks and into my warm fuzzy ones. My feet may forgive me soon.

Melbourne, Day 1

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

[NOTE: The photos will be added later. For now, just the Blog.]

Well, those 5 hours went by quickly. They turned the lights back on at about 3am to help everyone wake up and to give us a last chance at food since there will be none to purchase on the coach. I opted for Raisin Toast and a Coke. Did I mention the Coke here has cane sugar? 8-) Bless the non-USA Coca-Cola bottlers for using "The Real Thing".

* * * * *

On the bus now. I had to get the stupid suitcase and take it to the bus myself. It fell over twice in the not-even-50-yards it needed to travel. I really do hate the thing, and now I think it knows it, and it's messing with me.

Not many folks were willing to let me share a row w/ them, but I got one near the back, and a window so I can see the dark countryside go by. ;-) The over-head bins on the bus are tiny, and my 19" carrying doesn't fit, so now it's uncomfortably wedged between my feet. Ugh.

By the time we got to The Southern Cross station in Melbourne I could barely walk since my legs were on pins and needles.

I retrieved my suitcase from where they'd extracted them from under the bus. It, of course, saw fit to fall over no less than six times from the bus into the bus station. Oh, it's really getting on my last nerve now!

Inside the bus station, which I find out is also a CountryLink and local train station as well, I headed for the Traveler's Aid office to get a local map, and info on local hotels.

Turns out that the Traveler's Aid office has showers to rent, as well as beds to rent by the hour if you need to nap while waiting on your (next) train. I bet the Central Station in Sydney has the same. I'll have to check when I return.

I got a few numbers of hotels, sat down with my Aussie mobile phone and started making calls. The Crowne Plaza could  give me a room for the wonderful rate of $245/night. YIKES!! No thanks. Next I phoned the Holiday Inn, which could get me a better deal at $185/night. I said I would take the room, figuring that at least I'd have a place for the first night, and could make calls searching for something better later in the day. Turns out that even thought the map makes it look farther away, the Holiday Inn is really only about 2 blocks down the street, which I could see down the road to my right when I exited the Southern Cross station. Down the street I go, with the stupid suitcase fighting me the whole way. I tried hooking it to the carry-on suitcase and pulling it straight behind me, thinking that would help, but it did not. I wound up dragging the suitcase through two intersections on its side. I didn't have time to stop and make it stand on its wheels again. Oh, I am SO going to replace this suitcase.

Right as I was about to turn the corner to the Holiday Inn, I saw the sign for the Penzione Hotel. This is also one of the convention hotels, and I remember their convention rates were more reasonable than those for the Holiday Inn, so I decided to pop in to see if they had rooms available. They weren't on the list of hotels I got at the train station, or I would have called them first. Yes, they have a room! I can stay there all week, though the room rates fluctuate, none of them are as high as what the Holiday Inn quoted me. I got signed into a room on the third floor, gladly deposited my belongings, then phoned the Holiday Inn to cancel the reservation. Oh, yes, the Penzione accepts credit cards for payment without charging extra, while the Holiday Inn wanted to charge a 1.5% fee to accept a credit card. Boo Hiss Holiday Inn.

The room in the Penzione is small, but very functional. The bathroom is the smallest I have EVER seen, though. The sink is maybe 14" wide. When you sit on the toilet, your knees touch the small cabinet that the sink is in. The shower is square, and there is no light, and no door or shower curtain. But it has good water pressure, and load of hot water.

I unpacked everything, hanging up clothes, etc. Then I had a chance to really examine the stupid suitcase. Somewhere along the way, it's refusal to roll properly resulted in three of the five wheels developing large flat spots. I'm sure the flat spots also contributed to more problems getting the suitcase to roll properly. And, because it fell over on its side so many times, two of the zippers around the bottom, the ones that let the suitcase expand, are now damaged and will not open or close due to the broken teeth. Plus, there are now several holes in the suitcase: two small ones, and a large one that's big enough to let clothes work their way out.

Time for a shower, then off to explore Melbourne.

* * * * *

I asked at the front desk about nearby places where I could purchase a suitcase, and find out that there is an Outlet Mall just past the convention center where Worldcon will be. This is like a double-bonus. I get to scope out the trek from the hotel to the convention center, and check out a shopping mall as well. Off I go on foot, turning left out the door of the hotel, and down the street to go under a railroad bridge, and over another bridge which crosses the Yarra River. Now I can see the outside of the MCEC (Melbourne Convention and Expo Center). It's about a 5 minute walk from the hotel so far. Now I have to cross the street, and walk down the river front, past the front of the convention center, down toward the Hilton hotel (another of the Worldcon hotels), in search of South Wharf, which I finally find. It was another 5-10 minute walk from the street just to get to it. It appears they have some enormous blocks in this city.

* * * * *

I finally found the outlet mall portion of the building, which was one floor below street level, and I wound up entering via the food court entrance. This was great since I was starving, having last ate at 3:30 am on the train. The food court is tiny, with only four restaurants: Subway, Genki Sushi, a bakery, and Health Express where I had Turkey, Cheese, Spinich, Cranberry jam, and Avocado spread sandwich on multi-grain bread. Yum! I wouldn't have thought to put all of that on the same sandwich, but it really was good.

I looked at the mall map during lunch, marking places likely to have suitcases, and finally found a large one at a discount luggage store for $79 that only weighs about 4.5 pounds. Considering that the previous stores in the mall where I found suitcases had them for no less than $180, I thought $79 was a bargain. I got it in burnt orange. At least it will be easier to spot on luggage carousels than just another black suitcase.

I also shopped around for a medium weight fleece jacket, but all of their sale prices I could find were $60-$100, which I didn't think was much of a sale, so I didn't buy a jacket.

* * * * *

I took the tram back to the hotel, only it didn't stop at the stop in front of my hotel, and I wound up having to get off at the stop in front of the Southern Cross station, and walk the two blocks back down the hill. I have to figure out where the "request stop" buttons are in the tram as I didn't see a pull wire. By the way, I am happy to report that the new suitcase rolls perfectly well. Hurray!

* * * * *

I dropped the suitcase off in the room, and took the now dead one downstairs to inquire about the rubbish bin to throw it in. They helped with that. I also signed up for Internet access in the hotel. They gave me a deal for $10/day since I bought it for my whole stay at once.

I asked about places to go and things to do in Melbourne in the evening, and the guy at the front desk suggested that I go to see Mary Poppins, and directed me to the Half Price Ticket booth on Bourke street.

First, I went to the 7-Eleven on the corner (yes, just like the ones in the US), and purchased a tram pass. Then I caught the tram in front of the hotel, going to Bourke Street. I walked for two blocks in both directions from where Hotel Guy said the ticket booth was, and never found it. I gave up trying to find it, and just looked all around at the various shops and stores that were still open. Then I just started walking, and it turned out that I made it almost all the way back to my hotel, but I didn't realize that when I jumped on a tram headed back. So, at this point I was really hungry again, and since I was near the hotel I stopped back in to ask for nearby places that were still open. I was directed back across the Yarra River, across the street from the Convention Center, to the Crown Casino.

So, off I went on foot again, and found the Lucky Dragon Chinese Seafood restaurant. It was okay food, but not great, and was hideously expensive! My dinner cose $50, and that was without alcohol. That was a cup of corn chowder soup, and the combo fried seafood with vegetables. I'll not bother to go there again, and I'll be sure to tell fellow fans to give it a skip as well, unless they want to spend a lot of money for dinner.

* * * * *

Since it's a real casino next door, I decided to go in and have a look around. I played a couple of slot machines, and was ultimately down $40 by then end of the time I spent in there, and decided to call it a night, and walked back to my hotel.

Getting to Melbourne, Part 1

Monday, 30 August 2010
I finally got up at 7:00pm to go catch the 8:40pm train. I double-checked with the front desk clerk about how to get to the Central Station. And it turns out, that's where I made the mistake. I should have been more specific and said that I needed to get to the CountryLink platform, because it's two very different sections of an enormous train station that apparently isn't well connected between floors. Nor are there signs saying what entrance to use.

The woman at the hotel told me to go down 2 blocks, cross the street, and go through the pedestrian tunnel to the train station. Well, that would have been perfect had I wanted the local train. The ticket guy at the local part of the station told me to go back the way I came, and go up a foot path, but the rest of what he was saying didn't make any sense at all.

Let me take a moment here to mention my POS suitcase. No, not Point of Sale. Piece of Shit. I decided to take the newer one because it's a bit bigger without being heavier, and it can expand a bit as well. Well, between two trips on planes, and apparently fantastic workmanship in China, the 5 wheels on the bottom can't make up their minds to let the suitcase travel in one direction. It wanders all over the place when you try and drag it by any of the 3 sets of handles (using one set of handles requires you to hunch over sideways to grab the suitcase in the middle). Or, it just falls over. So, at this point, I have walked 2 blocks, then about another 2 inside a tunnel, and another 2 blocks getting out of the tunnel, all while the frakking suitcase either wanders around like a drunk, falls over like the same, or bashes me in the backs of the ankles and yanks my shoes off, causing me to stop and put my shoes back on.. You guessed it, I'm having FUN! Not.

So, now I'm headed back out the long pedestrian tunnel, and headed down another tunnel, with the suitcase wobbling, falling over, and attacking me. Then I realize there aren't any signs saying anything about train stations, so I turn around and stop in at a book store. The girl behind the counter was from the US, and very kindly walked me outside and up to the corner where she pointed out the building I was headed for. As far as I can tell, the building has no signage whatsoever that it's a train station. Maybe there's signs you can see during daylight hours? Who knows. I thanked her repeatedly, and headed up the hill to the building, dragging the stubborn suitcase. About half-way up the hill two very nice people stopped and offered to help me with the suitcase, and at this point I gladly accepted. They were happy to talk to someone from the US, since they're planning a trip next year to New York and Las Vegas (because they are both famous places). I told them they aren't close, and both are quite expensive, and to plan for that.

Hurray! I finally made it to the train station! And the ticket office.

* * * * *

On the train to Melbourne: departed at 8:40pm as scheduled. So far the only people sitting in twos at because they are together. The second stop some guy comes and sits next to me. Ugh. I'd rather sit alone, thanks, so I can sleep in peace. The Ticket Checker came along 5 minutes later and moved him.

There is a girl who barely looks 20 sitting across from me with her 4-year-old daughter. The daughter is in a BAD mood and is screaming, crying, turning red, and demanding things from her mum, including her dummy (pacifier). Big points to the mom for not giving in to the kid just to shut her up, but the rest of us have to suffer the tantrum. It was nice when the kid finally fell asleep about 30 minutes later.

I grabbed some fish and chips for dinner in the buffet car, and ate while i worked writing all of this on the iPad. Then they turned the lights out on the train at about 10:30pm. Might as well sleep. Turns out there is a problem with the train tracks past the Albury station, where we will arrive at about 4:15am, that they haven't repaired, and we'll have to switch over to coaches (plain old buses) at that point for the remainder of the trip. If we were to take the train the whole way, we'd arrive in Melbourne at 7:35am. Not sure what our ETA is now.

Sydney, Australia - Day 1

Monday, 30 August 2010

The bus ride from the airport to the hotel was interesting. I was the first stop, and it still took about 20-30 minutes to get there. Turns out hotel is in Chinatown, but it's only 2 blocks from the train station I need tonight. And the price of the room was worth being able to take a shower! Although, it was NOT the hotel the woman from Travel Services at the airport gave me a flyer for: it was a different location, and with different amenities, one of which was no free Internet access. I don't really want to pay $10 for a few hours. I'll try to find a coffee shop, or use the air card I bought.

* * * * *

The room is tiny, but clean. It took me more than a few minutes to figure out the lights in the room. Turns out you have to put your room key into a slot the light switch is built into, THEN you can turn on the lights! Thank goodness I had a flashlight with me so I could see once I closed the door.

There was a window on the wall, but it's really close to the next door wall. Not of any use other than getting a bit of fresh air into the room.

Here are the photos of my hotel room.

* * * * *

Oh, yes! A shower! I feel SO much better now! And awake. And annoyed that a bottle of stuff in the toiletries broke open during the trip and spilled out. I just hope none of my clothes got ruined.

* * * * *

I think visiting the Sydney Tower is what I shall do today, then walk around exploring a bit. That will help me decide what I would like to do here next week. I asked at the hotel front desk how to get there, and was told I should take the bus, and that I could buy tickets at the store next door. I bought 2 one-way bus tickets, so I could get there and back. I can't really tell from the tiny map if it's a mile away or five. There was a large bus stop around the corner, and I had to ask for help from the bus info kiosk about which number bus to take. I didn't have to wait long, and I was on my way.

I got off at the suggested stop, but I didn't see the Sydney Tower. It must be behind a tall building from my point of view. I wanted to eat lunch first anyway since it was about 11:00am, and breakfast was 7 hours ago at 4:00am. There were SO many stores around there, and a shopping mall, too! So I popped inside to check out what shopping in downtown Sydney was like.  

* * * * *

People here are much harder to understand than I thought they would be. So far most people I've encountered don't speak English as a first language! The rest just seem to mumble a lot. I keep having to ask people to repeat things. It's like they're afraid of being heard clearly and understood.

So, lunch was in the underground food court of the mall near the Sydney Tower. There are many restaurants from home: KFC, McDonald's (Quarter Pounder w/Cheese Extra Value Meal $6.75), Burger King, Subway (the $5 Foot Long is $7). When I travel I always try to eat someplace I can't eat at home, so I got a kebab at A La Turko. $11 for the beef kebab, chips & a small drink. But the best thing is that the soda here has sugar! Real sugar. Not corn syrup. Happy sigh.

Gloria Jean's Coffees are everywhere. I swear I've seen 10 of them in 10 blocks, but only 1 Starbucks.

After lunch I headed back up to street level in search of Sydney Tower, but still I didn't see it. I spotted a large sign pole, but it doesn't mention the Tower either. Hmmm… then a street worker asked me if I need help, and when I said yes, I was looking for the Sydney Tower, he said "You mean that?" and pointed straight up. Yep. Couldn't see it because it isn't like other city towers I've been to that start at street level. He kindly directed me to the entrance, which was hard to spot due to all of the renovation construction going on.

At $25, this is not a cheap tower to visit, but the views of Sydney were magnificent. They offer a Sky Walk option, where you go outside the building, another story higher than the all-indoor observation deck. Even though they harness you to the building, I still gave it a pass. I'm brave, but not THAT brave! Plus, it cost an extra $35, as well.

After visiting the Sydney Tower and taking oodles of photos, I decided to go back through the mall again, this time on a different floor. There are at least 3 levels just to the mall, maybe more. It's actually colder inside the mall than outside, since it's open to the street; I guess the wind just blows through. I'm finding that there are a lot of buildings like this, where the ground floor is open-air.

I found the Pandora store! I thought I'd have to really search for it. I bought a kangaroo charm for my travel bracelet. That was when I realized that everything here has the tax already built in. I thought it was just the food. But the price they quoted me was what I paid. I'm definitely not used to that, but I like it!

I've decided to try walking back to my hotel. I'm not sure how far it is, probably a mile or so, but I remember there was a Starbucks and I'm hoping they have WiFi access so I can get online and check a couple of things and send a Tweet that I made it to Sydney safely.

* * * * *

I feel like an idiot. I am sitting in a Starbucks on George Street in Sydney, and I can't figure out how to get connected to their $3/hour Internet. All I want to do is email myself some info from an app on my iPad so I can post it on the Blog. But nothing I do makes it want to work. And apparently there isn't WiFi all over here like there is at home. Grumble. And the vanilla latte tastes funny, too, like it's been made with spoiled milk. Oh, well, I guess it wasn't meant to be, neither the coffee, nor the Internet access.

I wandered down George street, popping into another mall, and finally found my way back to the hotel. I was a bit ticked off, but not entirely surprised, that the man at the hotel's front desk gave me the wrong directions to the bus station. Well, not wrong so much as not the shortest way to go. Why is it that people never seem to know their way around where they work?

I headed back to the room with the intent of resting my poor aching feet, and getting the Air Card to work. Of course, it wouldn't. Stubborn thing. So, since I was feeling exhausted, and there was about 2 hours for me to kill in a boring hotel with no Internet access, no window, and only 10 channels on the TV, most of which were news and sports, I set the alarm on my Aussie cell phone, and took a nap. True to my nature, I hit snooze about 3 times, but I had set the alarm for 2 hours before the train leaves, and the train station is supposed to be only a block or two away.

Oh, I did find a second Starbucks on the way back to the hotel.


Here are the various photos I took around Sydney (not including the ones from the Sydney Tower).

Getting to Sydney, Part 3

Monday, 30 August 2010

I think I must have managed about 8 or 9 hours sleep, based on when I woke up. I guess I missed the mid-flight snack, as I never heard them coming around with it. They didn't disturb the sleeping passengers. Bless them.

I woke up just in time for breakfast. I had a choice of French Toast with scrambled eggs or Pancakes. I picked the French Toast, which also came with two strange sausage links, fresh fruit, and poisoned yogurt (Light Yogurt with aspartame). Obviously I skipped the poisoned yogurt. Which reminds me, I want to check groceries in Australia to see if they are as evil to their people as the USA is, hiding poisonous sugar substitutes in very nearly everything.

Not much time left before landing, so I didn't watch anything else on video. I filled out my declarations card, put my shoes back on, and waited for landing.

I don't know about you, but it's been a LONG time since I've had to exit a huge airplane by way of stairs. Stairs arent easy to navigate while carrying your carry-on luggage. Add in being cooped up for over 14 hours, and my right knee with no cartilage and it was even less fun. Then we boarded a bus with no seats, and were driven around the airport to Customs. I give these folks huge credit for getting everyone through the lines really fast. And now my passport has a new stamp in it!

Because I answered yes to having food with me (breakfast bars I normally bring along), I had to go through a different line and have all my stuff X-rayed again. They are picky about what sorts of things people bring into the country.

* * * * *

Here's the sign I first saw after coming through customs. So nice of Vodaphone to welcome us to Australia.

First stop: getting a local phone in case of emergencies. I found the Vodaphone store. Nokia phone for $29, plus $29 for $150 of use. That should be plenty. They charge here by the cost per minute instead of flat minute usage, at least on the pay-as-you-go phones. I also sprung for an aircard so I could get online with my computer. I get the feeling that Internet access here is going to be hard to come by. If you want my phone number, send me email.

Next stop: finding a hotel for the day so I can take a shower! Also, it'll be a safe place to leave my luggage while I explore Sydney. I doubt the train stations have lockers anyway, let alone showers! I stopped at the Information Desk, and the woman there helped me arrange for a room near Central Station, and for the shuttle bus to the hotel.

The suitcase is starting to annoy me. It won't roll straight, and it fell over a couple of times getting outside and down to the bus. You'd think having 5 wheels on a suitcase would be a good thing, but it appears they can't all agree which direction they should go.

* * * * *

Here are all the photos from the set called Arriving in Sydney.

Getting to Sydney, Part 2

Sunday, 29 August 2010

So, now my body is pretty well confused about the time. I woke up at 6:00am Eastern time on Saturday morning in Tampa, Florida. By the time I boarded the plane in LA, my body was convinced it was really 1:30am on Sunday, even though it was still Saturday night in LA. Now I'm setting my watch ahead so that it's 3:30pm on Sunday, and won't get to Sydney until 6:30am on Monday morning. The net effect is that I lose Sunday altogether. Strange. If that's not time travel, I don't know what is.

* * * * *

I am amazed by what we got on the plane. Awaiting us in each Business Elite seat is a very nice pillow and blanket, along with noise-canceling headphones that we get to use throughout the flight. Also there is a little zippered bag with a pair of non-skid socks, an eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, chap stick, and breath mints. We get to keep the zippered bag. While everyone is still boarding the plane and we are getting all settled into our bed/seats (as always, the seats were upright for take-off and landing), the flight attendants came around offering champagne, mimosas, or orange juice. I opted for a glass of champagne while I perused the dinner, snack, and breakfast menu. I guess they plan to feed us well during the flight. Then the plane was ready to leave, and I wound up snoozing for a bit, with my head propped against the nice fluffy pillow.

The next thing I know, it's time for dinner. I wanted the Salmon, but that was all gone by the time they asked the paying passengers what they wanted (they got to pick first). That's okay with me. I ordered the beef instead, which was a fantastic choice. First was the appetizers: asparagus soup, which was quite yummy, tuna tartar with soy beans, which was not so yummy, and some unpleasant cheese with what tasted like vinegar-soaked olives. There was a salad, too, but I passed on that. Then the main dish arrived. Mine turned out to be a nice beef fillet, mashed red potatoes, and green beans that actually weren't over-cooked. Since they don't give proper steak knives, it was hard to cut the steak, but I managed, and it was worth the work.

While I ate I took advantage of the free movies, and watched "9". It was short by most movie standards these days, at 1 hour 20 minutes, but that seemed perfect for that movie. It was cute, but a little preachy, and I am glad I didn't pay $9.50 to see it in a theater.

When I was a kid and we'd fly somewhere far away for vacation, like California, Delta had what they called Royal Service in First Class on the L-1011s. One of the things I remember clearly to this day was the dessert sundaes: they would let you pick your own toppings, and they'd make it for you right there in the aisle. Dessert on this flight reminded me of that. We had a choice of fresh fruit, cheesecake, or a sundae. I, of course, could not resist having a sundae with chocolate fudge sauce, nuts, and whipped cream. It really felt like being a kid again.

After all that I was pleasantly stuffed, and quite tired. I took advantage of the toothbrush and toothpaste, put on my fuzzy socks, reclined the seat and fell asleep. I know I tossed and turned some, trying to get comfortable, but all in all it was still tremendously better than sleeping sitting up in a seat all night.

There aren't any photos to go with this part of my journey. Stay tuned for more.

Getting to Sydney, Part 1

Saturday, 28 August 2010

I decided to take my chances and use a Delta Family Pass to go to Sydney. After all, it saved me about $500, and that's money I could spend on other stuff, like getting from Sydney to Melbourne and back, and the hotels, neither of which are very cheap.

The travel route for today is Tampa to Atlanta, Atlanta to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Sydney. I had booked myself on the 12:10pm flight from Tampa to Atlanta, but due to the fact that my 1-hour nap Friday night turned into 6 hours, I was asleep when I should have been packing. Needless to say, I still had much to do this morning, and I just didn't get it all done in time to make it to the airport in time for that flight. Plus, I still had to stop by the mailbox place to pick up the Aussie plug and power converters that arrived on Friday.

Since I am flying standby, it's no big deal to change my flight. I got to the airport and went to the check-in kiosks like I always do, only it wouldn't work. Turns out that I needed to have a visa to visit Australia. I don't remember seeing that in any of the travel books, or anywhere on the AussieCon website. I must have been looking in all the wrong places. So, I had to go to the regular ticket counter where two wonderful Delta employees helped me purchase my visa online. It was $20. Not bad.

Turns out that I had got to the airport before the 12:10 flight left, but not in time for me to board the flight, so I was listed for the 1:25pm flight. Off I went to wait at gate 62. By the time the screens started showing the flight information, I was happy to see that there would not be a problem getting on the flight. I crossed my fingers that the trend would continue. The flight to Atlanta is relatively short, about an hour. While this flight did have WiFi, I decided to crochet on the baby afghan I brought along, and save the WiFi for later flights.

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For those of you who have ever been to the Atlanta airport, you will understand why I was amazed that the gate I landed at was only 5 away from the one I would take off from! Since I only had a 1-hour layover in Atlanta, I bought an expensive sandwich & soda to eat for lunch on the plane. While they do feed you in Coach, you have to buy the food, and it isn't cheap on the plane, either. Oh, they no longer take cash on Delta, just plastic. Isn't it illegal to refuse to take cash as payment? I'll have to look that one up.

Again, once the screens started showing the flight information, I was happy to see that there would not be a problem getting on the flight. Whew! I only had 2 chances to get to LA in time to make the 10:35pm Sydney flight, and considering it's a 14-hour flight to Sydney, I wanted the extra time in LA to stretch my legs.

I was disappointed to find that this flight had no WiFi. Some of the cross-country Delta planes do, but I guess this one hadn't been upgraded yet. It did, however, have the individual video screens on the back of every seat. I took advantage of the free showing of the pilots for LoneStar (Fox) and The Big C (Showtime). Both were very good, and totally different shows. After that, I pretty much slept the rest of the way to LA, though I did take some cool photos of California from the air.

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On the ground, safe and sound in LA. I bought some bright pink and yellow fuzzy socks from The Good Life store. I forgot to bring sleep socks for the plane, so I could take off my shoes and not have my feet freeze. I also bought one of those U-shaped sleep pillows since I'd left mine at home. This new one is much better than my old one, too. Lots softer. After getting coffee and a giant chocolate chip cookie, I went in search of a power outlet to charge my iPhone and iPad, and to make some reservations. Once upon a time, in what seems like a lifetime far far away, I did things ahead of time, and didn't wind up running out of time for everything, having to do it all at the last minute. I hope one day to be that way again. Until then, there I sat at LAX, making train reservations from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Figures that I wouldn't get to Sydney in time for the early train to Melbourne, and since it's a 12-hour trip through the Australian country-side, I'll be doing the first trip at night. At least the trip back to Sydney will be during the day, so I'll take photos then. I'll just sleep my way there Monday night. At least that's one less hotel night in Melbourne, right? As for a hotel, the convention is using a booking service, which I really hate, and they aren't reachable by other than email. I sent off a request. I'll see if I get a reply when I arrive in Sydney.

I had about 5 hours to kill before the flight to Sydney took off, and 4 hours before I needed to be at the right gate, so I just played around on the computer for a bit. Eventually it was time to wander over to gate 58 to see how the flight looked. I was totally amazed that there were still 9 seats available in Business Elite class (the equivalent of First Class on this flight), and only 5 people on the standby list. That meant that not only would we all be getting on the flight (there were 35 open seats in coach), but we'd also all be getting seats in Business Elite! How wonderful! These are the seats that fold down into beds! I can sleep laying down instead of sitting up.

When we got on the plane, the flight attendants suggested we change our watches to Sydney time, so it suddenly went from 10:20pm Pacific time on Saturday night to 3:20pm Sunday afternoon!

To view the photos that go along with this blog, I've posted them on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsears42/collections/