First Few Days in Australia

Well, I'm in here (sort of). Jet lag is kicking my ass. I was up at 5am this morning just the same as yesterday and the day before...what day is it anyway? The only way I know it's Monday is that Ben went to the office. But, it's not as bad as the first day...


No point in describing the whirlwind of the day before heading out of the country. Let's just say I handled it all beautifully...meaning I didn't actually kill or maim anyone though I felt like it more times that I can count. Perhaps this means I'm a grown-up now?


The drive to the airport was uneventful but tearful. Our driver was nice and he managed to fit our 14 bags into the vehicle so no complaints there. A porter rushed to our assistance as soon as we pulled up to the airport. I wanted to kiss him but that seemed a bit inappropriate so I refrained. He escorted us to the counter we needed where Ben realized he had packed the information that was needed in a suitcase though which suitcase was a mystery to us all. No worries, the counter person helped us out. We were also relieved to find out we wouldn't have to pick up our bags in LA and recheck them. Biggest snafu...we had to rush to our gate, skipping lunch (uh oh) because Diner's Club wouldn't approve our overage charges even though Ben had just reassured them the night before that he was who he was and the card was not stolen even though 4 tix to Australia had been purchased and a car hired. I figured I'd ask for something to snack on as soon as we took off and would be fine. There was a slight delay on the runway but I survived (again without killing or maiming anyone)and Ben was able to purchase a "snack pack" for me shortly after the fasten seat belts sign went off. Tuna with lemon and pepper from a can never tasted so divine. Can't say the same for lunch. Gagged down that turkey wrap as best I could just a preventative measure. Hot tea soothed my nerves and I settled in to read some of "Twilight". Oh boy, that book sure is a giggle. Nearly the entire flight, I could hear Benji talking into my ear even though he was 3 rows away. He was very excited! He was also very nervous. He literally threw up in his mouth a little when there was some turbulence. His dad thought that was rather funny. The flight was long but the seats were comfortable enough.


By the time we landed in LA I was already feeling very confused about where I was timewise. I felt just a bit disoriented but not partiularly tired. Quick Starbucks stop and checking in at VAustralia and then to a fish place for dinner. Passable food, decent service...blessed water with lemon. Ok so maybe it wasn't blessed but it sure tasted like it was sent straight from God. Apparently I was a bit thirsty. We settled in to wait for our flight. By 10pm which felt like 1am to me, they announced that our flight would be delayed....we would take off at midnight. At this point, I was pretty sure I was going to crack. I was so exhausted and the chairs could not honestly be more uncomfortable. Turns out that the ground crew had damaged the nose of the plane. I have no idea of the time that all of this took really...it was like an out of body experience except less restful. I remember I fell asleep in my chair only to be woken my beloved husband (who knows I almost NEVER fall asleep sitting up) just to let me know he was going to wander down the hall. Thank God he gave me that pivotal information otherwise I might have thought he'd left us alone in the LA airport. (but I'm not bitter). By this point, my mood had reached the point that it was better that no one speak to me at all. At some point, I wandered down the hall to the only store that was left open in the place only to be retrieved by Benji. He had rushed to let me know that the flight was now delayed until 3am. God help me. Innocent people were truly in danger now. I was keeping my mouth shut but inside I was a mess. By the time we had walked back to Ben, he said that they were offering to let people take the 11:45 Sydney flight and then get a domestic flight to Brisbane from there. We were iffy. We'd been told that Sydney is a nightmare but honestly, I felt that our flight was going to be completely cancelled and that would be a worse nightmare. Or it wouldn't be cancelled and I'd be terrified to get on a plane that only hours before had been damaged. (I'm sure that happens all the time but I don't need to know about it). So, we get in line to be booked for the Sydney flight which was not as efficient as one might imagine. About the time it was our turn, the bookings closed because the flight was boarding. There was someone frantically talking to Sydney on the phone, someone frantically writing something, someone frantically hitting keys on the computer and two others standing there looking rather bored. I wanted to slap those two but again, refrained. Those around me would never have even known I was upset. I consider that to be progress. Now, listen to this part carefully because this is important. The man told us that although booking were closed, he was going to enter everyone's information into the computer and there would be a connecting flight waiting for us when we got to Sydney. We would just go to the transfer desk to find out which flight it would be. Rumor was that flights left Syndey for Brisbane every 30 minutes. (Seriously?). So, off we went.


As we boarded the plane, the flight attendant welcomed us with his lovely little accent and I wondered to myself if I'd ever grow tired of hearing Australians speak. I hoped not. I wanted to weep with relief when we settled into our seats. VAustralia is a brand new division of Virgin Airlines so the planes are only 6 weeks old and they are lovely. The seat was a bit firm for my liking but very roomy. Plenty of choices for entertainment (video games, movies, tv shows, music, a map that showed our flights progress, and who knows what else. The flight was delayed so they could add more fuel and food for us...I had no idea how long but it must have been over an hour because I watched an episode of True Blood. Our flight attendant, Michelle, was perhaps the most cheerful person I've ever seen. She made every bit of that flight just perfect. We were immediately served juice or water (with lemon)and placed our orders for dinner and breakfast. I don't know what those poor blokes back in economy were eating but this food was really, really good. It even had a shrimp appetizer and a delicious brownie. After dinner, apparently, they dim the lights in such a way that it's like the sun going down....different colored lights dimming gradually. I missed that because by that point, I had discovered that while all the arm rests didn't lift up,the one right in the middle did. Premium Economy has 40 seat...2 window, 4 in the middle and 2 window per row. There were about 17 people total so there were extra seats. Woohoo! Kelsey moved to a window seat on one side of the plane, Benji to one on the other....I put on my eye mask, put in my earplugs and lifed up that armrest, put my head on Ben's lap and was out like a light. At some point, he got up so I could lay flat. I was in heaven. Yes, I was that grateful to have two seats to curl up in. Boy, comfort is all relative, isn't it? I slept for 7 hours. I've never been so grateful in my entire life. The rest of the time was spent napping, going to the toilet (Britney Spears' "Oops, I did it again" was playing nearly every time...for Ben, he kept hearing something by AC/DC...very strange), eating (cheddar and crackers, an orange, hot tea, water), and being interrupted by Ben and Benji so often that I didn't even finish one single movie. (Of course, they were offering vital information such as "I'm going to the bathroom". Again, thank God he told me otherwise, I might have worried that he'd gotten off the plane.) Though funnily enough, Ben did actually disapper once for a very long time and I did start to worry. Turns out he had charmed someone on the crew into a tour of the plane. lol. Turns out that business class would have totally rocked....flat beds and "private pods" or something like that. Ahhh, someday. Breakfast was served shortly after the artificial sunrise. (Nice touch). Yummy frittata, fresh fruit, hot tea, roll, yogurt and I don't even remember what else. It was more food than I could eat. Benji's main dish was hotcakes with apples. Then we took much longer than you'd expect completing our "declaration" forms....they warn you at least four times that it is a legal document and you can be fined or imprisoned if you don't declare something and are caught with it. By the time we landed in Sydney, I felt fine and not so fine. I just felt a bit dioriented...I mean, it was obviously jetlag but it is just the oddest feeling for me.


In Sydney, we each had to get a cart to carry the luggage as there are NO porters. Not even one. Customs was a piece of cake. They could not have been less interested in us. Not that I'm complaining. I noticed that we made it through a good deal faster than some of the other people on our flight but since we were out of the area so quickly I'm not sure what held them up. We met up with a couple of ladies we had spoken to in LA while in line for our domestic check-in. They were travelling with their children and were very friendly and encouraging. It became painfully obvious very, very quickly that we were NOT booked on a connecting flight. It was all extremely disorganized. I repeat, extremely disorganized. Virgin Blue apparently had not been notified that we were all coming and would need a flight. I was shockingly calm. Seriously, you would have been impressed. One family with four children just lost it. Screaming, yelling, cursing, rolling about on the ground (okay, so that part isn't true but you get the picture.)I suspect they must have flown ecomomy because I know if I had not had that seven hours I sleep, I would have lost it at that point. We stood in line for a while (because there was somone frantically talking on the phone, someone frantically writing, and someone frantically typing) and was finally booked onto a flight. We even got complimentary bus passes (in Sydney you have to pay to transfer from one terminal to the next if you can't walk it). Oh I forgot to mention, as soon as you walk off the plane and down the hall in Sydney you are treated to three huge photos of people in swimsuits...one was a man in a speedo.


We had time to grab a snack and sit for a bit while waiting for our flight. I was forced to check my carry-on as it was too heavy for this flight. Ben's was heavier, he just didn't get caught. I didn't even care at this point until the middle of the flight when I remembered that's where I had packed family photos. ACK! Oh well. This flight was icky compared to the last. Nothing complimentary (see how spoiled I was getting?) and even though we were in premium economy, the only perk was a bit more leg room and butt room (not that I'm not grateful for those things). I read some more Twilight and was so happy to land in Brisbane. Overall, we had added over 7 hours to our travel time. We were suppposed to be in Brisbane by 5:30am or so and we didn't get there until after 1 in the afternoon.


Not a single porter in existence and only barely an idea of what to do next, we grabbed our bags and got them down to the taxi station to grab a "maxitaxi". Uneventful ride to the hotel. Yield signs say "Give Way" rather than "Yield". Taxi fare was over $60 AUD. They drive like fucking maniacs here. Motorcycles just go right now between the cars, not caring that there isn't actually a lane there. As far as I can see, pedestrians do not have the right of way.


Three trips into the hotel later and our bags were all in our "apartment". Words cannot even describe the view. We are literally right on the river and it is breathtaking. And it's a good thing the view is great as the rest of it leaves a little bit to be desired. But, I'm in no mood to complain as that would only hasten the culture shock I'm sure to feel at some point. I have absolutely no idea how to use the oven and don't even care yet. The tv channels have absolutely nothing on which doesn't really matter except that I'm nearly brainless by 5pm and incapable of any real thought so something decent to watch would help me stay awake until a reasonable bedtime. But, oh well. I could live here forever except I don't have internet access and that is driving me completely mad. Anyway....


After getting checked in, we went across the street to the closest restaurant (well, we tried one just down the street right on the river but they had just closed and wouldn't be open again until dinner) and I had a $13 hot dog and fries. Admittedly it was a fancy hot dog with kraut on but the kraut wasn't sour. We had intended to just try to stay awake but by the time I ate half my dinner, I looked at Ben and said, I need to go to bed NOW. So, naptime it was! I figured we'd go out after we woke up to find some groceries not realizing that it would be dark by 6pm. That only made me feel more disoriented when I woke up. We walked to the nearest 7/11 and got some tuna and stuff like that. Then, we spent the next two hours unpacking and fell into bed exhausted.


I was up the next morning at 5am. Seriously. Benji went out onto the porch with Ben to watch the sunrise chattering non-stop about the beautiful sunrise, the beautiful river, the beautiful birds, the kayakers, the boats, the, the, the, the you nameit, he talked about it. I couldn't just sit in the apartment for long. I ate some tuna for breakfast and we headed down to the Queen Street Mall. Bus 199 took us there, thank you very much. We bought bus passes though I think we did that wrong. Ben's going to figure that out today. There's only one way to describe the day. Overwhelming. The accent still hasn't failed to charm me. When someone says "No worries", I giggle a little inside. The way they phrase things can be a bit confusing but I think I've been okay so far. Food is crazy expensive but that was something we expected. And the trade-off is that we are IN BRISBANE. The weather was chilly in the morning and simply divine by the afternoon. Benji immediately found a place where he can go to play World of Warcraft (it's called the Bunker but it smells more like a locker room) and we found our bank. I even saw a Borders Bookstore. I am not kidding. I didn't go check it out as I had an agenda for that day and it involved finding a Farmer's Market.


Okay, I have to stop typing now. I've got to get ready to go out and find a damn internet connection and start the process of talking to realtors. (I CAN do this. I have done things that are much more difficult. I CAN do this.)