I'm Late... I'm Late... For a Very Important Date!

You ever have a feeling that something isn't right? Something you can't quite put your finger on but it's out there. Something. So I thought it might be my car service. When I was dropped off the previous week, the driver took my information for my pickup Sunday morning. He didn't instill confidence so I called last night to confirm. Good thing I did as he didn't have my reservation for pick up at 6am. I went to bed feeling better. And I woke up, the car service picked me up, got to the airport, my flight was on time and life was good. Ha ha ha! If you fell for that than... well, you haven't met me or my BFF Murphy. 

Sunrise at Melbourne Airport

I had one of those nights where I had trouble falling asleep. Eventually I did and woke up with a start. Immediately I knew I was in trouble before I even opened my eyes. I rolled over and looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was 6:02. Not the way you want to start your day. [Insert colourful expletive here.] I called downstairs and advised I'd be down in 10 minutes. Wouldn't you know it, when I got downstairs, the front desk was empty. Really, people? I just called downstairs to notify you that I was running late and would be right down. I find a staff person but he didn't speak English. Finally, the gal comes out of the closet [no, not that way] and checks me out. Meanwhile, the driver was loading my bags. He advised me to get in the back seat and he would "be right there." He proceed to use the restroom (why he didn't use it during the 15 minutes he was waiting for me, I'll never know). Fortunately (maybe?) my driver had aspirations to be Mario Andretti as he sped towards the airport at a rather alarming speed. I assured him my preference was to get there safely and of course, I didn't want him risking his license on my behalf (more on this in a later post).


The best piece of news is that Qantas did not charge me for my heavy bag and I had time to get my coffee before boarding my flight. After all the rushing around, I felt a big sigh of relief as I took my seat in steerage (this is how I feel on Qantas as I am always delegated to the back of the plane). Flying on Qantas is a somewhat different experience. The flight attendants board the passengers. There are always two who scan your boarding passes whilst there are two at the door of the flight to double-check that you are on the right flight and advise which aisle to use. They do not board by row or status. If you need extra time - good luck. It is an all aboard for all passengers. The plane typically fills quickly and I find that Aussies bring less carry-on bags (probably because they don't charge to check-in). The overhead lockers are rarely full so you don't have to worry about finding space to store your stuff. The safety video is introduced by John Travolta and has some humor in it ("by now, we all know how to operate a seat belt, however we are obliged to show you in case you forgot"). It also advises you on the emergency brace position because in the event of an emergency, you will need to know it "immediately" (apparently there is no refresher course if there is an ER... you are completely on your own). Can you reach the seat in front of you? If so, lean as far forward and rest your head on your arms. If not, place your head in your lap and grab your feet to keep them from moving forward on impact (really? If you crash at 200+ mph will you be able to keep your feet from moving? If you can, then I'm impressed that you can defy the physical force placed on your body). At any rate, I always think "bend over and kiss your ... goodbye! Once airborne, the seatbelt sign is off and you are free to move about the cabin. I find it interesting that the sign goes off roughly at 10,000 feet and the plane is still climbing to its cruising altitude and often even mid-turn. And they serve meals! At no charge! As we know, the US carriers either don't serve meals or charge for them (in economy) unless you are on an international flight. 


To me, the most amazing thing of all is the tolerance for people who are late. Often (as in almost every time), there are people who lollygag and do not board the plane with the rest of the passengers. You will hear announcement after announcement of individual(s) who are being paged to "immediately report to gate lounge number [whatever] as your flight is ready for an immediate departure." Even 10 to 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time you can hear people paged, or you are on a flight where someone has not boarded. In the US we leave those people behind. Not here. I did encounter one flight were after 30 minutes, they gave up on the bloke and then spent another 30 minutes trying to find his bag. Imagine finding one bag on a flight with 300 people in a cargo hold. Come to think of it, I guess I didn't need to hurry. I was checked in so I guess the flight could have just waited for me.


The tolerance level of most Aussies seems higher. They seem much more relaxed and have a tendency to not take things to seriously. In theory, this seems like a good idea but when things go wrong and they simply shrug their shoulders, you want to ring their bloody little necks. (Oh, did I just say that?) 


Surprisingly, both the Melbourne and Sydney domestic airports are quite small and quite rundown. The restrooms in particular have a lot to be desired. Think bus station or gas station. Both international terminals are quite lovely for tourists so I suppose that is the priority. Baggage service is about the same as you would find in the states. Slow and painful. One thing you can bet on is the queue for taxis will be long. I have learned to book a car service ahead. In Melbourne it is actually less expensive; in Sydney it is $20 AUD more. The best part is the drivers know where you are going and you pay a flat rate. Otherwise, you are relying on a non-native, non-English speaking Pacific Islander, Asian, or Indian to deliver you to where you want to go. My favourite part is when they ask you directions. Let's see... do I sound like I know where I'm going? Oh wait, I do know. But really, they expect you to give directions. Unrealistic in a high tourist area. 

Buying Chili Chocolates 

The Rocks Market

And thus began my morning. My room wasn't ready so I headed over to the Shangri-La to meet Denise and Carol. I felt very grungy and out of sorts when I arrived. It was cloudy but quite humid. The inevitable trail of water was running down my spine when I arrived. Lucky for me, Denise was staying at a five star hotel so she graciously offered me use of her shower so I was finally able to freshen up. The three of us ventured out to the area known as "The Rocks" to meander around the Sunday market and grab some lunch. We settled on an Italian cafe where we could people watch. The outing turned into quite the long walk as we circled around the harbour towards Darling Harbour. As we rounded the bend, there loomed a cruise ship (my ship again - the MS Volendam) so we were forced to walk up a hill and find our way back to the water's edge. Poor Carol at this point had blisters from her new sandles. After a brief stop at my hotel to get her band-aids, we jumped in a taxi to head back over to the Shangri-La for dinner and a movie.  At the end of the day, I had completely forgotten how bad my morning was. Although Denise and Carol thought I should take a taxi back, I opted to walk back to my hotel. I love walking through the city streets in the evening.


I sometimes cannot believe I'm working in one of the most amazing places in the world and how privileged I am to get this experience. Who would have ever thought I would be living down under? Certainly, not me. I thought my holiday in 2009 was my "one and done." Now I can't wait to see where I go next.