SYDNEY AIRPORT, AUSTRALIA - 1st February 2010
continuing from Part I...
Surprisingly enough, little has changed here in Sydney Airport in the 17 days since I was last here, and most importantly there are still free internet terminals for crucially important tasks like this blog.
The last sentence is, for those of you impervious to written irony, a total lie, made poignantly clear when placed next to the genuinely crucial task facing me presently - attempting to book my ferry from Buenos Aries to Colonia del Sacramento (in Uruguay) for this afternoon (which, adjusting for time zones, is 5am tomorrow Sydney time). Ridiculous time calculations aside, it's a simple enough job - my Qantas flight lands at 10am local time in BA, and want to get on the 4.15pm ferry to Colonia that arrives at 5.30pm. Should be simple enough task, given the sleek website and English option... but naturally, things don't work so easily.
For reasons unknown, I am able to register my name, identification details, choose my ferry crossing, and get to the penultimate page of the booking process, only to have to stupid system refuse to accept that I've input any passenger details... regardless how many times I re-type them right there and then. There's no choice but to give up... but if I land in BA in 13 hours time to discover that that ferry is fully booked, there's gonna be one angry backpacker and an inevitable literary litany to follow.
First though, it's time to cross the Pacific!
Showing posts with label Sydney Airport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sydney Airport. Show all posts
Monday, 1 February 2010
The Longest Day - Part I
AUCKLAND AIRPORT, NEW ZEALAND - 1st February 2010
After staying up till late hours to watch Andy Murray get Federered in the Aussie Open final, the clock has ticked over to the early hours of the 1st February. Provided things work as they should, today will, at 40 hours in length, be the longest day of my life so far and quite possibly ever, thanks to a unique blend of flights, a ferry, and the international date line. What's more, within the confines of the 1st of Feb, I'll be setting foot in 4 different countries, spread across 2 continents either side of the Southern Pacific.
Things kick off here in Auckland where, after 3 and a half hours of remarkably comfortable sleep sprawled out along a nicely cushioned bench looking out over the airfield from the airport's observation deck (Sydney could learn a thing or two about accomodating overnight travellers), I've just checked in for my 5.50am LAN Airlines/Qantas flight back to Sydney, due to land at about 6.30am local time. See you on the other side of the Tasman Sea...
After staying up till late hours to watch Andy Murray get Federered in the Aussie Open final, the clock has ticked over to the early hours of the 1st February. Provided things work as they should, today will, at 40 hours in length, be the longest day of my life so far and quite possibly ever, thanks to a unique blend of flights, a ferry, and the international date line. What's more, within the confines of the 1st of Feb, I'll be setting foot in 4 different countries, spread across 2 continents either side of the Southern Pacific.
Things kick off here in Auckland where, after 3 and a half hours of remarkably comfortable sleep sprawled out along a nicely cushioned bench looking out over the airfield from the airport's observation deck (Sydney could learn a thing or two about accomodating overnight travellers), I've just checked in for my 5.50am LAN Airlines/Qantas flight back to Sydney, due to land at about 6.30am local time. See you on the other side of the Tasman Sea...
Friday, 15 January 2010
The Other Antipodeans
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - 15th January 2010
I know a thing or two about crappy nights of sleep - aside from this trip's countless overnight buses or waking up on New Year's Day under a table in Sydney, I've had to sleep in the open desert in the middle of a sandstorm; woken up in the middle of a dancefloor on Hat Rin Beach during the Full Moon Party, and it'll be a long time before the night I slept in the middle of the GAB quad is forgotten (even if it was in my bed, complete with bedside table, right). It says something, therefore, when I say that the night I slept in Sydney airport comfortably ranks as the worst night of sleep I've ever had. Unlike the long, broad, bench-like chairs you find it pretty much every other international airport, Sydney has crappy little self contained chairs with horrible little plastic armrests between them - meaning you certainly can't sleep (or indeed sit) comfortably upright, but damnably can't lie down on your side either. They also have the audacity to charge $5 to get from the domestic to the international terminal. Long story short, not impressed.
One positive Sydney does have is an awesome duty free that includes an Apple store (and thus free internet for all), and was the scene of my tidy purchase of a Lumix DMC-FZ35 new digital camera. It's awesome.
Qantas flight QF43 was also awesome, featuring a fantastic meal of braised and herbed chicken with cous cous, and Qantas' state-of-the-art High Definition on demand entertainment system. Shame it was not even a 3 hour flight.
New Zealand immigration is like Fort Knox - their biosecurity gateway makes Australia's notoriously tight customs regulations seem liberal. Clear of food, camping/farm equipment or swine flu though, I was clear to enter.
Necessity (again, I'd hastened to book anywhere in advance) resulted in a cash splurge on a nice B&B joint that included airport pick-up, but despite being a bit of a mission from Auckland's city centre (45 mins by bus), I enjoyed a nice warm evening and clear sunset while wandering around the various waterfront piers and busy streets. Viaduct Pier in particular looked wonderful...if I wasn't on my own and/or operating on a budget! Instead, I settled for a good old Singapore-style food court and some delicious seafood fried noodles.
The over-abundance of fast food chains is as prevalent here in NZ as it was back in Oz, but it was nice to see McDonalds reunited with its old sparring partner Burger King over here after the latter's whole "Hungry Jack's" local branding nonsense in Australia. Nicer still, however, was the dreamy wafting waves of scrumptiously intoxicating cookie dough that were drifting down Queen Street, emanating from Mrs Higgins Oven Fresh Cookie Shop. Anyone who's read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince can safely assume that after inhaling this they'd know the smell of their Amortentia potion...
My extra spending afforded me an amazingly comfortable bed, so this morning's early start was not enjoyed. However, I'm now all set to head over to Mount Maunganui over in the Bay of Plenty (on the north coast) and meet up with Joe - of Judd School maths teaching/1st XI cricket team scoring fame - and her husband Simon to check out a game of domestic twenty20 cricket. The juggernaut continues...
P.S. For those of you missing me, you can take comfort in knowing that now I'm in New Zealand, pretty much anywhere I go from here will bring me closer to home!
I know a thing or two about crappy nights of sleep - aside from this trip's countless overnight buses or waking up on New Year's Day under a table in Sydney, I've had to sleep in the open desert in the middle of a sandstorm; woken up in the middle of a dancefloor on Hat Rin Beach during the Full Moon Party, and it'll be a long time before the night I slept in the middle of the GAB quad is forgotten (even if it was in my bed, complete with bedside table, right). It says something, therefore, when I say that the night I slept in Sydney airport comfortably ranks as the worst night of sleep I've ever had. Unlike the long, broad, bench-like chairs you find it pretty much every other international airport, Sydney has crappy little self contained chairs with horrible little plastic armrests between them - meaning you certainly can't sleep (or indeed sit) comfortably upright, but damnably can't lie down on your side either. They also have the audacity to charge $5 to get from the domestic to the international terminal. Long story short, not impressed.One positive Sydney does have is an awesome duty free that includes an Apple store (and thus free internet for all), and was the scene of my tidy purchase of a Lumix DMC-FZ35 new digital camera. It's awesome.
Qantas flight QF43 was also awesome, featuring a fantastic meal of braised and herbed chicken with cous cous, and Qantas' state-of-the-art High Definition on demand entertainment system. Shame it was not even a 3 hour flight.
New Zealand immigration is like Fort Knox - their biosecurity gateway makes Australia's notoriously tight customs regulations seem liberal. Clear of food, camping/farm equipment or swine flu though, I was clear to enter.
Necessity (again, I'd hastened to book anywhere in advance) resulted in a cash splurge on a nice B&B joint that included airport pick-up, but despite being a bit of a mission from Auckland's city centre (45 mins by bus), I enjoyed a nice warm evening and clear sunset while wandering around the various waterfront piers and busy streets. Viaduct Pier in particular looked wonderful...if I wasn't on my own and/or operating on a budget! Instead, I settled for a good old Singapore-style food court and some delicious seafood fried noodles.
The over-abundance of fast food chains is as prevalent here in NZ as it was back in Oz, but it was nice to see McDonalds reunited with its old sparring partner Burger King over here after the latter's whole "Hungry Jack's" local branding nonsense in Australia. Nicer still, however, was the dreamy wafting waves of scrumptiously intoxicating cookie dough that were drifting down Queen Street, emanating from Mrs Higgins Oven Fresh Cookie Shop. Anyone who's read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince can safely assume that after inhaling this they'd know the smell of their Amortentia potion...
My extra spending afforded me an amazingly comfortable bed, so this morning's early start was not enjoyed. However, I'm now all set to head over to Mount Maunganui over in the Bay of Plenty (on the north coast) and meet up with Joe - of Judd School maths teaching/1st XI cricket team scoring fame - and her husband Simon to check out a game of domestic twenty20 cricket. The juggernaut continues...
P.S. For those of you missing me, you can take comfort in knowing that now I'm in New Zealand, pretty much anywhere I go from here will bring me closer to home!
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