G'Day Mate

[2009_08_27]
G'Day mate! I made it to Sydney this morning. The last leg of the journey was good but long, about 14.5 hours from Los Angles to Sydney. I flew V-Australia, I'd highly recommend them. Business class was exceptional. I had a cranberry juice before we took off. They gave me a pouch with toiletries, a face mask, and ear plugs. Soon after takeoff, dinner was served. While waiting I started a movie , they have on-demand movies right at your seat. I chose to watch 'Watchmen'. Quite an interesting movie, though in hindsight perhaps not the most appropriate to be shown on a flight. It was also 2hr50min long! I was tired so right after my meal I went to sleep. They gave me a pair of pajamas & flip-flops to wear, never had that before. The seat I had was able to lay down flat during flight and I was able to lie down for much of the flight. Very nice but I still have a hard time getting more that an hour or two worth of sleep at a stretch on a flight. All in all I rested for about 8-10 hours I think. Before I knew it, it was time for breakfast, time to finish my movie…

Once I arrived at Sydney, I had to fill out an entry form. The forms asks all sorts of questions regarding quarantined items. The last few times I went through customs I got into a bit of trouble so I am now quite conservative when it comes to what I declare. You fill out the form by checking 'yes' or 'no' to certain declarations. I made three declarations. I declared peanut granola bars as both a potentially quarantined food (all food products are subject to quarantine) as well as natural products (nuts, wood products, etc). You show the form to the first customs agent, he gives you your passport stamp, checks your VISA, etc. The guy gave a good chuckle but thanked me for declaring. I also declared anti-histamine medication as a potentially controlled substance because 'medicine' was listed in the 'may' be controlled list. Again he had a chuckle but he said sometimes people get into trouble because what's over the counter in one country isn’t legal in another. For example in Australia and New Zealand their ibroprofin typically also has codeine in it where in the US you need a prescription for it.

Once I made it through customs (what a breeze!) I went to pick-up my baggage. I was quite nervous (and I though for sure) that my checked luggage did not make it to Sydney with me. My first flight (out of Appleton) was over an hour late and I did a mad dash in Minneapolis to just get onto the next plane before it took-off. As it turns out, somehow my luggage made it on the flight too. . It turns out that my luggage was the second bag off of a full 777 flight! What are the odds of that?

After getting my baggage, I had to have my bags screened to check for quarantine items, etc. Good thing I made the declarations I did as the screening found the items in my baggage. I told them what it was their sensors had found and I was one my way.

I made it to Sydney, converted $200 US into ~$207.85 AUS. That was a bit of a rip-off but I needed Aussie cash. I tried to use my new calling card from work, no luck. After a while I did manage to get a hold of my hotel but being 8am, they didn’t have any rooms open yet. I desperately needed a shower and found a free shower at the airport. No towels or anything provided though. I shopped at the convenience store at the airport but they wanted $12 for a small towel. No way to that! I ended up using the pajamas they gave me on the flight as my towel, they worked well enough. I guess Ford Prefect was right, you should always bring a towel with you when traveling around the Universe. (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy reference for those that missed that one)

Then onto work, I took a Taxi to work. It was a whopping ~$65 ride! Yikes! We drove under the Sydney Harbour via tunnel, interesting tunnel. Most tunnels you drive through are flat, this one dives down then back up as it goes under the harbour.

Work was good, I got pretty tired by the end of the day.

I was going to stay at a hotel for the first 3 days then switch to an apartment for the rest of my 4x weeks here. It turns out the apartment was available straight away so I was able to move in there. It’s a nice place. Its like a hotel room, a bit bigger. It has a small kitchenette, a washer/dryer unit, etc. No phone or internet though! ;( That’s going to make it challenging to stay in contact with everyone!

I walked around the neighborhood a bit, there is a small underground mall down the road attached to the train station. I bought some groceries. Whoa, are they expensive here! To give an idea:
~20oz bottle of Coke - $3.50,
Quart of skim mile - $4.80

I hope all is well with everyone!