Warning: long post :)
I love to travel. I'm sure you didn't know that yet. ;) so it stands to reason that I have set off, yet again, on a 2 month adventure to another part of the World. And not just to other countries, but to the other hemisphere! Which mostly means that my "summer months" have turned to winter. Summer just happens to be my favorite season, but I'm sure I'll survive without one. :)
My reason for continuing this blog is twofold:
1. To keep a journal of my travels. When Stephen and I backpacked Europe 2 years ago, I managed to keep up the blog for which I am now super thankful. It has been so fun to look back and read about our travels, remembering little details or memories that I'd forgotten.
2. To let friends and family know that I'm still alive and well (hopefully), and if interested, so that you know what I've been up to lately and what new experiences I've had or learned.
Day 1: Thursday, June 13, 2013
I woke up early and didn't know whether to feel excited or overwhelmed that I was just about to leave for two months. It hadn't quite hit me yet. Leaving for Australia had mostly been an event on the calendar and something to prepare for, rather than a realization. But the closer it came, the more excited I became.
Because my flight left at 10:00pm, I finished running some errands that morning and was able to see the Curry's wee (3 days old!) baby girl. I had planned on taking the 7:00 flyaway, but after finishing last minute packing for my carry-on and eating a few bites of dinner, I made it to the flyaway just a minute too late! Oh well. I still had plenty of time and I got to spend a few more minutes with my Daddy.
At 7:30pm, with a hug and kiss goodbye, I embarked on the first leg of my travels. Upon reaching the Virgin Australia terminal to check in, I was asked if I had my visa to get into Australia (what visa!?). Fortunately, a visa was easy to get. 5 minutes and $15 later, I had my visa and was ready to check in to my flight (afterwards I recalled having had the same experience when I flew to Australia 3 years ago). During that time, I managed to get my 50lb backpack into a trash bag and all taped up. Reason being: to protect the backpack and all the straps that hang off it (tip provided by a Mr. Stephen Johns).
Security was a breeze and my terminal was easy to find.
I've found that, lately, I tend to wait till the last minute to board my flight. I figure I have the same seat regardless, and that way I don't have to wait in a massive line before entering. However, there is also less chance of getting storage for a carry-on so sometimes I choose to wait. Laziness? Maybe. I prefer to think of it as strategy. Although it'll probably backfire on me someday when I wait a little too long...
Anyways, I found my seat by the window and met my seat "neighbor." She is from Australia and had been in LA for two weeks to train for a job. She was really nice to talk to and we chatted a bit before settling in for the 14 hour flight. Since she had the aisle seat and no one turned up for the middle seat, we had plenty of room to "stretch out." I didn't use the seat very much but it was nice to slant my body so as to sleep with my head against the window whilst my legs occupied the space where the middle person would've placed theirs. After watching one movie, I attempted to get some rest and actually succeeded fairly well! I would sleep a couple hours, wake up stiff, move around or slightly change positions, then fall asleep for another couple hours. At about 10am LA time and 3am Sydney time, I gave up trying to sleep anymore and watched another movie. By the time it finished, we were landing in Sydney. Overall, I was pleased by how much sleep I was able to get! :)
Sydney was great. We landed at 6:15am and my connecting flight to Brisbane didn't leave till 2:00pm so I decided to try going into town. After checking into my flight, and NOT getting charged for my baggage due to a technical error when they ran my credit card :), I began my journey into town.
A scary moment came after I had checked my carry-on bag into storage and went to get my bank card from my wallet to get some cash. But I immediately noticed that my credit card was missing!!! I ran back to the storage unit and thankfully found my card on the table where the owner had placed it after payment, forgetting to return it. :/
To avoid overpaying for the 15 minute train ride into town, I waited for the bus, then took a different train to Circular Quay where I grabbed a coffee and started walking toward the Sydney Opera House. Traveling alone, I was so grateful to have a fun/fancy camera. I'm still figuring it out, but I was able to experiment and have fun with the settings and angles while clicking away at the Opera House, the Bridge, and the Royal Botanical Gardens. Last time I came to Sydney, I'd seen he bridge, the Opera House (we actually went to an Opera!) but had missed out on the gardens. I didn't have a lot of time but I began to explore and take a ton of pictures.
Between the bus and train ride getting into town, I figured it had taken me a little over an hour to get to town. My plane ticket said 1:30 and I still had to grab my bag so I figured I should be back at the train station by 11. Weeelllll, I was having too much fun in the garden and had to stop by the Governor's Mansion on my way back through the gardens (I got time...) but didn't make it to the station till 11:30! If it was going to take the same amount of time to get back...I was going to cut it very, very close to missing my flight!! (How do I always do this?!!) fortunately, it took half the time and my flight BOARDED at 1:30 and didn't leave then, as I had originally supposed. :) In the end, I had plenty of time and waited an hour before I boarded.
After a total 24 hours of traveling, I arrived in Brisbane. My trash bag was easy to find and after stripping it of it's "armor" I began the search for the Wetherstons! I realized then that we hadn't specified a meeting place so after a short search, I borrowed someone's mobile phone (cell phone) and was able to make contact with Liz. A minute later, I was greeted by Liz and a very excited Emma and Will!!!
Timeout: it's dinner time so I will post Part 2 later. :)
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