Headache receded somewhat but still feeling a bit out of it. Difficult to get out of bed. Had brekkie and a shower before storing our larger bags at the hotel. Caught the train into Flinders Street Station and grabbed a no. 35 City Tram (free) on which we circled the city once. Not really impressed with Docklands which is still being built. Walked around Federation Square for a bit before catching a tram back to the Shrine of Remembrance so that The Boy could buy a souvenir.
Had an ice cream before grabbing our bags from the hotel and catching a train back to the city. Tram to Southern Cross Station for the SkyBus where I wasn't able to upgrade my single ticket to a return. Gotta try. Arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Had a yucky gnocchi - neither of us felt like eating junk food. Found out that our gate changed and the flight had been delayed by 30 minutes to Launceston.
Uneventful flight with Qantas AirLink, with better service than Jetstar, to Launceston in a pink plane. Got a bit of sleep on the way. After obtaining our luggage I went to pick up the Avis hire car. Just before signing I was hit with an insurance bill of $34.12/day to remove a $3,348.90 excess for any damage regardless of fault. To say I was not happy would be an understatement as the hire car cost had suddenly doubled. And I had to read the lengthy insurance paperwork - I'm sure this made the hire car representative uneasy too. Then when I finally got to the car there was some damage to the number plate and wing mirror that wasn't on the initial paperwork. Back to the office to inform them.
Driving from the airport to Launceston posed no difficulties and we parked the car near the street where the Batman Fawkner Inn was situated. Not knowing where we were headed it was a bit of a fluke. Actually getting inside was more problematic as no-one was on reception although they were supposed to be. And when they opened the door they wanted me to pay twice for the room which I think had more to do with the booking being made for two adults instead of a child and an adult - the booking process hadn't allowed me to book properly and I'd sorted this out, or so I thought, by email before arriving. The girl on reception promised to provide sheets on about three occasions before finally doing so. Towels cost $1 each. No problem with that.
Behind the inn was a pizza shop where we had a tropical pizza and minestrone soup with garlic bread. Not feeling so well we were unable to finish it.
One thing I've noticed in Tassie, if not a few, you don't really need to do a penguin tour as all of the women are obese and waddle like penguins, homes on the hillside are two levels and every television I saw was a widescreen plasma.
The girl from reception gave me directions to the shopping centre but the other side entrance to City Park was open although a gate on the inside was closed therefore I had to walk up the hill and go the long way around.
The Batman Fawkner Inn was where an historic meeting took place that led to the settlement of Melbourne. And it has a great, hot shower.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 86-90.
Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Day 4
D, T and M picked us up just after 9am and drove us up into the Dandenongs visit Grants on Sherbrooke to feed wild birds (tres cool) and to the SkyHigh cafe atop Mt Dandenong itself for the lookout and The Giant's Chair. There was a nice view of Melbourne and the CBD looked rather small from a distance. Melbourne is an expansive city however.
Quite a long drive down the Mornington Peninsula and we stopped at Sorrento for lunch at Just Fine Foods - although I wouldn't say the same about the service. Fish and chips x4 off and a chicken and leek pie for myself, followed by the best vanilla slices around (self-boast on their behalf). Weren't bad. We walked down to the beach and out onto the jetty where the breeze was quite chilling. D drove us to Cape Schanck and we wandered down the boardwalk to Pebble Beach after looking at Bushranger Bay.
The Boy and I both had headaches from getting dehydrated the day before. By this stage it was after 5pm so the nearby maze that we'd planned to visit had closed. Back to D & T's house for a rest before going out to Ghin Thai Cafe for a nice dinner. The cafe was very quiet but that was because everyone else was ordering home delivery. D drove us back to our hotel by 9:30pm and we went pretty much straight to bed.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 65-85.
Quite a long drive down the Mornington Peninsula and we stopped at Sorrento for lunch at Just Fine Foods - although I wouldn't say the same about the service. Fish and chips x4 off and a chicken and leek pie for myself, followed by the best vanilla slices around (self-boast on their behalf). Weren't bad. We walked down to the beach and out onto the jetty where the breeze was quite chilling. D drove us to Cape Schanck and we wandered down the boardwalk to Pebble Beach after looking at Bushranger Bay.
The Boy and I both had headaches from getting dehydrated the day before. By this stage it was after 5pm so the nearby maze that we'd planned to visit had closed. Back to D & T's house for a rest before going out to Ghin Thai Cafe for a nice dinner. The cafe was very quiet but that was because everyone else was ordering home delivery. D drove us back to our hotel by 9:30pm and we went pretty much straight to bed.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 65-85.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Day 3
Shower and brekkie followed by a train into the city which took only seven minutes. Walked a couple of blocks to catch a no. 96 tram to the Melbourne Museum for the Tutankhamun exhibition. The very informative Egypt 3D movie ran for 25 minutes. We spent almost two hours inside the exhibition which had many wonders of the ancient Egyptian world on display. We're talking 3,300 years old here. Especially impressive was the sarcophagus of Tjuya, aunt of Tutankhamun. Spent about 15 minutes in the souvenir shop deciding on what to buy. Tutankhamun And The Golden Age Of The Pharoahs was great.
Melbourne seems to be the smokers' capital of the world. The air is difficult to breathe in sometimes.
Back to the city for lunch at McDonalds with an Irish/Chinese family from the Gold Coast. Don't know if I'm missing something, or if McDonalds is, but I didn't see a toilet seat on the toilet.
Change in plans as my friend, Din, will not be getting back from his trip until late so won't be able to meet us for tea. No probs. Caught the no. 96 down to Luna Park in St Kilda. Free entry but unlimited rides were $33.95 for kids and $43.95 for adults. Individual rides priced at $9.50. Pity I didn't find out about the 10% discount for showing your Met ticket beforehand. Went to put our bags in a locker but they were all being utilised.
First ride - Ghost Train. Wait was for 45 minutes. Absolutely crap ride. And they didn't even set up the camera properly to take your photo at the "scary" moment. Metropolis roller coaster was OK, Enterprise really good, Scenic Railway roller coaster (with 25 minutes wait) was very bumpy (99 years old!) but quite good, Coney Drop OK and the Spider was quite good. The Boy went on Pharoah's Curse and really enjoyed it. I knew that my lunch would have some trouble keeping down so I gave it a miss. G-Force ride was OK. I let him do lots of rides, including Twin Dragons, by himself as my stomach isn't as good as his. We spent five and a half hours there and it was well worth it. Caramel popcorn was delicious. Luna Park closed at 8pm so we headed down Acland Street for tea.
Found La Roche Cafe - all smoking seats outside were taken and there was, thankfully, a table for two available inside. Had a lamb pizza and calamari. Very reasonably priced, for those items on Monday, and a very enjoyable meal. Considering the number of people there and the conversations it was surprising that you were able to talk and be heard. Caught a no. 79 tram back to the hotel which was only 20 minutes away.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 50-64.
Melbourne seems to be the smokers' capital of the world. The air is difficult to breathe in sometimes.
Back to the city for lunch at McDonalds with an Irish/Chinese family from the Gold Coast. Don't know if I'm missing something, or if McDonalds is, but I didn't see a toilet seat on the toilet.
Change in plans as my friend, Din, will not be getting back from his trip until late so won't be able to meet us for tea. No probs. Caught the no. 96 down to Luna Park in St Kilda. Free entry but unlimited rides were $33.95 for kids and $43.95 for adults. Individual rides priced at $9.50. Pity I didn't find out about the 10% discount for showing your Met ticket beforehand. Went to put our bags in a locker but they were all being utilised.
First ride - Ghost Train. Wait was for 45 minutes. Absolutely crap ride. And they didn't even set up the camera properly to take your photo at the "scary" moment. Metropolis roller coaster was OK, Enterprise really good, Scenic Railway roller coaster (with 25 minutes wait) was very bumpy (99 years old!) but quite good, Coney Drop OK and the Spider was quite good. The Boy went on Pharoah's Curse and really enjoyed it. I knew that my lunch would have some trouble keeping down so I gave it a miss. G-Force ride was OK. I let him do lots of rides, including Twin Dragons, by himself as my stomach isn't as good as his. We spent five and a half hours there and it was well worth it. Caramel popcorn was delicious. Luna Park closed at 8pm so we headed down Acland Street for tea.
Found La Roche Cafe - all smoking seats outside were taken and there was, thankfully, a table for two available inside. Had a lamb pizza and calamari. Very reasonably priced, for those items on Monday, and a very enjoyable meal. Considering the number of people there and the conversations it was surprising that you were able to talk and be heard. Caught a no. 79 tram back to the hotel which was only 20 minutes away.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 50-64.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Day 2
Subdued start to the morning. Discovered that instead of putting my watch forward for daylights savings I had advanced my alarm. Went down for breakfast, which we didn't have much time for, consisting of cereals, fruit, tea/coffee and toast. Grabbed an all day Met ticket for $3.20. Great value on a Sunday in Melbourne for public transport.
First stop was the Shrine of Remembrance. This is a building that truly commemorates the sacrifice of soldiers from Victoria. A total of 4000 medals were on display - one for every hundred that served and six that fell. We took part in a short service at the Unmarked Grave with the Ray of Light. Had a look around from the balcony. The crypt holds a special statue saluting father and son.
Victoria Barracks, across the road from the Shrine of Remembrance, looks beautiful. Tram to Flinders Street Station. Some Korean tourists were having their photo taken so I asked the photographer, in Korean, if he wanted a photo. He was surprised and said that he was a guide. Took another tram past the Fitzroy Gardens to go to the MCG.
Quite a few cars still parked at the MCG. We came to visit the National Sports Museum and were informed that it wasn't available as it was the open arena day. Oh well, we'd come this far. The open arena day, held once a year after the grand final, meant that you were allowed onto the MCG for a kick. What a bonus. The Boy took part in a handball competition for a chocolate prize after scoring a bullseye with his third attempt. We visited the MCG Superstore half an hour later to buy a football and hunted high and low for an Essendon one. Must have been the last in existence. Kicked the footy for about 40 minutes before grabbing two 4 'n 20 pies for lunch. Well, you can't go to the footy without eating a pie, can you? Just managed to grab an MCG tour with MCC member Barrie Johns. What an amazing stadium and so full of history. Ninety three steps to the top of one of the stands - nosebleed section obviously. Tour took an hour is I'd highly recommend it.
Next stopwas the National Sports Museum, which was open, for a look see. No cameras allowed, which was probably a good thing, and we kept our visit down to about an hour and a quarter. Olympic Games memorabilia, AFL Hall of Fame and Legends of the Game, James Hird and Shane Warne holograms, Melbourne Cup, Cricket, etc all wonderfully displayed.
Had another kick on the 'G until 4:30pm. Walked along the Yarra River back to the city and grabbed some tea. Caught a tram to head to the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum (closed) before walking back to the Eureka Skydeck 88 Building. Good view but too many reflections from the windows. Not until you step out onto the balcony, which was absolutely freezing, do you get a great view. Glad we didn't pay money for the Edge Experience as you couldn't even use a camera inside it. Personally, the Rialto Building provides a better view.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Shrine of Remembrance which looks fantastic at night (9pm by this stage). Had to wait quarter of an hour for the next tram but it was OK. Bed at 11pm. Wonderful day at the 'G.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 9-49.
First stop was the Shrine of Remembrance. This is a building that truly commemorates the sacrifice of soldiers from Victoria. A total of 4000 medals were on display - one for every hundred that served and six that fell. We took part in a short service at the Unmarked Grave with the Ray of Light. Had a look around from the balcony. The crypt holds a special statue saluting father and son.
Victoria Barracks, across the road from the Shrine of Remembrance, looks beautiful. Tram to Flinders Street Station. Some Korean tourists were having their photo taken so I asked the photographer, in Korean, if he wanted a photo. He was surprised and said that he was a guide. Took another tram past the Fitzroy Gardens to go to the MCG.
Quite a few cars still parked at the MCG. We came to visit the National Sports Museum and were informed that it wasn't available as it was the open arena day. Oh well, we'd come this far. The open arena day, held once a year after the grand final, meant that you were allowed onto the MCG for a kick. What a bonus. The Boy took part in a handball competition for a chocolate prize after scoring a bullseye with his third attempt. We visited the MCG Superstore half an hour later to buy a football and hunted high and low for an Essendon one. Must have been the last in existence. Kicked the footy for about 40 minutes before grabbing two 4 'n 20 pies for lunch. Well, you can't go to the footy without eating a pie, can you? Just managed to grab an MCG tour with MCC member Barrie Johns. What an amazing stadium and so full of history. Ninety three steps to the top of one of the stands - nosebleed section obviously. Tour took an hour is I'd highly recommend it.
Next stopwas the National Sports Museum, which was open, for a look see. No cameras allowed, which was probably a good thing, and we kept our visit down to about an hour and a quarter. Olympic Games memorabilia, AFL Hall of Fame and Legends of the Game, James Hird and Shane Warne holograms, Melbourne Cup, Cricket, etc all wonderfully displayed.
Had another kick on the 'G until 4:30pm. Walked along the Yarra River back to the city and grabbed some tea. Caught a tram to head to the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum (closed) before walking back to the Eureka Skydeck 88 Building. Good view but too many reflections from the windows. Not until you step out onto the balcony, which was absolutely freezing, do you get a great view. Glad we didn't pay money for the Edge Experience as you couldn't even use a camera inside it. Personally, the Rialto Building provides a better view.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Shrine of Remembrance which looks fantastic at night (9pm by this stage). Had to wait quarter of an hour for the next tram but it was OK. Bed at 11pm. Wonderful day at the 'G.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 9-49.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Day 1
Holidays are finally here. Last night, when walking the dog with the missus, I made the discovery that her flight was on Sunday and not Monday as she had thought (she was heading off to Korea). Lucky, as she was making shopping plans, dog grooming plans and cleaning plans accordingly. Had to throw those plans out of the window.
Up early to do a final check of emails as I'll be disconnected from the virtual world for the next two weeks. Popped over to see the neighbours to ask if they could collect my mail while I was away. Had a nine o'clock appointment with the dentist - boy, do I know how to enjoy my holidays. Rang the boarding kennel to book Hunter in two days early.
Miky wanted to buy some gifts for friends in Korea and seeing as we still had some time, even though the appointment at the dentist following mine had come early and made my appointment late by half an hour, I drove her into the city. We were also able to buy Subway for lunch.
All the way out to the airport Miky kept asking how to drive home. Easy, stay left leaving the airport, turn left and then turn left on to Tonkin Highway, etc. Got dropped off, said our goodbyes and proceeded to check in our luggage.
In the waiting lounge we ate our lunch and then plonked ourselves in front of the TV to watch the first quarter of the AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. Saw Stan Lazaridis in the departure lounge. Quarter time coincided with our boarding call. I rang Miky to find out if she had arrived home OK only to find out that she had become lost twice after heading right on Tonkin Highway instead of following the straightforward instructions. She'd only just arrived which probably left only enough time to wash the dog, have a walk with him and then drop him off at the boarding kennel.
No problem boarding our Jetstar flight. No screens to watch the footy though. And no live ABC radio to listen to the match either. One of the cabin crew was Korean so he was quite shocked when I asked for water in Korean. So shocked that he asked me if I was Korean. Gee, must have really caught him off guard. Bottle of water set me back $3.50. Score update - Pies 71, Cats 73.
Screaming babies - seem to be a staple component of Jetstar services. People should realise that the headrest of the seat in front of you doesn't constitute a handle to pull your fat arse out of your own seat. But, with a Collingwood-supporting husband, what else could I expect?
Geelong 119 - Collingwood 81. Yahoo! I'd picked the Cats by 14 points. Bit of a cheer on board the plane. Grizzling from behind me. Heh heh.
The baby behind us screamed for all of the descent and carried on after we landed. Ears must have been sore. Or she was a Collingwood supporter.
Waiting for the baggage took almost as long as the flight. Well, not quite. Quite cold in Melbourne. Wet too but not raining. Grabbed a Skybus to the city which arrived just as I bought the tickets. Quick ride to the city. It was 7:30pm by this stage and not much info on hand at Southern Cross Station. The VLine (train) info lady gave me some info but I couldn't find the tram info that she spoke about. We left the station and The Boy found a map on a street pillar. It pointed out a free tram, the Circle Tram, which would take us to the No. 8 tram that we required. Got off the tram one stop too early. Walked with baggage to the Flinders Street Station and waited. So many happy Cats supporters and many fewer sad, despondent Magpies supporters. Drunk and cheerful Cats supporters everywhere. Caught the No. 8 but got off about three stops too early. Finally found the hotel. Checked in. Room was spartan.
Went out to find something to eat on Chappell Street. One woman yelled out, "Go Bombers" and clapped as I walked past with my Essendon jacket. Back to Falafel House across the road from the hotel. Lovely chicken souvlaki and lamb kebab. Ate in the shop. Pakistanis, I think. Back to the hotel for a shower and watched Die Hard.
One thing that can be said about the ladies in Melbourne who are hitting the town for a good time - the more attractive they are the less clothing they wear. Even in the cold weather. It was supposedly 9C when we landed.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 1-8
Up early to do a final check of emails as I'll be disconnected from the virtual world for the next two weeks. Popped over to see the neighbours to ask if they could collect my mail while I was away. Had a nine o'clock appointment with the dentist - boy, do I know how to enjoy my holidays. Rang the boarding kennel to book Hunter in two days early.
Miky wanted to buy some gifts for friends in Korea and seeing as we still had some time, even though the appointment at the dentist following mine had come early and made my appointment late by half an hour, I drove her into the city. We were also able to buy Subway for lunch.
All the way out to the airport Miky kept asking how to drive home. Easy, stay left leaving the airport, turn left and then turn left on to Tonkin Highway, etc. Got dropped off, said our goodbyes and proceeded to check in our luggage.
In the waiting lounge we ate our lunch and then plonked ourselves in front of the TV to watch the first quarter of the AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. Saw Stan Lazaridis in the departure lounge. Quarter time coincided with our boarding call. I rang Miky to find out if she had arrived home OK only to find out that she had become lost twice after heading right on Tonkin Highway instead of following the straightforward instructions. She'd only just arrived which probably left only enough time to wash the dog, have a walk with him and then drop him off at the boarding kennel.
No problem boarding our Jetstar flight. No screens to watch the footy though. And no live ABC radio to listen to the match either. One of the cabin crew was Korean so he was quite shocked when I asked for water in Korean. So shocked that he asked me if I was Korean. Gee, must have really caught him off guard. Bottle of water set me back $3.50. Score update - Pies 71, Cats 73.
Screaming babies - seem to be a staple component of Jetstar services. People should realise that the headrest of the seat in front of you doesn't constitute a handle to pull your fat arse out of your own seat. But, with a Collingwood-supporting husband, what else could I expect?
Geelong 119 - Collingwood 81. Yahoo! I'd picked the Cats by 14 points. Bit of a cheer on board the plane. Grizzling from behind me. Heh heh.
The baby behind us screamed for all of the descent and carried on after we landed. Ears must have been sore. Or she was a Collingwood supporter.
Waiting for the baggage took almost as long as the flight. Well, not quite. Quite cold in Melbourne. Wet too but not raining. Grabbed a Skybus to the city which arrived just as I bought the tickets. Quick ride to the city. It was 7:30pm by this stage and not much info on hand at Southern Cross Station. The VLine (train) info lady gave me some info but I couldn't find the tram info that she spoke about. We left the station and The Boy found a map on a street pillar. It pointed out a free tram, the Circle Tram, which would take us to the No. 8 tram that we required. Got off the tram one stop too early. Walked with baggage to the Flinders Street Station and waited. So many happy Cats supporters and many fewer sad, despondent Magpies supporters. Drunk and cheerful Cats supporters everywhere. Caught the No. 8 but got off about three stops too early. Finally found the hotel. Checked in. Room was spartan.
Went out to find something to eat on Chappell Street. One woman yelled out, "Go Bombers" and clapped as I walked past with my Essendon jacket. Back to Falafel House across the road from the hotel. Lovely chicken souvlaki and lamb kebab. Ate in the shop. Pakistanis, I think. Back to the hotel for a shower and watched Die Hard.
One thing that can be said about the ladies in Melbourne who are hitting the town for a good time - the more attractive they are the less clothing they wear. Even in the cold weather. It was supposedly 9C when we landed.
Melbourne-Tassie Holiday 2011 Photo Album - Photos 1-8
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Frugal Bastard's Hawaii Trip 2007 - 1-2/6/07
Up at 5:40am to have breakfast and to the rest of the packing. Caught a taxi just before 7am and the driver helped himself to the continental breakfast that was on offer.
At the security screening at the airport we were chosen, as a family, for an additional pat-down search. It must be the wife. She has to be jinxed.
Gate 33 was a long walk and after Miky chucked a spaz about water, followed by me purchasing 1L for US$3.65, Yu-Jin and I caught a small shuttle for half of the walk.
At the gate there was more paperwork to fill out. This time it was a questionnaire relating to how much money you spent, where you stayed and how long you stayed for.
Eleven hours on the plane back to Melbourne. Uneventful. Played card games with Yu-Jin and read him a book that we bought. Wasn't interested in watching the movie and got about an hours sleep. We had breakfast before leaving and brought our lunch with us. I asked a stewardess what were Qantas passengers entitle to in the way of onboard services. She said that we were entitled to meals and unlimited drinks. After what happened on our flight over to Hawaii we weren't going to be caught out again and it sure left a bitter taste in our mouths. It made my blood boil seeing as we had missed out on one meal and had to pay for them on the flight across.
We arrived in Melbourne about 10 minutes early. Lots of people couldn't wait to alight the plane but the ground staff were unable to line-up the platform to disembark. Everybody had to sit down while they moved the plane forward. So much for the early landing.
Had quite a bit to declare to Customs - shells, food and plant material. All ok though. Had to fill in an entry form for immigration for Yu-Jin although I was sure that on the plane they said it was one per family. My mistake probably.
There were three hours to kill and we found some half decent and reasonably priced food at the airport! Yu-Jin fell asleep just before boarding time. He'd been awake for 18 hours. The flight to Perth with Virgin Blue was eventful. There were a group of three boisterous, and probably slightly pissed, guys yelling out "Tazza" every minute or so in front of us. Obviously went to the footy recently. We had asked for a seat closer to the middle of the plane to escape screaming babies and were put in row 23 instead of our intended row of 28. Thank goodness for that as there was a screaming, crying kid around row 28. Mind you, we had a drunk behind us who kept headbutting our seats as he fell forward and grabbing the seats every time he wanted to move as he wasn't too steady on his feet.
It was so cold that I couldn't get to sleep and there were no blankets available. Long four hours that. Did kip for about an hour after Miky slept with her legs on me which warmed me up a bit.
Quick ride home in the taxi and I'm glad to see that the new overpass on Leach Highway has been opened.
Honolulu petrol prices on 1st of May 2007
Up at 5:40am to have breakfast and to the rest of the packing. Caught a taxi just before 7am and the driver helped himself to the continental breakfast that was on offer.
At the security screening at the airport we were chosen, as a family, for an additional pat-down search. It must be the wife. She has to be jinxed.
Gate 33 was a long walk and after Miky chucked a spaz about water, followed by me purchasing 1L for US$3.65, Yu-Jin and I caught a small shuttle for half of the walk.
At the gate there was more paperwork to fill out. This time it was a questionnaire relating to how much money you spent, where you stayed and how long you stayed for.
Eleven hours on the plane back to Melbourne. Uneventful. Played card games with Yu-Jin and read him a book that we bought. Wasn't interested in watching the movie and got about an hours sleep. We had breakfast before leaving and brought our lunch with us. I asked a stewardess what were Qantas passengers entitle to in the way of onboard services. She said that we were entitled to meals and unlimited drinks. After what happened on our flight over to Hawaii we weren't going to be caught out again and it sure left a bitter taste in our mouths. It made my blood boil seeing as we had missed out on one meal and had to pay for them on the flight across.
We arrived in Melbourne about 10 minutes early. Lots of people couldn't wait to alight the plane but the ground staff were unable to line-up the platform to disembark. Everybody had to sit down while they moved the plane forward. So much for the early landing.
Had quite a bit to declare to Customs - shells, food and plant material. All ok though. Had to fill in an entry form for immigration for Yu-Jin although I was sure that on the plane they said it was one per family. My mistake probably.
There were three hours to kill and we found some half decent and reasonably priced food at the airport! Yu-Jin fell asleep just before boarding time. He'd been awake for 18 hours. The flight to Perth with Virgin Blue was eventful. There were a group of three boisterous, and probably slightly pissed, guys yelling out "Tazza" every minute or so in front of us. Obviously went to the footy recently. We had asked for a seat closer to the middle of the plane to escape screaming babies and were put in row 23 instead of our intended row of 28. Thank goodness for that as there was a screaming, crying kid around row 28. Mind you, we had a drunk behind us who kept headbutting our seats as he fell forward and grabbing the seats every time he wanted to move as he wasn't too steady on his feet.
It was so cold that I couldn't get to sleep and there were no blankets available. Long four hours that. Did kip for about an hour after Miky slept with her legs on me which warmed me up a bit.
Quick ride home in the taxi and I'm glad to see that the new overpass on Leach Highway has been opened.
Honolulu petrol prices on 1st of May 2007
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