international date line

tues 5 july

somewhere over indonesia - sydney - melbourne

--> flying is rather boring. as glamourous as the cities i visit are perceived, sitting on an airplane for nearly 20 consecutive hours is less than thrilling, and can cause one to become overly lethargic [not to mention the risk of one’s arse locked in the seated position – rivals that numb feeling when one sits on their foot for a long period of time and does the jelly walk-n-stumble when they stand up]. i entertain myself the duration of the flight by taking photos of the flight map.

--> the arrivals process is similar to a steeplechase – a mad dash to go a short distance, with hurdles, pools and other obstructions in the way. i’ve got two hours between flights and i need to: queue for arrivals hall; clear immigration [the agent barely spoke english and i asked him to repeat himself frequently – i could just play stupid and blame it on “hearing loss”]; proceed to baggage and reclaim my luggage [after 10 minutes and no show, i corralled an agent who located the mother-of-all-suitcases [from now on to be known as "MOAS"] – it had gone to “a different” area and 5 mins later is dumped out on the conveyor belt – talk about service! tears of joy nearly streamed from my eyes, it was the fastest lost bag retrieval I’ve ever witnessed]; queue for customs; answer additional questions regarding the contents of my bags [Australia has strict rules about food entering the country, and was questioned if i had beef jerky on me as i mentioned that i had crackers and candy in my bags – the customs form required declaration of all “food items,” so i declared it]; race to the transfer hall, check in with the airline [again]; clear security [including removing the laptop from my briefcase – at least i can keep my shoes on]; shuttle to another terminal [which took a scenic tour of the airport grounds, including the worker’s café]; enter the terminal; locate the gate; and board the quantas “city hopper” to melbourne. oh, and cruise through duty-free for souvenirs and snacks [gravity pulls me]. PHEW!

--> compared to sydney, my arrival in melbourne was a breeze. deplaned, cleared through to the baggage hall, meet the driver. took an inordinately long time for the luggage to arrive, though the MOAS made it successfully, and we were off. after 24+ hours without decent sleep, a strained back from the ergonomic-my-arse airplane seats and overall low blood sugar levels, i’m ready to pass out on contact. the driver is amiable, and shares some local highlights, as well as some tidbits – such as the “unknown” fact that the Australian army is “owned” by the US army, who provides their troops with all training and “share” secret bases up north. i check in at the hotel around 11a and am out like a light when my head hits the pillow for the next nine hours.