Blogs from Mascot, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

Feels like we have been waiting forever for this holiday, even though we only decided to go after the Travel Expo in February. Departure day finally arrived, but unfortunately, so did a text from the airline saying our Sydney to Perth flight had been delayed. Not normally an issue, but we only had 1 hour and 25 mins in Perth, and had to get from domestic terminal to international (in the same building in Perth) and go through immigration and security so a delay was going to make this very tight. We made it, just, with an escorted sprint (well a brisk walk) with 28 other passengers, through the aiiport. Then, only 11 hours to Johannesburg!!... read more

So off we go again! After another of those days that take at least 3 days to pass by (spent doing family history, watching Telly and chatting to my big brother) Tom and I drove down to Shannon’s in little Crikey. After chatting with her and Aaron for a bit, we drive down to the station and Shannon drove Crikey back to her place ready to take us home on our return. So we caught the train into town, sitting in a quiet carriage - not a sound apart from the lady who started a phone conversation as soon as she got on. A nice lady told her friend, as she departed at Parramatta, that she shouldn’t choose quiet carriages!! It takes courage to stand up for yourself these days, you don’t know what sort of ... read more

Geo: -33.936, 151.167A 17-hour trip including a near three-hour connection in Sydney. Santiago time is 13 hours behind Brisbane. Our flight left at 7:30am and arrived at 11:55am on the same day, so our sleep on the plane (such as it was) has to do for nearly two days. Unfortunately, Qantas again managed to meet our low expectations. We had comfortable pyjamas and seats on the upper deck of a 747-400, but the TV screens were average and many food options were no longer available when our turn came. I asked for a listed wine but was told the supplied wine list was not carried on this aircraft - say what? At least our flight steward was friendly and helpful, not usually a feature of Qantas service.Watched the latest Mission Impossible movie (best heroine so far) ... read more

Geo: -33.9383, 151.18Den & Rick picking us up... read more

24 Aug 2013. Well the trip has started. First leg - very mundane - from Canberra to Sydney. Not much to report - except QANTAS has improved it's afternoon refreshments. The evening was spent killing time. Oh yeah! And watching the Wallabies get done (AGAIN). God knows what the final score was - I switched off with 10 minutes to go. Spent the first half and 30 min of second in the Bar downstairs. Mixed audience in the bar: an Irishman, a Yank, an young couple who had digs at one another (he was an Aussie and her - a Kiwi), and about six Aussies. Must admit the Kiwis played well - well they should have they had 16 men on the field. That's about it at the present time. Off to Singapore in the morning. ... read more