Gadday!

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We arrived safely into Sydney but late after quite an eventful flight out of LA with Qantas.

we bused it from Wilshire Blvd to LAX which was terribly cheap but unbearably long with the backpacks and nowhere to sit only to find out that our flight ws overbooked by 30! We had fortunately checked in online so were ok but let this be a lesson to who doesn't do so.

we boarded on toime ut unfortunately a fellow passenger felt ill and had to be taken off. it toon an hour to get his bags out of the hold so we started taxiing down the runway 1 hour late. As we were getting into position for take off and boosting the engines a man just behind me had a stroke so the cabin crew alerted the Captain in extremis and we returned to the terminal to allow the paramedics on board. By this time he was in cardiac arrest so was carried away. More bags to find in the giant belly of the Airbus 380 ( 480 souls )!

We eventually took off at 130am. Just after dinner (!!) was served at around 230am a passenger, this time a couple of rows in front of us had anaphylactic shock from the aubergine in her meal! A doctor passenger administered adrenaline and we avoided an emergency landing in Honolulu. There are not many places to land in an emergency between Los Angeles and Sydney.

To combat the jetlag we decided to get on with our day so had a quik shower and hit downtown by walking to Darling Harbour which was extremely lively and interesting with people from many different cultures making the most of the outdoorsn the waterside and the weather. We took a couple of ferries around the bay, past the Opera House and over to Manly. Photos on facebook!

We are now in our bedroom ( small) in a house in Chippendale owned by a family from Singapore...very friendly, almost too!

It must be the cheapest room in Sydney at £30 a night and we even have our own bathroom.

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