A Wet Welcome to Bonnie Scotland

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Hi

we arrived late Friday night after a very long series of travel events. The flight from Singapopre was OK, and we even arrived 15 minures early at Heathrow, but had to wait for 25 minutes for the gate to become available. Then the transfer to the other Terminal went well, but there was only one of 8 security lines working and about 150 "angry" people waiting. It was really interesting to see the different nationalities. The Germans became very vocal and two even tried to jump the queue, but were repulsed by the viligant ·Heathrow security people. Then some Japanese came in with a minder and did jump the queue! A few nasty words were spoken. The Brits stocially endured it all. One guy was stopped for a special search as his bag was too big, but no one came over to search it and he just became later and later and.as we left the area 12 minutes later he was still waiting!......However we managed to get through and got our boarding passes and had 12 minutes to make the 15 minute walk to the gate. Doing a slow jog we made that too!

The next thing was to get the plane off the ground as they only had a 25 minute slot, but some person (read idiot) managed to get his bag on and then miss the flight, so it (the bag) had to be found and removed, and that took ages. We took off by my estimate 26 minutes into the 25 and had an uneventful flight to E'burgh. The biggest suprise was that our luggage made it all the way through from S'pore! So after a long wait (it was cold and raining) the taxi came and we were deposited at our hotel 19 hours after we walked out of the Singapore one. That luggage thing is remarkable as they had to get it off the plane, sort it out from all the others, transfer it to another terminal and load it onto the plane, again separating it from the 'domestic' luggage. So we arrived in terminal 3, went through immoigration in terminal 1 and customs in Edinburgh.

The items in the news are interesting. One big issue is about the inefficiency of heathrow cited as the worst airport in Europe! In light of how they looked after our luggage, I am only half in agreement.

The only Australian news is that somewhere in the Maitland floods a request for 5 kegs of beer and 3 slabs of beer was fukfilled, when no food could get in and noone could get out???

The hotel is fantastic, the bathroom is bigger than our lounge room and the bedroom as big as 1/2 of our house! I will send a photo when I work out how to do it on someone elses computer.

Yesterday was freezing cold and wet. Sandy is exhausted and I have started to write this after watching us lose the SA trinations match in the second half. I thought that we normally won them in the second half?

We had a walk around, had a dram, Sandy equiped hjerself for the Scotland summer with warm clothes and raincoat and got an orange sim card.

Anyway more later this week. If anyone wants to text us, on the new pommy mobile, its [phone]. (same price as home).

Today off for more exploring etc

cheers

pj (and sleeping Sandy)

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Comments

[michael Beach]

Hello
Sounds like a flight from hell ,but the hotel has made up for it.Its flooding again in the hunter valley.Queensland is a lovely 21 degrees today. Have fun in Scotland Michael

[Suz & DMort]

Remain calm at all times
Thanks Sandy and PJ for adding us to your blog. Sounds like you're having a great time with the airports. Very interesting reading for some of us who don't get out that much. Can't wait to read about the holiday itself! Cheers, and hope you have a lovely break!

[anonymous]

Hi Peter and Sanday. Tis Monday in Sydney. Have just had an enjoyable chat with Helen. She's well, cleaner was busy vacuuming, and she was about to go out and have her leg dressed. Flies to see sister later this week. A busy lady. We are all well. Hopefully Liz can find a dog sitter as she is booked to fly to Sydney on 29 June to celebrate my birth. Still overcast here - I guess a bit like a summer's day in Edinburgh! Stay well. Love, Robs.