Sydney To Vancouver

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Today was the day I took off for my first flight overseas. Originally I booked the trip to go myself but my friend Cat also ended up coming which made it a bit less stressful. At least I wouldn't have to find my way around on my own. Theres no chance of being lost... well... lost by myself.

We flew to Vancouver with Qantas. There was a car crash at Mascot near the airport and a strike at Qantas making it possible us to be late and for flights to be quite delayed therefore making us little nervous about meeting our connecting flight. However luck was on our side. The traffic actually was not too bad and the flight was not too delayed. The strike affected more domestic flights. We cleared security quick and easy but of course I got pulled out of the group for a bomb test. Why am I always the person that gets plucked out of the crown. Plucked away from Cat. They didn't look twice at her. (always me... i must have a nervous dodgy look about me when I travel hahaha).

I had a Window seat on the flight but it was over the wing so there was not too much to see. Cat was next to me but luckily we had a spare seat on our row so we spread ourselves out. I didn't sleep any of the flight I tried to but i dont think i even got 10 minutes sleep. The flight to LA was just under 14 hrs. I watched Definatley Mabey and August rush on the way over. I thought August Rush was really good, better then expected. I started to Watch Sweeny Todd and The last real girl but stopped cause both were a little too weird for me.

The first thing we noticed when getting off the plane in LA is the heat. It was so warm. Loved it. We had around a 4 hours layover until our next flight. Wasn't too painful. We were trying to figure out where to go for our connecting flight. We were approached by a big black American lady in uniform (she said police officer). She was a butch like lady in a butch like uniform of authority with a gun and a batten. Should us little Aussie girls deserve a beating, she'd be good and ready. Apparently her job was to give us directions and that she did. Her directions were booming at us something like. "Now what I need you girls to do is take the esulators up and keep walking take a left etc etc." We were um OK . We would have done whatever she wanted. . shes scary as.

She then asked us to donate to American Homeless Children which we felt obliged to do.Any curreney accepted and notes only. So I had a choice of throwing a $5.00 Australian note at her or one of my very few American Dollars... but still American dollars won. We through our money at her, were given a little thanks voucher and took off on our way.

We took a moment to reflect on our walk off. Hmm we have been in America 5 minutes, someone asks us for money and we give it to them. The first person we talk to manages to get money of us. If we keep this up we are in for an expensive trip.

We headed towards the exculators and of course being Aussie, both myself and Cat tried to go up the down exculator and nearly stacked it flat on our faces. We were quit amused that both of us managed to FAIL that and discreetly turned around and headed for the correct one up.

The airport also was my first experience with American toilets. Walk in.. Hmm i think its broken. Walk out. Walk into the next. OK so no its not broken. Its normal for a toilet bowl to be filled 3/4 of the way to the top with water/toilet bowl juice or whatever we shall call it. I fear overflow and would not like to use one on a full stomach. Why they need to be filled so high... I do not know. America toilets fail. Aussie toilets thumbs up.

Generally you would think an airport would sport clocks. We are, afterall, aiming to get a flight at a certain time. No clocks were anywhere in site. My faith was put in my ipods multiple clock settings.

Eventually we got our flight to Vancouver. It was a short flight about 2.5 hrs and Alaskan Airways code share with Qantas. Cat and I were in the same row but both on Window seats the other side of the place from each other.

The views and flight to Vancouver was nice. You could see snow on the mountains. You can see Orca in Canada, so there I am desperately looking for whale as we fly over the mountain. At least I found out I wasn't the only one looking. Cat told me she thought she might see some and was also keeping an eye open. Hmm I wounder if tourists who fly into Oz keep an eye open for Kangaroo and Koala.

It was quite easy to get to our hotel from the airport. We jumped into a taxi. I approached the front seat, on the drivers side but managed to slide past without the driver or cat noticing i nearly jumped into the drivers seat, which in OZ would have been the passengers seat. Cat then opened the drivers door and nearly hopped in. I had a laugh in the back seat and Mr. Taxi Man yelled out to Cat "No I drive". And drive he did, His driving was quite crazy from what I remember along with his conversation. Yay for ariving to the hotel. Taxi to the hotel cost us $35.00.

We stayed at Ocean Side Hotel Vancouver - http://www.oceanside-hotel.com.

We stayed in West End of Vancouver City as I knew if was a nice area and my brother had lived there for a year. The hotel was in a good location, just a street from English Bay & Stanwell Park. Safer and quiet part of Vancouver. There was no lift though so had to drag our suitcases up 2 flights of stairs but that was ok. Were young, we managed. The rooms were ok - apartment rooms. Old but nice. There was a kitchen, lounge with TV and Sofa bed and a bedroom. Cat took the bedroom and I took the sofa bed. It took us a good 10-15 minutes to figure out how to actually open the sofa bed. Sofa bed almost remained sofa only.

I wasn't jet lagged at all but got a cold from the flight. Dam airlines. The joy of travel.

Cat and I went and had a walk around the city. It was awesome. Felt safer there than I did walking around Sydney. We got a massive pizza slice each for dinner. I do love my food though and I can eat most guys under the table. However, my eyes can be bigger than my stomach and I ordered 1 slices of pizza. I think I managed one slice and a few bites.

Finding a SIM card in Canada did suck thou. In Australia you can buy them everywhere, shops, servos, grocery stores etc but in Canada you can only buy them directly from the supplier but everywhere was closed so I was phone less for the mean time. I attempted use of a payphone but was unsuccessful in figuring out how to dial internationally. I borrowed Cats mobile (she had hers on international roaming, something I've sworn I'll do next time I travel) and message mum telling her I'm there and alive. For the moment anyway.

I was surprised about the daylight as it was still complete daylight at 10:00, 11:00 pm at night which was pretty cool and it was light again 4:00 5:00 am. I hear its the same in England but Ive never been there so it was a novelty for me. I think Cat and I headed to bed about 12 that night after taking a heap of brochures from the reception area and having a look at what we wanted to the next few days.

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