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Wow... what a week!
I wrote in this blog on tuesday, but the comptuer said 'no' and denied all my work, so i'll be brief here and fill out more details when i get a chance!
Monday 7th Oct (0700)
what a day! Got 3 hrs sleep in Melbourne due to last minute packing and nervous energy, so was a tad bleary eyed when I drove mum to the airport. Dad and James met up with us and waited around for me to check in and say some farewells before I walked through customs. Mum got all teary-eyed, which got me going a bit... (thanks mum!) and dad gave me an awesome Half-Penny coin pendant, which he made, and which I haven't taken off since (see dad... I do appreciate you). James wrote some lovely stuff in my travel journal ('loose left, tight Right' has become my Mantra every time I get behind the wheel, just ask Cat, every time I drive to an intersection, I say it... every time!!!!).
After a few more tears and a quick hug, I walked throught the doors of Customs and got a great suprise, thanks to my new passport with the chip in it, I skipped past the 400 person long line right to the front of Express to check in... I felt just a few eyeballs in the back of my head... hee hee... and breezed through duty free and the scans... they didn't even check my scripts or 1L bag of liquids.. what a waste of time.
Then you walk through the second 'duty free' area to get to your Gate, and I tell you, its a total sham! its alcohol and perfume EVERYWHERE and you have to weave your way through the displays... talk about product placement! Anyway, I get to the Gate, there is a hugmungus plane sitting on the tarmac getting worked over, the Airbus 380 double decker... absolutely HUGE, and we get announcements that the plane is having a slight delay due to catering.... 3 delays actually, but all good, 11:15am only 45mins late, so on the plane and in my window seat checking out the view. Lucky me, I got to sit next to the Geek (oh YAY) and a nice lady in the Aisle, who got up every time the Geek wanted to walk. Take-off was tops, had the best view, then settled in to watch 14.5 hours of True Blood Season 1. Three meals, snacks, icecream, coffee, toilet break and 30 min nap later, I'm 10.5 episodes down and busting for the loo and standing in line for 30mins, most of the toilets were blocked with 1 hr to go. The view over the ocean was.... cloudy... and changed from blinding to dusk to dark to dawn to blinding... soooooo weird! Episode 11 saw us flying down along the coast of California, then East over LA and a quick Right over downtown to hit the West run-way. WHAT A VIEW! sooo glad I was on the Right window seat. LA is huge!! Air hosts were cool as so said a quick goodbye then hobbled down the corridores (damn legs asleep and knee hurting already), got to U.S. customs and twiddled thumbs for 15mins. For my turn the guy asks a few questions, finger-scanned me then stamped and I was on my way! Got my packs, hit the long line for the bag searches when they announced that there was three lines so I staggered over to the front of the other line and breezed through. They didn't even look in my bags or anything... so much for U.S, border security. Next time I'll bring harder drugs.. haha.
Went to info desk, then waited out the front and got directed my some traffic cop to the Blue bus lines for the C shuttle bus (free), got on that to the C carpark area, then on to the Blue 3 bus to Santa Monica (75c). the bus ride was soooo funny, some old Scottsman gave me he's seat for my backpack, which i fell backwards into, and then spent the next 45mins chatting away.
I'll continue this blog later.
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