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 Homeward Bound After my "Sunday in Sydney," I got up at 5 a.m. on Monday morning and drove over to the nearby Sydney International Airport, where I said goodbye to the Toyota Camry, my faithful companion during the last two months and 9,075 miles. I got checked in at the airport, went through customs, and then at exactly 9:12 a.m., I hopped on my Air Canada plane bound for North America. I found my seat and settled back for what I hoped would be an uneventful trip.
Not quite. The first problem was simply taking off. The plane pulled away from the gate at the Sydney airport and then – stopped. For the next two hours, we sat parked on the tarmac just a few yards from the terminal because of an equipment problem. To top it off, the plane's air conditioning didn't work, so it got a weeeee bit stuffy as we sat there and watched 471 other planes take off. Fortunately, though, I didn't have a screaming baby with a filled diaper sitting behind me and everyone on the plane was patient and polite – of course they were patient and polite, this being Air Canada – so I counted my blessings.
As the plane sat on the tarmac for the next few hours, I got a nice tan on my left arm while reading the Air Canada magazine 14 times and learning all about the fascinating city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. After what seemed an eternity (well o.k., half an eternity), they fixed the problem and the plane took off, so I settled back into my seat once again.
The plane was going to land in Honolulu in about eight hours and then continue on to Vancouver, British Columbia, so I popped in a MP3 disc of Jann Arden, put on my headphones, enjoyed the chicken dinner, and downed three small bottles of wine. Yeah, I should've heeded that travel guru Rick Steves' advice never to drink alcohol on airplanes, but I was in an ebullient mood, flying back home after being gone for four months. A few hours later, though, and somewhere over New Guinea, I started feeling kinda woozy and regretted downing that third Cabernet. Yep, I'm a lightweight.
Although I knew we were going to land at Honolulu and refuel, I figured that I’d just stay on the plane. Wrong! After the plane landed at Honolulu at 1 a.m., I learned that EVERYONE had to get off the plane and go through U.S. Customs. That included (and don't ask me why) those of us who were staying on the plane and flying on to Vancouver, Canada. I had booked a good window seat though, so I wasn’t too upset.
After customs, I reboarded the plane in Honolulu and walked down the aisle, then I noticed that a cute blond woman was sitting in the seat next to me. Hey, maybe this flight wouldn't be so bad after all, I figured! Unfortunately though, as I quickly discovered, she was attached to a rather large boyfriend, who sat across the aisle from her and started holding her hand. Then to top it off, she tried the old "My boyfriend is sitting across the aisle and would you mind switching seats with him so we can be together" ploy.
Being a single traveler who enjoys window seats, I’ve had this stunt pulled on me several times and sometimes I take pity. Not this time, though, because I was tired. I didn’t care how cute she was: I wanted to enjoy a window seat all the way to Vancouver. So I politely told her "No," and curled up and went to sleep.
We landed in Vancouver at 9 a.m. the next morning and I stumbled off the plane bleary-eyed. Since the plane was two hours late leaving Sydney, I had missed my connecting flight from Vancouver to Seattle, but a friendly Air Canada guy at the Vancouver check-in counter booked me on the next flight to Seattle. After going through customs for a second time on this trip ("No, I still don't have any weapons or drugs"), I hopped on a puddle-jumper for a scenic flight from Vancouver to Seattle, then waited in the SeaTac Airport for a few hours and caught a bus north for Bellingham, retracing on the ground much of the southbound flight from Vancouver. I stumbled into my dad's house that afternoon after 26 hours of continuous traveling. And then, because of the International Date Line, I got to enjoy April 8 all over again. Gee, how fun!
The plane trip actually wasn't that bad, and I was glad to get back to the U.S. Next time I go to Australia, though, I'm definitely booking a direct flight. And I won't drink three small bottles of wine, even if they are free.
Above left: Ready for takeoff... Above center: ... and still ready two hours later. This was my view while they fixed the plane problem. I got a really nice tan, though. Above right: Leaving Australia after two months. This is Botany Bay where, in April 1770, British Captain James Cook "discovered" Australia. This was the first place a white person set foot on this continent, so I thought it was appropriate that it was the last place here that I would see.
Above left: Hello, snowy North America. Brrrr, no more wearing shorts, I guess. Above center: My truck is still in one piece after surviving a rainy Bellingham winter. Above right: Dinnertime with dad and my sister Doti. It was great to be home!
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