Day 74 – fly? yes? no? maybe.
Unsurprisingly, they showed up for our luggage at the original time. We explained; they said they’d come back.
There are luggage holds with areas for marina or airport that are grouped by time. It’s a pretty good system, but with our change unchanged, we didn’t trust it. After breakfast, he checked the luggage repeatedly until he found our bags. It would suck if they ended up at the marina since instead of the airport. Turns out, they just hold it. You still have to move it from the hold to the trailer (probably just so bags don’t get incorrectly routed) where a porter loads it into a trailer.
We were sitting in the “departures and arrivals lounge” while I wrote this part:
I’m completely envious of another couple in here. They went swimming or hot tubbing this morning and they must have already checked out. They are using the private showers and public sinks/lockers to get a full shower, dry clothes, and even fresh hair styles before traveling. There are so many times that we have to check out before we are really ready. All hotels need an area like this. But I have to wonder, is she putting that bigass hair dryer in her carry on? She even has one of those giant rollers for her bangs. And then, as soon as they were gone, two more couples came in and did the same thing.
After we moved to the airport, we learned that half of the flights were delayed. Two flights on two different airlines were part way to Hamilton Island, but had to turn around and go back, one to Brisbane and one to Sydney. It was clear it was going to be a rough day. So of course, there were a ton of people taking up 2-3 seats each, and one woman had four. I hope they all end up in a hell where they have to stand in an airport for waiting for a flight that might never come…for all of eternity. When “our” plane (from Sydney) landed, everyone facing the windows cheered and clapped. Most of us were going to make it out, after all.
Boarding was interesting. Again, no jet ways, so we were lined up to walk in the pouring rain. Now let me clear before this next part: I think people should travel, but I think they need to do basic things to be prepared, like understand Arabic numerals that are universal in any language. A family with the seats in the very back row boarded through the front. Half of the passengers had to wait–many of us in the rain–while everyone let them and their bags squeeze by. This isn’t even a language barrier. All they had to do was “follow the leader” like everyone in front of them: show the boarding pass with seat number to the ground crew and go where she pointed. People who can’t do that much don’t deserve to travel. Oh, and guess who was on our flight? That’s right Serial‑Killer‑To‑Be Teddy and his family. Luckily, there was a 10‑row gap.
Our flight was full, but cool. I’m making a rule, though. We have to avoid 737s whenever we can. They designed those things for 10 year olds, not adults. And the Virgin Flight Attendants leaned to the rude side. A couple of them simply barreled through the aisle with no regard for passengers or decorum. Why do they need a whole cart for rubbish? And, like before on Qantas, they kept the aisle full. There were also several passengers who got up several times. I never got a chance, but one lady got four (and she wasn’t even the same woman who took up four seats at the airport.) Another Rude Bitch ran past everyone long before we were supposed to get up so she could be the first one off. So. Much. Rudeness.
I think our terminal at Sydney was the oldest one they have. It was a confusing mess and our bag carousel never got put on screen. We got help from the nicest airport guy ever! And then, we got lucky; our checked bags were the first two out.
Without a way to find Uber, we queued up for a taxi. The “dispatcher” told us he’d find an oversized one for our bags, but then another came to our spot. He bitched about our bags and made us help load our own. We gave him the address, and he said, “How much do you want to pay?” WTF, dude? I would have said $0, so I stayed quiet and let him handle him. At the hotel, our Front Desk Attendant explained the scam. They can run “off meter” and break all the rules. I’m guessing they also pocket all the money for themselves instead of sharing it with the company they work for. Turns out, he’s a dumbass and a standard ride to our hotel would have been $30 for two people. The FDA told us to say, “Just run the meter,” if it happens again. This kind of garbage is why rideshares exist. Unfortunately, Uber is all they have Down Under, and the cabs have a monopoly on the airport. It’s a good system except for Mr. Rogue, so why mess with it?
Our room is one of those that needs the room key to keep the lights and AirCon on. Yes, we tried several other cards; it had to be the room key. Hey, Mr. Helpful Front Desk Attendant, maybe tell people that; we couldn’t find it in the dark. He gave us one key card, because they don’t want stuff on when we are gone. I get it, but it’s a bit “painful” to come back to a hot room. They need to tie that stuff to our phones so that when we get close, the AirCon turns back on.
We were starving so our first plan was food. We found a good Indian place in a cute shopping area, had a lovely dinner, and picked up some drinks. Not too long after returning to the room, we crashed.
Day 75 – retooling
That hotel had snacks around, but the morning options were pitiful. But, UberEats is huge in Sydney. There are e-bikes and motor-scooters running all over every neighborhood. They are decked out in neon/reflective gear. So, we ordered chicken, a wrap, some fries, and one drink. $56AUD/$35USD all in wasn’t bad compared to a rideshare there-and-back.
And then, we got to work. We just sat in our bungalow for 3+ days during the deluge. We can’t do that for another week. We considered using a few days to go to Uluru (the giant red rock in the middle of Australia), but it was 46ºC/115ºF there, so no.
He found a symphony (the Singapore one was in town) at the Sydney Opera House. I thought he was suggesting that for me, but he was serious for himself. But then, that rabbit hole led us to two even-more-amazing things. We got the very last two seats (not even together) of the very last show of Postmodern Jukebox. We also booked an “interactive” DnD show. wow! We also planned a couple of potential nights out and booked a week a non-airport hotel in a bustling area with shopping and restaurants and bars. We still had a couple more days at the airport hotel, so that was good for more planning.
Day 75 – train more-than-spotting
We slept in. I guess we needed it because 11 hours is a lot. Then, we set out for our task for the day.
This was the plan:
- Bus
- Little train to Central station
- Lunch
- Bigger train north and back
- Another bigger train west and back
- We figured each time we got to Central, we’d eat if we were hungry and grab snacks if needed
But what happened was:
- Bus
- Lunch
- Little train to Central station
- Bigger train north
- Another bigger train that went mostly south with a big swing out west before coming back to Central
- Walk to drinks and an errand
- Uber to dinner
- Walk to dessert and two more errands
- Uber back to our hotel
It was a great way to do a little exploring of the area and to see stuff out of our range otherwise. We even saw a couple of National Parks. The commuter train moves very fast, so getting pics was very difficult. But there were flowers all up and down the sides. We also rode through parts of two National Parks.
Day 76 – bussing like we trained
This was a repeat of our train day. We took a bus to a marina, hung out at the cafe/bar for a bit and bussed back. We got to see more of the city this way. Sadly, there was no water activity. I guess it was just too hot, even for Aussies. On the way back, another area had a few people kiteboarding. (And yes, I had to look up the term for whatever it was they were doing since I know they get angry if you call them the wrong thing.)
When we got back to our hotel, we rested and then went out to a bar we found and liked our first time in Sydney. It was kinda dull, though. 🙁 We left by 11pm. womp womp.
Day 77 – moving day
We moved from our airport-based hotel to one in a busier part of the city. When we had to shift our plans away from northeast Australia, we didn’t know what we’d do with that time, so we just picked a hotel by the airport for three nights. But being closer to the center of the city gave us a lot more options for both food and entertainment. The entry is in a lane (an alley) so that was cool. It felt like a big secret.
I was feeling kinda bad, so we used the afternoon to rest. I found a pho place, so we ordered food from there. And that’s when I learned I don’t like traditional/authentic pho. There are three main spices in the broth: coriander, cinnamon, and star anise, and I don’t like any of them. The “American”-style pho I like is more like a big chicken (or beef) noodle soup.
Day 78 – your party must rest before venturing forth
Our hotel included room service breakfast, which is nice, especially since I still wasn’t feeling well.
On our way to lunch, we encountered a film crew at the end of our alley. They were wrapping up a scene. So if you see us in the background of NCIS: Sydney, I guess we were free extras. (kidding, they were shooting the other direction.) Apparently, this is straight-up normal in Sydney and goes on all the time. It didn’t phase anyone.
He found us a very cute tea house for lunch. It was the spot for lunch with your besties. Our food was great, and their high tea displays were the fanciest we had ever seen. They might have gone a little over the top in preparation for the upcoming Valentine’s Day.
We had tickets to our first of two shows at the Sydney Opera House, so we rested for the afternoon.
Our show was The Twenty Sided Tavern which was a Dungeons & Dragons themed improv show heavy on audience participation. It was fabulous!
Our show tickets came with a “potion” (a cocktail or a mocktail) and a “ration” (popcorn or chocolate) for each of us. Upon entering, we had to pick out a team sticker in one of three colors. At our seats, we had to write one adjective and one noun on a small piece of paper. At one point, he got up on stage to try to help his team in a no-alcohol version of team beer pong. Later, they read three suggested words from the audience and mine was the first drawn. I said smart-ish and the next monster the party had to fight was a smart-ish, oily mermaid. And yes, one of the actors dressed as and played her.
Every time an actor/player/comic rolled a natural 20, the cast had to roll a 100 for a challenge. Their challenge was “if in Australia, do a New York accent for the rest of the show, (and if in the US, do an Australian accent for the rest of the show.)” The cast were asking us all to send in videos so they could show them to the New York cast. Their Australian attempts at New York accents were all very “Bronx” and quite funny.
Day 80 – rain-filled rest
I didn’t fell well.
Day 81 – DIY ferry tour
That means we saw both of their ships on this same trip.
We used the ferry the same way we did the train. We rode it as far inland as we could and then back to the same dock. It was a nice way to see some more of the city.
the suburbs of Sydney are like their own cities, complete with high-rises
Day 82 – tower; the bad dinner
We did a lot of observation towers on this trip, so we couldn’t leave out the one in Sydney.
We planned a nice dinner, but I literally left in tears. Elements Bar and Grill Walsh Bay is known for steaks. When we arrived to a more-empty-than-full restaurant, we should have known it wouldn’t be great. In addition, there were two babies in high chairs and other young kids there.
While we perused the menu, I watched in horror as they used a culinary blow torch to char a tomahawk steak. When we ordered, I had to shift gears because they “can’t cook” a steak medium rare without char and also retain the juices. What? It’s not fine, but I said, “fine.” I asked about the seafood pasta and if the sauce was tomato. Our server told me it was a cream sauce. I guess it was creamy, but it was a creamy tomato sauce. I looked up a recipe and the first ingredient is a whole cup of tomato sauce. I tried to pick out the seafood, but it was overcooked to the point of rubbery.
The server felt bad, but it honestly put my taste off of food altogether. We didn’t pay for my meal, of course. They also comped my glass of wine. I had a “dinner” of m&ms and wine back at our hotel.
Day 83 – Postmodern Jukebox
Napping before and after lunch continued to be a habit.
Postmodern Jukebox won my heart–and that of many others–with their swanky/jazzy rendition of All About That Bass originally recorded by Meghan Trainor. The song was dubbed “a bubblegum pop, doo-wop and pop rap track.” I like Meghan’s version, but PMJ took it up a notch. So, when we saw them on the docket at the Sydney Opera House for one final date while we were in town, we had to get tickets. Lucky us! We got the last two seats!!
The show was non-stop with no interval (that’s Australian for intermission). The performance had a crazy talented set of performers: a Master of Ceremonies who could also sing and dance, three female vocalists/dancers, five musicians (guitar, bass, drums, woodwinds, and trombone), a even a tap dancer. Every single one of the performers was amazingly talented and could have a whole career on their own. But it was “pretty clear” that performing in a group was what each of them loved. And after a lot of stomping by the crowd, the band agreed to an encore, the bassist came front-and-center for All About That Bass with the teeny-tiny-not-even-a-size-two, blonde vocalist with the fake ponytail that she ripped off her head and twirled like a lasso. It was complete magic.
On our way out of the Opera House, we saw stars (do not ask how; we can’t explain it) and the wonderful lights of the city of Sydney.
It was too late to get any real food, so we had dinner at McDonald’s mostly for him and then some wine at our hotel bar totally for me.
What a great night!
Day 84 – hotel change in the rain
We awoke to the news that our bid for a Business Class seat from Fiji to San Francisco had been accepted. Even with a bid deal, it’s pricey, but it’s also a longer flight.
After breakfast, we had to pack up and change hotels. The new one was originally scheduled after what would have been our flight from Cairns to Sydney. Since our hotel was in a Lane, there is no portico. Lucky for us, it wasn’t raining too hard, and our new hotel did have one.
When we tried to order lunch (on UberEats), none of the restaurants would take our order. They all told me they were too far away. Um, then why did you show me that restaurant? But they told him the real story; they can’t get drivers. Everyone is ordering in on a rainy Friday, it seems. We had dinner at the hotel. He wasn’t feeling well, so I enjoyed wine from the Cloud 9 observation bar where I watched planes land.
Epilogue to Australia:
A few days after we got home, a Cyclone was headed right for Brisbane and the surrounding area.
