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Coming home
Oct. 25th, 2010 03:55 pmAfter Aussiecon finished, I took the train back to Sydney for the flight home, but I had decided to take the overnight train, so I had most of Tuesday to do nothing but wander around Melbourne. Fortunately the rain from the past few days (which had led to flooding in parts of Victoria) had stopped and it was sunny spring day, but a bit cool. I ended up walking round the park and botanical gardens to the south of the city before getting a meal. Then I went back to my hotel, picked up my luggage and crossed the road to the station.
It was still a bus trip to Albury before getting on the train. This was enlivened by the bus driver putting on the radio to spread the news that Australia had at last got a new Federal government over two weeks after their general election. There was at least one boo among the passengers when it was announced that Julia Gillard had got back in as Prime Minister.
The trouble with having to join the train at Albury meant that I couldn't check my suitcase in in advance and had to carry it onto the train and try and fit it into the luggage space there, which I just about did, but I might have squashed someone else's luggage in the process.
The trip was uneventful, I even managed to get some sleep, and we arrived in Sydney around eight in the morning, just in time for breakfast.
My first idea had been to get the train to Sydney and fly back the same day, but I was unable to get a flight for the Wednesday. I also realised that I might not be able to get much sleep on the train, so a night in an hotel before flying back might be useful. And, as I knew I'd be able to find it again, I reserved a room in the hotel I'd stayed in when I first arrived in Sydney. But I now knew that I wouldn't be able to get into my room until that afternoon.
So, I went to the hotel anyway and dumped my suitcase before once more setting out to explore Sydney. Sydney is noticeably warmer than Melbourne so in the end I spent a while sitting in a park reading.
When I got back to the hotel, it was the same receptionist who'd checked me in two weeks ago and she remembered me, but not my name. And, that evening I had a meal in the hotel restaurant where I'd had a meal when I first arrived and the waitress immediately came over to my table to ask how was my train trip to Melbourne. Apparently, I'm very memorable, I'm told.
I didn't have to be at the airport too early the next morning but even so I managed to get there before the check-in desks had opened.
When the plane got to Hong Kong, both coming and going, all passengers had to leave the plane. Those continuing were given sticky labels to identify them before heading back through security. The label showed a koala bear on the way to Australia and a British policeman on the way to London. I never quite worked out the point of this, and the label refused to stick to any item of clothing I was wearing and I lost it on both occasions.
Then it was back to London and catching the rail-air coach back to Guildford early on Friday morning. I was home by eight o'clock. I'd thought I'd be ready for bed by then but I now felt very awake and kept going through to midnight. And I woke up early on Saturday morning and ended up getting up and checking my e-mail. It was nearly a week before my old sleep patterns returned.
It was still a bus trip to Albury before getting on the train. This was enlivened by the bus driver putting on the radio to spread the news that Australia had at last got a new Federal government over two weeks after their general election. There was at least one boo among the passengers when it was announced that Julia Gillard had got back in as Prime Minister.
The trouble with having to join the train at Albury meant that I couldn't check my suitcase in in advance and had to carry it onto the train and try and fit it into the luggage space there, which I just about did, but I might have squashed someone else's luggage in the process.
The trip was uneventful, I even managed to get some sleep, and we arrived in Sydney around eight in the morning, just in time for breakfast.
My first idea had been to get the train to Sydney and fly back the same day, but I was unable to get a flight for the Wednesday. I also realised that I might not be able to get much sleep on the train, so a night in an hotel before flying back might be useful. And, as I knew I'd be able to find it again, I reserved a room in the hotel I'd stayed in when I first arrived in Sydney. But I now knew that I wouldn't be able to get into my room until that afternoon.
So, I went to the hotel anyway and dumped my suitcase before once more setting out to explore Sydney. Sydney is noticeably warmer than Melbourne so in the end I spent a while sitting in a park reading.
When I got back to the hotel, it was the same receptionist who'd checked me in two weeks ago and she remembered me, but not my name. And, that evening I had a meal in the hotel restaurant where I'd had a meal when I first arrived and the waitress immediately came over to my table to ask how was my train trip to Melbourne. Apparently, I'm very memorable, I'm told.
I didn't have to be at the airport too early the next morning but even so I managed to get there before the check-in desks had opened.
When the plane got to Hong Kong, both coming and going, all passengers had to leave the plane. Those continuing were given sticky labels to identify them before heading back through security. The label showed a koala bear on the way to Australia and a British policeman on the way to London. I never quite worked out the point of this, and the label refused to stick to any item of clothing I was wearing and I lost it on both occasions.
Then it was back to London and catching the rail-air coach back to Guildford early on Friday morning. I was home by eight o'clock. I'd thought I'd be ready for bed by then but I now felt very awake and kept going through to midnight. And I woke up early on Saturday morning and ended up getting up and checking my e-mail. It was nearly a week before my old sleep patterns returned.
