Well, finally, let us get to YAM's shift from the 'pimple' to the LOMB ...Land Of My Birth! Needless to say it wasn't entirely straight forward and took several days.
It began, as such trips do these days, with a flight. Farewells were kept simple at the OZ end of things. The final day presented a challenge (as it inevitably would) with the packing. I am one who packs light for the majority of my trips. This time, though, a complete transfer of life was being undertaken therefore significantly more packing required.
An emergency overflow box had to be arranged and dispatched in a matter of six hours. I commend young Kate up at Pack & Send Hornsby for service and efficiency! I thank Emm for spending our last hour together (for now) in helping transport the 19.5kg item up the hill... It was paid with a tremendous hot chocolate at the mall after.
Emm's Hubby and sister-in-law 'S' drove me to the airport in the evening as Emm had previous engagement. That was fine and actually made the trip very pleasant in a different sort of way. I greatly appreciated their seeing me all the way to the final 'wall'.
Once through, it was over to Malaysian Airlines. I admit there was a small amount of angst, given the flight from Mumbai with them had turned into such a shambles. Their lounge at Sydney was not at all well signposted and it took half an hour to find it. There was still time to take a light tea snack though and a glass of fresh pineapple juice before heading for boarding. The airbus 330 is perhaps not my most favourite airliner I have decided. Perfectly comfortable I suppose, but the business class seats do not lie horizontal, so sleep was disrupted for we height-challenged folks by constantly having to shuffle our way back up to the pillows...
That said, I did get rest and the flight was uneventful. Arrival at KL airport at 3am was perhaps not the best of experiences though. The place is morgue-like then. Nobody knows anything and the staff behind the counters - if staff were present at all - were sleeping.
A Delhi couple and myself had exceptionally long lay-overs before next departure so really wanted to find the Golden Lounge. Long story short, it was under reno. Sigh.
We took the air train to the next terminal where a secondary lounge was open. No beds there, but we took turns at watching over luggage and each got a full hour's kip on the spongy benches in the eating area. Camping out in business class. Oh well. I was able to have a shower and change and catch up on blogs/emails in the office booths and had a couple of light snacks over the seven hour wait. At one point a waitress asked if I had got lost - clearly they are not used to such long-term visitors!!
Next boarding was onto an airbus 380; the double-decker airliner! I was excited; until they told us the link-bridge up top was dud and we had to go in from 'ground' level. I had not anticipated climbing a staircase INSIDE the plane!!!
The staff were great though and my bags were whisked away and folks were patient with my slow climb.
The seats on this were more like you imagine in the star ship Enterprise...and they lay virtually flat. Bliss. In fact those seats took on almost any angle you wanted them so the fight was a true dream. As we approached London, the senior attendant asked me if I would like him to arrange a wheel chair to be waiting. Bingo. You betchya. Muggins here had forgotten all about organising special assist - though it had not really been necessary this time, I was not going to say no &*>
London. Here I was. Cavin was my helper and I was literally whisked through to find Aitch waiting; just about the only female in a wall of men and the bright colour in a sea of black!
As we drove off I asked that we stop en route for Ipswich to have a proper meal. The timings were right for me to eat and she would need to also and I wanted to treat her. All I got was a snuffle and the mention of 'Little Chef' road cafe... But the Good Lord was watching and ensured that where we pulled off the road there was a fantastic little restaurant waiting for us. All the festive lights were blazing and nary a person in sight! They were ready, though, and we had a delightful sit down meal with starter and main before heading off for the remaining 40 minutes or so of the trip.
Lady Vicki was keen to have us back in the door, then did her best to turn her nose up. She IS aristocracy after all...
To be continued...
It began, as such trips do these days, with a flight. Farewells were kept simple at the OZ end of things. The final day presented a challenge (as it inevitably would) with the packing. I am one who packs light for the majority of my trips. This time, though, a complete transfer of life was being undertaken therefore significantly more packing required.
An emergency overflow box had to be arranged and dispatched in a matter of six hours. I commend young Kate up at Pack & Send Hornsby for service and efficiency! I thank Emm for spending our last hour together (for now) in helping transport the 19.5kg item up the hill... It was paid with a tremendous hot chocolate at the mall after.
Emm's Hubby and sister-in-law 'S' drove me to the airport in the evening as Emm had previous engagement. That was fine and actually made the trip very pleasant in a different sort of way. I greatly appreciated their seeing me all the way to the final 'wall'.
Once through, it was over to Malaysian Airlines. I admit there was a small amount of angst, given the flight from Mumbai with them had turned into such a shambles. Their lounge at Sydney was not at all well signposted and it took half an hour to find it. There was still time to take a light tea snack though and a glass of fresh pineapple juice before heading for boarding. The airbus 330 is perhaps not my most favourite airliner I have decided. Perfectly comfortable I suppose, but the business class seats do not lie horizontal, so sleep was disrupted for we height-challenged folks by constantly having to shuffle our way back up to the pillows...
That said, I did get rest and the flight was uneventful. Arrival at KL airport at 3am was perhaps not the best of experiences though. The place is morgue-like then. Nobody knows anything and the staff behind the counters - if staff were present at all - were sleeping.
A Delhi couple and myself had exceptionally long lay-overs before next departure so really wanted to find the Golden Lounge. Long story short, it was under reno. Sigh.
We took the air train to the next terminal where a secondary lounge was open. No beds there, but we took turns at watching over luggage and each got a full hour's kip on the spongy benches in the eating area. Camping out in business class. Oh well. I was able to have a shower and change and catch up on blogs/emails in the office booths and had a couple of light snacks over the seven hour wait. At one point a waitress asked if I had got lost - clearly they are not used to such long-term visitors!!
Next boarding was onto an airbus 380; the double-decker airliner! I was excited; until they told us the link-bridge up top was dud and we had to go in from 'ground' level. I had not anticipated climbing a staircase INSIDE the plane!!!
| click on the image for more techy specky piccies! |
The seats on this were more like you imagine in the star ship Enterprise...and they lay virtually flat. Bliss. In fact those seats took on almost any angle you wanted them so the fight was a true dream. As we approached London, the senior attendant asked me if I would like him to arrange a wheel chair to be waiting. Bingo. You betchya. Muggins here had forgotten all about organising special assist - though it had not really been necessary this time, I was not going to say no &*>
London. Here I was. Cavin was my helper and I was literally whisked through to find Aitch waiting; just about the only female in a wall of men and the bright colour in a sea of black!
As we drove off I asked that we stop en route for Ipswich to have a proper meal. The timings were right for me to eat and she would need to also and I wanted to treat her. All I got was a snuffle and the mention of 'Little Chef' road cafe... But the Good Lord was watching and ensured that where we pulled off the road there was a fantastic little restaurant waiting for us. All the festive lights were blazing and nary a person in sight! They were ready, though, and we had a delightful sit down meal with starter and main before heading off for the remaining 40 minutes or so of the trip.
Lady Vicki was keen to have us back in the door, then did her best to turn her nose up. She IS aristocracy after all...
To be continued...
If I were travelling vast distances like this, I'd be the slowest in line, too. And God forbid any of it be uphill. I've been whisked in wheel chairs, but only after a long delay, the chair and pusher hijacked from the appointment by a bigger tipper. My poor friend guarding the last suitcase on the carousel was trying to see if the bag had arrived and the passenger put on the wrong flight.
ReplyDeleteAll is becoming more well here...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'd never get anywhere in airports if I had to walk (make that hobble), with my husband 'way ahead of me forgetting he has a wife.
ReplyDeleteHe loves it, though, when I have a wheelchair. The luggage gets piled on top of me, and he pulls one suitcase while keeping up with the chair-pusher all the way through the fast-lanes at security and Customs.
He feels like a VIP and I feel like the VIP's overloaded donkey, but we arrive with a minimum of pain and stops for Kay to breathe.
K
And there we gave it. It's been awhile com in'
ReplyDeleteGoogle just ate my comment, so here goes again....
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like quite an odyssey you undertook there, Yam. Having never flown further than across the Atlantic and back, I don't envy you, though the last leg sounds to have been rather comfortable. Glad you're safely back in the good old UK. :-)