Home again home again

Both of us were very keen to get home and also very tired. We woke up quite early and headed into town so I could put my geocoin, that has traveled with me everywhere on this holiday, into a cache in town, that seems secure and is big enough. We wondered around for a bit, but my hip was really playing up and I wasn't keen to do a lot of walking. In the end we gave the whole thing up as a bad job and headed back to our hotel to get our bags and head off to the airport. We got there, after a very circuitous bus trip, about 4 hours early. after two hours, we could check in. Even though it was only 5pm, it was very dark so we had dinner, with security conscious cutlery.
The plane trips (all of them) were:

• a bit late
• packed full
• hot
• boring
• boring
• boring

Yes I realise the last item I have mentioned 3 times, but it was such an important part of the trips, that I thought it was worth mentioning THREE times* but on the plus side, at least our plane made it to Melbourne, unlike the one that left for Sydney about the same time as ours who engine had issues and it ha to turn back.
The last bit of excitement for the trip was Neil's bag. Which didn't make it onto the same plane as us and had to be delivered home the next day.

*quote stolen from Blackader Red Dwarf

travel and arrival

Well, a 24hr plane flight is always going to be long. Thankfully the first 8hrs of it, from Melbourne to Hong Kong where in the dark and we had 4 seats between the two of us. I even slept! The studpied hoops they make you go through at Hong Kong (and I'm sure every other airport) are so demented, but soon we were back in the air. Unfortunately there were no spare seats on the plain this time, but I had had my chair fixed so at least it reclined now. I watched many movies. Then we arrived, I really think this flight seemed short than the last trip (in 07).

So we were meant to be pick up from the air port... by a limo. We waited for an hour... no limo :( Eventually we gave up and took the train, which was actually fine and I didn't mind that much, except for the waiting part, which I am totally shit at. We found our hotel very easily, and it is way 'posher' than I am used to, even if the building is very ugly.

Our next stop after this was the special invitation only Radley sale in Kings Road (wow, an even posher area). Any way, with Champaign in hand and my friend Eva's shopping list in mind, I proceeded to spend... quite a few pounds on handbags :) because, as Neil said, how often am I here? I should just buy them. opps :) I got two and a purse. I am using one already*

By this time it was 6pm and I was definitely starting the flag, so we grabbed a snack in a pub, that turned out to be a gay bar, which was yum and the bar men were very nice. We then came back to home base and collapsed.


*Note even though this post is dated for the right day, I wrote it a few days later

Home - At last

Yay, We're at home. There is stuff everywhere, We're completely stuffed, the dogs are actually talking to me and I want my own bed, but we're here!!! Yay Yay Yay!!!
Customs took awhile, but was fine. The bags collection took even longer. Neil's mum hadn't rung to check the plane, but she seemed fine with that. There have been no breakages in the bags and all we have to do know is wait for the kilt, glasses and packages of paper to arrive!
Not surprisingly, there is a tiny bit of anticlimax, which I'm sure will grow, but for now I'm just tooooo glad to be home.

Well I'm signing off from this blog for now and it's back to my normal one. See you there :)

Homeward bound - Hong Kong

Right, so we're back on a Qantas plane, which is good, cos the TV's are better, BUT our plane was meant to depart at 9.10am. It's now closer to 12.10pm and we're taking off. As you can imagine, I'm not too happy about this. On the plus side..... actually, apart from nearly being home, I can't see one. Gee's I hope Neil's mum checks the plain arrival time before going to the airport.

Homeward bound - Helsinki

Well, for some odd reason, they lady at Heathrow only booked our bags in to Hong Kong and she put up in separate rows of the plane for Helsinki to Hong Kong. Thankfully the lovely lady here, in the bizarre airport, where there is a smoking room, as fixed it all up and told us how to sort the bags in Hong Kong. She has also sorted it so that we are sitting on the ends of the central row of seats, with no one between us, so we have 4 seats and can lie down!! Magic! I always pays to ask!
We're all running to schedule so far. I noticed in a watch shop here that they have started making automatic Swatches in plastic again.

Homeward bound - Heathrow

We have had a most fantastic time, but we're both soooo glad to be going home. The bags are all packed with the declaring stuff in one bag, we have huge amounts of really heavy hand luggage, and I'm carrying my bear. We'll have hours at the airport and I'm not expecting any 'issues'.

The plane trip

We got on the plane with no major issues. We even managed to procure our selves seats in front of one of the emergency exits. This turned out to be a life saver, because even though there was no window (the main reason we asked for another seat) there was heaps of leg room. I don't think I would have arrived sane if it wasn't for that leg room.
I watched 'Blades of Glory', 'Becoming Jane', the ' Pride and Pregdidious' movie (yuk) 'Groundhog Day' and some episodes of various bits of crap TV and tried to sleep. This last bit didn't really work too well.
The stop over, at 5am, in Hong Kong was boring as nothing was open, but no as boring as the next 13hrs flying to London. AWFUL. I couldn't wait to get off the sodding plane. England was rather cloudy so there were no really cool pics out the window . We rushed to change from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1. By this stage I was starting to feel the ground moving beneath me when I was standing on concrete. We were both a bit shirty at each other. The Edinburgh plane ended up being about an hour late in landing. We met up with Jack Jack with no issues and the loaded ourselves on to a 35 bus back to Jacki's
Jacki took us to one of the many many pubs near by for dinner (we had to walk past 4 pubs to get there) so we could eat Haggis. It wasn't too bad. We had a few nice beers and ciders, then back to home and bed.
We slept like rocks, but both woke up at 3am with huge bladders! He he he he