The Flights
Wow, what an endurance test! I got up at 3:00 Saturday morning and was at the airport shortly after 6:00 for my 7:30 flight to Edmonton. Beginning the trip already tired seemed like a very bad idea but I hoped that it would help me sleep on the long flight. More on that later.
When I checked in I was told that I would have pick up my bags in either Calgary or Los Angeles because they could not issue baggage tags in Yellowknife. I wasn't at all happy but decided to do so in Calgary because it is a simpler and smaller airport than Los Angeles. Because of the bombings in London recently I expected that security would be heightened but it was just the opposite in Yellowknife. Where they used to go through my carry on bag with a fine tooth comb this time they really didn't look at anything and I was through in a flash. Go figure.
The flight to Edmonton (1:45) was uneventful, not overcrowded and I think I had a short nap enroute. Though the flight was uneventful I had great difficulty getting comfortable and my rear end was burning long before we got to Edmonton. Not a good omen for sure. Arrived in Edmonton around 9:00 and then had five hours to sit around waiting for my 2:00 pm flight to Calgary. Not fun for sure but that was the flight where I could get a seat. While killing time I spoke with a few people in the smoking room - two were going to Russia nut but completely opposite routes, one east via London and Moscow, the other west via Seoul, Korea. Both were going to work on different projects being run by Canadian companies. Also talked to two people from Cambridge Bay who knew people that I know. The conversations helped to pass the time because I wasn't feeling much like reading at the time.
The flight to Calgary was also uneventful, but a little more crowded, and I arrived pretty much on time at 3:00 pm. By then I had been "on the road" for nine hours yet had covered less than ten per cent of the distance I needed to go. Three more hours to kill until my 6:00 pm flight to Los Angeles. Getting my bags, going through US Customs (no problems there but once again I couldn't help but wonder if part of their training involves a course in how to look and and act miserable) and then security again went fairly smoothly though security confiscated a lighter from my carry on bag. I thought it was because you are only allowed to carry one lighter but I found out shortly afterward that you are not allowed to carry a lighter onboard at all. I found that out because while I was sitting in the smoking room one of the security guards came in on a break, saw my lighter and told me. She didn't confiscate it but told me not to flash it around. Little did I know that that cigarette would be my last until until I arrived in Brisbane 24 hours later. I remembered that when I was going to Mexico earlier there was a place to smoke outside in Los Angeles but that must have been in a different terminal because the one where I was imprisoned this time had nothing.
The flight to Los Angeles was ok and I was finally able to get into an Executive Class (none of the airlines use the term First Class any longer - I guess so they can lower the level of service but charge just as much) seat so had lots of room. In addition there was no one in the seat beside me so that part was great. What was definitely not alright on this flight was the meal. I am still not sure what it was or what is was supposed to be but the most polite, or the least offensive way I can describe it is to say that it looked like vomit on my plate. I almost did vomit when I looked at it and gagged when I tasted it. In addition to whatever inherent problems there might have been with the dish mine was both burned and cold by the time I was served. Other than to say that I know there was some mozzarella cheese (congealed), some mushrooms and onions in it I have no idea what the rest of it was. Perhaps some potatoes but I am not sure. At any rate I told the flight attendant politely that it was awful and that I was unable to eat it. He offered me the other choice but by then I had no appetite so declined. We landed in Los Angeles at 9:00 Yellowknife time and I had another three and a half hours to kill the 12:30 departure. I decided that I didn't want to go to the trouble of going outside and then back through security just to have a smoke so went to the Air New Zealand VIP Lounge instead. There I snacked (fruit, smoked salmon and cream cheese), had a drink, drank a lot of water, relaxed in the pleasant ambiance and read my book. That passed the time fairly quickly.
Next up the long haul to Auckland New Zealand, twelve hours and forty-five minutes. It took a long time to fuel and load the plane so we were late leaving but I neglected to check my watch and don't know how late. The Business Class (Air New Zealand doesn't use Executive Class - no doubt for the same reason stated above) section on the Air New Zealand 747 is in the upper deck, second story, of the plane completely removed from the rest of the passengers. The seats are fairly large and comfortable and each has its own little entertainment unit that runs movies and music constantly (I didn't use mine). Thanks to the Zyban pill and the nicotine patch I didn't suffer nearly as much as I had feared and for that I am most thankful. I dozed and read and dozed and read and then started all over again. The first meal was excellent both in presentation and in taste. I had a delicious piece of cod with vegetables in a cream sauce. The wine wasn't great so I had only one glass and then a constant supply of water. The old codger in the seat beside me was a real fuss budget. He was constantly up and down doing something with one or all of his three carry on bags. He told me that he usually stays awake all night and that he hoped his reading light wouldn't bother me. Turned out that he slept much of the time and I was left to worry if my light was bothering him. Every time I dozed off and woke up again my light had been turned off. Breakfast was also good and I had a variation on the Eggs Benedict theme with a fruit plate and lots more water.
The reason for all of the water is that I read somewhere keeping yourself well hydrated helps to reduce jet lag. It must have helped somewhat because although I was completely disoriented and exhausted from lack of sleep and the time and day changes I didn't feel all that badly.
We were a little late landing in Auckland, New Zealand but since I had more than a two hour wait there it didn't matter to me. As it turned out the flight to Brisbane was on the same plane and leaving from the same gate so everything was quite simple in that regard. I took advantage of the time to change some US money into Australian funds. I looked around for the VIP Lounge but couldn't find it so just bought a bottle of water and sat at the gate. Lots of kids and ethnic groups on this flight so the gate area was pretty crowded and noisy. I was happy to be flying Business Class to get early boarding and early egress from the plane.
After the last marathon the three and a half hour flight to Brisbane seemed like a hop, skip and jump. I read, dozed and had another breakfast (an omelet this time also very good). There were only nine of us in the whole upper deck so the service was exquisite and my water glass was never empty. I was sitting in the front seat and my carry on bag wouldn't fit in the overhead bin there (because of the water bottle I had added to it) but the flight attendant let me put it on the seat beside me and anchor it with the seat belt. Very nice of him I thought. Because of strong head winds we were delayed in arriving in Brisbane but I had no plans for the day so it didn't matter to me. As we were approaching Brisbane I was looking out the window at the most amazing water formation (for lack of a better term) I have even seen in my life. I am not sure what it was or what caused it but there was a myriad of different shades of blue and grey and all sorts of shapes. My first thought was that it might be a salt area, then I thought of pollution, then a coral reef. Unfortunately there was no one around to ask and everyone was too busy when we we offloading so I suppose I will never know. Finally on the ground in Brisbane about 11:30 local time some thirty-eight hours after leaving the house in Yellowknife.
No problems with Customs or Immigration and I was relieved that both of my suitcases made it safely. Once through Customs I headed outside into a beautiful day (18 C and sunny) and had a part of a cigarette (finally) before getting into a taxi to head to my hotel.
My thoughts on the hotel and Brisbane are on the Brisbane pages.