So I am officially out of Australia for the near to immediate future. It makes me sad. Half because I liked it, half because I will miss it.
In the past 24 hours, I have slept maybe a grand total of 4 hours.
I am so scatter brained. I'm just gonna list things that come to my head. I'm sleep deprived.
I left Brisbane at 6:45 pm yesterday. Which is Australian time. Landed in Auckland at 11:25 pm NZ time, which is 2 hours ahead of Brisbane, so 16 hours ahead of NY instead of 14.
I found a nice spot to nest in for a while once I picked up my luggage, which I ended up having to check both bags and pay for the extra, which I knew would happen.
In Brisbane airport the Qantas woman was very accomodating on helping me find loopholes for it. The big suitcase was $30 because it was overweight by 2 kilograms and its $15/kg over 30kg. The second bag could only be 10kg, with $15/kg on every other kg - so this one carry-on sized suitcase was gonna be effin $285. and I was like hail to the nah. So the woman told me to run over to the bag wrap people, buy a canvas bag and put all the heavy shit in it (she didnt say shit) and use that as my carryon and then try to get the other checked bag down a bit. I ended up not having to buy a canvas bag bc I already had one that I bought in target in aus. But I digress.
Then she didn't weight my cabin baggage even though there was a limit. So she was great.
checking in the air new zealand today, the first guy I went to was super nice, he was Japanese and liked me from the start because I took my passport out of the passport holder before I gave it to him and he had a nice little rant about how people just hand him their whole wallet sometimes. So I was on his good side.
Then the charge for a second bag was $200 NZ, which is like $160 US tops. $159.74, just googled it. Then since my big bag was overweight, it would be ANOTHER $200 for the overweight, so he was like you are gonna go over there by the scale and repack, go now! and so I went.
Took out a bunch of shit. threw out a few things. RIP flip flops, sunscreen, moisturizers, and $9 walmart jeans. Bye bye. So I got my carry on literally stuffed full, 20.8 kg out of 23, and then the big bag went down to 23.9 so she let it go through :) I like people.
Then she had to weigh my carry on luggage, which both pieces had to add up to 10kg, and they were 14, so I had to shove MORE stuff into the already full carry on. It is a good thing I put it in the fragile area because the seams are so stretched. I'm done with weighing bags now. I'm just hoping I don't have to go through security again in the US (but I will have to who am I kidding) and I'm hoping they don't confiscate any of my food. The TSA can never be as nice as the NZ customs people were though.
So I landed in Auckland and found a long booth in the food court, set up my trolley next to me and put my other 2 bags under the table, took out my laptop bc i was right next to a plug (as I am right now) and got on mcdonalds free wifi after the free 30 mins from auckland airport expired. I was getting tired, and I did lay down and try to sleep but it was too bright, I was too paranoid about my bags, I couldn't get comfortable, and I was really hot, and people were being loud and it was starting to get crowded, so while I laid there and semi-relaxed for like 30 mins, I didn't actually sleep at all.
Until the luggage storage place opened, so it was like 6am, and I put both my suitcases and my backpack in storage for 8 hours. Then I went up to the top floor sky deck and it was nearly empty and with long rows of cushy leather seats. I laid on one in the corner with my head on my bag and got a decent 2 hour nap.
I left the airport on the express bus to the city at 10am. I got into the city and walked around and saw some stuff. I was in the real center of everything I guess, so it wasn't much different content wise from Brisbane CBD, but it was open and non-claustrophobic and full of docklands like Melbourne.
The souvenirs here are SO COOL but I wasn't here long enough to merit anything. I did get a shot glass though bc it had to happen. My intent was to save a dollar coin bc it has the kiwi bird on it, but I had to spend it at lunch so now I have a 20 cent coin that looks like our dime and has Maori symbols on it. A lot of the souvenirs are Maori inspired actually. It would be like walking into a US souvenir store and having nearly everything made by or designed by Native Americans. Wouldn't happen anywhere but where they have reserves basically. I'd love to go to New Mexico and see my family there and then get a lot of Native American stuff lol.
I only have five minutes of wifi left that I had to pay for. I'm gonna have to see if theres a McDonalds near the gates. I'll be giving up a nice spot on my own little couch with table and plug though. Meh. I can watch itunes vids or write or something I guess....maybe work on that Sydney blog :P
I feel like I've accomplished something, even though I know that Ive only been going through all of this preparation and waiting just to sit on a plane for 12 hours.
but I know that a bulk of that time will be sleeping because I have a WINDOW SEAT. I CAN LEAN MY HEAD ON THE WALL. sure it'll vibrate and it'll drive me crazy......but I'm exhausted. I just want to collapse into a hotel room double bed with cold sheets and the ac on and two pillows and i can sleep diagonally and not wake up until we have to.
speaking of breakfast, I had a BLT bagel from Mcdonalds here for Mcds breakfast and it was SO GOOD. we need those in the US. I looked at the menu and saw a pic of something with lettuce and I was like yay a non-breakfast food! and then it was a BLT which is literally the most glorious combination of food.
it's like, PBJ, BLT, Smores....carrots and ranch....yep. hierarchy of good food combos.
My plan for the US is to get a Moes burrito for lunch, a Chipotle bowl for dinner, and then fourth meal from Taco Bell.
This is all I can think about. I will go INSANE if there is a mexican fast food anything in San francisco airport.
anyway.
TTFN
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