I’m too old for this…

This ‘day’ started at 1500 on Wednesday…

Airport one IAD, this is 20 minutes before boarding…

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Five hours later, arrive in LAX.  Two and a half hour layover…

Airport two, half hour before boarding… TWO airplanes since the flight last night cancelled…

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Fifteen hours later, screaming kid two rows back and pretty much cried the ENTIRE flight, arrive in SYD at 0640, one and one half hours in customs (third jumbo in)…

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Lead to, you guessed it, MISSED connection…

THREE hour layover… sigh… (But better than SIX hour layover)…

Airport three SYD Domestic side.

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At this point just hoping my bag made the connection, or ‘a’ connection at this point…

Another four, almost five hour flight, same screaming kid two rows behind me.

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Airport four…

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The bag made it, “I” made it, and now a rental car on the wrong side of the road!

WITH roundabouts… Sigh…

Finally at the hotel in Perth; total time thirty-four hours, 12,000 plus air miles, 24ish hours in the air, total sleep maybe three hours worth of naps.  My butt hurts, I need a shower, and my body clock is on strike…

I think I’m going to take a na…zzzzzzz

Comments

I’m too old for this… — 21 Comments

  1. Ain’t driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car? More fun than juggling a pair of angry rattlesnakes.

    You have a manual transmission I’m betting, to boot!

    Yea and those roundabouts are doozies. Especially with the traffic flowing clockwise from your right.

    Been there, done that……… not fun!

  2. Last time I was on an aircraft was on the way back from hot, dry, sandy places in ’02. Never again.

  3. Don’t know if this helps. My kids, when little, would scream on airplanes. Tried putting headphones on them and it worked. Some youngsters hearing range is far greater than adults. Lots of high frequency noises in airplanes. Might suggest that to the cabin attendants next time.

  4. May I suggest next time take a cruise. Less hassle, more rest, pretty women, less stress. If you are so important to be flown around the world, they can wait another three or four days for you to get there. Sounds good anyway.

  5. “I’m too old for this…” Yes, yes you are. (ducking and running now).:-)

  6. What? No pictures of Kangaroos?

    And didn’t you get enough of Australia when you were there during your Navy days? And how is your old boss Admiral Lockwood these days?

  7. Alan- Got an email???

    Toejam- Yeah, shifting with the left hand IS fun… worst is finding the damn turn signals…

    Ed- Shaddap… 🙂

    Rev- Thanks!

    Crusty- Understood!

    drjim- Me too!!!

    WSF- “I” had headphones on, could hear the kid through that!!! I’ll keep that recommendation in mind though!

    CP- I cruise to here would be about 30 days, give or take… sigh

    PH- Oh ‘thank’ you… 😛

    Murph- If I see one I’ll take a pic just for you! And yes, been here a few times!!! As far as I know, he’s doing well…LOL

  8. If you happen to be in Melbourne over the next few days the first round’s on me…

  9. Last time I went through SYD, the “Q”, lost my bag,…both ways.
    Say “howdy” to Julie, if you get to see her.

  10. Ah Perth….heaven for many 7th fleet sailors. Be careful… if you show some manners to a Sheila (hold the door, she’ll want to take you home to meet Mum and Da!
    BTDT.

    MikeyB

  11. Timbo- I wish I could, I have about 5 hours in Melbourne this trip; fly in, meeting, fly out… I’ll keep that in mind for the next trip though! Thanks!!!

    Skul- Yeah, all they got was my Keshaw leek… sigh I’ll see Julie on Monday, will say hi for you.

    Mikey- LOL, STILL looking for a sailor we ‘lost’ over here in 75… 🙂

  12. Hermano.
    I feel every bit of your pain.
    Next Saturday: Jax-IAD-Frankfurt-Kazan… 25 hours. Just a little 3 week jaunt.

    Which is making me look forward to December:
    Jax-JFK-Moscow SHM-Sochi-Moscow-Beijing-Sydney-Beijing-Moscow-Sochi-Moscow-EWR-Jax
    Home in late February.

    So when I tell you I feel your pain, I’m not just whistling Dixie.
    Travel safe, my brother.

    TBG

  13. TBG- You beat me by a bunch, and I understand, but I’m betting YOU get better seats than I do… Thanks and you travel safe too, you’re going to places “I” can’t go…

    • You’d be suprised re: seating.

      The Company doesn’t spring for BizClass… I can usually ‘social engineer’ a seat in the emergency row, or one with an empty next to it, but not always.
      I occasionally get domestic upgrades, but never on international flights…
      Except that one time I was an honorary Air Marshall…

      Too much travel is nothing to be proud of…

      😉

  14. Read this while sitting in the Adelaide airport during a 6 hour layover – after starting the day at 5:30 a.m. with a 45 minute ferry ride followed by a 2 hour bus ride. Of course, I’m on vacation so I can soften the pain with a Coopers or two… 😉

  15. You’re still one tough bird NFO. These days a trip like that would find me pretty much down and out. I do not envy you your schedule. Sights yes, flights no. Of course there is that whole ‘I hate flying’ thing but I’ve never pretended to being other than a giant wuss. Have fun and be safe.

  16. Tim- LOL, yeah you DO have a point… I’m holding off on the Coopers till at least 1800, to try to sleep tonight.

    Six- I’m just too damn dumb to know different… LOL And trying on the be safe, fun??? TBD!