e-ticket - check. passport - check. laptop, perfume, a week's worth of clothes - check. jacket (it's supposedto be autumn there) - check. digicam - c.h..e... what the f*ck?! here i was, on the eve of finally, finally visiting a place I've always wanted to see and and my goddamn digicam's nowhere in sight! after realizing that murphy's gotten away with his antics yet again, and that i only have a couple of hours to catch my Zzs, i forced myself to take a much needed rest to prepare for my 12-hour flight to australia - you read it right, AUSTRALIA!!
cathay pacific's hk flight left mactan airport at 12:45 and landed at hk airport 2 hours and 40 minutes later. my flight to sydney doesn't leave until 7:10pm so i spent the spare time looking for the closest thing to a digicam i could find. i settled for 2 kodak one-time-use film cameras. 30 minutes before boarding time, i made my way to gate 68 to await the final boarding announcements, and make me that much closer to seeing the land of kangaroos and koalas.
march 20, morning, minutes before touchdown at sydney airport: i could not help but be captivated by the view that greeted me - an early morning sun lazily casting its rays over sydney's overcast skies...glimpses of rolling waves crushing against the cliffs that dot sydneys's rugged coastline... a mosaic of houses, buildings, streets and trees welcoming the dawn of a new day. sydney beckons!
the plane touched down at 7:15am (australia is 3 hours ahead of philippines/hk time), and everyone proceeded to the customs and immigration. the whole inspection process took just minutes thanks to the lady officer who's definitely a filipina at one point in her life. i claimed my baggage, then went to the domestic transfer desk because sydney is just the gateway to my final destinatinon. i checked in at qantas (kwan-tas) and confirmed my flight to gold coast in queensland.
after waiting for 4 hours, i finally boarded the plane that would take me to my destination, and more importantly, join the company of my two american managers who took a different flight but will be making the business meetings with me. i was not given a window seat this time around, but i heard that the view was spectacular! well, you can't have the best of everything everytime, can you?
the flight from sydney to gold coast took 1 hour and 20 minutes (g c time is behind by 1 hour from that of sydney, 2 hours ahead of phil. time), and i got all my things and ready to go by 11:45am, but I waited for another hour before finally being reunited with my american managers.
gold coast was just spectacular! we stayed at crowne plaza hotel in surfer's paradise, and i couldn't think of any other place so aptly named - golden coastline, the bluest beaches, waves that are every surfer's dream, and did i say australians are just too damn sexy in their swimwear?! i'll say that again. australians are just too damn sexy in their swimwear!!
we spent the next two days in meetings, but we still found time to walk down the beach, feel the powdery sand, breathe the pacific breeze, and watch surfers do their thing, and try some of the local restaurants. if you happen to visit gold coast, never leave without sampling al fresco's (italian restaurant) pasta dishes and tiramisu. they are to die for!
i woke up at 3:30am on March 23 to catch the early morning qantas flight to sydney. after reluctantly saying goodbye to this paradise i've come to love, i boarded the plane that took off from gold coast airport at 6:05 am. the flight was one of the bumpier rides i've ever had, and it's a good thing i learned until much later that the cause was a storm front that's lashing sydney area.
we arrived at sydney airport at 8:30 am, and my cathay pacific flight to hk doesn't leave until 10:20pm. With at least 12 hours to spare, I was really looking forward to spending the time visiting the sites of sydney, but of all days, why did the weather have take a turn for the worse that same day? pelting rain and howling wind will not stop me. throwing caution to the wind (pun intended), i bought a au$11.00 train ticket to circular quay, the stop that will take me to my next destination.
the pyramids of egypt. the great wall of china, eiffel tower. statue of liberty. mt. fuji. these are landmarks known worldwide. i'm on my way to visit another that belongs to this list: sydney opera house!
after an uneventful 20-minute ride (japan's train are way much better), and a 200-meter walk under heavy rain and howling wind sans rain gear, i stood in front of the opera house. the experience of finally being there - seeing it in all its splendor and taking it all in was just surreal - where every arc and curve is a testament to a country's culture and every walkway and hallway is a witness to the parade of people who've come to pay homage to a landmark that has defined a continent. it is definitely an experience i will cherish for a long, long time.
with the storm showing no sign of a letdown, i decided to return to the airport and wait for my hk flight there. on my way back to circular quay, i noticed people making the climb up harbour bay bridge. had the weather been better, i would have been one of those guys. i made a promise to do it the next time i visit sydney ;D
after one of the longest waits of my life, it was time to board the hk flight. from there, i took a connecting flight that took me to cebu. i finally arrived at mactan airport on thursday, march 24 at 11:45am.
