Day 5: ROOOAADDD TTRRRIIIIIPPPP

Alarms buzzing all around the room to herald the start of the day at 6 am. First morning we have been up before sunrise but no time to check the view, we were on a schedule. Today was the round the island of Oahu boutique bus trip organised by @Mindy and @Ian for all #Squad members. Lots to do - hiking, swimming, eating, learning! Great day.

Water so good

Packed the food provisions and drinks and fell into our clothes - everything had been organised last night to ensure we were out the door at 6.30. Not bad actually, we were 5 minutes ahead of schedule for our 35 minute sprint up Ala Moana Blv. Plenty of people on the streets, still waiting for lights.

We were a little confused finding the "green sail" behind the Hyatt, but luckily @Mindy found us and despite being a full 20 minutes early, @Mac still couldn't jag a coffee! Too many people in the line.

Sail or awning? We couldn't find it.

Was welcomed onto our coach by @Connor - and he was a gem all day. So much knowledge from this "born and bred 50% Hawaiin 50% Maori." A retired actuary now 73 years of age, who works the "bus gig" to get away from home.

So here's the thing. In Hawaiian culture, the grandparents raise the grand children from aged 1 month till 7 years. I mean "raise." 24/7. The parents work "away" and Facetime the children and visit for holidays. @Connor and his wife currently have 8 grand children living at home - they range in age from 3 months to 6 years old. They have 17 in total! Quoting @Mac "I can't see that taking off in Australia." 

@Mac has LOTS of questions in this space - and the relevance of this is ZERO - A. We have no grandchildren  and B. We are not any percentage Hawaiin. Think @BriLaj should share this with @BrianRomeo 🤣💋 though.

@Connor kept us going all day - had info on the royal history of Hawaii, the culture, the war, all the landmarks, geography, vegetation, language and even real estate prices and the homes of the rich and famous. 

The tour itself was customised with @Mindy opting for particular stops and timing. It meant the group had a variety of activities in the day with timings that suited the needs of the group.

First stop was to check out the Halona blow hole. Arrived at the railing to see an array of plumes of water shooting out of the blow hole and crashing back to the rock. Then we remembered the pictures - and fair dinkum (that's the Aussie talking), stood like (that's the Canadian talking) for like (Canadian again) 10 like (seriously not even joking or exaggerating) minutes and nothing but a little puff of spray. You will just have to take my word for it we did see that bloody thing (the Aussies again) like (the Canadians) blow.

Bottom right ... waiting. 

All waiting for it to blow!

The landscape changes so dramatically as you leave the Honolulu area and travel along the more exposed beaches of the windward side and the north shore. Never short of anything to see out the coach window, with the never ending changing blues and whites of the beach, sand and sky and all contrasted with the steep cliffs of the sides of the volcano, either lush and green and finger-like stretching to the ocean or barren grass covered knolls or dry exposed rock.

Tell me that when you think "Hawaii" you think BIG waves and pipelines. Well, apparently that is a "winter" thing. At the moment we are seeing endless dreamy blue calm millpond conditions and expanses of lagoon, with white waves breaking on the reef. Apparently, in winter, the break is some 33 to 50 feet and in some stretches they actually break across the roadways and police direct and control traffic in time with the swells. 

Did not see a hint of that today but did stop off at the Banzai Pipeline to checkout where it "will" happen.

Big wave dreaming

Next stop, the hike to the lighthouse. 30 minutes up and whatever you want back.

 

I digress, because there was a "moment" here in the carpark for @MyAuntieGail and @Paul. We found an abandoned pineapple drink in the carpark and did a pose just for you. Nowhere near your sensational pose with the abandoned drink in the fancy hotel ... but we made a good try. I wanted to pick it up but @Mac outright vetoed that idea. I complied.

Not so much with his direction to "not leave the paved roadway." I invoked the "selective hearing" on that one.

@Mac took off uphill with the young ones for the hike to the light house. He has been in training for this around the hills of Daisy Hill pounding out PBs in every course in the last month and was determined to cross the line before @Mindy. He even loitered at the take-off because he didn't want any disputes at the finish line with accusations of head starts.

And didn't he show them a thing or two! Had a willing partner with @Melissa - and they took off setting a cracking pace and left the others in their wake regularly checking his splits for the 8 minute per km uphill bemchmark. Super 🌟  stars. After that hard grind, they declared a dead heat at the finish. Can I just point out that had it been @Mindy alongside him, he would have puffed out the chest and lunged for the line! At all costs. Would not have let her win.

@Mac and @Melissa first to the top

(And just to be clear, that's not @Mac without the shirt ... that's @Ian)

Stunning views

Meanwhile, back in the car park and breaking all the rules, I took off on the lowland track around the base of the lighthouse walk. A gravel path with only one little climbing spot that I needed to back up from and find an alternate route to - and  the flatter path eventually led me to the beach and a shallow swimming hole. I thought I had timed the return journey perfectly ... so perfeclty in fact that @Mac spotted me coming out of the trail head. Busted. And no contrition.  On the plus side, very pleased with the knee. I was more worried as I got further in as to what wild animals I might encounter. Later learned from @Connor, nothing but wild pigs, dogs and chickens! 

The lowland track with no sign of pigs, dogs or chickens

A change of pace for the next stop. A visit to the very beautiful and serene Byodu-In Japanese temple.

From their website:  Byodo-In Temple is located at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a smaller-scale replica of the over 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site in Uji, Japan

Collectively the group sampled the tourist things - crossed the bridge, rang the bell, wandered the gardens, removed shoes to enter the temple, tied the fortune cookie dreams in the tree,  marvelled at the size of the koi and queued for the restrooms. Iced coffee and cold coconut milk were also hits.

 

Feeling a little sorry for @Mac and his lack of coffee. But it was OK cause the next stop was The Macadamia Nut Farm which also sold coffee beans so they had TASTE TESTING ... didn't score a cup, but did get a thimble full. I generously got one for him as well, but conveniently forgot my good intentions and scoffed it myself. No matter, plenty of macadamias to sample to take your mind off coffee. And, along with everyone else in the group we made some purchases. 

As an aside, there are chickens, roosters and bantams everywhere running wild. @Connor joked they will soon be declared the state's national bird. This farm was no exception, they were scurrying around underfoot pecking up any nut remains.

Tummies were rumbling and lunch was preordered (thank goodness) at Fumi's. A very non descript "shrimp shack" in the middle of nowhere that was teaming with business. Had to line up to get your order and we had to employ  a military operation, complete with scouts and diversionary tactics, to claim a table space for the group. The spicy shrimp were ON FIRE, the garlic shrimp were AROMATIC and the buttery shrimp were, well, BUTTERY  There was not a complaint anywhere. Ample, very generous serves and great flavour.

No complaints 

All of this was just a prelude to the major attraction of the day- the swim and "jump off the rock" time at Waimea Bay. Beautiful. Refreshing.  Calm - no rips, undertows or pounding waves. Just a float in that beauty that was the clear blue water. 

The young ones made a beeline for the rock face which was a natural diving point. Jumped and screamed their way through their best tricks inspired by a 5 year old local who was fearless.

 We amused ourselves with the entertainment of the dolphins just off shore - they were putting on their own diving show. Undeterred by @Connor asking us to sign a swimming waiver, we did the dash across the burning sand and loved the freedom of the water.

Dolphin show and a dip

All that water works up an appetite and the last food stop was the Dole Pineapple Plantation. I had no interest in anything other than the icecream. Was not interested in the history, how the pineapples are grown, the train ride or the souvenirs. It was all about the ice-cream. 

Definitely outdid ourselves with the waffle boat. @Mac left me unsupervised at the icecream counter while he went off to, at last, score a coffee. I came away with a dessert for four! What a win and I confess, I licked my fingers!

Oops, that was a serving for four

Homeward bound  just 45 mins back to downtown Honolulu and a stretch of the legs at the only palace in the United States - Lolani Palace - the palace of the Hawaiin Royal Family. Lots of history shared here and I finally got to learn about the impressive Monkey Pod tree.

 

Forget all the pomp and ceremony and history. The major story here was around the FINES for jaywalking, walking across the road while using your phone and transiting in a T2 lane without any passengers. All discussion points with @Connor because as our group stepped out onto the crossing after leaving the Palace, a car didn't stop for the group. A policeman on his bike pulled the car over. Apparently that was a $350 fine.

Very grateful that we were able to be dropped off right at the door of the Ilikai - saved us a 35 minute walk home.

Fell onto the balcony and re-lived the day to the backdrop of a sunset accompanied by lashings of iced water and responsible serves of white wine.

A great adventure - very appreciative of the efforts of @Mindy and @Ian in putting it together and then making sure everyone was having a super day. Hope they did too! 💋🤞

Step count: 16752

Weather: 30-25 ... same same

Day 4: HOĹO to KUALOA RANCH

Woke up when the whim took us - 7.30 for me and 9.00 for @Mac. I took up guard on the deck and watched the comings and goings of the harbour and streets below and even had time to complete Wordle (have lost my "streak!")

Yesterday's breakfast as leftovers today (smoothie and pancakes) tasted just as good this morning. @Mac made his second attempt at the coffee shop downstairs, it was open but he was 19th in the queue and opted for cold drinks from the grocery instead.

Feel like we are settling in - boiled the jug, rearranged the furniture (twice), repacked our cubes and got Alexa to play some tunes. Great start to the day.

We were heading in the same direction as the #Squad today but we were going "old school - dinosaur method" - they went door to door with Uber - we loaded the HOLO card with a day pass and found bus 60 for a 1 hour 17 min and 64 stop ride. Gotta love public transport. Funnily enough we do!!

Matchy matchy - pick the dinosaur

Had one little detour too many and stood on the side of the road and waved to the driver of our "intended" bus (he must have thought we were nutters.) We were about 80 metres short and I'm sure @Mac could have easily sprinted for it ... me, not so much.

In all seriousness, the real hold up is the traffic. Every corner is controlled by traffic lights and the wait time for light changes does seem interminable- if we hadn't had the crazy wait times at each of our three crossings, would have nailed the timing for the bus. And also noting NOBODY jaywalks - don't see any mad dashes across the roads and we haven't seen any police, traffic controllers or security. It just seems the "done thing" that everyone is compliant. We are still in the "never know which way to look" phase and definitely stick to the crossings.

Minor adjustment to the sundial cause we missed the bus

Enjoyed our ride on TheBus as it took us across to the windward side of the island. Was a journey in three parts - lots of stops at the beginning and at the end of the journey route, accompanied by long expanses of highway driving without any stops. Went over the mountains, in the valleys, trailed along the shores and were fascinated by the steep corrugated ridge that ran parallel to the coast that was constantly shrouded in cloud cover.

TheBus adventure

TheBus delivered us right on the dot of schedule at 12.30 - the exact time that @Mindy and @Ian left for their 2 hour ebike adventure from Kualoa Ranch.

What an interesting place. Really it is a junction or jumping off point for lots of adventures - biking, horse riding, movie set tours, jungle adventures, beach water sports or ocean rides. We hadn't quite made up our minds what we wanted to do ... that was an advantage really because all but TWO of the tours for the day ... and some for many days ahead ... were completely booked out! It's Monday, I say, why aren't all these people at their day jobs?

TheBus right to the front gate

With a choice of a visit to the unused farms or a ride on a catamaran, we opted for the latter, the Ocean Adventure. Had 40 minutes to kill and settled in for some greasy fish and chips (they were good) just to line the stomach for the impending rock of the catamaran.

Fish 'n chips to settle the tummy

Ticked all the boxes - was informative, relaxing and fun AND although some passengers on the lower deck got drenched, we were perched up high on the top deck right next to the skipper and it was smooth sailing for us. Tour was a combo: a 5 minute bus ride, then smaller "canoe" across the lagoon, a stroll through the forest and then onto the catamaran for an hour in the water hunting for turtles. We saw heaps (all signifying longevity and luck) and had magnificent views back to the island.

Crossed the lagoon and walked to the secret beach

It was all about The Chinaman's Hat

Was smooth cruisin' all the way

Not that we are into TV series or movie buffs, but along with the history of the area there were a lot of references to movie locations that were set on the ranch.

Each group on tour was invited to share "where are you from" - we were the only Australians and @Mac laughed along with the kangaroo hat and BBQ jokes. Was lots of ribbing by crew member @Anthony and it did keep everyone laughing and entertained.

Reflecting on Kualoa Ranch - think it too is in a bit of a reawakening stage. Must have been devoid of tourists for 2 years and now it is packed. Staff everywhere and helpful but you get the feeling facilities are a little "tired." Our latest tourist attraction back home was Australia Zoo and it was "pristine" - almost as shiny as a pin.  Kualoa was rattle trap buses and porta-loos - definitely nothing to complain about in our interactions or in our Ocean Adventure. 

Trip back to Waikiki was in the glorious air-conditioning of TheBus and we are feeling pretty proud of ourselves - even had to do a quick bus change to complete the route. #Naturals.

Stopped off at Ala Moana Shopping Mall and stocked up on some fresh fruit for tomorrow and then hit the food court for a quick dinner - we wanted to get back to Ilikai for our first balcony sunset. 

Dinner choices were quick and we were on track for perfect timing.

HOWEVER, in the clear Hawaiin sky, yep, you guessed it, there was one lone black cloud.

I admit it- I drank the wine anyway under false pretences. Here's to tomorrow - a very early start!

PS #Squad adventure was also a Koaloa Ranch but they were on an intermediate eBike tour. They followed up with a quick round trip and then hiked Diamond Head! Talk about stamina. Having a little chuckle cause @Mindy has booked a snorkelling tour for us later in the week with the #Squad but has sent a "reassuring" pic of the "trolley" service to get you up amd down the hill! I ❤ @MindyMoofromCountryTwo 

Step count: 9728 (bus and boat did the heavy lifting today)

Weather: 30-25

Day 3: Birthday Beach Bash

Well Happy Birthday @Ian - a grand celebration and the reason we are here! Definitely worth it to soak up the sun and sand and to share the day with such a fabulous #Squad.

Eating - Round 1 - Breakfast

Had the blinds pulled and the air-conditioning on and it was the message at 9.30 from @Mindy that read "We're on our way" that was the impetus to tumble out of bed. 

The room was covered with layers of clothing from last night's drenching so did have to shove the "unmentionables" out of sight before donning the #Squad shirts- we are now "official!

Did the official present handover for the Birthday Boy and shared the stash of Aussie goodies - Chicken Twisties were inhaled and Cherry Ripes sampled. Big hits all round.

Breakfast was just downstairs at Cinnamon's and did include a Belinni, Bailey's, coffee hits and a smoothie as well as breakfast usuals AND a pancake stack. Thankfully no SPAM on the menu for us - still finding it hard to believe it is "iconic" Hawaiin fare right up there with leis, pineapples and ukuleles.Sure we will indulge eventually.

Eating - Round 2 - Grazing Lunch

Loaded up our gear and headed to Ala Moana Park and the lagoon for a beachside play. It was all beautifully set up with tents, tables, cushions, games, food and drinks AND we were all presented with our fresh flower lei!

The hours just disappeared - whether it was floating in the lagoon with the turtles, corn hole toss challenges on the sand (with very precise rules), or just eating and drinking in the shade of the tents, the laughs and stories just kept rolling on. 

Might need to make a mental note to self that warm wine, sipped surreptiously from a water bottle, in extremely warm conditions seems to speed up the effects of alcohol.

And @Mac should note that cushion surfing on the sand might lead to glasses leaping unnoticed out of your pocket. 

They weren't missed until we were home and they couldn't be found to use to see the door lock to punch in the numbers. @Mindy saved the day again and luckily the hostess had located them in the pack up. Had to jump through some hoops to retrieve them - but he is reunited.

Eating - Round 3 - Dinner

We only had a 45 minute turnaround between leaving the beach and meeting at Dukes for dinner. We were close to on time - admittedly, the last to arrive.

Dukes is "beachfront", is massive and was lively. Probably needed some fine tuning of the hearing aids to catch all of the conversation but got the drinks and food orders sorted and then caught up on loads of uncensored stories and "gossip" from "life in Whistler." Only had to trade a few embarrassing childhood stories about @Mindy in return. 

Had the second round of birthday cake and another rendition of the birthday song. Only the cake this time was a @Dukes special of icecream, macadamias, chocolate fudge, cream and Oreos. It was served in a chunk, literally a mound of icecream cake,  and it was all forks in and every man for himself.

The young ones are out partying and no doubt drinking and dancing on tables!

We opted for a walk home and some balcony time. Got live music in the courtyard below, great vista of the marina and hints of an ocean  Got our Hilo bus cards on the walk home and @Mac is busy prepping our timetable options. Think it will be an early night.

Step count: 18 546 (one new blister)

Weather: 30 -25 

Day 2: A do-over at Waikiki - mind boggling

August 27: It's an International Dateline thing. It's still Saturday - because once wasn't enough, we get to do Saturday all over again - this time with the added bonus of @Mindy and @Ian and the #KeenCrew or #TheSquad

Found her!

Flying High

Sydney to Hawaii was 10 hours of down time- stockings, slippers, blood thinners, an aisle seat for exercise and toilet convenience, a book, puzzles, movies, special meals, snacks, a few wines and some zzzzzzs. MASKS were on hand but not mandatory on faces and fellow passengers were all similarly ensconced, shoulder to shoulder, in their noise cancelled world. 

@Mac immediately changed his watch to Hawaii time and made sure we caught some (very few) zzzzzs in preparation for the day ahead.

The "special pre ordered dietary required" meal arrived piping hot before everyone else's, but have to acknowledge that for the first two hours after the flight levelled out and headed north, it was a constant stream of snacks, drinks and meals. Not sure the rum nip was what @Mac pours himself at home but it was #Bundy.

Where’s the rest?

Have had concerns about being covid free and now travelling in confined spaces with lots of people. Wrapped my head in my scarf to try and make a little isolation tent because it really was a journey of nearly 9000 kms, 9 + hours and over 2 trillion coughs. Even the noise-cancelling headsets couldn't drown out the constant hacking - and I was haunted by those opening scenes of Contagion where the streams of infectious droplets spray from every cough.

.

Taxiis and Tipping

Despite leaving Sydney late (and in darkness and rain) we taxied into Honolulu on time, in daylight and under a fire ball of sunlight. 

We were definitely very pleased at the prospect of being off Flight 103 and  out in the fresh air and sunshine 

A little surprised at the "Aloha walk" from Qantas to Border Security, luggage pickup and customs. Could have easily done with a packed lunch it was so far - there was even a transit bus we could have jumped on but seriously deluded ourselves into thinking the end had to be around the next corner. The airport is definitely in a "reawakening to tourism" stage with loads of unoccupied stores and a distinct damp, dank musty smell in all the carpeted spaces.

Welcome to Honolulu

Predictably, the taxi rank was another hike away from the exit but we were fortunate to jag an elderly, long time retired from his real job, expat South Korean as our driver. He thoroughly entertained and informed with topics ranging from cab licensing and costs and the impact of covid on tourism, to the importance of unionisation for fair pay to the history of the iconic spots on route to the Ilikai - our home for the next 7 days.

We lumbered into the foyer just after 11 and did a "sneaky" check of the room despite checkin not being until 4 pm. We knew the cleaners weren't expected until after 1.30. We had the access code so jumped in, did a change of clothes, connected to the WiFi to check messages and then promptly packed everything up and went back to the foyer and stored our luggage.

 @Mindy had been quite "prolific" in her attempts to verify that we had actually landed and was trying to get us on the catamaran for some snorkelling. Unfortunately we were just a little tardy on this one and had to miss out.

Footsore and head-over -heels adventures

Time to hit the beach and do some exploring. Took in the marina, the lagoon and the whites and blues of Waikiki Beach and then did a trek of the main drag to find a hole in the wall Vietnamese place for lunch. Back to the Ilaki for a refreshing dip in the pool and were excited to receive a message at 3 o'clock that the room was ready.

Beach walking

Pool fun

After upacking, a shower and employing every trick available to stay awake, eventually hit the road again to meet up with @Mindy and @Ian and the #Squad. This was not without its own set of challenges - we went to the wrong hotel, didn't have enough time to get to the meet up by the deadline, had no phone/data access to confirm new plan AND we were two very footsore soldiers.

We missed them at the Outrigger, but with careful detective work @Mac found them amongst the hundreds gathered on the beach for the evening hula show. Loved the hula show - troops of all ages taking to the stage to tell stories through dance. Young and old alike - all very graceful and alluring.

And the backdrop of course, was the spectacle of the setting sun .... absolutely stunning. 

The beach was packed at almost 7 o'clock to catch the changing colours as the sun seemed to just drop into the ocean.

That little stellar moment was only outshone by me  tumbling head over heels and falling flat on my face trying to take a few steps to get a better picture of the sunset. I was so embarrassed - didn't even make time to think - simply dug the new knee into the sand and pushed myself up. It's a miracle.

A tale of two ends of town

Talk about chalk and cheese. The Ilakai (or marina end) of Waikiki is a sleepy little collection of high rises in comparison with the Outrigger precinct. 

Oh my goodness, it is truly alive at that end of town. People, entertainment, shops, traffic, food, lights, gardens, highrise ... everything is running on steroids - so big and loud and over the top - with an endless vibe of fun, freedom and good times.

You have absolutley no idea which way to look, it is all mind boggling. And way too much stimulus for one day - need more time to take it all in.

Drowned rats

@Mindy to the rescue to get us set up with a mobile phone plan and an alternate shoe solution for painful, blistered feet. We threw in a quick visit to their spectacular over-the-sands accommodation and then we pulled the plug and started our trek home. 

Got sidetracked for dinner at a fabulous Thai restaurant (lucky to get a table ANYWHERE) and finished the last 20 minutes of our walk home in increasingly heavy rain.

Arrived back at the Ilikai very wet but still laughing because our "easy" day had turned into a marathon.

That was a real do-over - got to do Saturday twice! Been up for 36 hours now with about 4 hours sleep ..... looking forward to some zzzzzzs so that we can be ready and refreshed to celebrate tomorrow with the Birthday Boy.

Steps: 18550

Weather: 30-24 with evening shower

Day 1: Hula hips, ukuleles. luaus, muumuus and mai tais: aloha it's Hawaii

 August 28: If you've called @Mac in the last fortnight this has been his Beach Boys rendition used as his pickup and welcome ...

🎵🎶 Go to Hawaii

(Hawaii) Hawaii (Hawaii)

Straight to Hawaii (Hawaii, Hawaii)

Oh do (Honolulu, Waikiki) you wanna come along with me🎵🎶

.... and all I can say is that you are fortunate you can only hear him, because it has been accompanied by his stellar and renowned "Daddy Dance!" for those of us special enough to catch these performances LIVE.

It has definitely added to the fun and excitement of the countdown for our very first post covid overseas adventure. Hard to believe our last jaunt was January 2020 to South Africa - how fortunate we were to squeeze that one in before the world was no longer our oyster. 

Flying high - masked up for domestic

But, we're back and it does feel like we are newbies with lots of uncertainties and unknowns with changing rules and requirements and new procedures. The old pocket pat down of "passport, tickets and money" is now more like "passport, credit card, Visa, US entry attestation, covid QR code declaration and a mobile phone with every APP download for every booking made and, yes, the MASKS and HAND SANITISER." Oh, and as an added extra, reflective of an ageing clientele, don't forget, you need to carry your "parts listing card" for your knee replacement to get through security.

So what are we in for? Just a short one really - a toe in the water for a resumption of travel - only a couple of weeks away. First week on Oahu joining in the celebrations of @Ian's destination birthday followed by a 7 day cruise around the islands on NCL's Pride of America.

And yes, we've read all the stories of long lines, lost luggage, cancelled flights, delays, missed connections and the threatened strikes. Been warned of staff shortages and floating petri dishes of cruise ships and trolled all the reviews of closed bars and specialty restaurants. But really "who cares" - need to break out and just do it. We're "vaxed to the max" and have got travel insurance so feeling optimistic.

Morning shenanigans 

Had to do the final titillation for cleaning and household chores because we always want to be neat and tidy for the burglars AND want the police to be able to tell the difference between burgled and unburgled if that ever happens. 

A cooked breakfast to use up the last of the consumables. Parting little drink for the garden and a drop-off of the orchids to the "babysitters" @Aunty Gail and @Paul. Our orchid last flowered in December 2020 ... what's the bet it breaks out in bloom while we are away!

Looking a little too settled @babysitters

I even had time to knock out a neighbourhood catchup party invite for our place in October and @Mac did the walk around letterbox drop.

All sooo sooooo relaxed - overseas travel is almost a new experience in retirement mode - had oodles of time to be ready. Mind you, true to form, @Mac only packed "the day before."

Domestic terminal bliss

Add this one to the list of "another new experience" - "Long term Parking." Not quite our door-to-door @Michael experience but not too shabby. @Mac dropped me at the terminal with the luggage and then went back to park and do the bus commute - he was the only passenger on the 56 seater! He did confess he had a few little hiccups scanning in to the carpark - after repeated swipes of his carefully printed and folded QR code he had not received any sort of audio or visual feedback that it had been accepted - so he just kept twirling and rotating-  thank goodness he glanced up because the boom gate was actually up waiting for him to enter! Bet they were getting a good chuckle viewing the security monitor.

Still in awe of our Qantas checkin experience. We were first up in the International baggage drop queue and the gentleman who took care of all our paperwork and checks was AMAZING. 

No chaos here

Nervously lined up for the first security scan with the "new knee" - what an anti climax. Nothing happened! The security guard joked with me "It must have rusted out, I didn't see anything." He quickly followed this up with a "Just joking, all good." I was expecting flashing lights and sirens. Hope it is this easy for the next few.

Don't mind admitting that for our first run post covid we were at the airport waaay too early. Content to have a lunch and an amble through the terminal and then laughed our way through 30 minutes of tracking our luggage. @Mindy and @Ian have a fancy-pancy-you-beaut technical tracker - we have @Mac. He spotted our luggage on the tarmac, gave a running commentary on its progress and enjoyed the mishap of the cart driver who forgot to hook up the trailers.

Old school tracking

Masked up and boarded, and right on the dot of 2.10, on schedule, our 737 backed up and we were winging our way to Sydney.

And, I haven't lost the knack, still managed to fall asleep on the one hour flight. 

International take-off

Pretty easy transfer to Gate 15 and the Qantas transfer - only a 20 minute wait for the next bus and a guarantee from the staffer that "There's plenty of time, it's a quiet day."

And he was right. The terminal is extraordinarily quiet.

Hope the flight is this empty!

No wait in a security line up- straight in to scan our passport, absolute silence on the security screening and within a heartbeat we were out and in Duty Free.

Disappointed that we were already over the Bundy Rum limit for entry into USA in our checked luggage so no purchases for us.

A wander, a coffee, a desperate squeeze into compression stockings and that's it .... 10 hours in the air and we'll pop out stateside. 

They have arrived.

Settled!