11 June

After dozing during the night (I just couldn’t get comfortable – I should have looked for four seats empty together), breakfast came around at about 5:30 Melbourne time. All was finished with that and all was packed away when we descended into Sydney, arriving about 7:35. That was when the situation deteriorated.
After taxiing to our arrival gate, we were off fairly quickly. The luggage for those of us on connecting flights arrived quickly, but then we all formed into just two lines for immigration and customs. It took nearly half an hour to get to the immigration desk, but only a moment to go through. Then it was a few minutes to customs and quarantine, and a short wait to have everything x-rayed again. I passed through okay, and my statement about having Vegemite as a food with me must have amused them because there was a chuckle as I passed.
Then it was off to Qantas transfers. A long wait, with all of us looking at times on boarding passes and being worried because of being late. I and others needn’t have worried – because the flight I was booked on had been cancelled between leaving Tokyo and arriving in Sydney. A consultation with another clerk, a quick look on the computer and I was changed from the non-existent 8:40 flight to a 9:30 one. I fared better than the Lorne couple, as they were on a 10:30 flight, but with no boarding gate.
Then it was through security screening again, where despite doing the same as at every other airport, I set the alarm off. It let me through after I put all the tissues in my pocket through the x-ray.
Then it was waiting for the transfer bus. After ten minutes, it came and after another five, we left.
When we arrived at the departures, we were pointed in the general direction of where to go, but it was a case of the blind (me) leading the blind (all the others) – but we did make it into the terminal. I found my gate lounge, but then had to wait another forty minutes.
Once on the aircraft, we had to wait because a 747 beat us out, and then taxied right to the end of the strip in Botany Bay before we could take off. Then, instead of heading to Melbourne, we took the scenic route along the coast for about ten minutes before heading inland. Finally, at about 10:40 we landed.
Once off, I went to get my luggage – and found a flight from Perth had its luggage on the same carousel, despite one being empty next to us. Through a forest of people, I was able to find my luggage after a considerable wait. Then, out I went to catch the Gull Bus home, to find – it had left a few minutes before and I now had to wait until noon.
The bus left on time at 12:15, I arrived in Werribee and walked over to the taxi stand (gee, luggage seems to get heavier the closer to home I got) and caught a taxi home.
At 1:20, I was home.
Volume One of my world travels was over – volume two is still to come.
Resume reading in mid-August!