My first stop was a one-day layover in San Francisco to collect myself and have one last stateside hurrah. I didn't get to see my cousins while I was in town, but my friend Andrew was gracious enough to let me sleep for hours on end and take me out for pupusas and a brunch restaurant with a "Make your own Bloody Mary" bar. Overall, a successful endeavor.
My flight from SFO to Sydney was nice - I even got "upgraded" to what used to be a Premium Economy seat on Qantas. Still economy service, but a bigger chair - with a footrest and fuller recline! I slept through most of this journey, waking up only for my gluten-free meals and bathroom breaks. Lucky me. :)
Once in Sydney, I started a long day of unfortunate occurrences. One of my bags didn't make the flight. I got delayed 45 minutes waiting for/reporting the lost bag. I missed my subsequent flight to Perth. Ninety minutes later, I was booked on the last flight of the day to Perth, but I had to make it via Melbourne, and that flight left in 30 minutes. I stood in line for 25 minutes waiting to pay my "extra baggage" fee for the third time, and finally made it through security and on to Melbourne. Eight hours later, I was in Perth, watching the luggage conveyor go around and around without producing yet another one of my bags. Thankfully, my friend Mark was there to help me load what was left of my baggage. I've been told that my experience was an exceptionally bad one for Qantas, so don't fret if you're planning to come visit.
I spent the rest of the first day cleaning up, eating a good meal (including kangaroo - which is delicious), watching Transformers 2 (to beat the jet lag), and eventually curling up next to a space heater and a four-foot teddy bear. Pictures to come.
Thanks to everyone who helped me get here! This adventure is slowly sinking in as reality. Please follow along and don't forget to post some comments or shoot me an email to let me know you're keeping up from across the globe. :)
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