The Trek Continued
My next flight from Shanghai to Sydney was all but full, not a pleasant situation for passengers who want room to stretch out and sleep. I didn’t sleep, but everyone else within eyesight did a good imitation of it.
Cabin staff were predominately middle aged and cheerful Aussie men, an unusual demographic in my airline experience. Soon after takeoff we were offered a full meal which I had not expected so late at night. My expensive, $8+, but pathetic attempt of a meal at Shanghai Airport had been unnecessary. Where I come from, that’s an expensive meal.
The stars over the ocean and Australia were numerous and beautiful. It was a real starry, starry night. Just after crossing the Australian continent into Arnhem land in the Northern Territory, dozens of small collections of lights were visible in an area I’d considered all but uninhabited. Normally when I have a window seat I see I good view of, and get good pictures of Australia’s landforms and landuse, but the air was not clear so I took few.
I was on the wrong side of the plane for the sunrise but, fortunately my neighbour alerted me to it so I had a quick look through another passenger’s window and snapped this photo.
I’ve seen and snapped it before with rich and wide orange/ochre hues.
This is what we saw on my side of the plane.
This is part of Sydney.
Despite leaving late we arrived in Sydney on time, but had to cool our heels on a runway while waiting for a plane to exit our docking point. I had some wooden and seed articles I had to show Quarantine officials, but fortunately they were considered non-threatening so my luggage escaped the visual and beagle dog check unscathed. I checked in for my domestic flight to discover it had been cancelled in the previous 12 hours and I was then rescheduled for a later one which according to the norm was late leaving too. According to the norm for every other vehicle I have travelled on in the last months which has overtaken or made up time, it too made up time and I arrived on schedule into the loving arms of Number 2 son, who not only carried my bags but had chocolate. Numbers 1 and 3 were overseas.
This is Lake George near Canberra which was empty of water whenever I flew over it last.
After 12 hours of sleep, 3 animal visitations and a further 2 hours of dozing I am ready to face Australia before I start it all again soon. I am happy to see the blue sky, fresh air, be able to clean my teeth and drink from tap water and have appropriate sanitation. I could do a whole blog on Chinese toilets of my acquaintance.