My 1st TR - SYD-MEL-SYD - The Quick Break From Work!!

[Alanslegal]

Hello All,
I had a bit of free time earlier this evening so thought I’d give a good go @ writing up my very first trip report, ever.
After brainstorming momentarily, it is very easy to get stuck on an idea! So it made me think that writing a report is actually much harder than I initially thought it would be. From the amount of time that is required to write up a story that flowed, to then vividly describe an experience, all the way through to the time it takes to transfer photos, the re-sizing of a photo to the point they are ready to be uploaded is very time consuming.
I can only applaud everyone who has had a crack @ writing up a TR and can only start to imagine the enormous time & effort some of our fellow AFF’s (eg. QF009, Simongr) have gone though to post such marvellous reports.
This report will be brief – it will be considered (by me) as a practice run, dummy test, a trial version, a first draft copy, the beta version and/or a demo – but more importantly it will show me how the finished report will be presented. Will the photos be too big? Too small? How about the size of the text? The layout? So many questions but only answered once the final result is seen, online.
I’d be more than happy to accept any feedback, good or bad.

Sunday 24 February 2008 @ 2:15pm
What: Australia v India – Commonwealth One Day International Cricket
Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Moore Park NSW
It was a postcard perfect day in Sydney to be the host of the One Day International Cricket between Australia and India. After much controversy in the past two months between these sides, it was good to see that both sides were out on the quick paced cricket ground, soaked under the cloudless blue skies.
I was seated quite high up in the Churchill Stand but had lovely views of the game. Paying AU$103 for the experience was most worth it and would be more enjoyable @ the game than watching it on TV in the comfort of your home or the QP.

“Australia’s Innings – M Clark batting, R Pointing @ non-strikers end”

 

[Alanslegal]

Monday 25 February 2008 @ 10:40am
What: JETSTAR JQ29 SYD - MEL
Where: Sydney International Airport, Terminal 1
I checked in around 9:30am and headed straight to the QP for a quick bite and drink.
At this time of day, the huge hordes of early business fliers have long left for their onward journey, so I was left with a near empty QP.
Simple breakfast choices included yoghurt, cereals, various toasts, croissants & quiches.
Beverages on hand were the usual, being various fruit juices, the all-in-one espresso coffee machine as well as the alcohol bar.
Shortly after 10am, staff were removing breakfast items and replacing them with lunch items. I took up the newly brought out mini vegetable wrap, as well as a small salmon sandwich. I grabbed a few bottles of water and headed for the JQ boarding gate @ 10:30am. The quick meal and juice was good since JQ does not provide these basic goodies, for them being a LCC.
I arrived at the designated gate and realised that boarding hasn’t commenced yet – aka flight is delayed.
It appears that there was an engine warning? And the engineers had to have a quick inspection before we were given the green light at around 11:20am.
The packs of awaiting people boarded the shuttle bus which takes us from the terminal to the awaiting JQ Airbus A330 plane, where we take a few steps on airport tarmac before climbing up a flight of stairs onto the plane. It reminded me of the HNL airport where you hop on these shuttle buses which take you to the main terminal.
I was assigned an aisle Seat in Row 33 – this is a standard JQ seat & nothing to write about other than being a delayed flight, the pilot had to fly faster to make up lost time and hence less time in this seat. Where’s the 3rd and 4th engine when you really need it??

“Here’s a view of my seat, it seems like a common picture many AFF’s are taking”

We arrived into Melbourne Tullamarine @ 12:45pm. 35 minutes behind schedule but at least we made it! Another problem emerged when everyone had to wait a minimum of 15minutes for the 1st bags to appear on the carousel. Many passengers were getting impatient, me included.

After retrieving my sole bag, I headed straight for the SkyBus stop to catch the 1st bus into Melbourne City. The price is $32 return isn’t too bad but can only be paid via cash? This is so not fair, I really wanted to earn some 32 FF points by using my credit card!

 

[Alanslegal]

Monday 25 February 2008 @ 2:00pm
What: The Westin Melbourne Hotel
Where: 205 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC
Being dropped off by the Skybus mini-shuttle @ The Westin Melbourne, I checked in at the designated time of 2:00pm.
There were two front desk consultants and I approached the empty Gold & Platinum line. I was served immediately and as A Starwood Gold member politely requested if I could get an upgrade out of my reserved Queen bed with No views. The FD consultant was friendly, pushed some buttons on his computer and offered me the choice of either a King room facing Swanston Street or a King bed with a balcony overlooking Collins Street. Naturally I took up the room with the balcony as I like to gaze outside and absorb the city atmosphere. Staying for only the one night, he also asked if I required a late 4:00pm check out, I accepted his offer but would have requested one if he did not ask.
The room was modern, fresh, inviting and well proportioned. Upon opening the curtains it revealed the city below, Collins & Swanston Streets. Outside noise was not a problem at all.

“The Room”

All the controls in the room were activated via soft touch buttons but it would have been a good if the curtains were electrically operated as well.
As usual, the heavenly beds are great but I have slept in a nicer bed in a hotel called The Hotel Angeleno in Brentwood-Bel Air, Los Angeles CA, where there they promote their beds as It’s All About The Bed and it is truly that!
The Westin monsoon heavenly showers are great providing extra jets, pressure and angles – it definitely revives you should you wish to turn the pressure on hard & fast!


“The View of Collins & Swanston Streets below”

I had a quick shower, a change of clothes and straight out of the hotel for some leisure / tourist things. With only 60 hours in Melbourne I had to pack in as many things as possible. The last time I was in Melbourne was a very long time ago, back in 2005 when I was here to witness my home team Sydney Swans defeat the West Coast Eagles @ the MCG.
Walked north up Swanston Street, detoured around Bourke Street, Little Collins Street, Little Bourke Streets, visiting the many arcades, blocks as well. Walked back down Elizabeth Street and intertwined myself in the various side streets until I got tired of walking and went back to the hotel to sit down and check my emails in the Westin lobby.[/font]

 

[Keith009]

Cheers for the nice words.

Loving the TR so far - awesome effort! Keep it up!

The Westin Melbourne is one of the best Westins in the world that I've experienced. Far surpasses the ones in America, Europe - and I even prefer it to the ones in BKK and KUL (and the latter 2 are great properties themselves). It's just a pity that it has to be in Melbourne as that means I have very limited opportunities to stay there.

 

[Yada Yada]

The Westin Melbourne is one of the best Westins in the world that I've experienced. Far surpasses the ones in America, Europe - and I even prefer it to the ones in BKK and KUL (and the latter 2 are great properties themselves). It's just a pity that it has to be in Melbourne as that means I have very limited opportunities to stay there.

I love Westin hotels. I've stayed at the Westin in MEL and it is a very nice hotel. However the best I've ever stayed at is the Westin St Francis at SFO. It's right on Union Square, with cable cars going past the front door. The glass tower rises up from the original old hotel building at the base, and the ride in the glass elevators on the outside of the building is stunning.

 

[Keith009]

I love Westin hotels.

Indeed, Westins are usually my next choice if a certain city lacks Ws or Art + Tech Le Meridiens. They usually have such a nice, refreshing feel to them. Unless they have ancient decors (or in real estate terms - "charming" ) or something like the Westin Rome. I like the clean line modern ones.

Sorry about the thread hijack, alanslegal.

 

[Alanslegal]

Sorry about the thread hijack, alanslegal.

Not a problem Am testing / practising how posting large amounts of information plus photos would work on this forum , am quite a newbie at this

I have stayed at the Westin St Francis SFO & Westin Gaslamp Quarter San Diego last year and they are all very solid hotels. Each had perfect location on Union Sq and Gaslamp Qtr respectively.


PS. need to mention that the Westin Gaslamp Quarter charged me $25USD for taking a hand towel home ...... thumbs down!

 

[serfty]

Not a problem Am testing / practising how posting large amounts of information plus photos would work on this forum , am quite a newbie at this ...

If you are testing, may I recommend you consider those who may need to use dial-up access now and than and keep the images small (file size).

I suggest centred image "Thumbnails" < 10Kb, with embedded links to larger versions.

Syntax:

[noparse]"[CENTRE]<image thumbnail URL>[/IMG]<new line>
<Image Title/Desc>[/CENTER][/noparse]"

e.g.

MEL First Check-in
Internal Door​

Cheers ...

 

[Alanslegal]

thanks, good pointer serfty.

 

[brissyflyer]

After retrieving my sole bag, I headed straight for the SkyBus stop to catch the 1st bus into Melbourne City. The price is $32 return isn’t too bad but can only be paid via cash? This is so not fair, I really wanted to earn some 32 FF points by using my credit card!

You can purchase tickets online in advance by credit card and then just print it out and the driver scans it. You can also get a discount by booking through some travel providers, I know Virgin Blue offer this.

 

[simongr]

Nice TR - always good to see people starting new TR's - I looked at some of my old ones and the style is a little different to now...

@serfty - Seriously how many people have dial up now? As a suggestion maybe just scale the picture size smaller and to a lower quality so a 2MB photo becomes a 96KB image - saves clicking through

 

[serfty]

@simongr, I employ dial up regularly. Big time this month as mini serfty got into facebook and blew 1/2 of my monthly broadband allowance in 3 days.

At home, I have an ADSL account as well as dial up (which I have used worldwide). The availably of complimentary wireless in recent times has reduced my need to use dial-up, but it is there.

However, when I do need to use it use it, it's a pain when 2 mbyte pages have to load. (~10 minutes)

IMHO, the example I employed is about right; a 4000 byte image linked to finer detail if desired.

 

[Alanslegal]

Though I’d just finish my TR, it was good to see how it ended up looking online, and how little tips along the way could make my next TR a bit better......

Food, Food, Food!
For those who love their food Melbourne has plenty of good food to choose from! There are endless rows of restaurants and cafes that one could go to but with such short time that I had, I visited a few well known places, and must say they were all great in their own way:

La Spaghetta @ Lygon Street – the First Italian Pasta House in Australia
This is a welcoming restaurant in the heart of Lygon Street, Carlton. It has a charming Italian feel and the simple yet traditional decor complimented this.
I couldn’t decide which pasta to eat so I went for a ‘Mixed Pasta’ combination. You may select up to three different pasta choices, and I chose the Penne Cabonara, Gnocchi al Gorgonzola and Spaghetti Marinara, plus a serving of salad. The pasta was unbelievable soft!

Koko Black Chocolate @ Royal Arcade
There are many Koko Black Chocolate Cafe stores scattered throughout Melbourne but the one located in the Royal Arcade exuded old world charm and elegance. I must say the first floor dining area overlooking the arcade was very warm and cosy indeed. I enjoyed the Chocolate Sampler as well as an Iced Chocolate Mocha and Hot Chocolate. A big must for the chocolate lover!

Melba @ The Langham Hotel
I visited Melba for their renowned buffet dinner (however those not wanting a buffet dinner may choose from their a-la carte menu). It is set in a contemporary setting that overlooks the Yarra River and enjoys expansive city skyline views.
A good selection of buffet food including several cooks on hand will cook to your selection. As usual the assortment of cakes was amazing. I really like how they provided bite size pieces of cake rather than actual slices. The reason is I love to try every cake and bite size pieces made it so easy to try them all!! Delicious!

To keep things short and simple, it was a lovely few days in Melbourne. The weather was perfect for the whole duration and can’t wait to visit again........

Until my next trip report - The Bucks Week! Happy travelling.

 

[simongr]

Until my next trip report - The Bucks Week! Happy travelling.

Now that sounds like a very very interesting report to come...

Thanks for the food photos

 

[KateMayo]

After retrieving my sole bag, I headed straight for the SkyBus stop to catch the 1st bus into Melbourne City. The price is $32 return isn’t too bad but can only be paid via cash? This is so not fair, I really wanted to earn some 32 FF points by using my credit card!

As brissyflyer correctly points out, you can buy tickets online in advance by credit card and then just print it out and get the driver to scan it. Not only does it cost less this way ($26 return) but the tickets are also valid for 12 months.

 

[KateMayo]

“Here’s a view of my seat, it seems like a common picture many AFF’s are taking”

Thanks for a great trip report Alanslegal. After reading most of QF009's trip reports, I fully understand the humour of the above photo.

I shall be flying RJ in J later in the year and am aiming for that to form the basis of my first ever trip report. I shall be sure to include the photo of my feet/legs as well!

 

[albatross710]

When wanting to resize lots of pictures I use a free utility Easy Thumbnails Software -- Free thumbnail utility from Fookes Software.

You can set your preferred thumbnail size so that all of your pics end up nice and neat. I fyo uare going to crop them, crop before resizing.

Then just upload the ones you want.

Great trip report...the meals looked far better than the QP.

 

[JohnK]

Very nice trip report.

Looking forward to your next trip report. Will it be taking place in Hong Kong and Thailand?

 

[Alanslegal]

Very nice trip report.
Looking forward to your next trip report. Will it be taking place in Hong Kong and Thailand?

thank q for + comments,

Yes we will be @ HK, Macao & Bangkok.



also thank q albatross710 for the freeware utility link, will def check it out.

 

[JohnK]

Yes we will be @ HK, Macao & Bangkok.

Since this is a "bucks party" trip I guess we will not be seeing many pictures of Wat's in Bangkok for the trip report.