Justinf
Established Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Posts
- 2,202
Up at 6.30am again and made a cuppa and watched one final sunrise.
We had breakfast and then checked out at 10am. Bus to the airport wasn't until 11.50am. With only Silver Virgin Australia status, there would be no priority check in as our premium upgrade bid had been unsuccessful.
Finally when it came time to board the bus, I got Liv to hop on and grab a seat at the front while I hung around and made sure our bags were the last ones loaded. Method to this madness believe me.
When we arrived at the airport, we were first off and our bags were also first off so we were able to scoot into check in and be in line. Soon enough the line snaked all the way out the door. With a Jetstar flight and a VA flight leaving around the same time, the small airport was chockers.
It started raining quite heavily which was a pity as I would have loved to have seen the Rock in the rain. Oh well.
The airport was a zoo, albeit a small zoo.
I was seated in 8C and Liv was in 8D which meant we were not seated together but on the aisle across from each other. Flight time was two and a half hours.
It was a 1.50pm departure and all we were served was a muffin and a few specks of overly sweet dried apricot. I bought a beer. But the food offering was pretty ordinary for that length of flight.
Watched Ted 2 and the flight went reasonably quickly. Some stunning views of Sydney on approach.
We arrived at Gate 40 and as luck would have it, our flight to MEL was leaving from gate 40. It was 5.25pm by the time we disembarked and with a 6pm departure to MEL, it was barely worth going to the Lounge. Instead we waited at the bar across from the gate and boarding was called at 5.40pm. I had time for a sneaky Coopers Red.
I didn't take any pics of the flight home, but the 6pm 'dinner' service consisted of a bag of pretzels...and...that's it. Complimentary beer and wine were being served and I ordered a red wine, but only had a couple of sips as I had to drive back home once we landed in MEL. Flight time was an hour exactly.
After our huge dinner of a tiny bag of pretzels, we went through the drive-through at Maccas and got home at 9.30pm, exhausted but with memories that would last the rest of our lives.
I highly recommend going to the red centre. If you are thinking about it, just do it when you can afford it and when it's convenient. Don't put it off. it's magical, alluring, mysterious and you leave with a deep respect for the Anangu people who have been living in this harsh environment for tens of the thousands of years.
I felt priviledged and honoured that they let me share this amazing place with their blessing.
Thanks for reading.
next bucketlist trip - Christmas in San Francisco and New Year in Vegas and then Alaska in February.
We had breakfast and then checked out at 10am. Bus to the airport wasn't until 11.50am. With only Silver Virgin Australia status, there would be no priority check in as our premium upgrade bid had been unsuccessful.
Finally when it came time to board the bus, I got Liv to hop on and grab a seat at the front while I hung around and made sure our bags were the last ones loaded. Method to this madness believe me.
When we arrived at the airport, we were first off and our bags were also first off so we were able to scoot into check in and be in line. Soon enough the line snaked all the way out the door. With a Jetstar flight and a VA flight leaving around the same time, the small airport was chockers.
It started raining quite heavily which was a pity as I would have loved to have seen the Rock in the rain. Oh well.
The airport was a zoo, albeit a small zoo.
I was seated in 8C and Liv was in 8D which meant we were not seated together but on the aisle across from each other. Flight time was two and a half hours.
It was a 1.50pm departure and all we were served was a muffin and a few specks of overly sweet dried apricot. I bought a beer. But the food offering was pretty ordinary for that length of flight.
Watched Ted 2 and the flight went reasonably quickly. Some stunning views of Sydney on approach.
We arrived at Gate 40 and as luck would have it, our flight to MEL was leaving from gate 40. It was 5.25pm by the time we disembarked and with a 6pm departure to MEL, it was barely worth going to the Lounge. Instead we waited at the bar across from the gate and boarding was called at 5.40pm. I had time for a sneaky Coopers Red.
I didn't take any pics of the flight home, but the 6pm 'dinner' service consisted of a bag of pretzels...and...that's it. Complimentary beer and wine were being served and I ordered a red wine, but only had a couple of sips as I had to drive back home once we landed in MEL. Flight time was an hour exactly.
After our huge dinner of a tiny bag of pretzels, we went through the drive-through at Maccas and got home at 9.30pm, exhausted but with memories that would last the rest of our lives.
I highly recommend going to the red centre. If you are thinking about it, just do it when you can afford it and when it's convenient. Don't put it off. it's magical, alluring, mysterious and you leave with a deep respect for the Anangu people who have been living in this harsh environment for tens of the thousands of years.
I felt priviledged and honoured that they let me share this amazing place with their blessing.
Thanks for reading.
next bucketlist trip - Christmas in San Francisco and New Year in Vegas and then Alaska in February.
we've all watched it lol
Good selfies are underestimated 
