20TH - 30TH JANUARY

We had a 5 a.m. start which is always a bonus!!! Only kidding, we had to make such an early start due to the bus taking so long to make its way to the airport, at least we could sleep on it so it wasn’t too bad!

We boarded the plane took our seats and were all ready to go when the pilot announced that the flight would be delayed, due to someone checking in 6 bags and not boarding the plane. So all the bags needed to be taken off, the 6 bags removed then all put back on. In the mean time, it seemed that either most of the people on the plane had either not asked for seats together or just been given any old seat, so the vast majority of the people on the plane were trying to rearrange their own seating. It was all becoming a little tedious, especially as it was going to be such a long flight, but I guess we’ve been lucky with all of flights up to yet so we

couldn’t complain too much. The rest of the flight was OK and we helped pass by time with the aid of some red wine and a catch up sleep! Due to our late departure we had to phone the hostel straight away when we landed as their last check in time was 10.00 p.m. and it was 9.45 when we landed, thankfully we got through to them and they left us a key under the mat! The customs at Sydney is pretty hardcore about what you can and can’t bring into Australia so everything has to be x-rayed again. We got through no problem but it meant that we would now have to get a taxi into town rather than the shuttle bus. We had been told on the plane what sort of price to expect, but the taxi drivers were having none of it and charged us way over the odds. They all gave us the same price so I guess there’s not a lot you can do. It is still annoying though.

We arrived in Kings Cross at around midnight and it