On the long way home I first went to Australia. Well after a bit of hassle. I had trouble shedding tears leaving India. I knew that most of my coworkers I would see again. There are people who I knew I would miss but at the end of two years there I was exhausted and just ready for clean air and roads I can walk down and smiles from friendly faces instead of (given not malicious but mostly only curious but still) empty stares. So I didn't cry at my farewells at work. And I didn't cry when leaving my wheel's up.
And I was told that I would share my car to the airport with someone who would be arriving at Post that evening (sunrise, sunset). But then it was changed because what if my flight was delayed and the car couldn't get there in enough time? My response was I wouldn't be checking flight times and I was going to the airport at my designated time come hell or high water because one way or another I was getting on a plane that evening!!!
I get to the airport and I turn over all my stuff - keys, forms, blackberry - to the driver. I head in and yet again the whole airport is arranged differently and security procedures changed but not explained (I lived there 2 years, flew into 18 different Indian airports, visited Sri Lanka thrice, saw Bali, Bangkok, Singapore, had 10 visitors fly into Chennai....I had a LOT of experience with what I declare tied for the worst airport in India...and hands down winner of most disgusting bathrooms in any airport in the entire world in my experience but I digress).
I make it to the front of the line with my oversized bag. The check in dude asks me for my ticket and passport. I give him my dip passport (one of two on me but the one with the Indian visa) and he asks me where my Australian visa is. I explain that I will be traveling on my tourist passport and a visa is not required. I give him my tourist passport. He still insists I need a visa. Then he explains that I needed to check in online with Australia. He tells me to go do that. I calmly ask how do you expect me to do that now? He basically tells me to have my people do that and chastises me since my travel agent should have done this (yeah don't get me started on the ineptitude of the travel agent at Post, the rest of the management section was a dream and far exceeded my expectations but wow was the travel agent a dud, a contracted dud). Deep breath and I explain I can't do that, I don't have my phone, I don't have internet access. He gives me a does not compute look and just repeats that I need to check in and get pre-authorization before I can board.
I bawl. Hard. Sobbing, gasping for air bawling. The does not compute look turns to pure why is the white lady crying panic in check in dude and he gets a manager. A very nice manager who takes my passports and says he'll go in his office and do the check in for me. The startled check in dude tells me I need to step aside and wait until the authorization comes through. I cry again and say I just can't move this big bag any further. He starts to tell me I have to but I gasp my tears and he sends a dude to move my bag for me. Okay so maybe I was milking it at that point but once I started crying I couldn't stop and all the amazing things about India came to mind and the fabulous family that was created in our community was in my thoughts and I realized that I really would miss so much about this country of absolute extremes and had I ever stopped to process the effect all of it would have on me? So the tears at first may have been for show but once started I could not stop and I just plunked down on my bag and had at it while incredibly terrified dudes tried to stay as far as possible from me.
Seriously, why did I learn the trick to getting personal space in my last hours in India???? Maybe I should write the CLO and have it put in the manual for new arrivals.
The nice manager guy comes out and asks me some silly questions and I give him some silly answers. Eventually I procure a boarding pass and head to Kuala Lumpur (such an awesome airport!!!!) and then Sydney. At Sydney I hand the immigration officer my tourist passport. He looks it over, does some computer stuff then asks do you have any OTHER passports? Um, yeah I say and hand over my other two dip passports. And that is how I learned what the Australian look for my isn't this person shady looks like. The nice immigration officer asks me to wait.
Another immigration officer comes and takes all my passports and leads me to a bench. Gulp. And yes the irony of having just been a visa officer for the past two years and then not knowing the visa requirements for Australia and then being taken a little tad bit to almost secondary was not lost on me. I sit on my bench thinking about it but mostly just laughing and loving that I AM IN AUSTRALIA!!!!! The immigration officer comes back, asks a few questions, tells me that my online application had been done on my dip passport and that my first and middle names had been entered as one and then he welcomes me to Australia and tells me to enjoy my stay! I'm in!!!!
I get my bag and get in a cab and am in love with cars staying in lanes and the quiet of the road, no honking, no yelling, no fireworks, no public urination/defecation. Sydney is nice. I check in and exhaustedly make it to my room. After spending 9 months vegetarian (about 2 of that vegan) I call up room service and pretty much ask them to back a cow and a knife and a few glasses of red wine up to the little table. It was delicious.
The next day I go on an amazing tour on a bus with a driver who thought I was shady because I said I was "between places" when asked where I live. We first went to a really cool zoo where kangaroos were just hopping all around. I got to feed some of them and then they fought each other for the cone that my food had been in. Rad. Later in the trip I ate kangaroo on a pizza with cranberry. Delicious. Apparently kangaroos don't want to kill each other when they fight. And usually they fight over chicks. So once the beaten kangaroo just puts his face down on the ground, basically saying uncle, the fight is over. If you are ever being beaten by a kangaroo remember that. Poor kangaroo probably just thought you were after his woman, put your head down and stay away from his gal and you'll be fine. I also got to pet a koala bear. Omigosh it was so cute and cuddly!
Then we drove into the blue mountains, blue because of the eucalyptus trees. Some hiking and we saw the three sisters monument. Then we went to Scenic World and did a really cool cable car and then the world's steepest train which used to be just for coal and then I walked through the rain forest and saw old wreckage of coal mining equipment and it looked right out of the show Lost. And then we went to the Olympic village and took a ferry through the harbor and I got my first view of the Sydney Opera House. A festival was going on and all sorts of crazy light show effects were happening on this already surreal looking monument.
The next day I did the Sydney Bridge Climb. I took the sunset tour which started at 3 pm. They made us wear strange suits and get ourselves all attached to these cable things but it was still really cool walking up the support system of the bridge and then being on top for sunset, looking down at all the cars and looking out to the amazing view of the harbor and the city, watching the sunlight fade and the city lights turn on. And did I mention they did this on America's Next Top Model?
I had so much fun on the Blue Mountain tour that I booked again through the same company and ended up with the same driver for the Hunter Valley wine tour. A beautiful day learning about Shiraz and watching the grapes grow. Yum.
The last day in Australia I had a reservation at Quay, listed as the 22nd best restaurant in the world. It was a cold but clear day and I first walked down and around the harbor and the Opera House. The restaurant is right on the harbor with excellent views of the water, the Opera House, the bridge. I chose the tasting menu with wine pairings. Ten beautiful courses and wines. The sommelier at around course 5 asked if I was driving. I said no and she said oh thank goodness because I've been pouring you kind of heavy. I said I know and THANK YOU! What lovely food although I'm still confused about the "ethical foie gras". I asked and they said they don't force feed. Hmmmm. Wow I just realized the time.....well next time I'll talk about finally getting back to the U.S. because I left Sydney and arrived in Hawaii!!!!!
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