Australia, the farewell tour: NSW Coast, Great Ocean Road, Tasmania then SYD-LHR in F
Apr 26, 2015, 5:37 am
#61
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Farewell to Sydney
How do you say goodbye to the city that you've lived in for the past three and a half years? Well, the way that I wanted to do it was to make sure that I'd seen and visited as much as I could. Firstly however, I need to pack up my apartment, no mean feat.
It took me a good couple of months to work out what I wanted to send back to the UK and negotiate with various shipping companies to do so. I settled on one and arranged a pick up date. They messed me about a bit and offered to pack everything up for me. I'd sold all of my furniture so it what was left that would be packed into standard boxes. The chaps came to take it all away and within about 45 minutes my flat was left pretty much empty. What was left was for me to clean the place and then complete the moving out formalities.
My life in boxes
A moment of reflection
Seeing everything in boxes and the flat empty definitely made it all real. I was leaving and there was no going back.
Some kind friends of mine had offered a place to stay before finally flying home. One was in McMahon's Point and the other in Neutral Bay. The views from the place in McMahon's Point were amazing. This was where we spent New Year and it was fantastic. The only downside was the 2 hour journey back on the train to the city. I spent a couple of days here and the moved on to my other friend's place in Neutral Bay.
Can you get a better view whilst washing up?
Enjoying a cider on the balcony
Neutral Bay is a fantastic place. The walks around the harbour are a little known gem. One of items that had been recommended to me by the locals is to walk down to Cremorne Point and then walk around towards Mosman. It was really spectacular, with sweeping views over the harbour, an almost private outdoor swimming pool and rocks to sit on and take everything in. After the walk I jumped on a ferry over to Circular Quay to meet friends and happened to spot the QM2 that was in port at the time.
Sitting on the rocks enjoying the view
The QM2
As part of my farewell I organised a boat trip out on the harbour during the day. I got together around 20 friends and along with a skipper, some food and an entire crate of drink we headed out towards the heads and ducked into one of the bays for some lunch and a swim. It really was a perfect day. We were out on the water for about 6 hours and after dropping the boat off made our way down to the private garden area of my friend's place at McMahon's Point for a couple more drinks.
Drink!
The view from the private lawn
The following evening I had been invited to meet up with some friends at their work place. A bit weird perhaps given that I didn't work there, however, they worked for a drinks company and as such had an amazing private bar with spectacular views from the roof terrace. Free drink, a private bar and great views? Of course I couldn't say no.
After a couple of cocktails I met up with another friend for dinner at Balmoral beach where one of my favourite Sydney restaurants is located. The views are spectacular and the food is simple, well made and honest. With a glass of wine it's a perfect combo.
The view from the roof terrace
The view from Balmoral
Over my last few days in Sydney I had two major items to tick off the list: Fort Denison and Cockatoo Island.
First up, Fort Denison
If you've ever been out on the harbour in Sydney you cannot fail to miss the odd little fort in the middle of the harbour. Ever wondered why it's there? Well, it formed part of the defence of Sydney harbour, as you'd imagine but it started off life as part of the prison system effectively. The bare rock in the middle of the harbour used to be the dumping ground for convicts who were left there for several days without food or water. Not very pleasant!
The island on which Fort Denison sits is accessible by ferry from Circular Quay. I bought my ticket online and it included entrance to the fort, a guided tour and the return ferry.
The ferry only took 5 minutes or so as Fort Denison is located very close to Circular Quay. There were only a few of us that got off as the other passengers were continuing on to somewhere else, I forget where.
Sydney ferries
Motoring past the icon that is the Opera House
Coming up on Fort Denison
The view, plus all of the previous names for the island
When you arrive you realise how small the island really is. Directly in front is the restaurant (which has prime views and prime prices for New Year's Eve!) and then the fort itself. We were met by a National Parks guide who asked who was on which tour (there are different tour times). It turns out that all of the other passengers were on a later tour and that I was the only one on mine. I told me what time to meet him and where and then invited me to wander around in the mean time.
Within the main building on the lower level is a small museum which explains the history of the island which started off as a prison before being turned into a fort to protect Sydney Harbour from incoming enemy ships.
I took a look around and then made my way up to the top where there was a small lawn area where there were fantastic views of the city and the Opera House.
I was then met by the guide who was very friendly and informative. As I was the only one on there I basically got a private tour of the Fort. We entered the tower and started in the rooms downstairs which were used to store shot and gun powder. We then went up a level into a room with three cannons and then finally up to the top where it was possible to get a 360 degree view of the harbour. Up here there was also some weather equipment and the warning light.
The view over the water, towards the city
Lighthouse and weather equipment
Narrow stairs
The gun room
Anyone fancy taking out the Opera House?
Anyone fancy taking out the Opera House?
The guide left me to my own devices as he had to go and set off the customary 1pm cannon from the lawn area. I spent a few minutes looking around and then went out to watch the cannon. It was rather loud and actually shook my phone which I'd rested on the wall to film the event.
After that I went back down to take the ferry back to Circular Quay. The visit to Fort Denison was well worth it, for both the history and the views. I can recommend it as something a little unusual that most tourists would overlook.
The following day it was time for my next island trip, the history rich and interesting Cockatoo Island. It used to be one of Australia's largest ship yards and much of the industrial make up remains. Now it is a visitor attraction. It is free to visit, you just have to pay the ferry charge to get there. When I visited they were setting up for an art exhibition so there were a few installations in some of the buildings.
The island is rather large! I went with a friend and we had planned to spend 4-5 hours wandering around which was probably enough. The weather was roasting so we didn't want to spend too much time out in the sun, which was good, because there are lots of buildings to explore.
We started off by heading to a large warehouse type building directly opposite the ferry wharf. I believe that this building has been used for concerts and events in the past. We then basically just wandered aimlessly, through buildings that were open and around the island itself. There was a lot to see and real mixture of old and new. I'd imagine that for someone who is into architectural photography it would be an absolutely thrilling experience.
Big and disused
Tracks that the cranes run on
Tunnel entrance?
Dockside crane
More warehouses
Hmm?
No smoking
More cranes
Machinery in the power plant
The slip way
Looking through
Meat hooks?
Derelict
Disused
The view from the top
Disused machinery
Disused machinery
Disused machinery
Soon it was time to head back to Circular Quay and then join my friends for dinner a local Argentinian place (which sadly has now shut) for my final farewell dinner. Tomorrow I would be flying back to the UK, for good.
Up Next
Qantas First Class on the A380 – Sydney to London via Dubai.
Apr 26, 2015, 12:35 pm
#63
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I'd been looking forward to the continuation of this trip report matthandy - this penultimate part was another good read ^
It must've been nice to take some time off work at the end and visit all of these places, particularly those in the city which tend to never make it onto any holiday list.
It must've been nice to take some time off work at the end and visit all of these places, particularly those in the city which tend to never make it onto any holiday list.
Apr 27, 2015, 4:18 am
#66
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Apr 27, 2015, 6:30 am
#67
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Or perhaps he was en-route to a QF lounge.
Nice addition to your report matthandy. I used to work at the Williamstown Dockyards in Victoria many moons ago and some of your photos reminded me of that. In fact I was lucky enough to see a Frigate being launched down the slipway whilst there.
* says the Australian who doesn't own a pair of thongs
May 10, 2015, 10:29 am
#68
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To London, From Sydney, with Love – Part 1
It was time for me to leave Sydney for good. On the morning of the flight I finalized my packing and then met up with a friend briefly for a quick farewell.
I found out a few weeks prior that my friend's wife was going to be on the flight by pure chance and then a day or so before the flight she confirmed that she'd upgraded to First, so we'd be sharing the journey together, which was great. I felt like I was going to need the support to be honest.
Qantas provides chauffeur transfers for eligible passengers and I'd coordinated with my friend's wife (let's call her K from now on), to ensure that we'd arrive at check in at about the same time. This was important because I had far too much luggage. I can't remember what my allowance was but I needed K's Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum benefits in order to take everything with me. We know each other very well, so she had no issues taking checking in my bags as hers.
As well as clothes I'd also packed up my desktop computer, complete with the monitor but minus the hard drives. These would be taken in my hand luggage.
Packing up my computer
Packing it in with clothing
My luggage
The car arrived at about 1.30, 3 hours before the flight and after final goodbyes with the friend that I was staying with I jumped in the car and was whisked to the airport in about 25 minutes. I was feeling a bit wobbly at this point. I'd had a good time in Australia but most importantly I had met some amazing people. I didn't really want to leave them behind.
I arrived at the airport, grabbed a trolley and the driver helped load it up. I made my way over to the First check in where K was waiting. She asked me if I was ok, which I said that I was and asked her not to ask me again!
I moved some of the bags over to the trolley and then we approached and checked in. The agent was really great, very friendly and it turns out that later he had gone beyond the call of duty, but I'll talk more about that later.
After check in we filled out our customs forms (the Australia Government really needs to find a way to make this whole process electronic) and then went through security. I had four hard drives in my carry on suitcase and these got a lot of scrutiny by security and had to be screened several times.
After a quick trip through the duty free maze we were on our way to the famous Qantas First Lounge. This is without doubt my favourite lounge in the world. I'd only previously visited on my own so it was good to be able to share the experience with a friend.
K had been several times so knew the score. We made our way straight to the dining area to grab some lunch. I relaxed a little with a glass of Champagne as we reviewed the menu.
I should state that I hadn't planned to do a TR of this flight and frankly, that was the right decision. I already had very mixed emotions about the trip home, excited about flying First on Qantas for the first time but also down about leaving Sydney. As a result, I only took a few photos and some minor notes. This isn't an in-depth review of the product, more my overall thoughts on the experience.
I didn't really want to eat a huge amount as I wanted to prepare myself for the tasting menu on board. I selected a ravioli dish and then the mushroom soup. Both were great, as expected!
As we eat we could see our A380 turn up at the gate and the ground crew start the preparations for the flight. This was really happening.
Our A380 to London
Ravioli
Mushroom soup
Our flight on the ticker board
After lunch we retired to one of the seating areas and enjoyed another glass of Champagne.
Boarding was called at about 40 minutes before departure so we gathered up our stuff and headed to the gate. I don't remember anything about boarding actually but once on board I settled into 1A and K settled into 3K. My initial impressions were good of course although I do wish that I'd stuck with 2A which is the seat that I had chosen when booking the ticket. 1A seemed a little more 'cramped' than 2A. That's not the right adjective to use when travelling First Class but it's all relative!
The cabin is a 1-1-1 set up with the K side sharing the aisle with the middle seats also. The A side is therefore better in terms of traffic in the cabin.
I was approached by one of the crew members who introduced herself and made sure that I knew how everything worked. She was really great. She offered pyjamas and an amenity kit before coming back to take a drinks order. The Qantas crew are one of the reasons that I look forward to flying with them. I was offered a choice of drink and of course went for a glass of Champagne. The Champagne was Pol Roger, so not the Tattinger CdC that I'd hoped for but that would make an appearance later. This was served with some nuts and olives, whilst we were still on the ground.
Qantas First Class cabin on the A380
My home for the next 22 hours, 1A
The buddy seat
Pyjamas and amenity kit
Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 2000 Champagne, olives and nuts
The view into the cockpit from 1A
K came over to see if I was settling in ok and asked me how I was feeling. I said that I was ok until she'd asked me that question!
Boarding completed and everyone took their seats for take-off. The First cabin was so quiet you'd hardly know 400 or so other people were flying in the same metal tube as you. The crew also did a perfect job of not rushing the passengers so I felt like I had plenty of time to enjoy the Champagne.
The Captain announced a flight time of 13 hours and 54 minutes and we started our pushback. I started to get a little bit emotional at this point as this really was the moment at which I was saying goodbye to Sydney.
Take off was quiet and smooth as it always is on the A380 and soon we were on our way.
After composing myself, and after the seatbelt sign had been turned off I got up to use the facilities. The toilets in First are nothing to write home about unfortunately and basically the same size as those used throughout the aircraft. Of course, the passenger ratio is significantly better though.
Our actual aircraft taking off, snapped from North Sydney where K's husband was working
The view out of the window as we climb
The forward stairs
Seat controls
Reclining
After a short while the crew came around to offer the menu and take drinks orders. The crew member asked if I would like to dine together with K. I was a bit confused at first, how did the crew know that we were travelling together? Our guess was that the check in agent had added a note to the passenger manifest. Very clever and a nice touch. Well done that man!
I said to the crew that I’d like to dine with K if she was open to the idea. The crew member came back and said yes, she would like to. The crew member said to sit back and relax and she would come over shortly to let me know when the table was ready. In the mean time she offered another top up and bought over some canapés. Great service.
Whilst we are talking about food, here is the extensive menu:
I'd already decided what I wanted. I had decided several months ago that I had to go for the tasting menu. I was looking forward to it.
After 30 minutes or so the crew member came over to my seat and invited me to join K in 3K. She introduced me to Jay who would be looking after the both of us. Jay was an absolute professional and again, could read instantly what kind of service we wanted, which was informal and relaxed whilst maintaining professionalism.
The buddy seat is perfectly comfortable for a 2 hour meal service but I wouldn't want to spend much longer than that. The personal space is a little limited. The view was great though, I could see two huge engines working away to take us to Dubai.
Even though there were two of us in the suite it really did not seem like there was anyone else in the cabin. The set up still felt private and the crew treated us like royalty. We started with an offer of wine and I chose the Pinot Noir. K was already well into the Shiraz (which was actually nicer).
K had opted for the traditional starter, main and then dessert rather than the tasting menu so the crew informed us that they'd work out the timings.
The first course for me was roast carrot soup which was excellent, followed by the seared tuna salad which was absolutely fantastic. Next up was the steak which was pretty good, certainly the best that I've had in the air but not as good as what you may expect on the ground. I needed to pause at this point as I was getting rather full. I decided to swap the dessert and went for the lemon curd tart which was rather good. This was accompanied by a glass of dessert wine which was divine. The whole meal was extremely filling and I decided to skip the cheese and chocolates.
Table set up
The view from my seat
Carrot soup
Seared tuna salad
Dinner for two!
Enjoying my steak
Steak with accompanying vegetables
Lemon curd tart and dessert wine
Halfway through the meal there was a call put out for a doctor. K and I were a bit concerned and shortly afterwards several crew members led a lady through the First cabin and up the stairs. She had an oxygen mask on her. The crew serving us, Jay said that she'd fainted but was ok now and they'd taken her upstairs to the lounge to lay down a bit. Apparently, the lounge can be converted into flat surface to sleep on in such circumstances.
The sun was starting to set at this point. In order to stretch my legs a bit I thanked K and Jay for dinner and made my way upstairs to the lounge. There the lady was stretched out asleep, recovering. I didn't therefore stay for long, but there was room for to sit and to snap a quick photo (without the passenger of course). A crew member came through from the business class cabin, immediately spotted me and asked if I'd like a top up. I politely declined and asked for some water instead. I asked if the lady was ok. She was and was just taking a nap for a few hours.
The sun starts to set
The big 'roo at the top of the stairs
The lounge area
Sun set continues
I changed into my Qantas pyjamas and settled down for the rest of the flight. I spent a couple of hours watching a film before asking the crew to make up my bed so that I could get some rest.
Qantas do offer a second meal service but I cannot remember if I took part in this or not. I suspect that I was more interested in resting.
We arrived into Dubai on time at around 12.30 at night. I'd been to Dubai airport before but only ever transferring. This time would be no different. We thanked the crew and then exited swiftly through door 1.
Verdict
The flight was fantastic and everything that I had expected and hoped for. The crew were truly brilliant, warm, friendly and attentive whilst always remaining professional. They made us feel like we were the only passengers in the cabin. The food was excellent, memorable and of good quality (I've never actually had a bad meal on the Qantas A380 in any class). The portions were huge though so I'd advise against eating in the lounge beforehand. The staff were pro-active, from boarding and all the way throughout the flight. Asking me if I'd flown in the seat before, explaining the meal options to me, offering re-fills, sometimes without even asking!
The seat was great, the best first class seat that I'd ever flown in, beating Emirates and British Airways. The bed was extremely comfortable with the mattress pad and soft cotton duvet. The only downside was that 1A was not the best seat. It was too close to the stairs where a number of cupboards and drawers were present that the crew kept accessing throughout the flight. Row 2 or 3 would have been better. But that's my only complaint. The whole flight was truly first class.
Last edited by matthandy; May 10, 2015 at 11:33 am
May 10, 2015, 12:21 pm
#69
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To London, From Sydney, with Love – Part 2
Our aim in Dubai was to speedily get to the lounge in order to secure a shower. K had been to the lounge before so knew where to go so I just went along with her.
The whole transfer process was a little bit chaotic with the airport staff seemingly not ready to receive us. Security was quick once we were in the right place and then we were soon on our way to the Emirates First Class lounge which Qantas uses in Dubai.
My expectations were very high. I'd previously visited the business lounge in the old concourse when flying with Emirates in J and was suitably impressed with the scope and scale of it. I'd also read so much about the new first class lounge in the new concourse I was excited to try it. What a letdown.
We approached the reception area and were grumpily let in. We asked where the showers were located and were pointed in the right direction. It seems that Emirates hadn't really learnt any lessons about the lack of facilities that plagued the older lounges (queues for the toilets, even the men's and a distinct lack of showers). Here there wasn't a huge number of showers available and with them split by male and female it further meant that having to wait was likely. Even though the lounge was very extremely quiet, K had to wait 20 minutes to have a shower. This isn't really acceptable with such a short transfer window and given that we were pretty much first off the aircraft.
I was luckier and managed to get a shower without queuing. Impressions? Not great. The shower rooms were small and the shower cubicles tiny. The showers in the Wing J lounge in Hong Kong were significantly better.
I made my way out to one of the seating areas, nearest to the gate for our flight and found it pretty much deserted. There were several staff chatting to themselves over by the bar area so I made my way towards them to order an orange juice. I was told that they would bring it over. I found this a little bit annoying if I'm honest and again, hardly the service levels that I'd come to expect.
Let's talk about the décor. Again, nothing to get excited about. I know that there are people out there who wet themselves over this lounge but I can honestly say that I found it completely uninspiring. Low ceilings, leather chairs everywhere (I find cloth a lot more comfortable and cosy), long lifeless corridors etc. It had no style to it, no wow factor.
Admittedly, we did not explore everything that the lounge has to offer. With more time and the at a different time of day my opinion might have changed slightly. I was disappointed with the drinks selection, Moet champagne? That's business class fizz. It was a moot point however as I'd had enough alcohol at that point.
Cramped shower room
Lifeless corridors
One of the large seating areas
Orange juice
K joined me after her shower and had we sat and chatted for a short while. I realised at this point that I'd left a bag on board. I bought some presents for my niece and nephew at Sydney airport and had left these in the locker above my seat. I went to the gate agent (boarding is directly from the lounge) and asked if she could speak to the ground crew to retrieve it. Her response was basically, don't know, don't care. If it's there then it's there, if it's not then the cleaners would have removed it. Great. What is up with the attitude of the staff in Dubai? This was from Qantas' First host too. I pushed her a little harder and said that simply wasn't acceptable and she needs to find out if it is there or not and if not find out where it is or is likely to be. It was 100% my fault that I left it on board but the way I was being treated was not acceptable. She told me to come back in 20 minutes and she'd have an answer for me. She didn't. Useless.
Soon it was time to board and we made our way to the gate area. We took the lift down and made our way on to the aircraft. We were greeted by the London based crew that would take us the rest of the way.
Sitting the locker above my seat was the bag with the presents for my niece and nephew which was a relief.
I got settled in and was soon approached by a lovely crew member who'd be serving me throughout the flight. She offered a glass of Champange which this time was the famed Tattinger CdC which I'd hoped for. Yum. I merrily enjoyed this whilst waiting for pushback. K and I had agreed that we'd both try to get some rest on this flight so we didn't see each at all until we landed in London.
1A again
Pillow and blanket
Boarding continues
The view from my seat
The Captain announced that we'd be pushing back shortly. He warned that there were storms around the airport and to expect some turbulence during our climb.
Take off was quick and quiet and soon we were on our way to London. Now, I'd made a fatal error here. I'd enjoyed the Champagne too much and hadn't used the facilities before we pushed back. I'd wrongly assumed that the seat belt sign would be turned off shortly after take-off. I was completely wrong. It was a whole 40 minutes before this happened and I was close to wetting myself! It was agony. I considered just getting up and trying to get into the toilet, defying the crew. I also considered if there was something that I could relieve myself in discreetly. Seriously, it was that bad!
I got to the point where I sat with my seat belt off so that I could jump up the very second that the sign was turned off. I did just that, so fast in fact that I was met at the toilet door by a rather shocked crew member who asked me if I was all right. I wasn't.
Afterwards I apologised to the crew member and explained why I had behaved in that way. I'm sure she find it slightly amusing!
I sat down with a big grin on my face and settled in for the start of the in-flight service. As this is a night flight, the service is very limited. Qantas offers a supper service with a selection of small plates followed by a full breakfast before landing. Here is the menu.
I opted to have the mushroom tart and then the cheese plate. Both were ok but not particularly filling. I guess that I shouldn't have skipped the last meal service on the previous sector.
I then settled down and managed to sleep for around 5 hours or so. The seat in bed mode was incredibly comfortable although the cabin was slightly warm.
Mushroom tart
Cheese plate
Bed
Qantas embroidered linen
I woke gently and decided to stay in my pyjamas for a while. The lovely crew member who was serving me came along to offer me breakfast. I believe that we had just over an hour to go before arrival into London.
I chose the hot selection together with a croissant. The breakfast was ok but honestly, it's missing bacon and proper sausages! I know that Qantas no longer serves pork products on this route and I think that detracts from what should be a proper hot breakfast. At least the eggs were freshly prepared.
I lounge around a bit more, finishing off 'The Iron Lady' before getting changed and ready for landing.
Breakfast
The view outside
Lounging
Taxiing to terminal 3
On stand
We landed pretty much on time to a fairly empty terminal 3 at Heathrow. At least it wasn't raining. I gathered up my things, thanked the crew and met K on the air bridge before heading to immigration together. We then collected our bags and made our way out to meet our drivers as Qantas provides transfers at Heathrow as well.
I said my goodbyes to K and thanked her for the support throughout the flight. It was great to have someone to share dinner with too.
My driver was great and managed to get all of my bags in the car. It took a good hour and a half to get down to West Sussex where I'd be staying with my sister whilst I got everything sorted out.
Lots of bags
Mercedes
Verdict
The second leg certainly wasn't as enjoyable as the first but that is to be expected. I thought that the meal service was pretty poor so I'd advise grabbing something in the lounge before boarding. Everything else was great however and I was able to get a good amount of rest.
The free transfer was extremely welcome and the driver was excellent, even helping to load up all of the bags which was quite a challenge (one suitcase ended up in the front seat).
The journey overall was so very easy and helped to limit any stress that the move back may have caused. Without doubt, Qantas provided the best First class experience that I've ever enjoyed and made the long journey home an absolute breeze. I'm not sold on Dubai as a stopover but that was the only negative point of the whole experience.
It was good to be home. Now the real journey begins.
Thanks for reading, until next time....
Previous Reports
If you liked this report, you might also like to browse my previous reports:
- Dec/Jan 2015: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-w-hotels.html
- Jul 2014: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...do-2014-a.html
- Feb 2014: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...esort-spa.html
- Nov 2013: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-cns-syd.html
- Oct 2013: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-business.html
- June 2013: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...bay-hotel.html
- April 2013: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...kend-fiji.html
- Jan 2013: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...y-via-hkg.html
- June 2012: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-cx-ba-ez.html
- May 2012: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ge-sydney.html
- Mar 2012: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...s-syd-akl.html
- Jan 2012: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...turn-a380.html
- Dec 2011: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ia-qantas.html
- Sept 2011: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...w-zealand.html
- June 2011: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-bangkok.html – BA Forum Trip Report of the Year 2011
- January 2011: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...r-qf-a380.html
- December 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...tas-767-a.html
- November 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...el-qantas.html
- September 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...747-400-a.html
- May 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-business.html
- March 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-wedding.html
- February 2010: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...eb-2010-a.html – BA Forum Trip Report of the Year 2010
- Nov–Dec 2009: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...y-pacific.html
- Feb 2009: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...d-lhr-jfk.html
- Nov 2008: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...rld-777-a.html
- Oct 2008: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...747-400-a.html
- Sept 2008 - My first TR: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...lub-world.html
May 10, 2015, 7:15 pm
#71
Join Date: May 2006
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Thank you for taking the time to write and finish this report.
The emotion definitely comes through and I am thankful that I am short flight away from SYD rather than the 23 hours that you would face if you returned.
The emotion definitely comes through and I am thankful that I am short flight away from SYD rather than the 23 hours that you would face if you returned.
May 11, 2015, 3:34 am
#73
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Posts: 235
To echo the previous posters, excellent final parts. It was a sad read, Sydney is a great place and I can understand your emotions. No sign of my sister coming back, she's got permanent residency now.
I hope now you've been home for a while you are 100% happy with your decision, I'm sure you are. Please give us an update on your thoughts of now being home if that's not too intrusive to ask.
Look forward to forthcoming reports, do you have anything planned, although am I right in thinking you haven't finished the Hong Kong one yet and that you recently visited Sydney?
I hope now you've been home for a while you are 100% happy with your decision, I'm sure you are. Please give us an update on your thoughts of now being home if that's not too intrusive to ask.
Look forward to forthcoming reports, do you have anything planned, although am I right in thinking you haven't finished the Hong Kong one yet and that you recently visited Sydney?