Flying up North for the Winter
Overview
Yes, I've finally arrived!!!!
The last 30 hours has given me my fill of international flights. Air Canada out of Sydney was aborted somewhere over Brisbane. QANTAS took me as far as LA. Air Canada picked up the ball again and deposited me in Vancouver some 10 hours after my designated time. While I was hoping to gain a day, all I've gained is a night. So hear me winge... well, before this hostel computer decides that my loonie (Canadian dollar) has been eaten.
AC34 (Sydney - Honolulu - Vancouver)
Air Canada Flight 34 was supposed to take me from Sydney at 0930 and (supposedly) deposit me in Vancouver at 0725 the same day. Unfortunately somewhere over Brisbane the Captain decided that the strange noise coming from the Right First Class area was reason enough to retreat back to Sydney. 4 hours after flight time I found myself queuing up for a new boarding pass, the idea of breakfast just a distant memory (Air Canada were kind enough to provide us with a glass of water, but not much else). The other 100 of my fellow passengers trailed a long line out of the Sydney Departure area.
QF11 (Sydney - Los Angeles)
Qantas picked up the ball where Air Canada left off. We left Sydney an hour and a half delayed because of our aborted Air Canada flight, the original Qantas passengers weren't impressed.
The flight itself was quite pleasant with quality service and near to gourmet food. Neil Perry Mustard gets my vote! Sleeping in Economy with jet level air conditioning however leaves a bit to be desired. Even with headphones in it was a struggle. Added to that, the best movies on offer were The Dukes of Hazard and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You had to be in First or Business class to qualify for real entertainment, like Sin City or Little Britten. Suffice to say that I disembarked from the flight with blood shot eyes and skin the texture of sand paper. Random piece of trivia: Yes, I moisturise to keep my boyish goodlooks.
LAX is not the friendliest place. Although security was less than expected. I didn't even get body searched!
AC553 (LAX - Vancouver)
Air Canada were kind enough to delay their 1350 flight from LAX for the 100 refuges from their original Sydney - Honolulu - Vancouver flight. Nevertheless, we were still required to trek across LAX to the Air Canada ticket office to be re-issued. The less than illuminating "It's in building 2 which is 7-minutes walk off to the left" meant that stragglers were still finding their way to ticketing a half hour later. New boarding passes are apparently still a manual process.
Which of course meant that the flight was delayed approximately an hour and a half to allow us to board. The original Air Canada passengers were less than impressed. Lunch was acceptable, with a good French White (Chardonnay - Sauvignon) on offer. It was a bit of a surprise to see that the menu came with accompanying prices. Apparently with Air Canada if you aren't delayed then you usually have to pay $5CAD for your sandwich. I guess Virgin has taken a page out of their book?
Arrived in Vancouver at 1650. Apparently it's been foggy here the last few days, although with a top of 15 degrees today it has burnt off. The clouds are low lying, and the city itself is quite pretty. It still has that older North American feel to it, and I think it may take a while to get used to cars driving on the opposite side of the road, but right now it feels like quite a friendly city.
So now...
Right now I'm settling into the Vancouver SameSun backpacker lodge. It's a popular snow cultist gathering place, with youths from all over the globe sitting at the Beaver bar (sic) and enjoying the Granville Pale Ale. Internet access is a modest $1 a half hour (10 minutes so far). Dorms are split over 3 levels and fit in 170 people - Womens, Mixed and Mens. Tonight we're near capacity.
I've met a few New Zealanders who are headed to Banff in the next few days, so we wandered night Vancouver (Granville St) a little (it reminds me of Melbourne, strangely enough!) before finding dinner back at the Hostel.
Quick profiles:
Chris (24), tall and sporty, is from Christchurch. He's a keen snow person and is looking to link up with friends.
Caroline (20), trim and cute, is currently studying Medicine at Otago university where she's just completed her 3rd year. She's planning to spend a good 2-months on the mountain but currently lacks employment. A common theme from the people I've met so far.
Tomorrow - plan to get my Social Insurance Number (SIN) which will allow me to collect pay. Also need to set up a bank account locally and do some shopping. Granville & Robson Streets here I come!
Yes, I've finally arrived!!!!
The last 30 hours has given me my fill of international flights. Air Canada out of Sydney was aborted somewhere over Brisbane. QANTAS took me as far as LA. Air Canada picked up the ball again and deposited me in Vancouver some 10 hours after my designated time. While I was hoping to gain a day, all I've gained is a night. So hear me winge... well, before this hostel computer decides that my loonie (Canadian dollar) has been eaten.
AC34 (Sydney - Honolulu - Vancouver)
Air Canada Flight 34 was supposed to take me from Sydney at 0930 and (supposedly) deposit me in Vancouver at 0725 the same day. Unfortunately somewhere over Brisbane the Captain decided that the strange noise coming from the Right First Class area was reason enough to retreat back to Sydney. 4 hours after flight time I found myself queuing up for a new boarding pass, the idea of breakfast just a distant memory (Air Canada were kind enough to provide us with a glass of water, but not much else). The other 100 of my fellow passengers trailed a long line out of the Sydney Departure area.
QF11 (Sydney - Los Angeles)
Qantas picked up the ball where Air Canada left off. We left Sydney an hour and a half delayed because of our aborted Air Canada flight, the original Qantas passengers weren't impressed.
The flight itself was quite pleasant with quality service and near to gourmet food. Neil Perry Mustard gets my vote! Sleeping in Economy with jet level air conditioning however leaves a bit to be desired. Even with headphones in it was a struggle. Added to that, the best movies on offer were The Dukes of Hazard and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You had to be in First or Business class to qualify for real entertainment, like Sin City or Little Britten. Suffice to say that I disembarked from the flight with blood shot eyes and skin the texture of sand paper. Random piece of trivia: Yes, I moisturise to keep my boyish goodlooks.
LAX is not the friendliest place. Although security was less than expected. I didn't even get body searched!
AC553 (LAX - Vancouver)
Air Canada were kind enough to delay their 1350 flight from LAX for the 100 refuges from their original Sydney - Honolulu - Vancouver flight. Nevertheless, we were still required to trek across LAX to the Air Canada ticket office to be re-issued. The less than illuminating "It's in building 2 which is 7-minutes walk off to the left" meant that stragglers were still finding their way to ticketing a half hour later. New boarding passes are apparently still a manual process.
Which of course meant that the flight was delayed approximately an hour and a half to allow us to board. The original Air Canada passengers were less than impressed. Lunch was acceptable, with a good French White (Chardonnay - Sauvignon) on offer. It was a bit of a surprise to see that the menu came with accompanying prices. Apparently with Air Canada if you aren't delayed then you usually have to pay $5CAD for your sandwich. I guess Virgin has taken a page out of their book?
Arrived in Vancouver at 1650. Apparently it's been foggy here the last few days, although with a top of 15 degrees today it has burnt off. The clouds are low lying, and the city itself is quite pretty. It still has that older North American feel to it, and I think it may take a while to get used to cars driving on the opposite side of the road, but right now it feels like quite a friendly city.
So now...
Right now I'm settling into the Vancouver SameSun backpacker lodge. It's a popular snow cultist gathering place, with youths from all over the globe sitting at the Beaver bar (sic) and enjoying the Granville Pale Ale. Internet access is a modest $1 a half hour (10 minutes so far). Dorms are split over 3 levels and fit in 170 people - Womens, Mixed and Mens. Tonight we're near capacity.
I've met a few New Zealanders who are headed to Banff in the next few days, so we wandered night Vancouver (Granville St) a little (it reminds me of Melbourne, strangely enough!) before finding dinner back at the Hostel.
Quick profiles:
Chris (24), tall and sporty, is from Christchurch. He's a keen snow person and is looking to link up with friends.
Caroline (20), trim and cute, is currently studying Medicine at Otago university where she's just completed her 3rd year. She's planning to spend a good 2-months on the mountain but currently lacks employment. A common theme from the people I've met so far.
Tomorrow - plan to get my Social Insurance Number (SIN) which will allow me to collect pay. Also need to set up a bank account locally and do some shopping. Granville & Robson Streets here I come!
posted by the wastrel @ 11:22 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home