So, we had a rather frenzied brief visit to Melbourne to visit as many friends and family as possible in less than a week, which is insane, but it was the usual case of juggling work schedules and available flights. It takes an hour and about half of your credit card to fly from Meeka to Perth in the small twin-prop plane. If both engines are working and the turbulence from cyclone season isn't hurling the stewardess against the ceiling, she hands out biscuits. The fun part of the flight is that you know everyone on board, and you also get a fantastic bird's eye view of the town and the outback. Also, Skippers Airlines have the best vomit bags ever, with "Sic Sac" printed on them in a stylish, retro 1950's font (to help reassure you that throwing up in your lap is cool).
At Perth you head over to Qantas where helpful airline staff frisk all of us toothless hairy outback people for roo-gutting knives, mining detonators, .222 ammo and whatever's left on our credit cards, then releasing us in a wild stampede for the bookshop, coffee bar and Krispy Kreme donut stand.
Bloated and satisfyingly sick from the food hall orgy, you get on a real plane where you exclaim over all the new technical marvels, such as the individual touch-screen DVD players on each seat and the complete lack of room if, like Gary, you were thoughtless enough to bring your legs on the flight. Qantas seem to have over-ordered on some snack items and are keen to unload them, so make sure you have a spare handbag ready for the 67 packets of pretzels they give you during the trip. As a savvy outback traveller you then get to work coercing your seat neighbours into pretending to order bourbon so that you can wildly exceed your individual drink limit and make it through the gruelling 3 hour flight.
Melbourne brings startlingly green landscapes, vast tracts of suburbs, and friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment