United to Sydney

This trip was paid through United frequent flyer miles that I have been accumulating for several years. At the time I booked the trip 60,000 miles earned the "saver" award to Australia. The standard award requires 80,000 miles. So how do you get the "saver" award? You book way ahead. If you are thinking of a date right now, quickly add two months then you can get the saver award for the later date provided it's not on a major holidays, a minor holidays, and the popular travel day of the week.

We flew out on a Saturday from Los Angeles on a jampacked flight. United is a "no-frills" airline on these long hauls. Economy offers the basic pillow, blanket, headphones, and a couple of meals. The meals are cooked. If you are lucky, you will get a cheery flight attendant. Ours said "no" with a pleasant smile. No toothpasts, no eyeshades, no mouthwash, no socks, no vegetarian meals, no chicken. Each time her smile made us feel better. If the flight is packed, sleeping is challenging. Our son promptly used my thigh as a pillow and stretched asleep. A few hours later my wife, my son, and my thigh were sleeping soundly.

The flight took approximately thirteen uneventful hours to Sydney and came in ahead of schedule. Immigration was simple, but Customs in Australia is strict. Right before you land, you will be advised to dump any prohibited stuff into "quarantine" bins placed before customs. They will also warn you of stiff fines. Desis and fellow-Asians this includes seeds, nuts, and most foods. Unlike America where the Customs officers cast a forgiving eye on spices and prepared foods, in Australia they will X-ray your bags carefully and possibly grope through them. If you are caught, the fines are in the $$$$'s.

So on January 22nd, we were at the Sydney International Airport at 8AM. The airport has all the amenities one expects of major airports like McDonald's, Krispy Kreme, and Citibank. I used Citibank to withdraw cash and got dinged on the exchange rate and the fact that I used an ATM card from a different bank. My six-year old had a Krispy Kreme, and we had some coffee.

Coffee in Australia is wonderful. Even a regular coffee shop will offer you several styles of coffee. There is no such thing as regular coffee. As one cafe owner patiently explained: For regular coffee order a long black with milk. One time by mistakeI ordered a short black with milk. It was the equivalent of an American shot of Espresso. An ounce of concentrated coffee with another ounce of milk. It was horrible. Get your terminology right and you will have good coffee everywhere. When in doubt order Capuccino.

After the coffee break we tried to get to the Airport Holiday Inn. I asked for directions at the information desk "wo-manned" by two pretty young things. They were quite unhelpful. Right behind them was a reservations counter for excursions, hotels, and so on. The staff person there was helpful and had a very clear accent. Soon we found the free shuttle from the airport to the Holiday Inn.

Despite getting to the Holiday Inn way before check-in, the helpful reservations clerk, gave us a room. He also extended our checkout from 11AM to 2PM.

Being able to lie down flat on a bed after 13 or 14 hours in an airplane is nirvana! A quick shower, a change of clothes, and even with jetlag, only 3 or 4 hours of sleep, we were ready for a tour of Sydney.