I realised that I had not 'blogged' this e-mail I sent out!! And I want to keep this memory for life!! So I never travel overweight AGAIN! (Famous last words!)
Hi All
This is a quick(ish) e-mail to say howzit from a rainy Sydney!
I must be honest - @ one stage I thought we would never get here!
The last 2 weeks in CT are 1 big BLUR!
After my Birthday Party on the 23rd of November, which definitely goes down as a super special night ...
The 2 weeks after that were 1 BIG run around!!! From finding out that I had been scammed on Gumtree (e-mail on that to follow soon), to the guys packing up the house (estimated boxes: 15 ... Actual boxes: 20 + 27 items - luckily still a quarter of a container), to trying to meet-up with friends and spend good times, to organising ZaZ, to delivering clothes, shoes, stuff, stuff and more stuff ... To meeting people to deliver couch, washing machine, tumble drier, dishwasher etc etc ... The Fridge (tip: fridges don't move well, especially 3 times and especially if they are EXTRA wide! - it took over an HOUR) ... to selling stuff ... the list is endless.
Note to anyone who is moving from 1 city to the next: Don't buy anything for the 5 years before you move - you are going to have to get ride of it, and it is way more hassle. ALSO - I definitely could have been more organised ... but I decided to do it all in 2 weeks instead of 4 months - and although the 2 weeks were beyond exhausting and go-go-go ... I am happy I did not spend more time on it (besides the fact that I forget to pack 2 cutlery drawers and probably more and didn't get more time to spend with all my friends)
THEN the night before the airport ...
Unbelievable, even though I had chosen all my clothes etc etc ... I arrived home @ 11pm after having a delicious Willoubys Sushi with Dani and last-minute Woolies shop, and fetching a sleeping ZaZ. It took me HOURS to pack, make sure that no liquids spilt, throw away the last few items in the house, pack ALL the electronics ... All the medicines and a years supply of vitamins (don't ask!) ... I then schlepped 2 big suitcases, 4 pieces of hand-luggage, a vacuum cleaner, a casserole dish, a salad platter and a bag of stuff ... @ 3am in the morning - down 8 floors, into the car, @ Dani's house, picked up cases (in case of waking the Janks), then PACKING the hand-luggage ... 5am bed till 8am!
Day of travel: Wake-up, rush to pharmacy, 2 more errands, pack car (again), pick-up second hand car dealer - who is selling our car for us, errands, coffee, drop off @ airport.
Porter asks to help us with luggage - I never say yes - But this time I did ... Nice guy: Porter Charlie unpacks car, takes bags to be wrapped in plastic (JHB Airport neuroticism), realise that there is another backpack amongst all the luggage ... ask Porter Charlie: It was from car ... Phone Jordy, it is his! F %^*& ... Oh well, I left tons of time @ Airport ... Go check-in ... Suitcases over 10kg's together ... Have discussion with BIG guy! He demands I unpack or pack R250 per kg! I cry, tell him about immigrating ... He tells me I am not your husband! I go back to the wrapping people ... Unwrap 1 bag, unpack clothes, put into 1 of my woolies re-usuable bags ... LEAVE luggage with wrapping people ... Go back to check-in ... Man apologizes for his comment ... I weigh again ... 3 kgs overweight ... Go back, unwrap 2nd suitcase, unpack into bag, leave bags with wrapping people, go weigh ... perfect weight (23kgs per bag... which is ridiculously LOW) ... After telling the guy that I only have 1 piece of hand-luggage ... I return to wrapping people they are keeping for me: A Pram, a backpack, 1 wheelie bag, 1 BIG wellness warehouse reusuable bag PACKED with Clothes (10kg to be exact), plus the wheelie bag I showed the guy ... I now have 20 minutes, to draw out R100 for the wrapping guys on the top level, go to bottom level, across car park and hand in Jordy's backpack into lost property, go through security, unpack 2 laptops and get onto plane!! I asked the wrapping guy to put all the hand-luggage onto trolley and Zaria and RUN with me!
To say that I arrived on the flight SWEATING is an understatement!
Oh wait - I was so scared that the 'man' was going to be @ the gate and see that my 1 piece of hand-luggage had grown to 5 pieces (because that has happened to me before) ... I asked a very sweet 20 year-old girl to take 1 piece of hand-luggage onto the flight for me ... As she was travelling CT-JHB-OZ-AUCKLAND with ... wait for it ... a small handbag!!!!
The moral of the story: Travel with 23kgs and 1 piece f hand-luggage weighing 7kg's and you don't have this stress!!
A quick note about ZaZ: I know I am biased BUT ZaZ was AMAZING! The last week, she would fall asleep somewhere (like Phils parents home, My Mom's hotel room etc) and wake-up somewhere else - like Dani's house, her own house. She would be dropped off somewhere and be happy to play etc etc... On the airoplane, ZaZ watched her TV, ate and slept ... On the flight from JHB-Sydney she ate dinner and slept the whole flight, woke up just before we landed (I think the guy @ check-in felt slightly sorry for me ... and booked a seat between ZaZ and I - so she had 2 seats to sleep on! The rest of the flight was packed)
Oh yes ... I also had to schlep all this Hand-luggage @ least 3 km's across JHB airport AND in the rush I left my beloved bb in the tray @ security ... LUCKILY when I rushed out of passport control (and again left my STUFF with a stranger) the BB was there!
I think I have been so rushed and manic - that I slept 2 hours on the flight ... Between mine and ZaZ jet-leg, Phil, I and ZaZ have been up and sleeping @ the oddest hours! With me sleeping till 2pm!
I HOPE that by tomorrow ZaZ, I and Phil will feel as close to normal as possible!
And that my friends, is a part 1 (a long story) of the start of this Sydney adventure!
Regular updates to follow...
Peace, love and lots of yummies to all
G
No comments:
Post a Comment