Bangkok to Sydney

After spending the whole day at Bangkok airport I can now claim to have read every major creative magazine available in the entire terminal. Once we finally boarded the plane I gazed out the window. As the plane left the ground at some ridiculously high speed Ali and I both instinctively waved goodbye to Southeast Asia. I started to think about the many places that we have been to so far. I still couldn’t quite believe that we've traveled over ground all the way from Berlin to Bangkok. As I sat there in my nice comfy seat on the 747 I thought about all the interesting journeys we’ve endured so far. The crazy drivers in Poland who don’t know how to use a handbrake. The confined life onboard Trans-Siberian trains. The crowded over-booked trains in China. From PingYao to Xi’an with a mad man who tried to kill people. The coach in Shanghai where the driver allowed us to sleep overnight in the depot. The extremely efficient and super fast Shinkansen (bullet train) in Japan. The boat ride with fishermen from Phu Quoc to Chow Doc in Vietnam. The recent and unforgettable boat ride from hell that took us across the hostile Andaman from Koh Phi Phi to Phuket. And now we’re on QF0302, our first flight in just under 6 months. At her request I leaned over Ali and looked out the window to catch a birds-eye glimpse of Sydney down below. The famous bridge stretching across the harbor. The all too familiar looking opera house. I couldn’t believe I was actually here. It finally hit me, we were in Australia!!!

We got our luggage, walked out of the ‘arrivals’ exit and stepped out onto Ozzie land for the first time. It was chilly like a dull English spring day. The air was crisp and after a while standing around waiting for a taxi I became cold and in need of something warm to wear. I realized summer hadn’t quite started in Sydney yet and wondered how long I’d have to wait before it was possible to wear shorts again. A taxi took us straight to Anne’s house where we’re going to stay for short while. Anne is Ali’s friend from London who emigrated here just a few weeks ago but kindly offered to let us stay with her. Anne lives in Maroubra which is a suburb quite far south of the city. Her apartment is a stones throw away from the beach which is a less crowded and more peaceful version of other popular beaches closer to the city. There are a few coffee shops, café’s and fish shops scattered along the seafront which caters to all the surfers and local residents. I like it here because there doesn’t seem to be many tourists. It's a local beach for local people. Anne asked us what we would like for dinner and if there was something we hadn’t had for a while. I instantly shouted “fish and chips” with excitement. So we ate Fish and chips from a shop just around the corner and god where they good! I have a feeling it wont be long before I try them again.