Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Rootstech Trek begins....

Sitting comfortably in The Qantas CLub at Sydney Airport I am wondering why I was so nervous last night. I couldn't sleep, I repacked my bag several times putting in and pulling out clothes. Will I be warm enough? Do I have enough clothes? Will my bag be too heavy?

I'm an old girl who has never travelled overseas without my porter and partner, Mr Geniaus, so am a trifle nervous.

At the last minute I decided to leave my laptop at home and take my netbook along. I have loaded my TMG software and database on it and it seems to work ok so my hand luggage will be a bit lighter. As for the suitcase, it  was 16kg on the first weighin and with the addition of overcoat , books and stationery is still only 18kg......and that is with a smaller suitcase packed inside that I'll break out on my last day in San Francsico where I intend to hit the shops. I have chosen a hotel just 1 block from Macys SFO and a couple of blocks from Ross stores. Mr Geniaus was gobsmacked when he weighed my bags, he couldn't beleive that I knew how to travel light.

As  I start my journey that adds up to around 23 hours with airport waits and flight times I am amused by some of the tweets and blog posts from genealogy mates in North America who have jet lag after travel times of 5 or 6 hours!

Anyway checkin was a breeze. I was entitled to go through the Express queue at immigration and customs so that was a pleasant experience as the kind officer at immigration gave me a pass for the express queue - pays to be a LOL (Little Old Lady).

I left buying a fridge magnet for the airport shops as I wanted one with an Australian theme. Once through customs I found a tourist shop brimming with kitsch Aussie souvenirs and memorabilia. There was a huge choice. I avoided some of the novelty magnets and bouught one with a tasteful view of Sydney Harbour, one of my favourite places. The price was akin to highway robbery - $6.90 for something that would cost $2 or $3  dollars in town. If you see this magnet on a drawer in The Family History Library you will know that Geniaus is in the vicinity.

I have been ensconced in the Qantas Club for a while and all the nerves have floated away. I am looking forward to arriving in Salt Lake city tomorrow meanwhile I will just have to enjoy the facilities of the Qantas Club.

I can see the tail of my plane from the Q Club

2 comments:

Caro said...

Safe journey and have lots of fun!

Audrey Collins said...

Took me 22 hours, door-to-door. The re-packing, weighing and purchase of fridge magnets strikes a chord with me!

Looking forward to meeting you

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