Listening to: Cog - Open Up
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The Good:
We decided that we needed to get out of town for a couple of days, that we needed a change of scenery. So a sudden trip to Melbourne was planned and booked. Qantas into Melbourne, staying in a hotel spotted on Wotif, and Jetstar back to Adelaide. Great in theory, but more on that later.
Fly into Melbourne just after lunchtime on Thursday, grab the shuttle bus to Spencer Street and walk to the hotel (only a couple of blocks away). The room's pretty small, but ok. Get sorted there, then head out and wander down to Federated Square, with its funky buildings and loads of trendy people everywhere. Order a couple of Iced Coffees and a bowl of chips while we figure out our next move. Jump on a tram to St. Kilda, not knowing that Luna Park isn't open Thursdays, but oh well. So we wander St. Kilda for a bit, then head back to the hotel. Dinner is a couple of fresh pizzas from the Melbourne Pizza Bar down the street. Very nice. Hit the sack, as we have a bit planned for Friday. Get woken up a few times, thanks to the King Street traffic outside. Yay.
Friday starts with a tram ride to the MCG for a guided tour. I manage to grab a pile of photos while we moved around, including from on the grass. I'd say it was as spiritual thing, but it wasn't quite. Nonetheless, that's one impressive piece of real estate. After lunch in the Bourke Street Mall, we jump a tram up to the Victoria Markets, for a bit of retail therapy. I buy a new ring (just need to get it fit my fat finger now), and Kel buys some stuff as well. Typical Melbourne, it starts to piss down, so we jump another tram, then get off when we figured we're heading in the wrong direction. Jump the tram coming the other way and end up back at the hotel, for a nap.
Stir an hour or so later, and get ready for a night at the Crown Casino. Ask the dude on the front desk of the hotel to order us a taxi. He seems to think that's too hard, and suggests we just walk. Go outside and snag one a few metres down the road. $5.80 later and we're inside the Crown complex. This is the second time I've been there, but I forgot how big it is. At least compared to Sky City in Adelaide. We grab some food, then get drinks and start to wander. Seems casinos don't like $5 Black Jack tables anymore, which blows. We end up on an touch-screen Roulette wheel (you each get your own touch-screen booth and can place your own bets - much easier). Pretty soon we're both $25 up. A few more drinks and a trip to the downstairs Poker Room, and we're back on the Roulette table for some more fun.
Bomb out about 11-ish, and prepare for the trip home tomorrow.
The Bad:
After killing some time in the morning, we headed down to the newly renamed Southern Cross station to get the shuttle bus to Avalon Airport (we were flying back on JetStar). Fifteen minutes after it was supposed to leave, the bus turns up. Driver gets out, opens the luggage doors and steps out of the way so we can load our own luggage. Good start.
So we load up, jump on and sit while aforementioned driver purchases tickets for those onbaord who couldn't be fucked getting their own. Eventually we get rolling out of the station, with the driver telling us not to worry about making it to Avalon to get the flight - apparently we've got plenty of time.
We pull out onto the main road and are crusing towards the Yarra River in the right-hand lane, when there's a "pop", and the bus tilts to the left. Driver stops the bus and gets out. A couple of minutes later he returns to tell us we've blown one of the airbags in the suspension. A couple of minutes after that, the right-hand airbag goes.
After about twenty minutes of sitting in the fuckin' road (to quote Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard With A Vengeance), a replacement bus arrives. After shiftin our own luggage into the new bus, we're off again. All the driver can say is useless shit like "These things were sent to try us."
Halfway to the airport and all's well. Until the driver hits the brakes and swerves over to the side of the road. Apparently the bus is overheating now. After a couple of minutes we're rolling again. I guess he had visions of me stuffing his head into the radiator to plug the leaks.
Fortunately for us (and for Sunbus), the plane is thirty minutes late arriving at Avalon, so we made it in time. JetStar were kind enough to hold Check In open for us. Avalon Airport isn't much of an airport. I'd call it a couple of boxes and a runway or two. But the flight home with JetStar was good - the crew were very nice, and the pilot did a good job of landing in what must've been some decent winds (the plane swerved a couple of times on landing for which I quietly held my breath).
The Ugly:
The bus driver.
---
The Good:
We decided that we needed to get out of town for a couple of days, that we needed a change of scenery. So a sudden trip to Melbourne was planned and booked. Qantas into Melbourne, staying in a hotel spotted on Wotif, and Jetstar back to Adelaide. Great in theory, but more on that later.
Fly into Melbourne just after lunchtime on Thursday, grab the shuttle bus to Spencer Street and walk to the hotel (only a couple of blocks away). The room's pretty small, but ok. Get sorted there, then head out and wander down to Federated Square, with its funky buildings and loads of trendy people everywhere. Order a couple of Iced Coffees and a bowl of chips while we figure out our next move. Jump on a tram to St. Kilda, not knowing that Luna Park isn't open Thursdays, but oh well. So we wander St. Kilda for a bit, then head back to the hotel. Dinner is a couple of fresh pizzas from the Melbourne Pizza Bar down the street. Very nice. Hit the sack, as we have a bit planned for Friday. Get woken up a few times, thanks to the King Street traffic outside. Yay.
Friday starts with a tram ride to the MCG for a guided tour. I manage to grab a pile of photos while we moved around, including from on the grass. I'd say it was as spiritual thing, but it wasn't quite. Nonetheless, that's one impressive piece of real estate. After lunch in the Bourke Street Mall, we jump a tram up to the Victoria Markets, for a bit of retail therapy. I buy a new ring (just need to get it fit my fat finger now), and Kel buys some stuff as well. Typical Melbourne, it starts to piss down, so we jump another tram, then get off when we figured we're heading in the wrong direction. Jump the tram coming the other way and end up back at the hotel, for a nap.
Stir an hour or so later, and get ready for a night at the Crown Casino. Ask the dude on the front desk of the hotel to order us a taxi. He seems to think that's too hard, and suggests we just walk. Go outside and snag one a few metres down the road. $5.80 later and we're inside the Crown complex. This is the second time I've been there, but I forgot how big it is. At least compared to Sky City in Adelaide. We grab some food, then get drinks and start to wander. Seems casinos don't like $5 Black Jack tables anymore, which blows. We end up on an touch-screen Roulette wheel (you each get your own touch-screen booth and can place your own bets - much easier). Pretty soon we're both $25 up. A few more drinks and a trip to the downstairs Poker Room, and we're back on the Roulette table for some more fun.
Bomb out about 11-ish, and prepare for the trip home tomorrow.
The Bad:
After killing some time in the morning, we headed down to the newly renamed Southern Cross station to get the shuttle bus to Avalon Airport (we were flying back on JetStar). Fifteen minutes after it was supposed to leave, the bus turns up. Driver gets out, opens the luggage doors and steps out of the way so we can load our own luggage. Good start.
So we load up, jump on and sit while aforementioned driver purchases tickets for those onbaord who couldn't be fucked getting their own. Eventually we get rolling out of the station, with the driver telling us not to worry about making it to Avalon to get the flight - apparently we've got plenty of time.
We pull out onto the main road and are crusing towards the Yarra River in the right-hand lane, when there's a "pop", and the bus tilts to the left. Driver stops the bus and gets out. A couple of minutes later he returns to tell us we've blown one of the airbags in the suspension. A couple of minutes after that, the right-hand airbag goes.
After about twenty minutes of sitting in the fuckin' road (to quote Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard With A Vengeance), a replacement bus arrives. After shiftin our own luggage into the new bus, we're off again. All the driver can say is useless shit like "These things were sent to try us."
Halfway to the airport and all's well. Until the driver hits the brakes and swerves over to the side of the road. Apparently the bus is overheating now. After a couple of minutes we're rolling again. I guess he had visions of me stuffing his head into the radiator to plug the leaks.
Fortunately for us (and for Sunbus), the plane is thirty minutes late arriving at Avalon, so we made it in time. JetStar were kind enough to hold Check In open for us. Avalon Airport isn't much of an airport. I'd call it a couple of boxes and a runway or two. But the flight home with JetStar was good - the crew were very nice, and the pilot did a good job of landing in what must've been some decent winds (the plane swerved a couple of times on landing for which I quietly held my breath).
The Ugly:
The bus driver.
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