On the morning of the 21st, I readied myself for the long trip to Melbourne from Frankfurt. With a quick train ride to the airport, I was in the impressively large –and somewhat confusing – Frankfurt airport, second busiest in Europe (after Heathrow). I was flying Air China all the way to Sydney via Beijing, a trip that would depart at 4PM on the 21st in Germany, and arrive in the early morning on the 23rd in Sydney. From Sydney I would catch a 1.5 hour flight with Tiger Airways to Melbourne after a five hour wait in the terminal; 23 hours in air, 13 hours on the ground in Beijing and Sydney. The flight to Sydney was a cheap $740CAD because I booked so early, back in the middle of September. The same flights with Air China were going for around $1600 at the time of my flight, especially as the British Airways workers strike scare made any flight in and out of Europe skyrocket in cost. Booking is usually a case of which is cheapest, and I am usually willing to take any flight, regardless of stopovers and departure time. But in this case, it was a serious decision because of the length of the flight. Air China was cheapest by around $350, the next cheapest being Emirates Airlines, famous for its luxurious in-flight comforts. The big question; could I justify $350 extra for some more comfort? In the end it came down to budget and I decided that no, I couldn’t justify the extra expense. While we boarded our A330 nearly on time, the flight didn’t actually leave the terminal for an hour as we had to wait for a de-icing crew to come along and spray the wings to make sure we were ice free. Frozen Frankfurt was not used to this kind of cold so early in the year and the de-icing crews were lagging severely behind schedule. That was alright with me, because I only had to wait in Beijing either way. Finally getting off the ground, I discovered my seat back entertainment system was not working, and despite the number of attempts by the stewardesses to mash buttons until it worked, it remained broken. This was fine until I discovered that the seat back remote also controlled the overhead light, I was irritated by that and again asked the stewardesses if there was anything that could be done about it. She asked the man in front of me who was alternating between sleeping and movie watching if he would switch with me. He looked a bit confused, but said it was alright (I assume, but the exchange was in Chinese so I can’t be sure what was really said). It was not alright with me however. It’s a luck of the draw sort of thing; I got the bum luck and I would have to suffer through with it. To compensate, after the dinners had been served and garbage was being collected, I asked the stewardess (wait...is that even the politically correct term anymore...?) if there were any more dinners remaining. Slightly confused but ever perky, she said she would get me one right away! It didn’t quite compensate for the malfunctioning electronics system, but it was a start.
Landing in Beijing was quite an experience, and even though I would not actually step onto Chinese soil, I had to go through all the standard medical and customs checks. I signed a medical declaration stating I was not sick in any way, walked past a thermal camera to detect persons with a fever, and my hand luggage was again put through an X-Ray. All these checks complete, it was just me and the terminal for the next seven hours. In Beijing Capital Airport (Peking) Terminal 3, I was in the newest terminal 
in China, created specifically for the Olympics. It seems however that the 2008 Olympics were the last serious use it saw. Maybe the terminal was built with expansion of services in mind, but in the 8 hours displayed on the departures/arrivals board, 10 flights departed and 7 arrived. Even Halifax International handles more traffic than that! But please, don’t take my word for it, consider the size of the terminal; I was departing from gate 62. Luckily wireless was free in the terminal and while it was late back home, I got a call to my family in to update them and was able to browse the internet to alleviate my boredom. I tried blog writing but my tired state would not allow it, every time I had a solid train of thought, fatigue would come in like an avalanche and destroy it. I gave up and sought food. I discovered that the terminal only dealt in Chinese Yuan, not Euros, American, Canadian, nothing. I could have used my credit card but remembered I had given MasterCard a list of countries I would be visiting, and China was not one of them. If I used my card the transaction would probably be declined and my card blocked until I could call them. So I sought a money converter. It turned out that the commission fee for conversion was around €5, and the food itself was around €10. It didn’t seem worth it at all, so I decided I would be tired, restless, and hungry for the remaining time in the terminal. I amused myself walking around the terminal trying to spot funny examples of Engrish (Chinese badly
translated into English) and seeing how ludicrously priced items were in the duty free shops. Then I went back to the internet. Then to the gate threee hours early. Then back to the shops. Back to the food shops to drool over the delightful smells. My restlessness was driving me crazy. The one saving grace was that I did not have to deal with my backpack, it was in the safe (hopefully) hands of the airline and I wouldn’t have to look at it for another 14 hours. Finally it was time to board, and I discovered that all 200 and some passengers on the flight would board the plane on the tarmac after transportation there by bus. In typical Asian fashion the bus was packed far beyond capacity and as the driver sped around turns it most definitely felt like the bus was going to topple (to clarify, I’m not racist, but who hasn’t see the videos of train conductors shoulder checking as many people onto a train as it can possibly hold?). What a situation that would have been! We boarded uneventfully, departed, and I was on the 12 hour flight leg of my trip.
in China, created specifically for the Olympics. It seems however that the 2008 Olympics were the last serious use it saw. Maybe the terminal was built with expansion of services in mind, but in the 8 hours displayed on the departures/arrivals board, 10 flights departed and 7 arrived. Even Halifax International handles more traffic than that! But please, don’t take my word for it, consider the size of the terminal; I was departing from gate 62. Luckily wireless was free in the terminal and while it was late back home, I got a call to my family in to update them and was able to browse the internet to alleviate my boredom. I tried blog writing but my tired state would not allow it, every time I had a solid train of thought, fatigue would come in like an avalanche and destroy it. I gave up and sought food. I discovered that the terminal only dealt in Chinese Yuan, not Euros, American, Canadian, nothing. I could have used my credit card but remembered I had given MasterCard a list of countries I would be visiting, and China was not one of them. If I used my card the transaction would probably be declined and my card blocked until I could call them. So I sought a money converter. It turned out that the commission fee for conversion was around €5, and the food itself was around €10. It didn’t seem worth it at all, so I decided I would be tired, restless, and hungry for the remaining time in the terminal. I amused myself walking around the terminal trying to spot funny examples of Engrish (Chinese badly
translated into English) and seeing how ludicrously priced items were in the duty free shops. Then I went back to the internet. Then to the gate threee hours early. Then back to the shops. Back to the food shops to drool over the delightful smells. My restlessness was driving me crazy. The one saving grace was that I did not have to deal with my backpack, it was in the safe (hopefully) hands of the airline and I wouldn’t have to look at it for another 14 hours. Finally it was time to board, and I discovered that all 200 and some passengers on the flight would board the plane on the tarmac after transportation there by bus. In typical Asian fashion the bus was packed far beyond capacity and as the driver sped around turns it most definitely felt like the bus was going to topple (to clarify, I’m not racist, but who hasn’t see the videos of train conductors shoulder checking as many people onto a train as it can possibly hold?). What a situation that would have been! We boarded uneventfully, departed, and I was on the 12 hour flight leg of my trip.This time the entertainment worked, but because of my fatigue I actually managed to sleep around 4 hours – sleeping on planes is usually hard for me because of the noise, the babies, the general feeling I get being in a seat for x number of hours at 35,000ft, etc. I tried my luck again with the asking for a second dinner, and wouldn’t you know it, it worked! I’ve caught onto something, and I’m going to try it every time! Sorry to anyone I ever travel with in the future, I’m sure it will be embarrassing for you but what 
can I say, I like free food! Another country to land in, another customs form, and on this flight I was introduced to the disinfecting spray routine. By Australian law, every international arrival must be ‘disinfected’ to prevent arrival of disease and fire and brimstone. They announced that babies’ mouths and noses should be covered with cloth during the procedure, and tissues would be provided for adults. It was ‘strongly recommended’ that everyone cover their mouths and noses during the process. They had me thinking it was the end of the freakin world! As it turns out, it really just means two stewards walk down the length of the plane – one in each isle – each with a can of Glade of Fabreeze spraying the whole way they go. ‘This is it!?’ I’m thinking... And it really was. Sigh. FEAR AND INTIMIDATION! BE AFRAID!!! Australia had relatively light customs procedures, I was hardly questioned (nothing like I was in London that’s for sure), and moved through quite quickly, although a dog and dog handler were in the baggage claims area sniffing around for drugs; the dog that is... After catching the $7(!!!) bus between terminals, I was informed by Tiger Airways staff that check in would not commence until two hours before departure, and I was stuck in the check in area until then with no internet, and no reasonably priced food (three hours...sighhhhh). After the unbearable three hour wait, I was the first in line to check in, got through security quickly and got a Subway sub. I found relatively cheap internet and Skype called home, catching everyone in the middle of the Christmas party at my house. The laptop I had called to was passed around and I was reminded of the fun I was missing out on. Whatever, it was negative something ridiculous degrees there, and it was a sunny 25 in Sydney. The flight to Melbourne was uneventful and short. We landed on the tarmac and were nearly swept off our feet as we exited the plane into the 30 degree heat. I caught the SkyBus service – paying for a round trip ticket for my departure from Melbourne just over two weeks later – and took their free 
hotel transfer service to a hotel close to my sister’s apartment where I would be staying with her and her fiancé (another future sibling in the family, yay!) until a week into January. Arriving at her house at around 4:30 was an amazing feeling, both seeing my sister whom I have not seen for a year, and seeing a bed that was mine for the next couple weeks. It was exciting, and as she went to work for the night shift I was left in a dumb, tired stupor to be somewhere permanently for the next short while, especially for Christmas. I told myself that in the interests of establishing a regular sleep schedule as quickly as possible, I would hold off on sleep until 10PM, but nodding off on the couch, I went to bed at 6 and couldn’t have been happier. Things couldn’t get much better. I was in Australia; I was with family; I had a place to just be for a while. And it couldn’t have been timed better, because I was going to experience Christmas down under!
can I say, I like free food! Another country to land in, another customs form, and on this flight I was introduced to the disinfecting spray routine. By Australian law, every international arrival must be ‘disinfected’ to prevent arrival of disease and fire and brimstone. They announced that babies’ mouths and noses should be covered with cloth during the procedure, and tissues would be provided for adults. It was ‘strongly recommended’ that everyone cover their mouths and noses during the process. They had me thinking it was the end of the freakin world! As it turns out, it really just means two stewards walk down the length of the plane – one in each isle – each with a can of Glade of Fabreeze spraying the whole way they go. ‘This is it!?’ I’m thinking... And it really was. Sigh. FEAR AND INTIMIDATION! BE AFRAID!!! Australia had relatively light customs procedures, I was hardly questioned (nothing like I was in London that’s for sure), and moved through quite quickly, although a dog and dog handler were in the baggage claims area sniffing around for drugs; the dog that is... After catching the $7(!!!) bus between terminals, I was informed by Tiger Airways staff that check in would not commence until two hours before departure, and I was stuck in the check in area until then with no internet, and no reasonably priced food (three hours...sighhhhh). After the unbearable three hour wait, I was the first in line to check in, got through security quickly and got a Subway sub. I found relatively cheap internet and Skype called home, catching everyone in the middle of the Christmas party at my house. The laptop I had called to was passed around and I was reminded of the fun I was missing out on. Whatever, it was negative something ridiculous degrees there, and it was a sunny 25 in Sydney. The flight to Melbourne was uneventful and short. We landed on the tarmac and were nearly swept off our feet as we exited the plane into the 30 degree heat. I caught the SkyBus service – paying for a round trip ticket for my departure from Melbourne just over two weeks later – and took their free 
hotel transfer service to a hotel close to my sister’s apartment where I would be staying with her and her fiancé (another future sibling in the family, yay!) until a week into January. Arriving at her house at around 4:30 was an amazing feeling, both seeing my sister whom I have not seen for a year, and seeing a bed that was mine for the next couple weeks. It was exciting, and as she went to work for the night shift I was left in a dumb, tired stupor to be somewhere permanently for the next short while, especially for Christmas. I told myself that in the interests of establishing a regular sleep schedule as quickly as possible, I would hold off on sleep until 10PM, but nodding off on the couch, I went to bed at 6 and couldn’t have been happier. Things couldn’t get much better. I was in Australia; I was with family; I had a place to just be for a while. And it couldn’t have been timed better, because I was going to experience Christmas down under! 
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