Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Home Safe and Sound

Hello everyone,

Just thought I'd give a quick note to everyone that I've made it back to NZ home safe and sound.

For anyone traveling, avoid LAX at all costs. It is a stupid airport which has increased my hatred towards the USA.
You think that if you are flying with an airline, on a connected flight, that everything will be sorted out with your check-in luggage and it will be a quick walk to the connecting terminal... however, in LAX, this is not the case.

They want you to go through customs (so you are actually leaving the airport) then get your bags, and re-check into your connecting flight.
On top of this, the boarder security are not very nice, no room for jokes.
Then you have to run to your other terminal... after missing your original flight... which is about 1km away!

I can't even be bothered explaining how crap this airport was. Just try to avoid it.

Other than my LAX experience, the rest of the trip went by smoothly. Debra was at the airport to collect me, which was great to see my first friend back in NZ :-)

Got home back to mums. Went to "We Will Rock You" in Auckland. And that is about it really.

Don't currently have a fixed abode, or a cell phone. So to contact me, email is the only way really.

See ya'll soon.

Friday, 9 November 2007

Alive and Well

Hello,

Just a quick update to say that I am alive and well.

Contiki was great. Saw a lot and had a good amount of fun. Our group was pretty "tame" compared to other Contiki tales. Little to no hook-ups as there were a lot of couples / people with partners back home. Also, not much drunken madness... only a couple of nights :-)

Saw a shit load of sites though: Amsterdam, St. Goar, stayed up Mt. Pilatus, Litchenstein, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome (LOVED ROME!), Vatican City, Florence, Pisa, Nice, Monacco, Lyon, Avion and Paris.

Was pretty shattered yesterday so did SFA.

Oh and this morning, I tried using the "lovely" London public bus service to get to my flight. I used the website, which gave me exact directions. The bus drivers had no clue... which is strange, you think they'd know how to get to the connecting station for a major airport????

Anyway, long story short, they told me to get off at the wrong stop, then no bus driver knew where I was trying to get to, so I had to call Anna to come get me (god bless her). In the end I missed my flight back to Germany and had to rebook for tomorrow.

Oh well, it's only money... just pisses me off how crap the buses were. When in London... stick to the trains!

Tschau and see you all shortly.