When I left San Francisco, I confess I felt scared and lonely. I soon realized that it's been ages since I've gone somewhere new, where I know no one, and have no pre-organized personal contact for days. My trip to Italy (in 2002?) had a week in Venice like this. I spent a week at Casa Mojanda in Otovalo, Ecuador before I went to the Galapagos, but they had someone waiting for me at the Quito airport and all the guests had delicious breakfasts and dinners together. Much to my surprise, I haven't really been in this situation since then.
The flight from SFO to Sydney went smoothly. I had lovely seatmates (quiet, not too large, kind) and I managed to get a little sleep. Not bad at all. The interesting part was checking in at SFO. Turns out you need a VISA to go to Australia! I had no idea -- again, I haven't traveled anywhere especially interesting on my own in ages. It never occurred to me that I might need a Visa. Luckily, Australian visas are the ONE visa that airlines can issue. I paid my fee, and voila. Whew! Or maybe it was really a scam?
The taxi driver couldn't quite find my hotel, but I did. It turned out to be much swankier than I normally spring for ... AND they charge $25 aust. per day for internet. Rip off! I mildly expressed my displeasure (I didn't raise my voice, I swear!), but was a bit too weary to make much of a stink. The young desk clerk was at a loss; her manager suggested I could go up the street to a coin operated internet place.
I dropped off my bags, and immediately set out for the internet, as I wanted to change hotels. I found a Starbucks; tried to sign up for an account. It didn't seem to work. Suddenly, I was really tired. So I went back to the hotel, paid the stupid money for the wacko wireless modem, and confirmed that if I checked out in the morning, I would only have to pay for the one night.
Found another hotel at about half the price, still in a good location. Maybe a better one, where restaurants are concerned. I caught an adrenaline wave and headed out exploring.
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