Sunday 24th April 2015
It’s time for the Obese Ferret to be off on his travels again and to tick off another couple of items on our Bucket List, the Galápagos Islands and Cuba.
Craig takes us out to Perth Airport and we duly take off at 7.30 pm for the 6 hour flight to Auckland. This is something of a ‘Midnight Horror’ but Business Class softens the blow somewhat!
On arrival we are fast-tracked through Immigration but then face an interminable delay through Customs as 8 flights arrive about the same time.
As we are faced with a 10 hour layover in Auckland we decide to take the bus into the city only to find that the locals do not emulate their Aussie counterparts and party on after the solemnity of the Anzac Day Dawn Service and Parade. In fact we struggle to find any coffee shops but after walking the mainly deserted streets around the harbour we do come across a pleasant breakfast bar to while away the time.
The effects of the overnight flight soon kick in and we find ourselves back on the bus to the airport.
The Air NZ lounge is truly superb with some great food on offer so we spend the remaining hours before the flight enjoying the catering and the very comfortable flat bed loungers.
Another overnight flight ( 13+ hours ) during which Gail manages to get 7-8 hours sleep and I have to be content with about 4, often the norm for me. Midway across the Pacific we encounter some fairly severe turbulence this skuppers any chance of my getting back to sleep. Otherwise, we have nothing but praise for the crew, the meals and service all of which were of the highest order.
Another 4 hour stop, this time in the KLM lounge. I am now feeling well and truly jet-lagged but the in-lounge entertainment come in the form of an American guy having a very personal Skype conversation with his obviously long-suffering female friend. In true American style he speaks loudly enough for all in the lounge to hear and the subject covers a wide range of issues including whether to start a family. Judging by the knowing looks and body language of the other guests we were united in our advice to the poor girl ” ditch the SOB as quickly as possible and procreate with a more suitable member of society”
The united Airlines flight to Quito lives down to its reputation and we are happy to get into a taxi and off to the Hotel Zen Suites just north of the historic centre of the city.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret
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