28/3/15

Dear Diary,

Today is a travel day as I escape the awfulness of Sydney and head back to the marvellousness of Melbourne. My flight is not until 6pm so I have a full day to waste and I decide to make it a no spend day and hang around the B and B reading and enjoying the ocean view until its time to head out to the airport. Buy myself a public transport card with enough credit to get me the hell out of this hole and set about joining the throng of rudeness on the public transport to the airport. Bus to the train station goes smoothly but from there on in things go downhill. Apparently, even though I had enough credit on the card, there now isn't enough credit to get me to the airport. Argue this point with the rail guards who won't let me in past the barriers to no avail and they send me off with directions to a top up machine. I follow their direction annoyed that I have to put more money on this thing that I’m never going to use again and when I get to where the machines are they are all out of order. (Uggh.) Trapes all the way back talk to a different guard who lets me through but tell me to change at central station for the airport link and get some credit there. Fine. I decide to do that and keep my end straight so find somewhere to top up credit in a newsagent by central station. I only need $1.30 to reach the exact fare but the lady tells me they only do top ups of $10 or $20. (UGGH, Sydney.)

I am speechless at this as this is the exact opposite of what everyone had been telling me up to this point, so either she's lying to me or everyone else has been lying to me. An extremely terse conversation follows, mine through clenched teeth as I struggle not to lose it like a volcano about to explode, and hers through that typical Sydney aggressive attitude that they love so much here. Eventually I end up shouting “Fine. $10 then.” and swearing under my breath how much I hate Sydney. I HATTTTTE IT !!!

I storm off, slap my now overloaded with credit travel card down on the turnstile, and push my way angrily through the crowd and bustle my way through people as if they were made of damp paper without stopping, pausing or speaking.

When I board the train to the airport I realize that the thing I hate most about Sydney is that it has turned me into one of them.

I spend the rest of the journey fuming at this realization.

Upon getting out at the airport all the turnstiles are open and people are free to just walk through so the entire ordeal of getting more credit for the card was a complete and total waste of energy. (uggh, Sydney.)

Thankfully check in goes smoothly and so does security. I had a little leftover booze after the Sydney game so I decided to bring it to the airport and down it before I went through security and see if I could make it through to the other side before the alcohol made its way into my bloodstream. I took the idea from my Tasmania experience but at least this time I wouldn't end up wearing two pairs of trousers at the same time. Drink it, do security, and make it through just as I feel the edge of the stress and anger of the day starting to slide away. I’m almost dancing as I find my gate but I think I’m just glad to be heading back to Melbourne.

Flight takes off, flight’s fine, flight lands, get the bus into Melbourne city as I start to dry out again. The transfer shuttle to Melbourne hotels is closed at 5:30 pm on weekends (Who does that? WHO CLOSES ON A SATURDAY?) (Uggh, Melbourne.) so I wander out and get a tram. Naturally I get one going the wrong way and have to get off and walk back to where I started (Uggh, Melbourne.) Eventually make it back to my Melbourne mate, Myles, place just before midnight. We are both exhausted from big days out (Me travel, Him work) but stay up late chatting, catching up, telling stories and adventures, and bitching about Sydney. We both hate Sydney (as any sane person should) but as I make up my bed on his spine twisting couch I have to admit, I do miss the bed I had for a few days there. Nothing else though. It’s an awful city.

I go to bed dreaming of the BIG MATCH

THE FINAL

TOMORROW

AUSTRALIA V. NEW ZEALAND.