Who would have thought packing/travelling could be so stressful!? Who would have thought that I would have to make last minute dashes to Sports Authority because I just didn’t have the right trousers to travel in!? Imagine how high my stressful levels went when Sports Authority didn’t have the trousers I was looking for. In the end, after much mocking from Tracy, I managed to select some trousers about two minutes before we were meant to leave, only for Tracy to then have a last second panic about her jeans – she couldn’t find the “right” ones! What a pair – people not jeans!
Having parked the car and taken the bus across to the airport we then had some time to kill and what better to do than shop and eat, so we did both. Although I had made my trouser selection I did manage to find just the pair I was looking for at the airport! So without further ado, I tried them on and bought them. Trousers sorted.
After a quick pizza and wrap snack, we were soon boarding our Virgin America flight. It was a pretty uneventful flight. The boys played on their DS’s, Tracy read and I watched the moving map for two hours. The highlight was seeing the Hollywood sign up on the hill as we flew into LA. even amongst the enormous sprawling mass that is Los Angeles it still stood out bright and clear.
On arrival at Los Angeles we collected our bags and then walked around to the international terminal. Although American airports are totally rubbish, it has to be said that LAX has improved a lot since Tracy and I last flew out of there – about 11 years earlier returning from our honeymoon. Improved, but still no Heathrow Terminal 5 and definitely not enough to keep us busy for the six or so hours we had to wait until the Sydney flight departed.
After dropping our bags, we walked round the 4 or 5 shops and then decided that the best way to spend time was sat in a restaurant eating and drinking. We managed to drag this out quite well and it clearly wasn’t an unusual thing as the waitresses were ok with us ordering a round of drinks, then waiting a bit. Next we ordered a starter, then we waited a bit. The boys meals were ordered after that and then another round of drinks. Unable to drag it out any longer we ordered our food.
With food duly demolished we left the restaurant and went through security. On those odd occasions that you wouldn’t mind a long security line there wasn’t one. We were through in next to no time and only had about three more hours to kill! Most of that time was spent listening to Toby saying “I’m bored”, “how long until we board”. In the end, as Harry sat reading the Hobbit, Toby was given the iPad to shut him up. At the sight of Toby being allowed to play on an electronic device Harry immediately put the Hobbit down and grabbed the DS and that was the rest of the wait sorted for them.
Tracy had a mooch round the couple of shops for a while and I changed into my new trousers (perfect travelling trousers may I add). And then we just sat and waited, listening to foul mouthed Australians and thinking how awful it a going to be stuck on a plane with them for the next 15 hours. Fortunately these particular ones were not sat near us so Harry and Toby didn’t get to learn any new phrases!
It’s nice going on holiday but it has to be said it is a right pain getting there and this was a particularly tiresome set of travels!