Ottawa... Canada's Captial City... full of crazy taxi drivers

Where was I... Oh!! Ottawa... that's right.

The drive from the airport was madness because

1. I'd just flown 26 hours from Australia
2. I was driving on the wrong side of the road
3. It was almost midnight
4. I've never been to Ottawa before
5. The taxi drivers here are MAD!!! Crossing double lines to overtake me... mind you I was going at the speed limit... they were going at least twice the speed limit... AT LEAST.
6. The traffic lights in the CBD were synchronise to stop me at EACH and EVERY one.
7. So many one-way streets and my unfamiliarity with them meant I'd get two within a block of the hotel and not be able to turn toward it.

Anyway... I got to Les Suites... checked in... made my way to my 2 bedroom suite (a lot of good 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is going to be to me, alone on this trip). Watched some TV and then got some sleep.

Got to work the next morning at about 10am and was doing reasonably well in terms of jetlag, up until 4-5pm... then it hit... big time. So I called it a day soon after and made my way back to the hotel.

Went out and got some dinner at the Blue Cactus Bar and Grill - Chicken and Beef Fajitas... umm. Afterwards, feeling VERY full, I made my way to the internet cafe across the road from my hotel, checked my email and battled with the dodgy keyboard to post the first installment of my travel diary... man that shat me.

Went back to the hotel... about 8:45pm, watched some TV on the couch, fell asleep ~11:00pm... woke-up at about 12am, went to bed and couldn't fall asleep... until 5:30am. Phone calls to Australia at 6am ish... phone call from Australia at about 7:30am... half asleep for both of those, fell asleep and woke up at 10am... late for work. Rang in, showered, dressed and raced down to work.

That's it for today... have to leave before the next lot of 20 minutes of access begins. More tomorrow.

Melboune to Ottawa in 26 hours... Part II

Day two in Ottawa is coming to an end. I've located a better and cheaper internet cafe a block from the one I used last night. Why is it better... the "R" works everytime, the seats ate better and the keyboard isn't positioned at head height.

Anyway... I think I left the story at my arrival in LA (just checking now... yep!)

LA was okay. Spent most of my three hours there clearing customs where I was fingerprinted for the first time in my life, and had my photo taken... have we lost ALL our civil liberties???!!! Anyway. After customs I had to get my boarding pass so that I could go through another screening process before proceeding to the QANTAS Club, which I was entitled to as an international business class traveler, and I wasn't about to miss the opportunity to see the inside of the QANTAS Club lounge. On entry I was given two drink vouchers and then proceeded upstairs where I ran into the guy I sat next to on the plane to LA. Grabbed a drink and had a chat waiting for a free computer terminal... no luck and my boarding call was rapidly approaching so I decided to make use of the shower facilities in QANTAS Club... the person that sat next to me to Chicago should thank me for that... I was rather rank.

After my shower, I tried to get my boarding pass for the Chicago-Ottawa leg sorted, but the dumb American Airlines chick at the lounge that's supposed to do that sort of stuff wouldn't know how to scratch her arse if you gave her hemeroids and a bayonette.

I told her to forget I ever asked for her help. Ducked into the lounge area again to check the status of computer availability... saw one about to be free... used my second drink voucher and hoped on the PC to check my mail (nothing... nobody loves me) and post a quick entry here.

Then I dashed off to my terminal... my need to access the web meant I'd missed my opportunity to board before cattle class, but I could care less. Got on the plane and this time I had a window seat... the first for a VERY LONG TIME!

Inflight movie was The Notebook. Not a movie I'd normally watch, and considered giving it a miss when the stewardess announced that passengers could PURCHASE headphones if they wanted to watch the movie etc... "FORGET THAT!!!" I thought... US$2 was more than I wanted to spend to see a chick flick, even if I got to keep the headphones... thankfully, on American Airline, as in life, the rules don't apply to those with money (business class in this case). I got a set without paying a cent and sat back watching the movie in the hope that it'd put me to sleep.

It came as a bit of a surprise that

1. I didn't fall asleep
2. I didn't HATE it - I put this down to the state of mind I was in due to being away from Michele and the kids, and the thought of being away for 10 days.

Anyway... I get to Chicago after 4 hours(ish), make my way across the airport... they always make it that you arrive at a gate as far from the gate you need to depart from when you've got a tight connection... thankfully I made it with plenty of time to spare, rang home, got my boarding pass and even had time have a wonder around.

Got onboard my flight to Ottawa... if you ever have to fly on an Embraer ERJ 145, make sure you get on early OR don't have any carry-on bags... there won't be any room for it otherwise and you'll have to put you stuff under the chair infront of you, thereby reducing leg room (i.e comfort), and/or on you lap, which is okay for a 15 minute flight, but 2 hours is a bit much in such cramped quarters.

So this brings me to my arrival in Ottawa. I'm going to leave it here. Continue tomorrow perhaps, eh! (NB: Canadians in Ottawa actually say "eh" quite often, eh!)

Melboune to Ottawa in 26 hours... Part I

Here I am at the end of day 1 in Ottawa and I'm paying CA$2 for 15 minutes of internet access at a dodgy cybercafe/bookshop across the road from my hotel, and the bloody "R" and "E" keys don't work on this f$#ken keyboard.

Anyway... seeing as I have no emails to read in my 15 minutes I thought I'd start my travel blog.

I left Melbourne Sunday morning and flew business class to Sydney. On this trip I came to the realisation the economy class *BITES*... big time!! Hot towels server to you... pancakes with maple syrup and stewed fruit for lunch... followed by a chocolate filled coissant... mmm. Oh... and a complementay Sunday Age newspaper.

When I reached Sydney I caught a bus to the International Terminal, went through customs and then through secuity where I was pulled aside b/c of the Swiss Army Knife I had forgotten to remove from my camera bag... they took it away... never to be seen again as QANTAS no longer hold or ship such items... bastards! So this knife that has served me so well for 12 years will probably go to one of the security staff or their kids... nobody to blame but myself though :(

Anyway. Flight from Sydney to LA was okay. 12 hours in business class is better than 12 hours in economy, but it's still 12 hours in a plane, and very taxing on the system. Briefly (as this keyboad is sh!ting me no end and I'm about to enter my second lot of 15 minutes)... watched Envy, The Terminal, The Day After Tomorrow, and something else (I think) which escapes me at the moment (must have been good)... anyway... my reviews of the three I remember.

Envy: Starts off good with some great POO jokes, but the second half (maybey even the last 3/4) leaves a lot to be desired... comes across as if they had a couple of poo jokes, based the first half hour around them and then padded it out to movie length.

The Terminal: About what one has come to expect from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg... CRAP...

The Day After
Tomorrow: Not a movie you want to watch while flying toward USA/Canada.

That's it from me fo tonight... hope to find a better AND cheape place next time to post fom... bloody stupid keyboad... ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (woks when you hold it down) :(

LA

Arrived in LA. Showered and off to Ottawa via Chicago... NOW. Details to follow.

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If this works, posting to this blog will be very easy.

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