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!)