It has been nearly 2 weeks since my return to Ottawa. The first week was busy with getting myself (jet lag) and my stuff sorted out and into a state where I could start living a somewhat 'normal' existence. I visited family and some friends... still many friends to get together with.
Then I started the job hunt in earnest. Started with the most traditional method... the newspaper ads... but there is very little there. There were a few though that I applied for and they led me to a few websites with more postings and more resumes were sent. Checked out a few online employment sites but, again, there is not much there. Not the one to be easily discouraged, I sent a few resumes and filled in some online 'resume' profiles. The stewardess agencies are almost completely updated now with the new contact info and the updated resumes will be sent out today.
Jod hunting is a long hard job. A full-time job. It has been a long time since I have had to search for a j.o.b. as I'd been working mostly contracts through my company for over 22 years and running the B&B. In fact, most of the 'staff' positions just came to me without a lot of searching. Many were jobs where the employers contacted me when they heard through other sources that I was available. So this searching for work thing is new to me. Especially difficult with a new career that is totally unrelated to the old ones... no network of contacts. If anyone has HELPFUL advice please send it along.
Photographs and movies of my travels will be on the website soon. They are almost ready but I have to do work on them and that means time of which I have precious little. But a notice will be sent when they are posted.
Now back to the job hunt... wish me luck!
OK! So I did not get to the update as quickly as hoped. It has been busy for me ever since getting home. I was home earlier than planned.
My flights on Emirates went without a hitch. I LOVE that airline. They stick to the schedule, the aircraft are always in good working order and they never dick you around or make you run all over the airport chasing gate changes. I flew from Auckland (NZ) to Sydney (Australia) to Dubai (UAE) to Frankfurt (Ger) with no problems. Every flight boarded as planned, left on time, on clean well maintained comfortable aeroplanes. The staff is always pleasant, helpful and friendly. The food is excellent and plentiful (few people are able to eat everything on the tray) and served with a smile. The drinks are all free, from agua to brandy to cafe. They bring hot wet cloths around before each meal to clean up before eating. They circulate through the cabin constantly with water. There are thick pillows, nice warm blankets and headphones waiting on each seat when you board and for long flights a bag or pouch with necessities is supplied. They include toothbrush and toothpaste, eye mask for sleeping and a hair comb for when you awake. The toilets get cleaned regularly too. For long flights they spread passengers out whenever possible to give everyone room to stretch and sleep comfortably. AND they don't give me a hard time when I walk about and do yoga stretches in the aisles. In fact they encourage everyone to do seat exercises with a video. Each seat has its own TV screen with a choice of movies (over 100), music (~40 channels), television (10 channels with ~10 shows each) and computer games (several). On my flight from Dubai to Frankfurt I was on a plane with the older system installed. This gives enough movies (3 consecutive), music (15 channels), TV (6 shows) and games (plenty) to keep everyone amused for the 6 or 7 hours onboard. Flying with Emirates is a truly excellent experience and you hardly notice the hours passing by. Even in economy you feel like your flying first class... except for the seat size and spacing. Although the seats are quite comfy.
When I got to Frankfurt I decided, last minute, to continue instead of doing the 2 day stop over. The hassle and expense of finding a hostel, getting into town, finding my way around and then getting back to the airport in 2 days was not appealing at all. I just wanted to get it over with. I was exhausted (having slept only in 30 min. to 2 hour bites) and getting a bit punchy. I checked at the Air Canada desk for flight availabilities and was able to get onto a flight to Toronto scheduled to leave 2 hours later. I changed my clothes and cleaned up in the ladies' room before checking my luggage again. Asecurity officer decided (there were no other passengers around and they looked bored) that a dive light in my SCUBA gear bag needed closer inspection. So I unlocked, opened and unpacked half the gear. ARGH! So she made me remove the batteries from the light and I had to spread them throughout the bag. First time that has happened. That light has been through at least 20 security checks without being noticed.
Yuck... I hate Pearson International Airport. Lester B. would not be happy about his name being attached to this attrocity that bills itself as an airport. The worst airport in the world... and I know whereof I speak. I have been through airports of every size and type throughout Canada, the USA, W. Europe, N. Europe, the UK, the Caribbean, S. Africa, the middle East, S.E. Asia, Australia and NZ. And still, Toronto's Pearson International and all its Terminals are the worst. I always try to avoid it whenever possible... to the point that I have changed departure dates to accommodate going straight to or from Ottawa or through Montreal's Dorval Airport.
So you can appreciate how anxious I was to get going if I was willing to endure the passage through Toronto.
Then there is the fact that from Frankfurt to Ottawa I was flying on Air Canada. Why this airline bothers having a schedule or assigned departure gates is beyond my comprehension. Going to the airport to catch a scheduled flight with Air Canada is no different than going without a ticket and taking your chances. In Frankfurt I was told that I would have to be put on 'stand-by' because the flight was fully booked. LIES! I was last to board the plane because they had to wait until the last minute to ensure that there was an available seat for me. The boarding gate was not posted on the monitors so I had to check at the info desk. I got to the gate with lots of time to spare... and 10 minutes later heard the anouncement that our gate had been changed. Did the 5 minute walk to the new gate where I was not permitted to enter the waiting area because I was stand-by. There was no seating on my side of the desk. When I boarded there were at least 20 empty seats and nobody boarded after me. The plane was far from "sold out". In fact, a tall dude switched seats to sit next to me (yes, in an empty seat) because I was at an exit door with more than double the leg room of a regular seat. I boarded about 5 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart but it was 15 minutes later when the engines fired up and we pulled away from the gate 10 minutes after that... 20 minutes late. Welcome aboard Air Canada... we landed 20 minutes late.
Oh, the story gets better. That was nothing. In fact, I would call that pretty good for Air Canada. We arrived at the NEW (10 years in the making and still under construction) Terminal and deplaned. There was NO signage of any sort just a few bored looking staff in security uniforms sitting or standing near T-junctions, doorways, stairs and escalators presumably to redirect wayward passengers. I followed the crowd along the long unmarked corrodors and up escalators. The moving sidewalks were nowhere to be seen despite the long 5-10 minute walk to the shuttle buses. Then the 15 minute bus ride to the Main Terminal, over and under public roadways. Into the main terminal where the signage is only moderately better than non-existant. I cleared through immigration... another sore spot. As usual everyone spreads out to stand in a queue and wait. I was queued up when I happened to look down the long line of kiosks to my left where I thought I spotted a couple of immigration officers without line-ups. So I ventured down to see for myself and, lo and behold, 3 officers chatting amongst themselves, not calling down to the 6 or 7 line-ups of people to speed them through the process... and actually leaning back in the kiosks to avoid being seen. When I stepped up to the window the officer gave me a disdainful look as though I had my bleeding nerve to interupt the conversation. He glanced at my passport, scanned it and looked again at my visa stamps inside. One of them caused him to look at me with one raised eyebrow before closing it and sending me through... I am guessing it was S. Africa.
I collected my luggage which had a few new scrapes, another missing zipper tab and a lot of brown, grassy fibre embedded in it. Then off to Customs where I passed through the 'nothing to declare' exit. Hell hath no furry like an airline going down in financial flames.
I found the check-in desk for connecting flights and re-checked my luggage. While doing this I got into a conversation with the AC staff. They feel grossly underpaid, over-worked, unappreciated and mistreated. No wonder they seem to hate their jobs. They do.
Then on to the departure gates. I found mine with only some difficulty (I am becoming an expert at figuring out airports) and a lot of walking. Not enough or long enough moving sidewalks in this hellish airport. I sat down to wait. It was now 9:00 and boarding was due to begin at 9:35 for a 10:00pm departure. I called Tom and Robin to inform them of my arrival plans but warned Tom that it was an AC flight so be prepared for me to be late. I did not know how late. At 9:45 they announced a slight delay in boarding which would commence in 5-10 minutes. At 9:50 they announced a problem on the plane causing a further delay in boarding which would commence in ~10 minutes. At 9:55 they announced the problem on the plane causing a further delay in boarding which would commence in soon. At 10:05 they announced that boarding would commence with business class and those needing assistance. At 10:10 they announced boarding of rows at the rear. At 10:20 they announced that boarding would stop, the plane was unserviceable, those onboard would be deplaned and we should all proceed immediately to another gate where another plane would be brought from the hangar. Boarding would commence at 10:40 for an 11:00pm departure. Lieas, lies and more lies.
The new gate was a 10-20 minute sprint away depending on your fitness level and how much baggage was being carted. We got to the new gate where we sat and waited, and waited, and waited. I called Tom to tell him to go to bed at 10:45. When that call ended at 10:55 we were still waiting. It was 11:10 when the plane arrived at the gate. There was an announcement. The plane had not been groomed and how did we feel about boarding the ungroomed plane. It took plenty nerve for the brave young man on the PA to do this. If only you could have seen the facial expressions and heard the comments. After about 5-10 seconds of stunned silence while the crowd of exhausted, frustrated and angry passengers tried to fathom the audacity of this query, the shouting began. Some profanity, some disbelief, some threats and then a general plea to just let us on the (bloody, dammed, f***ing, etc.) plane and let's get out of here. They immediately started boarding the plane... quickly. I think the crew was a little frightened at that point. After all, the airport was all but deserted except them and this group of, soon to become an unruly mob of, passengers. The flight took off at about 11:30/35. I don't know because the minute I was buckled into my aisle seat I was out cold. Thirty minutes later I was awoken by a woman's voice asking if I wanted anything to drink. I had water. I had missed the "tiny bag of stale prezels" toss. Dam! And I was so hungry, I would have eaten them too. Just like the rest of the starving passengers. We touched down in Ottawa where we stood waiting for luggage for at least 20 minutes. I got a taxi which I paid for with my last $22. It was after 1:00am when I got to Tom's house. He was waiting up for me. Now that is true friendship.
All that to say... if at all possible... stay out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Go through Montreal's Dorval or fly direct. DO NOT fly Air Canada if you can fly almost any other airline. I know all too well where WestJet got the material for their TV ads. I suffer from AADS (Advanced Airline Disappointment Syndrome) and do not wish this condition on any traveller. Change your dates, pay more, fly at 5am but do avoid flying AC, the airline with an imaginary schedule.
So I have been home for a week but only present in the conscious world since Sunday or Monday. The effects of over 50 hours of being in transit and crossing 18 time zones westbound and the equator northbound are still lingering. But the last few days have been almost normal. Still feel sleepy from 3-6 pm and have trouble getting to sleep before 1am but it gets better each day. The weather has been great to excellent (just a couple of rainy days/nights) since my return with unseasonably high temperatures.
I have been job hunting most of the week and visiting with family and friends. And on that note... I must stop here because I am expected at my brother Robin's house for a visit and I want to get there before the office workers start to flood the transit system. More later.
Since my last entry I've done quite a bit of travelling. Been to Whangarei to meet a yacht captain. Then up to Kaitaia where I stayed 2 nights and took a one day all day tour up to Cape Raiga and along 90 Mile Beach (it is actually 90 Km long) and did some sand dune toboganning on the sand 'mountains' on the west coast. Then visited Paihia for a day and night. The Bay of Islands Country-Rock Music Festival was on. Visited Russell across the bay for an evening. Then spent last night in Whangarei again. Now I'm in Auckland and will catch the airport shuttle soon to get out there for my evening flight.
Tonight I fly to Dubai, get there tomorrow to switch flights to Frankfurt, Germany. After 2 nights in Frankfurt I catch a flight to Montreal where I change planes to Ottawa. I'll be home in Ottawa the afternoon of the 14th if all goes according to schedule. HaHaHa! Air Canada is notorious for re-scheduling and cancelling flights. Wish me luck.
Gotta run but will add more details when I'm at home with a cheaper connection at true high-speed.
Well the travelling to get here went mostly as planned. Except that bit about getting some sleep on the overnight bus. I slept better when I nodded off a couple times on the ferry. The bus left Nelson on time and arrived in Picton on time too.
The trip to Picton was great. Very interesting and extremely beautiful. First thing we passed was the Nelson Haven. This is a huge harbour area protected from the Tasman Bay seawaters and weather by a boulder bank stretching 13 km long and 100m wide. It is one of the longest in the world. The waters in the Haven are extremely calm.
Next was the 98,000 hectaire reforestation project that makes the hills look like corderoy. Neat lines of tree plantings. Very odd to see. Took a couple of photos.
Then the Rae Valley. Took us 45 minutes to drive through this area that is New Zealand's largest vinyard area. Home to over 40 world famour vintners.
In Picton there was such a crowd that I only had time to do a bit of photo taking around the harbour front. Picton looked nice and I wish I could have seen more of it.
OOPS! This place is closing. Must run. More later...
Been there. Done that. Got the filthy T-shirts. Gawd! Well, I can now say that I have done the apple picking in New Zealand thing. The boss/farmer asked me yesterday as I was finishing off my last bin if I would ever do it again and after a 3 second pause I responded a simple "not likely". That was tough work and, as all of you who have been following my travels over the past 19 months know, I am not a stranger to hard physical labour. I mentioned in an earlier entry that I had bruises on my bruises and that every joint in my body hurt... well it gets better. I blew out my knee avoiding a fall from the ladder (tall aluminum tripod style) when I slipped off the third rung with a full apple bag. I did not realize I had done so much damage until more than 24 hours later. That knee is still trash but the pain has subsided considerably and I was able to pick 4 bins on Monday after a 2 day weekend of rest and relaxation. Then it was a rain day off on Tuesday. We picked in the rain and wet of Wednesday though Friday. On Thursday and Friday we did have brief suny periods in the afternoon. This makes for bloody awful picking conditions. The apples are delicate due to the rain and cold so they bruise easily and guess who gets blamed for the bruising... that's right, the pickers. On top of that the apples are hard to handle when they are dripping wet and your hands are cold and wet. The ladder which is aluminum is icy cold and wet too. I hope to dry up and get warm soon.
I am now back in Nelson. A pretty little city of about 50,000. Everyone here is nice, friendly and kind. I am so happy here. Would not mind living here. The Trafalgar Square Backpackers is where I am staying again. It is like the luxury hotel of backpackers with soft cotton sheets, comfy mattresses and comforter on the made-up beds. The building is brand-spanky new with luxuriously decorated dorms, bathrooms and common areas. This is a great place to rest and recover. When I checked in this morning, Wayne put me in a nice all-girl dorm on the third floor right across the hall from the "Babes" washroom. Very handy. There is only one other lady in the room so far.
I took a shower in a real shower with clean floor and everything. It was good to know that the toilet had been cleaned every day since it was installed too (toilet at pickers' camp looked like it had never been cleaned, ever), that no man's butt had ever touched it and that the seat would always be down when I enter the cubicle. Ah! Very nice.
Next I fell into the warm, comfy, cozy nest of a bed and slept for 3 glorious hours. Got up and put on clean clothes that don't smell of smoke. Did two loads of laundry. Two shirts are ruined by stains from the apple trees and are about to become sleeveless shirts. Oh well, they will take up less space in the luggage. No I will not be keeping they for rags, glad to be rid of the bulk in the bags. Repacked all my luggage to put the dive gear back where it belongs. Had a bight to eat, finished the laundry and have been to get groceries for supper tonight and breakfast tomorrow. Now I am getting some internet stuff done. Will do my photo uploads from Auckland on Monday where the internet time is half the price it is here.
Last night there was a bloody great pub night at the Upper Moutere (pronounced Mootree) Pub with all the pickers, the boss and his wife (the bosses boss), Red and his wife Lisa and their gorgeous little boy, Ethan. Lisa and Ethan left early. I think they just brought him along to show him off to us. He is such a sweet child... profoundly deaf in one ear but with slight hearing in the other in which he wears a hearing aid. Anyway, we played tons of pool last night and Tony and I won 3 of every 4 we played and yes I did contribute quite a bit to the wins. In fact, Tony proclaimed half the wins were to my credit. After the publican tossed us all out at 1:00am we returned to the camp to party some more. Tony, Bushy, Voita and I were up latest when a friend of Tony's came by with his dog. Then until 4:00 it was just the three of us. I went to bed for a couple of hours sleep but the two boys stayed up until it was time for Tony to drive us into town.
This morning Bushy had to catch his flight at 7:20am to Hamilton (North Island) where he was going to spend a week visiting his Mom and her partner. He was worried as she can drink him under the table and he says it is always a long recovery period after visiting her. Voita had to catch his flight at 11:45am to Auckland where he will visit and travel around for a week before he returns to Czech Republic. He has been here for 9 months and looks forward to going home to his friends and family. I had to get to Nelson today to recover and set out on my way back to Auckland. So Tony offered to drive us all into Nelson this morning. Well Bushy drove into the Nelson Airport where he was too late for his flight and had to pay another $120 for the flight at 9:30. Poor guy... but I told him last night we should leave an hour earlier to be certain of making it on time. Voita checked his luggage in and came into town with Tony and I.
So I drove into town from the airport (Tony was still feeling the effects of the partying) and we dropped Voita at the info centre where he could get a bus out to the airport after breakfast. Tony and I went to the backpackers to drop my stuff but the door was still locked so we went for breakfast. Bumped into Voita as he took my recommendation of omeletts at the Robert Harris Cafe. All three of us had omeletts. MmmmMmm. So good and the boys were glad of my idea to go there. Back to the backpackers where I dropped my luggage. Then I drove the boys and me to the bus terminal. At this point Tony had to take over the driving. We all hugged our goodbyes and the guys left to drop Voita back at the airport. Tony was planning to go to work when he returned to the orchard.
I got my tickets to Auckland at the bus terminal. Bus, ferry, bus for a total of $116. I catch the 9:45am bus to Picton tomorrow. It drops us at the ferry terminal where I check my luggage on and climb aboard for a 1:30 departure. This means I will have a couple of hours to wander around town and see Picton. As I understand it this will be plenty of time to do so. The ferry arrives in Wellington at 4:30. I can shuttle to the bus terminal and store my luggage there until my 7:50 pm bus departure. Eleven hours later we arrive in Auckland. Yes, the overnight bus. They are not often crowded and they are large, comfy coaches so I should be able to sleep.
On Monday morning I will contact the 2 captains I am considering to go sailing with. I know which one I prefer but he still needs to approve me so I want the second possibility to still be there. In fact I must phone him when I finish here.
Well, enough for now. I must head out into the cold rain again and go make my supper, finish my folding, rolling and packing of the laundry and get to bed early. I am wiped so I expect to sleep like the dead tonight.
Cheers to all.