Hello again, Outbackers Peletonians and
Darwinians,
I felt compelled to add another excerpt to the
travelogue as some interesting events transpired!
So here I am, sitting in my Hotel room at the Marriot courtyard in Waikiki,
all would be well but unfortunately Jerry was unable to get on the plane to
Honolulu!.
We were having a nice time on our layover at the Incheon
airport in Seoul speaking very highly of the facility which rivals Vancouver and
perhaps exceeds it on some levels, Not at the aesthetic or artistic level
although it is good in that regard . But for sheer size and efficiency . We were
also marvelling at the enormous size of the city which when flying in seemed to
spread forever in either direction, not realizing until checking later that
Korea is the second largest city in the world second only to Tokyo!
We were enjoying a couple of beers at a small bar waiting to get on
our plane and made our way to the gate with some time to spare. As we got to the gate however and they scanned our passports we sensed
something was amiss, jerry’s passport flashed red on the scanner and they pulled
us aside. We were having a hard time understanding the Korean flight crew but
what got through was that they suspected jerry’s passport was stolen or a fraud
which is of course ridiculous as we have travelled extensively together and
never had a problem, Apparently it was US immigration that red flagged Jerry
even though he has never had any trouble with the law or US immigration before
and has travelled through the US many times. We were getting panicky as the last
of the passengers went through and we were the only ones left. The stress level
rose as they appeared to be telling us that Jerry was not going to be able to
get on the plane and we had to make a decision weather I would get on or not .
All the while the Korean security person who stopped us was very apologetic and
saying he had orders from US immigration and had no choice but to follow them.
The flight crew was also looking very agitated at the situation as they were
holding the plane while we argued back and forth about the passport and we
realized one more moment and both of us would have to stay behind.
Stifling our angst over the situation we decided it best if I carried on as it was going to cost a lot of extra money for both of us to stay behind and miss our flights and I was not having issues with my passport, we also had the hotel booked in Honolulu and I figured I would carry on there and see if I could sort things out at that end.
It was with a mixed emotions that I had to leave Jerry behind to try and sort out this dilemma and follow me as soon as he could. Images of Midnight express ensued as I boarded the plane and worried about what was going to happen to him.I’ve arrived in Honolulu and I’m still waiting for word now (about 12 hours later),I will let you know what happens.
4 hours later:
So I finally heard from jerry and he had a bit of a rough time, but is
still alive and well. Seems the security guard that refused him on orders of
homeland security felt really bad about his situation and wound up getting
him to a hotel and out for dinner. I phoned Mike our boss at HMS and he
arranged for a direct flight from Seoul to Vancouver for Jerry so all is well as
far as getting him out of Korea goes.
I will hang out here for a day and de-stress at the beach and the pool at the hotel and then get ready for the trek home on Thursday.
ttys. Take care, Al
Hi again, Sarge!
We landed in Melbin around 3:30pm and had arranged to meet Kathleen near Arrivals around 4:45pm as she had a meeting until 4:30pm, not all that far from airport. We sat as far away from sliding doors as possible as it was quite cool outside, around between 14C-11C while we waiting. (Sydney had been lovely, around 20C or so, and sunny. I had walked to Central Station at 8:30am, before we checked out, to have a haircut and it was very pleasant with just a shirt, not even a light jacket. Must say that I did receive a few looks from locals, wearing shorts, as I was. Still find it hilarious how everyone, no matter where in country, seem to think it is cold!) Close to 4:45pm we left the terminal to wait outside and I had to put Cora Lee's suitcase up on a bench so that she could take out a wrap to put under her light coat, wind was so brisk. Just after she had done this Kathleen appeared on sidewalk from Parkade. She had driven past but somehow we missed each other. (We were probably just getting ready to go outside.) At any rate, we pulled our bags to ticket dispenser, Kathleen paid for parking and we proceeded to the car. bags loaded we made for exit. However, when Kathleen inserted the ticket, machine spit it back, Invalid! After some backing and forthing involving backing out of line-up and a phone call to Parking Office, it turned out that Kathleen had inadvertently taken a receipt left by another user. Validated tickets and receipts are dispensed from same slot and according to person Kathleen dealt with, (She finally had to park and walk back to Terminal to untangle the mess!), this happens all the time! While we were waiting for her I reminded Cora Lee of a somewhat similar situation, at Standsted, in North London, in November 2004, when our friend Jamie had not paid for parking in Terminal, (as one, it turned out, needed to do, in spite of my suggestion/protestation that he do so, falling on deaf, stubborn ears), and caused a small but steadily growing traffic jam, fueled by increasingly irate drivers, their frustration building towards unimaginable road rage, I feared, when we could not exit. Corinne, ever the staunch supporter and defender of The Sisterhood, said it was Jamie's Stupidity and Kathleen's Misfortune! Sounded like a fabulous title for a Twit's song, a take-off of an 1800's frontier-like ballad, Git Along Little Doggie or Goodnight Irene! Can hardly wait to hear 'Twas Jamie's Stupidy but Kathleen's Misfortune at the Genie Awards!!!
Returned to Exit, with some trepidation on everyone's part, to have barrier swing open and we were free at least. Had never taken the route Kathleen chose, a back road, of sorts, through very picturesque countryside, along Jackson Creek and through Bulla Gorge. An absolutely stunning sunset, rivaling one we'd seen from the Darwin Sailing Club on Saturday evening, as we drove towards Harcourt North via Sunbury. Time passed quickly as we chatted about our travels and what she and Steve had been up to since we last saw them in Hunter on the easter weekend. Pulled into driveway at Old Oak just before 7:00pm, Steve but a few minutes before us. He was in the process of lighting the fire so we settled into the bedroom we'd used on our earlier visit. They'd done a bit of furniture re-arranging since we'd stayed and new position of bed and table made the room even more comfortable.
Once quickly unpacked we joined our hosts in the kitchen, Cora Lee right up against the stove. Everyone helped with dinner preparations and we sipped, (even Kathleen who often doesn't drink any or much alcohol), a Wirra Wirra, McLaren Vale, Woodhenge, 2010 Shiraz, 14.5%, (purchased while others were at beach while I rode the SHiraz Trail), nibbling on crackers and cheese and olives and dips before meal itself was ready. When Corinne had unwrapped the two bottles she'd carried in her suitcase, she noticed that the sock she had put over the Wirra Wirra was slightly damp, although the Stelven cap, metal screw-top, was not broken. When Coriandre mentioned this to Stefano he surmised that the thin glass liner in the top of the cap might have been broken during baggage handling. Nevertheless an insignificant amount of leakage and didn't affect the wine in the least as it disappeared in a flash! This necessitated the opening of a Two Hands, Barossa, Gnarly Dudes, 2010 Shiraz, 14.8%, to have with the simply delicious chicken curry, over brown rice, and mixed salad, (avocado, tomatoe, carrot, green onion, lettuce), Kathleen had prepared for us. More chatting and planning for week or so to come and then a divine, home-baked, gluten-free banana cake, infused with ginger, for dessert. Gnarly Dudes finished, Stefano brought out a South Island, NZ, Central Otago, 2011 Pinot Noir, 13%, and its impressive pepper finish was the poifect compliment to the spicy ginger of the bundt.
Around 9:30pm Kathleen bade us goodnight as she had to be up fairly early for a conference call the next morning. Knowing we would be here, she had organized her schedule so as to be able to work from home on Thursday and Friday. I helped with the dishes, Stefan drying while I washed. Cora Lee had abandoned us after clearing the table to read in our cosy bed, the electric under-blanket turned up to full throttle so that the candles on the bedside bookshelf melted, little more than soft mounds of putty when I finally came to bed, Dear Reader!
Steve and I talked about Peter Temple and other writers and about the seminar he is to deliver in Geelong on Friday morning. It has to do with public sector investment decision making and the principal tool, Investment Logic Mapping, (ILM), was developed by Terry Wright in the Victoria State Treasury & Finance Department about seven years ago. Steve is quite passionate about the method so it was fascinating to talk with him about the process itself and how he has used it in the course of his own work. Around 11:30pm we said goodnight, I too brush and floss, Stefano to put more logs in the air-tight. Coriandre was snug as a bug in a rug, a smile on her sleeping face, a heat wave mirage shimmering above the covers from the electric blanket furnace. Worried that I'd be slow-cooked, par-boiled, even fricasseed, wen I crawled into the Cocoon of Heat, the Sauna of Sleep, I took the heavy duvet off the bed and read for half an hour or so, following the exploits of Anna Resnikov, ex-KGB operative, in the countryside between Odessa and Sevastopol, in Alex Dryden's The Blind Spy. Enjoyable but not nearly as gripping or as superbly written as Peter Temple's works.
To be continued...Cheers, Parizzio!
Glad to hear that you arrived safely in Harcourt North. Say hi to everyone. W
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