One thing you don’t generally think about when you’re traveling: luggage allowances vary dramatically. I had to do some clever repacking when I got to the Sydney airport yesterday. Luckily I made it on the plane with all my stuff.
Unfortunately, once on the plane the captain informed us that a thunderstorm had begun and the whole airport was shut down. We were on the Tarmac for about 40 minutes before we took off. Yikes!
I didn’t mention this about my flight over, but I was reminded of on my flight to NZ how impressed I was with the airplane food on Qantas. They give you two choices, it’s edible, they have actual glass cups, and they offer wine, beer, and spirits complimentary along with the soft drinks. Plus, they served dinner on my flight to Martinborough even though it was only 2.5 hours. Awesome.
I got through customs and the winemaker for Martinborough Vineyard, Paul, was waiting for me at the gate. I got to meet his wife and kids right off the bat as we’ll since it turns out they’d been at a party in Wellington that night. The kids had made me a very sweet sign (that got left at home, but I got to see it when we got back to Martinborough.)
They were kind enough to let me stay at their house for the night since it was so late, so I will be seeing the place I’ll be staying for the duration later today. For now, I’ve had a cup of tea and some toast with Marmite and I’m experiencing the wonders of Kiwi kids tv. Verdict: just as crazy as American kids TV.
Risky Lizness 