Customs Fun?!

What an awesome sight this was to see for someone who had been waiting years for their dream of going to Australia to come true.  Of course...and don't laugh too loudly...I had to take the picture days later as I wasn't prepared to shoot any the day I arrived.  That first day all I could do was look and look and look just like a kid in a candy store!!  Oh the sights and sounds and GREEN grass...NO snow!! 

But getting outside of the terminal to actually step on Aussie soil was an adventure in itself.  I think I now know how cattle feel being herded into a small area to creep through a maze towards a chute.  It seemed to take forever to get to one of the Customs checkout areas.  Of course it did not help that at least 4 other International flights had landed about the same time as mine so there was a milling of probably 800+ people trying to get through International customs as quickly as possible and there just wasn't anything quick about it.  It was hot, humid and slooooow...painfully sloooow!!! 

Finally I was through the first part of Customs with my freshly stamped passport in hand and off to the carousels to find my suitcase.  After what seemed like another eternity finally my suitcase appeared on the carousel and off I found myself in the final line to get through the 'sniffer' dogs.  By this time I was definitely feeling like a pack mule with my overfilled backpack, laptop and camera bag draped around me and the largest suitcase allowable in tow.  If only I had cut out at least a third of what I had brought but a bit late for that.  Needless to say this thought would go through my mind multiple times during the next 30 days...hindsight is definitely 20-20!!

At last the end of the 'tunnel' was in sight and, though I was a bit nervous about finding the Tour Guide in this mass of people, there she was pretty much front and center and I spotted her almost immediately and I was relieved though there was no band nor red carpet waiting for my grand entrance to Australia though I had repeatedly reminded the Tour Guide this was 'standard procedure' for me.  I thought I was pretty convincing...guess I was only being dillusional!!  LOL

Regardless I was finally on Aussie soil and thrilled to be out of planes with my feet firmly planted on the ground!  A 15 1/2 hour flight just from Los Angeles to Melbourne was a bit long to say the least but I now had 30 days to forget all about it and have some fun!!  I could hardly wait!!