Day 7: Sydney – Long trip home

The trip home was fairly uneventful. The Sydney airport train was just arriving at the station just as I got to the platform. It was a short 20-25 minute ride directly to the International Terminal.

The signs are great, so check in and security screening went quickly. The flight to Los Angeles was on time, early even.

I found more movies to watch: Rocketman (I know Elton John’s music, but didn’t know his story. This was well done), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (I expected more from this one given the quality of the cast & the director; I find most Quentin Tarantino movies riveting, but I found this one to be somewhat boring until the very end), I am Mother (post-apocalyptic science fiction. Interesting. Amazingly well acted considering the total cast was 2 humans and 1 robot), and the Girl in the Spider’s Web (I really liked the Swedish versions of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy with Noomi Rapace. This was a different actress, not subtitled, but I thought still good. It definitely held my attention).

When I arrived in Los Angeles, I learned that my next flight needed a mechanical repair, with the best guess of at least a 2 hour delay. I figured it was bad, since United was offering alternate flights with no change fees. I booked myself onto a flight that was scheduled for about 2.5 hours after my original one, and even landed an exit row aisle seat. This ended up being a good idea, as when I left Los Angeles, my original flight was up to 5+ hours delayed.

I spent the long wait in the United Club drinking countless cups of coffee. I was too tired to people watch this time around.

I was a bit stressed by the delay, as I really wanted to get back in time for my normal 4 p.m. hot yoga class. My Uber dropped me home about 3:20 p.m. I threw my yoga gear together, and raced to make it class on time. Whew.

My ankles sometimes swell up like balloons when I fly, even wearing compression socks which I was. They can end up looking like fat sausages on the grill about to split their skins. This was one of those trips. After sweating it out in hot yoga, the swelling was reduced about 50%. I figured I’d sleep off most of the rest, and do it again the next day. I’m happy to finally see the bones of my feet and ankles again!

Day 14, #BlogPals19