Gold Coast

In the morning, we enjoyed a very nice breakfast buffet. All of the food was labeled clearly with allergen information. And we were both able to get an omelet made to order, which was nice. I could have done this on the cruise as well, but I hadn’t, so it was a treat. 

After that, we packed up, checked out of the Hilton, and met David in the lobby. David is an Australian that is part of the online gaming community that Bryan helps moderate, and knows Bryan from his Armada blog. 

David referred to himself as a “visiting dignitary” on the discord, which is the name given to those who have other Armada blogs that they write. Hearing that Shmitty was in Australia, he had kindly offered to come and play local guide for us, driving us around for the day and then taking us to the airport. 

Before we stepped into the lift, as introductions were being made, he gestured to us each in turn. “I’ve read your blog, and I’ve read your blog.” he said. I was surprised to hear that, but apparently Bryan had posted a link in the travel channel on the discord (hello to any gamers that are still reading along).

We went out to the car and all three of us stood at the right side to get in. Reminding us, not unkindly, that the right side was his side for driving, he sent Bryan around to the other side to get in. Up until now, we have only used Über, and tend to just both slide in from what we think of as the “passenger” side. 

He drove us from Brisbane to the Gold Coast (which many of our table mates had recommended we visit). 

The weather was cloudy, but not windy. It was not rainy, nor was it cold. David declared it was “miserable” weather for the Gold Coast and cited the fact that no one was swimming as proof of this point. 

While we did not see anyone swimming, we did see surfers. 

And a little bit later I spotted a pod of whales a little further out. 

One thing that seemed out of place, was that I began to see evergreen trees: pines. I asked if I had just not noticed them earlier when we were on the cruise and Bryan said no, we had been further North during our cruise. 

“Wait, what?  Why would there be pine trees to the South?” “Because it is further from the equator.” I laughed. Ah yes, we are in upside-down world (the land down under) where things I think I know are all backward. 

Next stop was lunch. Bryan had some schnitzel and I had some tacos. Yum! 

Following lunch, we got some ice cream (Aunt Jackie’s treat - thanks Jax!) and ate it in honor of Bapa, since we were unable to be at my grandfather’s memorial gathering and share in his favorite dessert with my family at home. 

I had chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and it was delicious! David claimed it was too cold for ice cream, so he passed. 

Speaking of passing, we passed on paying money to go to the top of this building to have a look around. Instead we headed for the bush. 

The first spot Siri took us to didn’t have a car park, so we continued on until we found a trailhead. 

We hiked a little ways until the trail became to muddy. 

Not wanting to muck up the shoes I intended to wear on the plane in a few hours, we turned back. 

It was a welcome change of pace today to ride around and talk to a local. Thanks again, David!

We got to the airport and found that our flight would be delayed, so we selected an earlier flight and checked our bags. Then we went to get a bite to eat. 

There were sandwiches with avacado and tomato and cheese on sourdough bread. We walked to three different cafés before I realized the sandwich I was looking for wasn’t going to be an option. Turkey. I was looking for a turkey sandwich with avacado. It sounded devine, but turkey just isn’t a meat that is common in other countries. 

Bryan ordered us milkshakes to go with our turkey-free sandwiches. There was no ice cream in them. They were just blended milk with chocolate sauce. I’m pretty sure these milkshakes would have been too “loose” even for my friend Alicia’s tastes. 😉

After eating, we made our way down to the gate. As we waited we heard the announcement that our flight had been delayed. And then delayed again. And then canceled. 

The app informed us that we had been rebooked for a later flight. Which was a blessing because Virgil Australia was not staffing their customer service desk despite directing dozens of people that way, who were now queued up for help. 

We returned to the gate. The women at the counter worked steadily to get all of us seat numbers and new boarding passes. Just as they were about to finish the last passenger’s seat assignments, the flight was canceled. We all watched in dismay as the flight crew walked off the airplane and exited the area where we were all waiting. 

An announcement came over the speaker for all passengers from the now three flights to Sydney  that had been canceled to make their way down to gates 17 and 18 for reassignment. Bryan and I walked that direction, past the still empty service counter. When we arrived there, it was for a completely different airline. At this point I began to wonder if they were purposefully messing with us. 

The last flight to Sydney at this point had been canceled. We would not be making it to our hotel tonight. And as the notification popped up telling us we had been rebooked to a flight tomorrow morning, it began to look unlikely we would make our connection home. 

Bryan had meanwhile gotten on the phone and paid top dollar to get us into the business section on the first flight out tomorrow morning. The next hurdle was to find our bags. We went down to the carousel and collected them, stuffing everything into four bags so we wouldn’t have to check anything in the morning. 

After canceling our flights, causing us to stay up all night in the airport without any accommodations, and charging us for the priveledge of leaving in time to *maybe* catch our International flight home, so help me if they squabble with us over the size of our bags. 

We went to the kiosk, and started again. 

Signed back in. Went through security. 

Sat for hours in the gate. Then we were approached by someone from Virgin asking what had happened. We said our flights had been canceled. He told us they had booked everyone rooms for the night that showed up downstairs when they made the announcement. But now all the hotels nearby are full. He urged us to leave, get a cab, and that we would be reimbursed for our night stay up to $220. We could not find a place to stay for that.

We are tired, and it is difficult to know if we would really get the costs reimbursed. It is uncertain whether we could get an Über at 3AM to bring us back to the airport. At this point, I’m just hoping they don’t kick us out. 

So, deep breaths. Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. He is the one who helps us. He is the one who makes our paths straight. And while this doesn’t feel like a straight path, we will trust Him. Because He is always good.