Live from the Q. L. D.

Fear of flying
Here I am in Mermaid Beach, Queensland, stuck here one hour behind the rest of the world. I’ve just flown here on one of those discount airlines, and to be honest…it was a disappointment.
I don’t really know what to expect. Maybe I was expecting 50s style flying reincarnated, where everyone held flying in such high esteem. Everyone wore suits and fancy cocktail dresses. Everyone would be laughing, talking, and just be generally happy. The alcohol was flowing and nearly everyone smoked (well, maybe that last bit was best left in the 50s).
The actual experience was…boring to say the least. Walking on to the plane, it reminded me of walking into a department store, a frugal one I must add. The air smelt like it had been circulating in that small, contained space for longer than you and I have. There was even some really tawdry pop music playing over the PA; you know, the really tacky 80s and 90s pop music whose rights can be bought for about $2.99/lb down in the bargain bin at your local major record company.
What I found most disappointing, though, was the lack of atmosphere in the air (the metaphorical type, not the scientific type – jokes for nerds). Everything was just eerily quiet. Everyone was keeping to themselves. There wasn’t a “So, what brings you to town” conversation, none of the “What’s your name?” talk, and not even a polite smile as you sit next to the person you’re gonna be quasi-intimately close to for the next several hours (let me assure you, I didn’t expect to join any mile high clubs like this one – I still haven’t even joined the four-feet high club yet).
I was expecting a majestic experience several thousand feet in the air (why can’t I talk in metrics today?), soaring high above the clouds, getting ever so closer to God (or who/whatever you believe in). Instead, all I got was a glorified, several hundred dollar train ride.

There airport was also a bitter disappointment. It’s too damn humid up here, so instead of typing, I’ll just post some pics.

Boring, isn’t it? Just like the ride itself. Worst rollercoaster ever.




There isn’t much in terms of entertainment up here in Coolongatta Airport. Here we see the current feature exhibit “Great Moments in Conveyor Belts”. It’s one of the more popular exhibits.

Not so popular, though, is this “Objects that shouldn’t be shoved up your arse” window.

More exciting adventures to come tomorrow (or whenever)

Edit (3/5/06): Nothing interesting happened. So instead, here's something I found.