CAIT AROUND THE WORLD

February 18, 2023 — Thankfully saved from waking up at 4:00am by a cancelled flight, my alarm went off at 7:00am instead. And I got a wake-up text from Mom and Dad. Those things combined, I grabbed my stuff and was out the door in time to get the L train and then the bus from Central Station that was heading toward the airport.

Normally, getting to the airport in Sydney is beyond easy. They have a train that runs dedicated service from Central Station to the airport, both the domestic and the international terminals. Unluckily for me, the day I flew out fell on the weekend that they were completing service on the line. However, I really have to hand it to Sydney Transport: they had buses lined up and running practically constantly from Central Station to the airport. There were about four people standing just waiting for people who were looking for the airport bus, ready to help and direct. These people were extremely knowledgeable and clear about how the system was going to work, and they made sure that everyone got where they needed to go. I was super impressed — and have constantly been impressed — by the efficiency of Sydney’s public transportation system. So, even though I couldn’t take the train, I honestly didn’t suffer at all for it.

I arrived at the domestic airport and was pointed in the direction of domestic departures. I’d checked in online so I didn’t have to go through check in at the airport. (I was hoping that my overweight luggage would squeeze by without check in.) I got through security in a breeze and made my way to my gate. On my way, I saw a tech shop with earbuds. Still missing my single earbud, I decided to stop and have a look at some of their options.

It didn’t make any sense to buy a new pair of Bluetooth earbuds — and it was also way too expensive to even consider. I had been considering a pair of wired Apple earbuds a couple nights before as they retail at $29.00 and decided to bite the bullet because only having one earbud was getting really old.

When I got to my gate, I was only about 9:30am and I had some time until boarding, so I went off in search of food because I hadn’t eaten breakfast and knew that I wouldn’t be landing until lunch.

The cheapest I was able to find at the airport wasn’t too bad at all: they had a McDonalds in the terminal and I picked up a chai tea latte (so good) as well as a nice blueberry muffin. I love how McDonalds here has toastie options; I’m going to have to try them sometime.

I made my way back to the gate and sat and talked to Mom while I waited for the plane to start boarding. Eventually, we were called to join the line for boarding. Getting on this plane was a really new experience for me because I’ve never boarded a plane from the tarmac, but today, I did! It was actually super cool.

On the plane, I was really lucky to have seat 4D so that I was in the aisle and near the front. When we landed two hours later, I was one of the first people able to get up, grab my bag, and get off the plane. I was officially in Tasmania!

I got out of the airport and started checking around for transportation options. I hadn’t researched before my flight, but as I was looking around, I noticed that there was a Skybus sign! I took the Skybus from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport into the city centre, so I knew that the Skybus would be able to do the same in Hobart. The driver of the bus was absolutely incredible, too, as she helped me purchase my return ticket (so that I could take the Skybus back to the airport in a week and a half) and even told me what stop to get off at so that I could get to my accommodation at Narrara Backpackers. She was so apologetic that she couldn’t get me closer, but the stop I did have to get off at wasn’t even that far. I was so grateful!

On the way into the city, she also provided some tour-guide-style commentary and told us about a couple great spots to check out in Hobart, offering a little introduction to the city.

I actually wound up going to dinner at Fish Frenzy, which she had suggested on her little tour, after I’d checked myself in to the hostel.

When I finished eating, I spent about half an hour trying to find the entrance to Woolies in downtown Hobart (which was ridiculously easy once I walked all the way around the block) to purchase some popcorn so that I could have popcorn and watch a movie that evening. (I’d walked past the local movie theatre earlier in the day when I was walking to Narrara and the fresh-popped corn called to me.)

I showered when I got back to the hostel and sat down to do some admin work as I needed to update my finances log and I also decided to get the rest of the booking done for Ireland! (Which is only 102 days away at the time of writing!) I had a super-successful afternoon as I managed to book all the rest of our accommodations for the two weeks that my family and I will be spending together. (I can’t wait!)

Once all that was done, I curled in for a movie and popped my popcorn. When it was over and the popcorn bag was decimated, I got up, brushed my teeth, and then went to sleep, ready and excited to get up in the morning and start my amazing tour through the state of Tasmania.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to leave a like, comment, and share with your friends and family! If you’re looking for more frequent updates, follow me on Instagram @cait_around_the_world.