Melbourne

We arrived in Melbourne after five flights (CUE-UIO-MIA-LAX-SYD-MEL) and two days.  I won't rant about how much the airlines in US really suck, but US domestic flights are an abomination.  I mean, we were treated so much better on the four hour flight from Quito to Miami than we were on the six hour flight from Miami to LA.  We were given food and blankets on the international flight, but on the domestic one we were starved and frozen.  The 15 hour flight from LA to Sydney was a pleasure compared to all the others, even though it was the longest.  It had the best food and service, but probably because it was Quantas rather than American Airlines (even though there was a code share).

Preparing for Oz

I know you've all been waiting for the Australia series, so here it goes...

I should start by mentioning why we ended up in Australia in the first place.  The excuse was my great aunt's 90th birthday (Dad's mom's sister).  When I was home last October, my dad mentioned that he would be going to Australia for a week in December for this birthday party/family reunion.  It tied in perfectly with the week he would spend in Hong Kong for work.  He also mentioned that he was bringing my brother. 

First Class

This week is full of travel.  But fortunately most of it will be an upgrade from what I'm used to.

First, a summary of this week's travel: