Sydney - Day 2 of Lockup

Woke to a wet, overcast Sydney Harbour after having completed our second night in quarantine. 

Interesting to note that the expressway leading to the Sydney  Harbour Bridge had very little traffic on it during what is thought to be the rush hour period.  

The days are beginning to be divided by the times when our food is to be delivered. The knock on the door indicates that our meal has been left on the chair outside our door. 

The continental breakfast left this morning. 
The hotel has a set time-span for each meal being delivered. At this stage the novelty of what is being presented has not worn off. The meals today were of a good standard. The grilled salmon and Greek salad for lunch was very tasty.   

The grilled salmon and other delights. 

So much so when the braised beef cheek arrived for dinner, we struggled to each it all. 

The main distraction today was the Day 2 Covid-19 testing. The knock on the door came late morning. Two nurses in full PPE instructed us to stand against the door while they probed our throat and nasal cavity. Not that impressed with one of the nurses as to how they went about the process. 

And the requisite daily photo of Emilia:

Back in Oz - and Quarantine!

There was something special about seeing the sun rise in the eastern skies of Australia. The early morning arrival in Sydney was particularly reassuring. 

It was the dawn of a new experience on returning to our homeland- the experience of forced quarantine. There were 22 other Aussies on the flight - we were greeted by very helpful police and military personnel. Special instructions commenced on the flight, and continued at various stages before we reach our hotel room. 

Once off the plane we had our temperature taken, then moved onto the passport control and then to the customs force. Once through all these checks we were corralled in a building and waited for a bus to turn up. 

Once on the bus it was announced that we were heading to the Marriott Hotel Sydney Harbour. It appeared to be a popular destination - some other hotels have had some not so kind words said about their record. 

View from our Marriott suite - not too shabby!

Our first meal, delivered outside our door, was of a very reasonable standard. 

Lunch at the Marriott. 

We feel that for two weeks we will make the best of the quarantine, fortunate to be back in Oz while thousands of others are still stranded. 

An afternoon nap was taken as a little jet lag set in. Or, was this so we could stay awake for the football final on later in the evening!

What we didn’t miss, though, was the arrival of the evening meal. We were in fits of laughter at the sight of the offering. 

Top, diner is delivered, left, lunch uncovered and right, diner is now served!
Two large boxes were waiting for us outside our door - not to be opened without a face mask. Not often do I leave food on my plate, but this serving was beyond my capacity - the quantity was far and away very generous. 

Dinner out of the way left us to concentrate on the football that was in progress. 

If this is to be our lives for the next two weeks, so be it. Many others are in a worse place than we find ourselves. 

One Step to Go

Sitting here in Tokyo we feel that our efforts to return to Oz are almost realised. One more step in a few hours will see us on our final step. But should we, or more importantly, should the other stranded Aussies been put through this fiasco - there are other alternatives!

Just looking at the front of our passport:

 Not sure the National Cabinet, in all there wisdom, have had a look at this for a while. Shame on them!

The Tokyo Airport, normally a very busy place, is extremely quiet. A look on the departure boards give a snapshot of this problem. 

Our flight JL51 is the only flight on schedule. 
Flight was away on time and was another pleasant experience on a JAL flight. 

We were interested in the Emiliana lasagne. So ordered it for breakfast fast. 


Not to miss out on a”Happy Friday” - even though the champers was only served in a plastic cup!

Sydney, here we come!

At Last

It has been a long wait - finally we have lift off!

Confirmation of our seats came when checking in yesterday. It was with some relief that it was a smooth process. Many Aussies have got to this point only to be disappointed. We now had a boarding pass!

The day has been quite frantic: packing up and cleaning the flat, gathering all our accumulated clobber, calling past Mad’s and Kevan to say good bye and then off to Jim’s before heading to Heathrow with Jim for some wining and dining in Terminal 5. 

“Parting is such sweet sorrow!”

We are at least on the board!



A very empty Terminal 5. Even the shuttle trains between the terminals we devoid of people!
We arrived at the boarding area just in time - our boarding group was being called. Again, even this London to Tokyo leg seemed to be very light on - many empty seats in our area (about 50% full). 

The service on this JAL flight was second to none. Fine food and drink,  with most comfortable seating. 

The relief at getting a flight back home was tempered somewhat by the sadness of leaving the family in London. We have had the absolute fortune of landing in the centre of this crazy pandemic with our family in London. It has been a seven months we will never forget.