Monday, November 27, 2006

Melbourne Zoo

Our last day in Melbourne. We nose around the zoo in the morning before heading back to Sydney.

Melbourne Airport

9:15 PM for 10:35 PM arrival.

Early check in for Sydney flight. Thrifty are very efficient and organised. The drop off zone is easy to find. An attendant inspects the car. Checking the mileage, we have covered a mere 3120km. (1950 miles.)

The flight to Sydney is straightforward - using Virgin Blue. But there's another intermediary screwing up. We need to enter the "Record Locator" not the "Booking number" in the Internet booking queue. Thank you Fight Centre for the incorrect annotation!

Other than that - everything is spot on. And there's a decent seafood restaurant airside.
 

Sydney Hotel

Landing, a taxi, and we're at the Ibis hotel. We are obliged to remind them who the customers are. We were not given the best rooms: both are noisy, next to reception.

The receptionist can't change our rooms due to her inability to "drive" the "system" and utters a porky pie "All rooms are booked - we're full! We can't change your rooms!" (All this under the gaze of a picture of  Mr. Ibis, with an accompanying declaration of "customer is first" mantra.)

A call to a higher authority resolved matters. (The manager knew what buttons to press, and the order to press them in, and when to press them.)