DIE, TRANSLINK, DIE! Or, my trip home
Jul. 28th, 2009 06:01 pmWent to bed on brother's couch at 9:30pm. Went to sleep at 10:30. Woke up at 2:30am. Spent ninety minutes tossing and turning and trying to get some more rest. No success.
4am: alarm goes off. Breakfast, retrieving iPod and phone chargers, etc.
4:20: leave brother's flat for ATM and train station.
4:48: catch train to connecting station. Settle in for forty-minute wait.
5:30: train to Gold Coast: *FAILS TO TURN UP*
5:37: the following dialogue takes place-
Me: "Hey, is the 5:33 train to the Gold Coast delayed?"
Station guy: "It doesn't run. It's on the time tables and stuff, but it's never run."
Me: *FACEPALM*
6:11: Gold Coast train arrives. There is celebration in my heart, even though I obviously didn't need to leave so early. Oh well.
7:45: arrive at Gold Coast.
8:19: bus to airport scheduled to depart.
8:25: bus to airport actually departs.
8:35: MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE AIRPORT, check-in opens.
Around the same time, the following conversation takes place:
Me: "Sorry, when do we get to the airport? I don't know my way around here very well."
Driver: "About an hour."
Me: "...On the time table it said twenty minutes."
Driver: "Yeah, the time table's wrong."
8:40: PANIC.
8:45-9:10: I spam![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
suburbannoir with text messages of stress, and use the GPS on my phone to keep me apprised of how far away we are. Who knew it took an hour to cover thirteen kilometres?
9:15: *arrive at airport stop*
Airport: *on the other side of a highway*
9:16: *connecting bus arrives*
9:30: *ACTUALLY ARRIVE AT AIRPORT* Join queue for check-in.
9:35: Announcement of impending closure of check-in.
So yes, I made my flight, but only after a long and needlessly-complicated trip. If anyone ever tries to tell you that the public transport links to the Gold Coast airport are easily navigable, that person is lying. If Translink says anything at all, they're lying. But at last I'm home, back where the weather is decently cold and the public transport is reliable between the months of March and October. And I apologise to the people with emails waiting for replies -- especially cesario -- but I'm too tired to cope with higher cognitive functions today. I'll be home tomorrow, and will deal with everything properly then.
4am: alarm goes off. Breakfast, retrieving iPod and phone chargers, etc.
4:20: leave brother's flat for ATM and train station.
4:48: catch train to connecting station. Settle in for forty-minute wait.
5:30: train to Gold Coast: *FAILS TO TURN UP*
5:37: the following dialogue takes place-
Me: "Hey, is the 5:33 train to the Gold Coast delayed?"
Station guy: "It doesn't run. It's on the time tables and stuff, but it's never run."
Me: *FACEPALM*
6:11: Gold Coast train arrives. There is celebration in my heart, even though I obviously didn't need to leave so early. Oh well.
7:45: arrive at Gold Coast.
8:19: bus to airport scheduled to depart.
8:25: bus to airport actually departs.
8:35: MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE AIRPORT, check-in opens.
Around the same time, the following conversation takes place:
Me: "Sorry, when do we get to the airport? I don't know my way around here very well."
Driver: "About an hour."
Me: "...On the time table it said twenty minutes."
Driver: "Yeah, the time table's wrong."
8:40: PANIC.
8:45-9:10: I spam
suburbannoir with text messages of stress, and use the GPS on my phone to keep me apprised of how far away we are. Who knew it took an hour to cover thirteen kilometres?9:15: *arrive at airport stop*
Airport: *on the other side of a highway*
9:16: *connecting bus arrives*
9:30: *ACTUALLY ARRIVE AT AIRPORT* Join queue for check-in.
9:35: Announcement of impending closure of check-in.
So yes, I made my flight, but only after a long and needlessly-complicated trip. If anyone ever tries to tell you that the public transport links to the Gold Coast airport are easily navigable, that person is lying. If Translink says anything at all, they're lying. But at last I'm home, back where the weather is decently cold and the public transport is reliable between the months of March and October. And I apologise to the people with emails waiting for replies -- especially cesario -- but I'm too tired to cope with higher cognitive functions today. I'll be home tomorrow, and will deal with everything properly then.
