In transit

Sydney to Los Angeles remains one of the worlds longest haul flights; and with nearly 30 hours in total flight time, San Salvador is about as far away from Perth as you can get.

We have decided to break it up with a brief stopover in Nadi (pronounced Nandi), the capital of Fiji. The hop to a Fiji is quite quick and uneventful at a little over 3 hours. It was cheesy but nice to be greeted in the arrival lounge by a quartet of mandolin players all singing traditional folk songs. The airport is as dinghy as ever, but the Fijiians are very friendly and quick with a smile.

I guess we should be thankful for even being here, as the trip hit an unforeseen hurdle at the last minute. Last time I was in the US, no visa was required for Australians. Even if one was required, I would not have bothered as we were only in transit anyway. Thanks to a very diligent staff member from Air Pacific (Elizabeth), we found out that Obama introduced a new visa requirement back in May 2010 meaning that ALL arrivals now need a 2 year visa. It is couched in security terms as the altruistic motive - but $14 times the total number of visitors to the US (including transit passengers) must add up to a tidy sum for the coffers. We had a mad scramble to find an Internet kiosk to pay and lodge online before racing back to the checkin counter with not much time to spare.

Thanks to our WONDERFUL checkin lady at Sydney, we immediately went to the transfers desk on arrival in Fiji and requested a seat on the upper deck for the next leg. This was granted, and we are now very comfortably ensconced in the upper deck of the 747-400 enroute to Los Angeles. It feels quite special to climb up the steps in the plane to the little upper deck section. There are only about 50 seats up here, and it has its own catering galley. Nearly full stretch leg room and a deep side mean that we can sleep either left or right side with some degree of comfort. Despite this, eyes are still quite grainy, and the personal batteries are draining. Can't wait to step off at LAX.

We have a 12 hour layover in California, so the intention is to jump on the train out to Santa Monica. This is both Ty's and Gary's first time in the US so they want to have a wander on the pier, check out the gym on the promenade, and generally do the tourist thing. If we have time, will take a wander along Rodeo Drive then head back out to the airport for our connecting flight to Panama.

Location:Somewhere over the Pacific