world record... pt4/5

DAY4/5

AUSTRALASIA

We arrived in Sydney at 8:30am on Tuesday 4th March. During the flight we crossed the International Date Line and so literally lost a day. Monday the 3rd never existed.

When we got to passport control I was asked why and when I was in South America as we’d been there in the last six days and why I hadn’t my jabs for hepatitis A & B, malaria and rabies. We had to go through to quarantine and be interviewed. Martin was fine as living in South Africa he has had all his jabs. He got proper stressed, fearing the worst, that I’d be deported. I had no idea I was meant to get the jabs in the first place. No one had told me, I didn’t know South America was considered ‘at risk.’ The interviewer was a very nice lady and I filled in questionnaires to determine whether I had the symptoms of Yellow Fever, I got the all clear and we were on our way. We had to get the train from the airport to a place called Campbell Town. Once there we had to call the drop zone and they would send someone to pick us up. But both of Martin’s phones were dead and mine was on its last legs. So I called the drop zone and told them where we were. They told me that we should get to Campbell town at around 10:45am and someone would be there to meet us. However, that was not the case and they were 45minutes late, just leaving us to cook in the midday Sydney sun.

We drove for about an hour through the suburbs to get to the drop zone. At the drop zone there was no messing about, Martin was on the next load and that was in 10 minutes. So less than four hours after landing Martin had to jump.

While he was being briefed, gear checked and all that I sorted out paying. I try the first credit card; the MasterCard that we have used everywhere else and it doesn’t work. So I try the next one, doesn’t work. Finally I try the debit card and that doesn’t work. I tried all the cards again and they still didn’t work. Every time they were all declined. Martin was about to jump so I didn’t have lot of options. After talking to the receptionist she kindly agreed to let us pay at their office in New South Wales, this would give us the chance to try an ATM and pay with cash.

The jump thankfully went well that was now five out of six. Again at the drop zone the record attempt created a bit of a buzz. The camerawomen was a bit of a know it all but did a good job so she can be forgiven. We got dropped off at their office in the city to sort out paying. We tried all the cards again but still they were all being declined. I take the cards and go and look for an ATM, so I’m running around New South Wales looking for an ATM machine praying that I can get cash out. I find one but have no luck.

We literally don’t know what to do. It was now around 3o’clock in the afternoon and again we hadn’t eaten since we’d been on the plane. The flight to Hong Kong was not till the early hours and we had no way of paying for anywhere to stay or even have any money to pay to get us to the airport. We were in a big pile of brown stuff. What do we do? By this time my phone is dead as well so we have no way of contacting anyone. The guy in the office, Joel, it’s only his second day so he doesn’t really know what to do either. Joel looks on the Internet to get the number for the bank. We know that there is money on the cards. Martin uses their office phone to call the bank back in the UK but the number isn’t working. I go to find another ATM and try again, on the off chance that at lest one of the cards will work, we are desperate. I get back to tell Martin nothing worked, he tells me he still can’t get through.

We are stranded in Sydney.

By this time another guy from Sydney skydive shows up, Greg. He like Joel understands and is very helpful. Greg was originally from South Africa so during this epic saga Martin made a new best friend. Greg was really interested in what were doing, as it is his home. Greg tried another number and at last it worked. After about two hours we get our foot in the door. So now Martin is on the phone in Australia calling the UK listening to an automated answer machine. After pressing 8 for ‘stranded on the other side of the world’ He gets through to the bank.

Basically the bank had canceled all the cards due to suspected fraud as they were used in 4 different continents in four consecutive days. Martin explained to them that actually it was not fraud. The bank apologized and re-activated the cards! We paid Sydney skydives and said goodbye to our new Aussie mates and were on our way.

The hotel we were recommended was full so Greg had kindly booked us into the ‘Ibis’ hotel. He gave us some directions but we were soon lost. It was now about 6o’clock in the evening and we still hadn’t eaten. We were wondering round Sydney looking for a hotel that everyone we asked, didn’t know where it was. We decided to stop and eat and found a pub restaurant. We were soon back out looking for this hotel. There was an Internet café on the corner so I went in and ‘googled’ the address for the hotel so we could find it. It was literally only 2blocks away! We get there and it turns out that it is the wrong ‘Ibis.’ We were booked in to the Ibis airport. We catch a taxi because by now we are absolutely shattered. We got to the airport at about 8pm and get some plug converters so we could charge our phones.

Today was by far the most stressful and tiring so far.

At the hotel I decide to wash my pants in the sink as I’ve had the same pair on since we started. As we were traveling light I didn’t bring any spares. I was looking forward to having clean pants! We clean up and pretty much go straight to bed. Our flight to Hong Kong leaves at 8o’clock the next morning so we need to check in by 6.

In the morning I put on my nice clean pants, we sort ourselves out, spend some time reading and praying and catch a glimpse of Benny Hinn on the TV! By now we have got this traveling business down to an art. We check in early and have a nice nutritious McDonalds breakfast and get a few souvenirs. We board the plane, which this time is Cathy Pacific and head towards Asia…