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..after a worriesome day..

Oh yeah. More on that:

Many of you may remember that I regularly get searched at USA airports due to some computer database flagging me for special attention.. well, apparently this database has been adopted by the Aussies now too, and it was denying me entry to Australia today..

And being Sunday here in Canada, all of the contact numbers are "closed", since diplomats appear to work mon-fri 9-5, like bankers.

But it is Monday in Australia, and the nice "Leads agent" at YVR telephoned them on my behalf, and explained that I wasn't as bad a guy as the database might think. Now cleared for travel over the Pacific (whew!).

His advice to me: change how my name appears on my passport. That's the first time someone has given me a concrete tip as to how to escape from travel hell!

Of course I only just renewed my passport , in hope that the old one might have been the trouble, but no.. it's my name. Perhaps I'll legally change it to "Hijack Guru". That should fix it!

Or go back 20 years in time and start including my middle name again..

Cheers

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Photo above may be NSFW ^

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Well, in the end, Australia was just too big for us.. we never had an idle moment, and just ran out of time seeing the sights and doing the Do's (apologies to Bitt).

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Thanks Paul for your adventurous offers, and to the others who posted/emailed as well. We never did get to meet up in person, but I loved it down there, and just might be back again in the future (esp. now that Air Canada is beginning non-stop service from YVR, avoiding the nasty US Customs run-around-the-tarmac nonsense in Hawaii during refueling there..

Now that is news! I too would like to avoid nasty US Customs run-around and Kate and I would love to visit Canada. I'm assuming there's a stopover in Hawaii, still. Which Australian ports does this go to? (Starts web searching...)

Glad you had fun,

Paul

P.S. These days taking unsolicited photos of women on Australian beaches can get you in trouble with the police...

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P.S. These days taking unsolicited photos of women on Australian beaches can get you in trouble with the police...

Perhaps that's how Mark got his name on the terrorist watch list to begin with.

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Interesting you should mention it. I just booked a ticket Sydney to Vancouver non-stop on Air Canada. The plane is apparently an A340-300 not a -500 though. Flight time is 14 hours 40 minutes.

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Maybe it'll do an in-air refuel. Yeah. That sounds likely.

That would be cool

Either they have the aircraft type wrong or they've figured out how to get there in one hop. Maybe they run on one engine with a lot rudder to compensate! It's definitely one flight though:

Code:

---

FRIDAY     AIR CANADA                     FLIGHT AC  34     CONFIRMED
28 JAN 05  - DEPART   - SYDNEY/SYDNEY KINGSFORD    1115     NON-STOP
                        Terminal: TERMINAL 1
28 JAN 05  - ARRIVE   - VANCOUVER/VANCOUVER AIR    0655     14HRS 40MINS
                        Terminal: TERMINAL M
           - AIRCRAFT - AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A340-300
           - CLASS    - ECONOMY

---

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The 340-300 cannot carry enough fuel to do the whole thing in one leg.

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AIR CANADA AC 33 D-CONFIRMED EQUIP: 343
DEPART: VANCOUVER SUN 21NOV04 1810
ARRIVE: SYDNEY TUE 23NOV04 0730
SEATS: 2H,2K
DEPARTS FROM: TERMINAL M -MAIN