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Despite not really sleeping on the flight, the time seemed to pass faster than I expected, and before we knew it they were turning the lights on for the breakfast service. We flew into Sydney Airport from the north, and had a good view of the city out the left side of the plane. We landed just before 09:30.
Unfortunately there were several delays getting home. First, the terminal was full when we arrived, so the plane had to wait on the tarmac until a gate became available. Then there were a few flights arriving at the same time, and there was a long queue to get through the automated passport checking gates, so that took some time. We didn't have to wait for checked luggage, so we left T. and K. at the baggage claim since were were heading to our respective homes by different transport, so there was no point waiting for them. M and I headed down to the train station and boarded a train to Central where we intended to change for a train on our own line that would drop us a short walk from home.
But as we pulled into Central it was clear that something was wrong. None of the other platforms in the entire station had so much as a single person on them waiting for trains. This could mean only one thing: the trains were not running. Obviously the airport train was, but it seemed no other train line was. Checking online, I discovered that the only trains running were essentially a shuttle between the airport and Central, and the Metro line, which was also running a reduced service, with a shuttle between Central and Martin Place, and another shuttle from Martin Place to Tallawong. We could take the Metro and walk a longer distance from the nearest station to our home. Normally this would be a single train, but today for some reason we had to change trains at Martin Place. So our trip home had an extra train change and a walk about twice as long at the home end.
M. stopped for an iced coffee in the Sydney heat and humidity that was a shock after being in winter Tokyo. We arrived at home, for one more shock.
When the lift door opened on our floor of our apartment building, we were greeted by the sight of a large plastic bin sitting in the corridor, catching a continual stream of drips leaking from a light fitting in the ceiling. The bin was half full, and the carpet in the corridor soaking wet!
We quickly went into our apartment and checked if the ceiling was leaking water anywhere. Thankfully it was all dry, but this was a definite moment of panic, thinking maybe our bedroom or living room might have been flooded while we were away. A building management representative arrived soon afterwards with a plumber, and I asked what the story was, and the guy said the leak only happened two or three hours ago, and was a hot water pipe in the corridor, which the plumber was about to fix. Phew!
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