SYDNEY AIRPORT

Word of the day: Surreal. We arrive inside the Sydney Airport, tamping down panic - it's hot and crowded. Again with the endless mounds and carts of luggage that creat a great need for space around each traveler. People are pushing things in front of them, pulling things behind them, or using a 2-armed approach wherein their bodies are flanked by at least one piece of luggage per side. So we queue up for the passport check. We seek our luggage, working our way from one carosel to another. We join a swarm of people and luggage seeing that everyting and everybody must eventually funnel down into ONE NARROW LINE where only ONE MAN looks us over for something undetermined in order to route the hoards to another series of lines. Here, an inspector ascertains that we're not smuggling in tainted food stuffs. One such official picks Ron and me out of the line, asks us if we have anthing forbidden, we say "no", and he passes us on our way with nary a glance at or into our luggage. We race for the exit doors. Ah, sunlight!