Going through Customs and Quarantine was a breeze. Trevor was waiting for me at the arrivals gate. After giving him a big hug from his mom, then from myself, we went in search of the Avis desk to get our rental car. We presented our confirmation information, were told we were getting an upgrade because the agent had a car that had to get back to Melbourne, signed the paperwork, received the key, and went in search of our car. It was a huge Ford station wagon:
much more car than we really needed, and not very easy to maneuver through Sydney streets, much less while trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road!
While driving, we noticed that the engine light remained on. We tried just popping the hood in hopes that it might have been just a glitch. No such luck. The light stayed on. I called Avis, told the agent the problem, and she said, "if you don't feel safe driving it, bring it back." Trevor and I looked at each other. "What do you think?" Trevor screwed up his mouth. "I think we should take it back," I said. Trevor let out a sigh of relief. Ok, so that means we drive back to the airport, see our original booking agent, who was not happy about our bringing the car back, but found another car that needed to be returned to Melbourne. Lucky us! This car is a Holden Cruze with just a little more than 7000 km—almost new! It even has seat warmers, which should come in very handy in the Snowy Mountains! This car is smaller and much more manageable. Trevor and I are very happy with it.
Next, we had to decide where to park it for the day. Parking on Trevor's street is only for an hour from 8 am to 8 pm. His flat is near University of Sydney, and they take parking very seriously in that area. We walked down to a University parking structure, figured out the price, and were able to park until 6 pm. This worked out well because we had no worries about the car while we embarked on Australia Adventure No. 2—Sydney Harbor.
While driving, we noticed that the engine light remained on. We tried just popping the hood in hopes that it might have been just a glitch. No such luck. The light stayed on. I called Avis, told the agent the problem, and she said, "if you don't feel safe driving it, bring it back." Trevor and I looked at each other. "What do you think?" Trevor screwed up his mouth. "I think we should take it back," I said. Trevor let out a sigh of relief. Ok, so that means we drive back to the airport, see our original booking agent, who was not happy about our bringing the car back, but found another car that needed to be returned to Melbourne. Lucky us! This car is a Holden Cruze with just a little more than 7000 km—almost new! It even has seat warmers, which should come in very handy in the Snowy Mountains! This car is smaller and much more manageable. Trevor and I are very happy with it.
Next, we had to decide where to park it for the day. Parking on Trevor's street is only for an hour from 8 am to 8 pm. His flat is near University of Sydney, and they take parking very seriously in that area. We walked down to a University parking structure, figured out the price, and were able to park until 6 pm. This worked out well because we had no worries about the car while we embarked on Australia Adventure No. 2—Sydney Harbor.
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