Saturday 29 October 2011

The day Barack Obama almost had me arrested - Part IV

Being an island, Australia has a vast number of beaches. Of all the beaches that stretch the coastline near Sydney, Manly Beach would be my favourite.
I like Manly for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's not too far from where I live. There are beaches that are closer (Dee Why, for example), but I prefer Manly over any of them. Secondly, it has a good touristy vibe to it. There is this concourse that runs along the beach front, you see, and alot of people walk, skate, ride and generally frollic upon it during a sunny day. Thirdly, it's close enough to the shopping and eating areas so you can go and grab a bite to eat without too much hassle. Lastly, the Manly Ferry. For any of you non-Australian types reading this, if you ever come to Sydney then you must go for a ride on the Manly Ferry. I have loved it ever since I was a kid, and have had the pleasure of taking my own son on it as well. Sure, it's just Public Transport but you get to see Sydney Harbour from the water and also take in the rough and tumble of the Heads before it drops you off at Manly. For a bit of a romantic twist, do it at night ;-)

So, why do I mention Manly? It was where I bought the T-shirt, you see. I needed a cheap shirt because I got wet one day and had nothing to change into, this particular shirt was only $5 so i bought it.

When I loked down at myself to see what shirt I was wearing on the plane, I realised why I was getting such strange looks from people. I burst out laughing because it all made sense now.

The shirt is bright orange. Emblazoned across the front in very large letters was "State Prison" and a serial number. When you add in the fact that I was sitting at the very front of the plane, with my hands covered, people must have thought I was a prisoner that was being transported somewhere. The "look to the left" must have been the passenger looking for a Guard/Sheriff that was travelling with me.

That's right, I was the number one passenger on Con Air.

I told the Stewardess about the looks I was getting, she had a bit of a giggle and told me that she thought it was a strange shirt to wear in the US post-September 11. But, she did ask me where I got it.

Manly, of course.

(To be continued)

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