Thursday, June 13, 2013

Welcome to Australia - Episode 1

I flew out of Vancouver on Monday, June 10 at 4:00pm and arrived in Brisbane, Australia at 7:00am on June 12 - total flying time about 17 hours, and total time being awake about 45 hours (7am Monday to 4am Wednesday Vancouver time).

Fortunately for me, Travis booked me in Business Class on Virgin Australia, and it really is like checking into a hotel.

They go so far as to ask if you'd like pyjamas as soon as you board the plane. I declined (because everything I wear is man-made and wrinkle-free and will spontaneously ignite if exposed to flame), but most of the others popped into the washroom right away and changed. It was midnight in LA when we boarded, so I guess that makes sense.

I decided early on to get onto Brisbane time as soon as I boarded, so it was only 5pm by my new clock - so I stayed awake as long as I could. I must have drifted off for a few minutes anyway, and when we arrived at 7am I felt relatively refreshed. I stayed awake until 9:30pm that night, so I am either so used to not sleeping that it didn't matter, or I actually got some rest on the flight.

Travis met me at the airport and got me on the train south to Gold Coast. Kathryn then met me at the other end (1:45 train ride - and Travis does this twice a day!), got me a coffee, and dropped me off at their house.

It poured rain that entire afternoon, so I stayed in to recoup. Kathryn and Travis both worked all day Thursday, so I explored the immediate neighborhood.

Today is Friday, though, and Kath had the day off.

We went all over the place, and the weather was gorgeous.








The sunshine does wonders for jet lag, and it's easy to see why they love living here ... despite the commute Travis has to tolerate.

Tonight we go over to Kate and Ben's to discuss the Postie-Bike trip to the Cape (north of Cairns). We're having BBQ Emu.

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