Day 0 - 3-4 July Travelling

 I suppose this is day zero - or maybe day one. It's all a little unclear right now.

We started on Monday 3 July flying to Brisbane. This turned out to be on a fairly small plane, an Embraer 190, the kind of thing with one seat on the port side of the aisle and two on the starboard. And it was more than an hour late by the time we took off. I gather Brisbane had only had one runway operating all day and so the flight was late arriving in Adelaide.

That meant that rather than the comfortable amount of time to transfer in Brisbane it all seemed a bit rushed. The staff on the flight to Brisbane said they couldn't be sure we'd get there in time. Which made it feel tenser than waqs really necessary. Because of course we rushed through the terminals, taking a shuttle bus to the international building, and got there with plenty of time.

We were upstairs near the front on the A380 and seated in the middle. This was actually good as it meant Lynn and I could sit next to each other (the window seats were singles) and it was night the whole way so we didn't miss the views. A couple of hours and a pleasant meal in we went to sleep. They were good flat bedsw and they give you a mattress (for extras padding) and a blanket, but it's still uncomfortable and fitful, and we were up again maybe three or four hours before landing.

And Dubai airport is where I am writing this. We navigated from one terminal to the next (by train) and found a lounge despite our befuddled state. I was really quite confused for the first half hour on the time zone, how long we had, and what was going on. But we found a nook in a lounge and have been camped here, eating food we don't need and debating whether to wander around the shops for things we won't buy. We did take a shower, which made me feel much closer to human. The lounge is tidy, very clean, and with limitless food and drink.

We have about five hours here, then a less than five hour flight to Istanbul. Which I am calling all the one (and a bit) days of travelling and set-up for the trip.