Bangkok to Murray Bridge via Melbourne
Monday 23rd January 2006:
Just after midnight we boarded our Thai Airlines plane for the leg to Melbourne. Yet again we had a half hour wait before the plane taxied for take-off. I spent about the first hour of the journey talking to the girl next to me. She was a student from Kathmandu going to do business studies at university in Melbourne. She had previously studied in the USA but didn’t enjoy her time there.
Long flight to Melbourne
The nine hour flight was long and tedious. I tried to sleep but couldn’t get comfortable. I think I got about two hours sleep but it was very restless sleep. At one stage I tried to watch the latest “Wallace and Grommet†movie but couldn’t really concentrate on it. Every passenger had an individual screen on the back of the seat in front, with a remote control to choose from a wide range of programmes. I was too tired to even open my book, and besides, the lights were dimmed for most of the journey.
Melbourne Airport
The flight was very smooth except for about twenty minutes just north of Djakarta. I was watching the progress of the plane on the monitor and was disappointed that it was very cloudy over Murray Bridge as we came over. On arrival at Melbourne I knew I had a tight schedule to get through immigration and customs before making the connecting flight to Adelaide. The plane was late arriving, progress through baggage collection was slow but customs only took about three minutes. I then made my way to the domestic terminal and checked in my luggage for Adelaide. In the end I had a wait of about twenty minutes before boarding the plane for the last leg of my journey of adventure. The plane to Adelaide was only half full so when everyone was on board the pilot announced we were leaving a few minutes early.
Melbourne to Adelaide
The flight to Adelaide was very good. I had a window seat and made the most of it as the cloud had largely dissipated. On the way I observed the massive bushfires in the Grampians. The Coorong looked beautiful from the air. I was able to pick out many landmarks in the Adelaide Hills and in the city. On the downside the last ten minutes of the flight were extremely painful. I had an acute pain in my left ear as we landed.
Home at last
It was great to be greeted by Corinne in the airport terminal. I think I talked all the way home and most of the evening. I had so much to share with her. Interestingly, I was able to stay up until normal bed time here at home despite having had so little sleep over the previous 48 hours. It was exciting showing Corinne all of the shopping I had done overseas. She was really delighted with the topaz stone and the batik pictures.
The end of an adventure
So the adventure has ended. What wonderful experiences I have had over the previous month. What amazing memories I will keep forever. I will have fun with all of the wonderful photographs I have taken, sharing them with family and friends.