What a day!
I had a 4am start because I needed to wash and blow dry my hair as well as get dressed, add my face and finish packing (just my toiletries and make up).
The sun was rising as we drove the fifteen minutes to the train station, which provided a very pretty sky to capture our admiration.
There were so many people waiting to catch the train, that the conductor asked if there was anybody left in Howard! Despite the numbers, my carriage was reasonably empty and I had two seats to myself.
It was the Tilt Train, it was on time and all was quiet and relaxed in the carriage.
Showing on the television screen was Andrew Denton interviewing Steve Irwin. Steve has been gone for ten years now and during the interview, he talked about Bindi being 5 yrs old, so the interview was historic and hilarious. The few people scattered throughout my carriage all giggled in unison as we watched the screens.
It was an easy and uneventful trip. One of the passengers was from NSW and I eavesdropped on his phone conversation declaring that Queensland trains 'had it all over' NSW trains. He loved how clean and comfortable they were. He loved the TV screens. He loved how quiet the other passengers were and how friendly the staff were. By the end of the call, he was strongly considering gaining employment with Queensland Rail!
We arrived at Roma Street Station about ten minutes late. It cost me $18 for the train ticket to the Domestic Air Terminal ($5 dearer than the equivalent train in Sydney).
Checking in at the Brisbane airport took about ten minutes - a whole lot LESS busy than Sydney!
I found a quiet corner where I made a couple of phone calls, drank half a coffee, played Words With Friends on my iPad with Tweedle Dee and then went in search of my departure gate, which, the check in staff told me was Gate 40B (it was even hand written on my luggage ticket).
When it was time to board, the announcement stated Gate 47, so I hightailed it to the other end of the terminal to gate 47. I needed the exercise anyway. pfft
The flight was on time. The plane was full. We had to take a detour around some severe storms in and around Sydney, which made the flight 10 minutes behind schedule. We flew over a massive bushfire .. so big that the pilot made an announcement that if we smelled smoke in the cabin, not to panic, and that it was only from the fire on the ground.
It was a bumpy landing .. though not anywhere near as bad as the landing in The Bay last week!
When we landed, they wouldn't allow us to alight through the rear doors because of the strong smell of smoke outside, so it took a while for everybody to get out through the front doors.
It took even longer for our bags to reach the conveyor belt in the baggage collection area.
My original plan was to catch the shuttle bus, but due to our delays, I would have to wait 45 minutes for the next bus, so I bit the bullet and caught a taxi instead.
My taxi driver could easily have competed in the Bathurst 1000 very competitively. He weaved in and out through the heavy afternoon traffic driving at 10kms over the speed limit and literally driving through two red lights.
The trip cost me $25 and five years from my life expectancy.
I checked into my hotel and was served by a very friendly and happy staff member. I found my room easily, closed the blinds, turned on the air conditioner, unpacked some stuff and even though I planned on searching out a nice restaurant, I decided instead to order room service.
I feasted on Wild Caught Tasmanian Salmon, with creamy potato bake and broccolini, followed by a dessert of Ice Cream Trio served with fresh berries and strawberry coulis. Full of sugar and dairy, but at least it was GF. I am sated!
I'm done for the day. I've been on the go for 17 hours and my stress levels have been on a few mini rollercoaster rides throughout the day. It's time to rest.
Nite all.
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