Exploring Australia&NZ Day 3
Exploring Australia&NZ
Day 03 - Monday, April 18, 2011 - Fly into Brisbane, Australia and Connect to Cairns; Transfer to Hotel and Welcome Dinner
Odysseys Unlimited
The sunrise was bright above the clouds but as we descended into the Brisbane airspace, we found ourselves in thick blankets of clouds. It was raining hard as the plane landed at the main terminal.
Going through immigration and then customs was very civilized; we did not get a second check on our luggage, only a sniff by a chocolate lab doing his job.
While we made our way out of the main terminal our entire group seemed to have found their luggage, always a good sign. While Gennie stood in line to recheck our bags, I got some Australian dollars from the ATM.
Following the instructions, we rechecked our large bags for our connecting flight to Cairns. We went out into the humid and rainy morning and waited for the shuttle bus that took us to the Domestic Terminal about 15 minutes away.
The Domestic Terminal was very busy at 7:30 am as Australians use flights often to travel this huge country. We had plenty of time to catch up on the journal and wait for our 9:45 flight to Cairns (pronounced Cans).
We found an internet desk but we were not able to post the journals. Gennie was able to get a look at her mail and write a few notes on her Kindle through the 3G network. The flight was delayed a few minutes because the incoming flight was late, but we were all aboard and off the ground by 10:00.
The flight north 1,000 miles from Brisbane to Cairns was full, we had the last seats right by the galley and the restrooms. Air time was about 2 1/2 hours and unfortunately the cloud cover was so dense we could not see the coast line.
As we were about 20 minutes from Cairns we could see glimpses of the Great Barrier Reef as the clouds parted. Landing in Cairns, the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, we were greeted by Leigh Tymms our Tour Director for the Australia portion of the trip.
After getting our luggage and meeting the rest of the 23 on this tour, we walked to the bus and took a very short ride to the hotel. Checking in was easy as Leigh had all of the key cards organized and our rooms were ready.
The hotel was right down town and within a short walking distance of stores, restaurants, and the sea. After sorting our bags, taking a shower, and connecting to the internet to post the first day of the journal we went for a walk to see the town.
Our first Orientation Meeting was at 6:00 followed by our Welcome Dinner. We enjoyed getting to know people on our tour and the procedures of Odysseys Unlimited as this is our first trip with the company.
As soon as we had eaten dinner we were happy to finish Day 3 of the Journal and get a good night’s sleep as we have full days in our Australian Adventure.
Accommodations: Pullman Reef Hotel Casino - - - Meals: Dinner
Comments
Post a Comment!That's a lot of luggage for two people ;-)
Didgeridoo and Aboriginal Dance (1:08)
Leaving Brisbane
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Pullman Reef Hotel
So Much Luggage
Downtown Cairns
Featured Journal
Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos
Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.
The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.
Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...
