Sydney to Singapore  – up, up and away with the Flying Kangaroo.

Saturday – first up let me say that I am not ashamed to say that I am a tourist of the 1st degree.

I always live by the principal that if you have never been to where you are going now then you are a tourist.In your own city, country or anyplace in the world – even if you have been somewhere before there is always something new to see and experience – so enjoy it!

Be like Snoopy – always take with you an adventurous mind and a welcoming heart.

Here endeth the lesson.

After many, many years of dreaming about travelling overseas and especially going to Egypt, here I am finally making those dreams come true. My daughter Kylie is now living in London and we are going to Egypt together and as a bonus she has booked for us to call into Athens on the way to Cairo. Hot damn!!!!!

This is my first big overseas adventure and I am going the whole hog – no little week or two away for me. It’s four weeks full-out. I have had all my shots – Tetanus; Typhoid; and two shots of Hepatitis A. Have stocked up on Malaria tablets, Lomotil, Stematil and aspirin. You can see I am not taking any chances of getting sick and missing anything!!!!!

Since receiving all my documents from NRMA Travel two weeks ago, I have checked, double checked and triple checked everything. I get excited just looking at the tickets and my passport with my Egyptian Visa. This is going to be fabulous!!! Can hardly wait – – – my bags are out and waiting to be packed. I am sure they are excited just as much as me!

On the way to the airport I have checked all my papers – passports – tickets etc I don’t know how many times. Get to check in and what a drama. My luggage tags will not print. The check-in chick has about 6 goes and finally they are printed and on my luggage. I am ready to fly. This is not a good start and definitely not what I expect from my very first International Travel Adventure. Stuart (my son who drove me to the airport) is still with me at this stage – and after the tag printing episode we decide to go to The Golden Arches for something to eat. After devouring some food Stuart goes home – no need for him to stay for another hour and a half just so that he can wave goodbye to me going through customs. So, here I am by myself in the middle of an International airport and just loving every minute of it. So excited – I go through customs about 11.30am, look around the shops and buy some perfume and a bottle of Amaretto for me, aftershave for Stuart and perfume and Frangelico for Kylie. Trying my best pretending to be a very suave international traveller – I think I am failing – I find a seat to settle in and start reading some of ‘The Life of Cleopatra’ that my friend Rhondda has given me so that I can get into the spirit of the adventure.

So much for that – I am too excited to really concentrate on reading and I keep on looking around at all the travellers and the planes coming and going and thinking ‘now it is my turn!’.

Flight details : QF123 Departing Sydney 12:30pm – arriving Singapore 18:45 19/09/1998

After waiting ages it is finally time to board and we have to walk out onto the tarmac – bit of a surprise there let me tell you and not what an international traveller should endure. Don’t know what happened but anyway I am there. Our plane to Singapore is a 767 – not a jumbo – major disappointment.

The plane is packed – no spare room anywhere!!! Seating is two seats then three seats in the middle then two seats on the other side.
I have a window seat and there is an Indian chap next to me. He asks if I will swap my seat with his wife – who is in the middle aisle seats – I say very nicely – no I want my window thanks. He is not too pleased and the missus is even more not so. Too bad. This, after all, is my very first trip and I want to look out the window not be stuck in the middle of the plane.

The music system is not working, God what else is going to go wrong – so nothing to do but look out the window. That’s not as bad as it sounds. The wheels start to move and we taxi off down the runway – turn around – the engines are revving higher and higher – my heart is pounding – I am so excited and off we go. I just love flying – – watching the ground fall away underneath the plane – the water of the bay beneath me, the plane on a steep incline, how high are we going? Right through a bit of cloud cover and we level off and settle down. I take a few deep breaths and relax – still looking out the window at nothing but the atmosphere but I don’t care – I am still too excited. A little while later the ‘let’s keep the passengers mind off the flying and on the food’ programme begins.

The attendants come around with some lunch :

• Tomato & Tabouli Salad
• Hake with Tomato & Black Olive Sauce
• Baked Cheesecake
• Cheese & Crackers
• Tea or Coffee

Drink madam? Juice, water or maybe something else? I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay please. They give me a little 6 inch bottle and a glass. How cute.

A few more of those coming up I think to myself. Also think maybe I’ll try a bit of sleep but am still too excited.

It is 3.30pm – 6 hours to go before we arrive in Singapore. Get out the book again.

But, you guessed it, still too excited to read. Just spend the time looking out the window and drifting along with the clouds below. I just love it.
Here come the Flight Attendants again and it is time for a light refreshment:

• Apple Juice
• Hokkien Noodles with Vegetables
• Wattleseed Cookies
• Coffee & Tea

The time goes by and I try to catch a bit of sleep before we arrive in Singapore. Just sit there and look out the window at the clouds and the sky. Very peaceful – except for a bit of turbulence every now and again. Time to descend for Singapore and I see a bit of the countryside – take a couple of photos and we arrive at Changi airport. This terminal is such a large place and so full of people.

I discover I have to get a fast track train to Terminal 2 from where my connecting Lufthansa flight departs. This is exciting – so I rumble off for the train with my trusty cabin bag rolling behind me.Get on the little train and zoom off down the track, arriving at Terminal 2 and now I have to find where to check in. Find the Lufthansa check-in but I am too early – about 6 hours too early.

Flight LH779 departing Singapore 23:59pm (that’s right – midnight) arrive Frankfurt Germany 6:45am 20/09/98. I have gained a day.

Decide to go for a little (extremely little) walk. The airport is huge. Looking around, I discover that it is also very nice as well – lots of Singapore orchids and water features all over the place. Even though there are lots of people around – the atmosphere is relaxing.

I realise I am dead tired so heading back to the check-in counter I sit on the floor (because the seats are rock hard and at least there is carpet on the floor and I can stretch my legs out) and wait for the call-up. I think the excitement is getting to me. Still trying to read the book but have not progressed from page one. Too busy looking around. Never mind, there will be time on the cruise down The Nile.

Sunday 20th – Time to board – wish I was flying Qantas but never mind – leave Singapore heading for Frankfurt.

I have a window seat. What a long night – 12 hours on the plane and nothing to do but eat and drink. I have a large bottle of water with me from OZ so that will come in handy.
Nigh on impossible to sleep – there is a lot of turbulence which lasts for the first couple of hours. I keep an eye on the stewards and they don’t seem overly perturbed so maybe that is a good sign. I think that is why they keep on feeding and watering us – so that we would take our minds off the turbulence.

It sure is an experience to watch them trying to move around with the trolley and pour drinks. I decide to have the wine in the little bottles. I also remember reading that I should drink plenty of water so that I don’t suffer from dehydration. So between the wine and the water I am OK.
Anyway, after saying every prayer I can remember it settles down. After that the flight is great. The male flight attendants all look – well, you know – but they are very nice and extremely polite and bring around lots of food, drink & nibblies. I finally catch up on some sleep. When I wake up the sun is just coming up and it’s time for food again.

Highlight of the day – actually having a passport and going through customs! Yes, yes I know – tragic tourist!