First of all, yes, I am aware that I am writing this post after having already been in this country more than a month. I am aware, and I am sorry. But that’s just how it goes, people, sometimes life just happens.

In all seriousness, though, up until recently my life was moving at a snail’s pace that had me frustrated out of my mind, and that’s the more likely reason for the lack of an Arrival story – because I simply didn’t feel there was anything to report.

It’s a good lesson to learn, in hindsight; sticking one’s head in the sand doesn’t do anything but keep you in that one, stuck place. It certainly doesn’t help you move forward.

But I am moving now! Actually, I have moved, into a lovely new place on the complete other side of this little town.

But that’s another story.

This story starts much earlier than that.

For anyone who hasn’t heard, I’ve spent the last couple of years working as a fly-in-fly-out Speech Pathologist to remote Indigenous Australian communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Cape York Peninsula. So there have been many flight miles racked up, and many Qantas points (although I wish there were more of those…grr…so close to Platinum…).

The result of all this was a wonderful message a few days before I was due to fly out from Brisbane confirming an upgrade to Business class for the entirety of my international travel, so from Sydney to Dubai, and then on to London.

It. Was. Bliss.

It was so wonderful. Unfortunately I don’t have the pictures to prove just how wonderful, because I have discovered since making this blog that I am actually kind of terrible at taking photos… woops… will have to work on that…

But it was honestly so lovely.

My flight to Sydney was in economy (with the peasants, good gracious, how ever did I survive?), and began in a slightly emotional fashion with my parents at the gate. And also some potential cross looks from the crowded economy lane as I popped through priority.

I am going to miss that Qantas Gold card. So much.

Obligatory photo to show the parents I am alive

In Sydney, everything kicked off. Boarding on the Upper Deck! Being greeted by name! Pyjamas! Toiletries! Bubbly! Amazing. Spoiled for life, unfortunately.

Sooo much space

And it carried on pretty neatly from there. The layout of the Qantas Business Class cabin is 2-2-2. I was lucky enough to get a window seat in the smallest Business Class section, at the front of the Upper Deck. There are only three rows of seats in that cabin, with a total of 18 passengers (and, yes, I did have to use my phone to calculate that, Mum). That makes the cabin very private – no one from the other cabins has any reason to enter unless they’re going to the business lounge at the front of the plane, and as this was an overnight flight most people changed into their Qantas pjs and got right down to the more important business of sleeping.

Ready!

Which was a bit of a shame, if you ask me, because OH MY GOSH I’M IN BUSINESS CLASS THIS IS SO EXCITING is just a much more fun attitude to have, I think.

So, your seat. It has a massage function. It has buttons to change just about every aspect at your whim. The thing reclines, all the way, fully flat. And when you want to go to sleep, the lovely attendants come and put a mattress topper on it for you. And your head is in this kind of egg dome, so even if your seat mate is reading or watching their screen, it doesn’t bother you.

But before you go to sleep, you get food. And the food is pretty darn good, guys. In Business, you’re able to book your menu before getting on the plane, which is awesome, and there are some options that you can only get by booking beforehand. I had a very exciting time going through all the options, and Mum and Dad had just about as much fun living vicariously through me. I have a very vivid memory of standing with Dad downstairs at their house, both of us bent over my iPad, debating the relative virtues of salmon salad over breaded chicken. He suggested the salmon.

Yes. Just yes.

The moral of this story is, trust your father. He knows what’s up. I would pay good money for that salad. It was truly yum.

There is also a snack bar open during the flight, where you can get biccies, chocolate, chips, fruit (and yes, that is the correct order), soft and hard drinks during the flight. As you wish. As much as you wish. So if they have, say, jam drop biscuits (just for the sake of argument), you could totally grab as many as your hot little hands could carry and ferret them back to your seat, and no one would stop you! In fact, the snack station is the thing that seems to get people the most excited when I tell them. Pyjamas? Eh. Reclining seat? Okay. Limitless food and drink?? NOW WE’RE TALKING!

I feel you, guys. I feel you.

I’m not really a sleeper on planes. I’m a dozer, at times, but mostly on work trips when I’m either exhausted from a week away or trying to mentally avoid the week to come. My strategy for avoiding jetlag kind of rests on not sleeping, after all.

Hehehe. Rests. Geddit?

Usually, I don’t sleep at all on a long flight, particularly if I’m arriving at night. Then I’ll arrive, exhausted, and go to bed as soon as it’s night in my destination. This seems to result in little to no jetlag. It worked both ways for my Switzerland trip last year, and that was nothing short of insane – it was a 7 day round trip, out of which I was only in the country for 3½  days!

Why nap when you can put on a sheet mask and look like a crazy person with your dodgy forward camera?

So instead of waste time sleeping, I decided to do some of the things I do best – watching films, eating, and exploring.

There was a moment in the middle of one of the flights, I think it was the second, when I went for a walk…and a bit of a stickybeak, I mean, come on – wouldn’t you? In any case, one of the storage cabins had been left ajar, and inside I could see neat piles of the pyjamas and toiletries cases that they hand out when you come on board. Now, bearing in mind that I had already received a second set of each which were safely in my bag and earmarked as pressies for friends once I arrived (so, yes, it must’ve been the second flight).

But in that moment, I thought, I could just reach in there and no one would know. Most people were asleep, there were no passing crew members. No one would’ve seen me.

I didn’t. The little goody-two-shoes in me that stresses out over following rules even when the rules annoy me reared her prissy little head, and I reluctantly closed the cabinet and stepped away.

But I did go down the stairs and have a sneaky peek at First Class through the curtain. And use their bathroom. So there.

Speaking of eating, something I definitely got right this time was the Calling Of The Attendants. I flew Business for half of my flight back from Europe a few years ago, and at the time I was too overwhelmed by everything to take proper advantage. I saw people asking the flight attendants for things all the time, but I was too nervy to do it myself. This time, however? No problem.

It might be small, but being able to get a cup of tea, and proper tea in a cup with real milk, was one of the things that made the trip feel luxurious for me. It was a little moment of normality, of grounded-ness, despite the reality being that we were who knows how many miles up in the air.

The attendants, I have to say, were fantastic. So professional, so polite and kind, so great. They must have been exhausted at times, but they were just amazing.

Tbh, I have no idea where this is...

Dubai was the lounge, which was fantastic, but also a bit of a short turn around so I was a little concerned about getting to the gate on time and didn’t really get to enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked. The plane was actually more relaxing, probably because I didn’t have to worry about getting to and from places myself and could just sit.

Dubai to London was just as lovely as Sydney to Dubai (and this time there was ice cream in the snack bar – ice cream!). I did have a bit of a nap on this leg, if only so that I could tell my mother that I’d given it a try.

One of the best bits about this leg was actually the breakfast that was served while we were over Germany somewhere – brioche toast, creamy scrambled eggs, potato hash, smoked salmon, and avocado. Amazing.

Dodgy pic, but swoon-worthy all the same

Unfortunately, it couldn’t last forever, but very fortunately the blessings didn’t stop when I arrived in London. An absolutely wonderful friend was there not only to greet me, but to help me with my enormous bags! And she even gave me a place to stay! Cinnamon roll too good for this world, too pure, I tell you.

Thank heavens for good friends, is all I can say

And that was that. I think. I know it’s not the most complete story in existence, but it was a while ago, sorry. I’m glad I’ve finally written it all down, though. This has been hanging over me for a while and I’ve felt like I couldn’t put any other posts up until I got this one done, so, yay! Finished.

Now excuse me while I go cry over my Gold card…