Saturday September 27, I wake up two hours before my alarm is set to go off… I stayed in bed trying to rest, but I don't get any more sleep. My mind starts thinking of all I still have left to do, taking garbage out, running the dishwasher, packing last minute items, etc. I eventually give up on sleeping and get up to start the day.
As we leave the house the sun is out and the sky is a beautiful blue. This is not an unusual sight in Phoenix, however it had been raining off and on all morning and I am surprised at how the clouds had cleared away. We take an Uber ride to the airport and there is short line to drop off our bags. Security is a breeze with TSA pre check. If you fly very often, or with kids, it is so worth it. Not having to remove anything from your bag etc. and much shorter lines…it's saved us a few times already. That is one thing we'll miss in Australia, as TSA pre check will do us no good when traveling outside the US.
Our flight to LAX is only an hour and they are expecting a few bumps on the flight, so they announce they are not going to do their service of drink and snacks on the plane. I usually fly Frontier which doesn't have complimentary drinks or snacks, so it's a a bummer when I paid for a more expensive flight that should have them and I don't get any (it happened the last time I flew Southwest also). That being said, I do care about the safety of the crew, and I can manage the 57 min flight…that's why I always bring my own water and snacks.
After landing we make our way to baggage claim where we wait for our bags. About 30 minutes later we finally have them. I was thankful for the bright blue and green straps wrapped around our black bags that help tell them apart from all the other plain black bags that look almost the same. Next we have to make our way to the international terminal. LAX is a huge airport! There are nine terminals shaped in a U. We landed at terminal “1” and have to walk to terminal “B” which is 4th in the line and in the bend of the U. It only takes 15 mins to walk there, and the temperature feels perfect around 72° F.
Once inside the B terminal we find a kiosk and we are able to get our bags tagged, print boarding passes, and even add frequent flyer program information. When we were done we head to drop off our bags. There were four lines, one each for; first class, business class, premium economy and economy. We get in the economy line and it didn't seem to move at all. We notice a sign that said general check in, 5:30, which is almost 2 hours away. By this time we are getting hungry, we will go find food and come back if necessary. I jump into the other line to ask the gate agent if they were checking in everyone or if we had to wait until 5:30. Thankfully she says they will check in the economy line, they had just been only pulling from the other priority lines. They were being very slow too, some people took what seemed like 10+ minutes to get their bags dropped off.
After waiting another 30 minutes or so we finally have our bags dropped off. We see big signs pointing towards the security checkpoint. We head up to some escalators where we have to show our tickets, then get into a line. We don't see a line marked TSA pre check, so Nate asks a lady who says we will need to go back down and up the far side for TSA pre check. Good thing we have lots of time, so we don't need to stress about it.
As we walk to the other end where TSA precheck is located Kailey says “Look Mom, googly eyes!” I do have to admit that it does look like that (the pipes above the advertisement).
Security is not an issue and by the time we get through security it has been 2 hours since we landed. Our next mission is to find lunch. Nate had looked up some options on his phone, and we found some of them just past security. Kailey wants Panda Express and so I got in that line. Nate and Landon looked around before deciding to join us. They find seats while I order food. I don't feel like paying $4.99 for a fountain drink, so I planned to just buy some water, but the only bottles at Panda Express were glass.
We had shoved Kailey's water bottles into the checked luggage as it had leaked on our last flight and just planned to give her a plastic one. After getting our food I started searching for water. Every place I find only has glass or metal bottles, so I opt for metal bottles. I get two bottles that we can split the water between the four of us. The kids want to keep the bottles, so we have a couple new bottles.
After eating we decide to head towards our gate. We had been warned when dropping off our bags that our gate would be a long walk away. As we stroll towards our gate, we go down a three story escalator, and then walk down a long hallway that goes under the taxiway where planes drive between terminals. The picture below is just before heading below ground. The Quantas airline you see in the background is the plane we will be getting on.
The kids get distracted at a LEGO store along the way, which is fine as they know we won't be buying anything and it helps burn some of the three hours we still have left before our flight leaves.
Just a bit further on we stop at the restroom. Across the way are a bunch of screens along the wall that have animated alligators sleeping. We are curious what it is. We think maybe you can wake them up somehow, and tell the kids to go try wave or clap at them, but nothing seems to do the trick. As we walk away we see a sign that says it's an art installation and that they wake up with airport announcements. Unfortunately there aren't any announcements while we were watching.
After getting to our gate I take the opportunity to take off my heavy backpack, and Kailey's that I had been carrying for her. I then go exploring while Nate sits with the kids who want to play games on the tablets. We had told them they would have limited time on the next flight as we wanted them to try sleep a good part of the way.
After a while I decided to find a water filling station and I took Kailey back towards the alligator art display were a water fountain was. We hung out for a while and got to see several of the alligators wake up. It was actually quite amusing, they wake up and move their mouth as if they are the one talking. Then when it's done they yawn, and stretch and go back to their resting position.
Upon returning with full water bottles Nate and Landon leave to find a snack. They come back with chicken nuggets from Burger King, that cost $1 per nugget! It's just a quick snack as we’re not very hungry since we ate a late lunch. We do have some other snacks for the plane if needed.
As I sit in the waiting area I can hear one man that has a bad cold, coughing quite a bit…not looking forward to 15 hours in a petri dish, and hoping we aren't seated too close. Kailey is fighting a cold, mainly some sniffles, but thankfully it hasn't been too bad. She did have some trouble getting her ears to pop on the way down from our last flight, so hoping that's not an issue on the next flight.
Our direct flight from LAX to Brisbane, Australia we are expecting to be 14 hr and 50 min. So I was happy to hear our captain say they were expecting just over 13 hours, and we would get in early. Even at just over 13 hours this would be the longest single flight I had been on, and I’ve never been able to sleep on a plane before. The plane is much nicer than expected. The headrest moves up and down, and you can fold in the sides to hold your head better while sleeping. There is a screen at each seat that can tilt out, and a fold out tray and storage compartment with a USB port. Plus there are double pockets on the seatback. Each seat has a pillow, blanket, and headphones so you can be comfortable (if possible), as well as a little pouch with a dental kit, eye mask, and ear plugs.
I didn’t know if they would serve us a meal until breakfast, since our flight was leaving at 9:35 PM, so I was surprised when they came to serve us dinner. I had put in a request for dairy free meals before we left, however when we sat on the plane I sat in a seat that was for one of the kids. Nate was a bit confused when they try to give him a special meal. Thankfully it is quickly resolved and I get my special meal as I am just across the aisle.The food is pretty good. I have rice with a white fish and some veggies, plus a little cup of fruit and a rice cracker. I discover after eating it all that there is a packet of salt and pepper in the utensil packet. Had I known that I would use some as it's a little bland — but still pretty good. The kids have rice with ginger chicken and pudding. Nate gets beef with mashed potatoes and pudding. The utensils are wooden! The fork is more like a spork, with short tines, but they work okay.
We discover that much of Australia has banned single use plastic silverware and straws, so these wooden utensils and paper straws are the norm.
We stay up until around 1:30 a.m., then decide we should try to get some rest… try is about all I do. I rest with an eye mask and ear plugs for the next 7+ hours, but every time Kailey moves, I check on her to make sure she isn’t kicking the guy next to her. I just can’t get comfortable, with pain in my tailbone. I get up several times to stretch, which helps, but I don’t feel like I ever sleep.
In the middle of the night, they come through with grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Most people are sleeping, but since I’m awake, they bring me a special sandwich that’s warm, with just tomato and turkey.
Finally, about two hours before we land, they come through with breakfast. Once again I get a special meal, which I don’t like at all. It’s mainly roasted veggies. The potatoes are good, but I’m not really a fan of mushrooms, and there are just as many of those as potatoes. No meat or protein of any kind, just the veggies with a plain rice cake and a couple slices of grapefruit, which I also don’t care for.
Kailey and Nate get some scrambled eggs with a couple slices of ham, some mushrooms, a hash brown patty, plus Greek yogurt. Kailey thinks the yogurt is too sour, but there’s a sugar packet with the utensils, so I add that to it, and she’s able to eat it then. Landon has a tray of fruit, which also comes with the yogurt.
Our flight lands 90 minutes ahead of schedule, and no one complains about that! It takes a while to wait for our bags, probably because we checked in very early, so our bags are deep in the plane. Customs goes okay, but I have to give up some jerky bites because no pork products are allowed into the country. But since I declare them, it isn’t an issue. I just hand them to the customs agent and we’re on our way.
We find it odd that no one ever stamps our passports. I guess they’ve switched to an electronic stamp system. We want the stamp as a reminder of the trip, so we’ll try to ask for one on our way back home.
There were tons of couches inside the Brisbane International terminal, but they are all pushed together. The kids have fun testing them out. We figure out how to get an Uber to our hotel, but we have to ask someone where to go for Uber pickup as it isn't obvious. As we walk outside we are amazed at the different trees and birds we see along the way. The kids find it interesting that the driver was on the right side of the car and they drive on the opposite side of the road as the US.
Trying to keep awake a bit longer we played a travel version of apples to apples and then did a few mad libs too. By about 6:30 pm it’s all I can do to keep my eyes open. I have been awake way too long! Time to get ready for bed… at last!
Landon says "Hey look, it's a pants crossing sign!"
Queensland Bottle Tree
This tree has pretty purple flowers, its called a Jacaranda
Town Hall of Brisbane
Moreton Bay Fig also known as "Australian Banyan"
It is very foggy in the city, even though it was nice and clear out by the airport. We walk across the river and down a boardwalk along the water. We see many lizards called Water Dragons and birds called Australian White Ibises. The birds aren’t scared of humans at all and remind me of pigeons, especially in the way they try to eat food scraps people leave lying around. I do see a pigeon later, but only one or two.
Water Dragon
Albert Street Uniting Church. The building was built in 1889.
Australian White Ibis
When we get to our hotel, they don’t have any rooms available for early check-in, but they take our bags to store for us so we can go off and explore. They say to check back closer to noon, which is still six hours away.
As we head out to explore, we see some homeless people sleeping in a park by our hotel. Our hotel is right near the city center, with the town hall across the street, etc.
We walk along the waterfront and through the area known as South Bank. We pass by the Nepal Peace Pagoda and spot an Australian brush turkey in the bushes. A little further on, we come across a playground, and the kids want to stop and play. After playing for 20–30 minutes, they’re sad to leave the park, calling it “the best playground ever.” That’s probably partly because it’s new and different and they have it all to themselves, since most kids aren’t at the park at 7 a.m.
Our stomachs decide we need a second breakfast (we ate our first at 3 AM local time), so Nate and I start looking up places to go. The first place we want to try doesn’t open until 10, but it’s only 8 a.m. What kind of breakfast place opens that late?! Nate then finds a spot called The Pancake Manor, about 15 minutes away and closer to our hotel. We discover it’s an old church turned into a restaurant (St. Luke’s Church Hall, built in 1904 and used until 1977). The building is very cool, inside and out. The benches we sit on remind me of old church pews with high backs. If you want water, there’s a little self-serve station with cups. I appreciate that, especially compared to Europe, where most countries won’t give you free water.
After leaving we see cops blocking a road and we ask an officer what's going on. He says there is a parade for Remembrance Day to remember officers that have fallen in the line of duty. We stay and watch as it was just beginning. A long line of police in all kinds of uniforms march, mounted police on horseback, drummers and bagpipe players too. It was neat to see, and we were there at the perfect time.
After that we head back to the park across the river, but by this time it is full of kids. After playing for 30 mins or so we decide to kill some time at a mall closer to our hotel before we can check in.
Nepal Peace Pagoda
The Queen Street Mall was not what I think of typically as a mall, it's a street with shops and restaurants that are all open 24/7. There are a couple places that you can go inside off the street down a wide hallway with shops off of it. We find a grocery store in this area and compare some prices, it's not easy to do though as both the weights and currency exchange rate make it difficult. There are some Monster Energy drinks on sale 2 for 6.90 AUD, which is about 2 for $4.48 USD. The cans are also slightly larger at 500 ml vs 16 oz. which is 473 ml. Regular price was 4.30 AUD per can ($2.79 USD).
Normal check-in is at 2 p.m. When we had arrived this morning they said check back around noon to see if a room was ready then, but at noon they still don’t have a room cleaned for us. It takes another hour before it’s finally ready.
Our room is on the 11th floor, and we enjoy relaxing a bit before heading back out to find dinner. We discover the shower has a dumb design. It has a glass door that’s only half the width of the shower, with nothing at the bottom of the glass, so water just streams off the glass and onto the floor. They do have a drain in the floor, but it makes a huge mess. The only way to avoid the mess is to push the door into the shower an inch or two, but that still only keeps 90% of the water in the tub.
For dinner Nate finds a restaurant called Vapiano. Nate really enjoyed a restaurant in the Netherlands with the same name, but we didn't realize it was actually a chain until we get there. The food is really easy to order through an app, although you can also go up and order in person. I order pasta bolognese, and Nate, Landon, and Kailey have pizza. The food comes out pretty quickly and is very good. They bring a tall glass bottle of water to the table with glasses.
I decide to introduce the kids to Gelato. We eat it out on some benches in the Queen Street mall area that is blocked off from car traffic. We then walk back to the hotel, which is only about 5 minutes away.
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