Walk: 4km
After a restless sleep (different bed, noisy neighbours, etc) we were both awake just before 3am, the time the alarm was set for. After a shower, we were heading for the airport and arrived about 3:45am! Check in did not open until 4:10am so I had a bit of a wait. When I did get to the front of the queue, my two cases weighed in at 45kg, OK for QANTAS, but not for SAA. So, off to see the man who said it would be $500 for the extra 5kg 😳😳. He thought that was a bit steep so did something in the system to make it 40kg thereby no $ to pay! Such a nice man. Then to the QC lounge for an eye-opening coffee and a piece of raisin toast. Don’t want to eat too much too soon as I will be well fed from Sydney to Johannesburg. Had just over an hour in the QC before boarding.
The flight to Sydney was delayed by 25 minutes due to the luggage bay needing to be re-packed to distribute the weight more evenly. We made up a few minutes in the air, but when we arrived in Sydney, the transfer bus took forever to arrive, so lost another 20 minutes. My 1h55m transit time was now reduced to a little over 1 hour. Breezed through immigration and was in the QC for a comfort stop and a glass of bubbly.
The flight to Jo'burg was also delayed, making the 14h40m flight seem a lot longer. I watched one movie, and a TV series, read, and even managed to get three hours sleep. Once at Jo'burg, I had to collect my luggage and re-check it at another part of the airport. Travelling with two suitcases is problematic as you always have to find a trolley. There was no incoming passenger card to complete so it was easy to get the bags and walk on through. I made my way to the SAA lounge, found a quiet spot, and had a snooze. After almost four hours, I was boarding my final plane for the day, to Cape Town.
This final flight left pretty much on time and arrived on time as well. I had pre-booked a driver and the man was there with my name, and we were out of the airport in quick time. I was checked into my room at 11:38pm, unpacked a few things, brushed my teeth and wen to bed.
Total travel time, including yesterday's drive to Brisbane = 32 hours. Not the longest trip I've done, but felt longer.
Breakfast on board Brisbane to Sydney
QC in Sydney
Me and my seat on the 787-9 Dreamliner from Sydney to Johannesburg
Two beef dishes: entrée and main
My huge one-bedroom apartment at Protea Hotel Cape Town North Wharf
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