My Fantastic trip Back to Brisbane from Bangkok

My latest Bangkok to Brisbane travel adventure is officially underway!

My Bangkok to Brisbane Travel Journal

I flew from Bangkok to Brisbane on Jetstar.
My mum and Dad had finally been reunited in the same retirement home so I was eager to visit them.
Once again for the Jetstar haters, I had a fantastic flight and landed 20 minutes early.

However we spent 15 minutes on the tarmac waiting for another plane to clear the parking gate.
It was a very long day.
I didn’t want my driver from Rayong getting stuck in peak hour traffic so I spent 6 hours hanging around Bangkok airport waiting to check-in.
Steve picked me up and drove me back to Tambourine Mountain.
I went out for dinner the first night back to catch up with family.
It was a great night, just very long after the flight from Bangkok.

Bangkok to Brisbane Airport

Traveling from Bangkok to Brisbane is really easy.
When you walk out the airport there is a train line opposite the arrivals.
This is also where you pick up and drop of any hire car you may have.

My brother Bill,his wife Sue,and their daughters Jess, Brittany and Brittany’s husband Matt were in Brisbane for a wedding so it was a great time for us all to catch up.
Mum was so happy to see us all there.

I have visited my mum in her new retirement home.
My Dad was still in Hospital somewhere after having a fall in the retirement home.
I finally caught up with him a few days before I left.
He has had pneumonia and a fractured arm from the fall.

Off To Canberra after Brisbane

The flight down was a breeze, making this Bangkok to Brisbane travel trip feel smooth from start to finish.

Traveled to Canberra and Pete picked me up at the airport.
The weather was good but the first morning was a shock at eight degrees.
I am staying with him at his new apartment.

I am also looking forward to visiting the Mint and Parliament house.
I remember my school going there for a visit in 1978, but I was unable to go.

Steve dropped me off and Jetstar’s baggage drop off was right there in front of me.
It was so easy, Brisbane airport is definitely my favorite airport.
Everything is easy to find and there is not miles of walking to get to your gate.

Had a bite to eat and a coffee and then sat in the boarding lounge about 20 meter’s away until it was time to board.
Great quick flight to Canberra.
No sooner have you had your coffee and your descending.
Bit of a hard landing though.

The weather was great when Pete picked me up.
It cooled down quick in the evening and was only 8 degrees this morning compared with the 28 degrees i have been used too in Thailand.

The Royal Australian Mint

Got my first Uber out to the Mint.
A lot more expensive than my Grab rides in Thailand.
Here is a link to the coin history.

Very easy to get there and a good experience.
Had to use my Thai bank to pay as the Uber app wouldn’t connect to my Westpac card.
I am guessing it was because I forgot to tell them I was traveling to Australia.
I have fixed that with Westpac but still cant add that card as an Uber payment.

I made a few as souvenirs for when I go back.

Parliament House

We went to see Parliament house yesterday.
Its a lot bigger than when you see it on tv.
It was a beautiful afternoon in Canberra.
I was very impressed as to how clean the city is and the roads are pretty good too.

Driving around the center of Canberra feels like the set of the Truman Show.
Its like a display village.
Everything is very pristine.

Then Back To Melbourne

I will be traveling Back to Melbourne for the last few days before heading back to Bangkok.
I am meeting up with Tye and Liv for dinner before flying back to Bangkok.

There is a restored WW11 Bomber on display inside the Canberra airport.
The airport is not huge so its easy to get around.
As usual the gift shop prices are pretty astronomical.

I am certain they could make a lot of money by dropping the prices.
It seems to be a business model based on either greed or stupidity.

My Bangkok to Brisbane trip also included a trip to Canberra and Melbourne.
My flight to Melbourne was delayed due to a strike at Sydney Airport.
Only lost about an hour.

I hastily booked a room back in Bangkok, but now see there is no elevator.
I will change that once i get there as im not good on stairs these days.

I caught up with Tye and Liv for dinner.
Felt like we hadn’t seen each other for a few days.
It was also great catching up with Hugo, as he has grown so much since I was last here.
Reflecting on the whole journey, this Bangkok to Brisbane travel experience was totally worth the long travel days.

Jet Lag is Real

Flying to Brisbane was no real problem as they don’t have daylight saving .
When I flew to Canberra, the clock went forward one hour.
Arrived in Melbourne and the time was still the same.
Flying back to Thailand the clock went back 4 hours.

I have really struggled to get back to normal since arriving back.
I am still waking up at 4 am each day.

The image above is from the plane seat screen.
This is how far we had traveled after I woke up.
I don’t normally sleep on this daytime flight.

We landed almost an hour early.
As usual that benefit was lost when my passport didn’t scan in the smart gates, so I ended up getting stuck in a queue.
After getting my entry stamp, I was quickly told to pass through the gates.
It was only the next morning I noticed the stamp date was the 2nd instead of the 22nd.
This would affect my 90 day reporting.
A quick call to my visa agent confirmed I was entered in the computer as the 22nd.