2013 - A bass_ke travel odyssey

[bass_ke]

Here it is, the actual TR of this last venture.

We've been back almost two weeks know and I've finally started to get some spare time back together to bash this thing out! There may be some photo double ups and such for this first part, but we'll also see some new ones thrown in. Now let's put a little bit of background to the trip.

We've been wanting to head to WA for some time and last year after having some points left about we thought it'd be a great chance to use them on a J upgrade, especially with the Transcon routes being operated mostly by A330's. We had no idea with what we wanted to do and ended up just booking a one way journey, OOL - MEL - PER. Things started to firm up a couple of months out and we managed to book our return fares during last years DSC offer, only difference being that it was cheaper to run PER - SYD - CNS than PER - SYD - OOL or PER - MEL - OOL. We broke even with the flight costs for CNS - BNE but it gave us an oppurtunity to checkout Cairns properly (We've only ever transited when heading to Japan) and checkout the new VA Lounge in Cairns. We managed to hit a trifecta when fares CNS - HID - CNS came up on sale so I could visit a mate I had told I would visit two years ago, a simple Transcontinental return trip turned into an Epic taking us from Australias South-West to the far North-East and Australia's closest thing to an international land border.

Flyday came around quite quickly and as is always the way at OOL our time from Taxi to the lounge was somewhere around the 5-10 minutes mark. One of our favorite artists, Xavier Rudd joined us in the lounge. My 23 month old daughter who is normally quite apprehensive about new men strolled straight up to him and stared, maybe she recognised the voice? She has been listening to him since being in SWMBO's belly. They had a rather cute exchange before Mr Rudd got a phone call regarding his ute, it actually turned out he was on the same flight as us.



OOL Early Morning with my Favorite VA type looking lovely in white



I love how quiet OOL generally stays, the far corner is the best!



This table set is for travelling with my family, and the seat behind my favorite for when travelling with a mate to enjoy a beer

25FEB2014
Virgin Australia
VA726
OOL - MEL
VH-VOM B738
Seat 1C



The flight today was operated by the Legendary (In some folks mind's ?!?!?!) VH-VOM

Priority Boarding worked a charm and in no time we were settled into 1A and 1C. I don't mind the fact that row 2 has more legroom, as our little one was still a lap infant at this stage it's a lot more comfortable for us and the fact that there's no row in front for her to potentially kick is also a bonus!



I had been looking forward to hopefully getting Bircher Muesli on this service but unfortunately all the Brekky options happened to contain meat, the CSM however somehow rustled up two Zucchini Slices out of what seemed like nowhere in 5 minutes, absolute kudos for that effort, I did take a photo but it turned out like absolute rubbish so I won't post it.

This is the longest VA sector I'd taken for a couple of months so I certainly enjoyed the chance to stretch out, relax and watch the world go by outside.



The flight was thoroughly enjoyed and over quite quickly, although we did spend a bit of time in MEL getting around to land, I'm not familliar at all with MEL but I believe we flew past, did a u turn and landed from the south.

Upon landing I was looking really forward to checking out the lounge extensions, we were also meeting some friends in the lounge for a catch up during our 3 hour transit stop. Our little one was due for a nap and whilst carrying her about asleep I took the opportunity to pop out and wander around the terminal, even though it's changed considerably it still brought home a lot of memories transiting through here as a child and adoring the Tri-jet's from the open air observation deck.

Back to the present day and I've gotta say I'm very impressed with the new MEL lounge, it's certainly a hell of a lot bigger than the cupboard it was last time I visited!



From the wine bar end, looking back toward the Espresso bar.



The contraption being built outside, possibly the premium exit for the other pier?



Espresso bar

During our time in the lounge I received a missed call from the GCC, I popped over to the service desk and had what I thought to be the case confirmed. We definitely wouldn't be riding XFA/XFB, but because our service had been subbed for a B738

 

[bass_ke]

25FEB2014
Virgin Australia
VA685
MEL - PER
VH-YFJ B738
Seat 1D



This should of been one of our best VA flights, however it was one of our worst. The A/C Sub was quite a small issue when compared with the Crankiness of our CSM, David. I understand that crew's hate working the B738 compared to other types in the flight, the galley is tiny to prepare a 3 course meal and that he may have been a victim of the sub himself but even though VA have made amends after a complaint, I still have a bitter taste about this flight. There wasn't anyone thing in particular, just a very unorganised meal service and a quite a large serving of attitude when in the J cabin, which was quite rare. Heading down to the rear toilets for a nappy change I actually spent quite a bit of time in the rear galley chatting with the rest of the crew, it felt a hell of a lot more comfortable than riding up front.

Our meal service was broken up quite a bit and we were quite hungry so I only managed photo's of the Entree and Dessert



Spicy tomato soup

Main was a Vegetarian Thai Yellow Curry



Citrus meringue with Berries, if the flight had 1 redeeming feature, this was it! Absolutely delicious!

Toward the end of our flight I became quite intrigued watching the scenery change.



The scenery got even better upon landing with sighting of a B717, F50 and F100 within seconds of touch down. I'm having a love affair with the Rear engined twins, especially the F100 in VA Livery! I've not been able to score a ride on one of the rear engined beasts of any type however since JQ were using the B717.

Arrival into PER Was easy and quite quick even though the State Quarantine Detector Dog took an interest to some residual scents.

Priority baggage worked a treat, even with one of our items coming out oversized. Europcar sorted us out quickly, although had no vehicles in our booked class available and threw a set of A3 keys at us. It was a good thing and a bad thing, a nice car to drive and super fuel efficient but not really suited to the environment we wanted to take it through.

The first thing that got me as soon as we walked outside was the absolute bite in the sun and the lack of humidity, I'm not really used to these conditions back home in QLD.

Our drive from PER to the Crowne Plaza was relatively quick as was check in, something we appreciated after what turned out to be quite a long day!

Thus ends the first part of the TR Proper, it's taken far longer to write than I thought it would so time for a bit of sleep.

I'll leave with just a photo of what the next day brang us.

 

[erkpod]

Ah, good ol' VOM or as I called her, the Vomit Comet. Mind you, I'm probably not the first person to call it that.

 

[bass_ke]

I actually thought of your TR on VOM as we boarded Erk, it gave me a chuckle! SWMBO didn't understand the significance!

 

[bass_ke]

with our little one still running on QLD time and being up very very early we made a snap decision at about 0430 to go for a day trip up around Cervantes and check out the Pinnacles.

If there is ever a place I felt lucky to have the TomTom app, it'd be here. I don't know if it's just the fact that the ocean is on my west side and not east or something far more sinister, but my sense of direction was absolutely blown for our first week in WA.
Our driving today gut us out of the Suburbs very quickly and out amongst the sand. I've no experience with actually using it, but public transport on the west coast looked impressive. Train lines up the centre of main highways and dedicated bus stops on top of the train station, feeding from the suburbs.


As we snaked our way toward the coast and heading north I came to the realisation that this trip was going to be far far too short, I really wanted to carry on up toward the Pilbara.



We came to the Pinnacles very early, before the gate attendant had even shown up for work. This seemed to have worked well, it was still quite cool and there were hardly any other folks about. As we rolled around the area more started to turn up, I'd hate to see what at it's peak times and feel lucky that we got to experience it reasonably quietly. We had a great time, running around in the sand although it did feel quite odd taking an Audi out upon the track (Even if it was only an A3).





After the pinnacles we took a spin up to Cervantes for a quick bout of chips before hitting the road back to Perth. The drive home was broken up by a stop in picturesque Seabird for a quick coffee.



Our drive home was uneventful, and just as pretty as the drive out. It's on these big open roads that I really started to gather an appreciation for the fuel efficiency of the baby Audi, 4-6L/100km is good for me!

The Pool back at the CP was ever so tempting in the arvo, but it was getting a wee bit late quite quickly so we stayed in and decided to blow the good old PP $50 hotel credit cert on some room service!



Another PP cert, promising a free breakfast for 2 came quite in handy for the morning. The breakfast setup was quite good, reminding me of the CP CBR. SWMBO absolutely loved the juicing station, I've now seen them at a few different IHG properties, is it commonplace?

As we were leaving brekky AJ's big QF announcement came upon the Lobby Television live, a QANTAS Crew also arrived in the Lobby at the same time. They looked awfully nervous, I wanted to offer some reassuring words but couldn't think of any, instead I felt sadness at what's happening to a carrier I adored as a child.

We managed a quick run for Bubba, chasing some Corellas on the lawn out front and watched a decent chunk of coverage regarding QF before checking out and heading south.



Bunbury via Mandurah was in store for today and not much else, a transit day as such. We find we don't mind a couple of big driving days here and there, as long as we can slow down on the other side of said days.

 

[bass_ke]

Here we go friends, another part of the venture

The next day blurred along. We spent quite a bit of time at quite nice playgrounds in Mandurah and rolled into Bunbury after mid day. We managed to come across a Vego eatery almost immediately and filled up on some tasty snacks. Afterwards we popped into the shops to get some big straw hats (I burn instantly and forgot to pack a hat.....) and to grab some supplies from the supermarket. One of my favorite things to do abroad (And so far away from the east coast that it's almost abroad) is to wander supermarkets and see what's on offer, thing were indeed a tad different in WA.

Our lodgings tonight were at the Quality Hotel Lord Forrest, a Choice Hotels property. This would be my first use of my status match special platinum elite membership. I expected nothing and received, nothing. The property itself felt very old and run down, I felt very hesitant when it came to moving the beds around.......

We caught a sunset that evening, I don't think I could ever get tired of WA sunsets





The very next morning would see us do our biggest day of the trip, Bunbury - Pemberton via the Valley of the Giants.

The day started with some Coffee and a refreshing drive through Apple and Pear Orchards out toward Donnybrook.



We stopped in Donnybrook to play at the MASSIVE playground which also happened to be the cleanest playground I've ever come across!



Our little one absolutely loved it. We find our road trips going a lot slower these days with our little bear in tow, this isn't a bad thing though! Keeping with our tradition of sending our little one a postcard a day whilst travelling we made a quick stop at Aus Post on the way out of town, stopped at IGA to pick up delicious berries for the drive and stopped at the bakery for lovely treats, I have an obsession with country town bakeries.

Our next stop was at Balingup for another round of coffee and to swap drivers! It was quite a cute little town to explore, but as our little one was asleep we didn't stick around too long before hitting the road again.



As with the Coast and the Desert, I'm absolutely loving the scenery in the SW of the state.



The little A3 just ate up the road, making the time fly.

Our stop at the Valley of the Giants was reasonably brief, but very enjoyable. It's not until you reach the top and take a moment to sit still and appreciate the trees swaying about you that you realise just how nice this place is.



After our visit and with the sun starting to retreat we hit the road, we still had to throw down about 200km to make our way to Pemberton and didn't want to be out in the dark. The drive as with the rest of them in WA was quiet and smooth.

We were staying at the Best Western Pemberton and giving our Best Western Diamond membership it's first run, something seemed to work as we ended up with a slightly better room than what we booked! The property in itself is quite relaxed and at least our room seemed recently renovated. A long wait for a burger from the attached pub and it was time for sleep after a huge day

 

[bass_ke]

Awakening the next morning we were greeted with the sight of lot's of Lycra clad folks cruising about in preparation for a big race, it turns out that this bike race is quite a big event in Pemberton!

We still had a reasonable day of driving in front of us today so hit the road early after picking up the all important coffee on the way out of town.



Travels today would take us to Margaret River via Augusta and Cape Leeuwin, where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.



It's at this point that I should admit that I've absolutely fell in love with WA, especially the coastline down south. It's dramatic, rugged and full of beautiful sunsets



Every single beach or coastal town that we pulled into had at least something to gander at



I think that a trip over here in winter would be amazing, I've always absolutely loved the colder weather.

I wasn't terribly impressed with Margaret River itself, the town just isn't my kind of scene - no offence to Noosa lovers but it felt a lot like Noosa, and I don't like Noosa at all! The surrounding areas well and truly made up for it as did the Quality Inn at Margaret River. Our status matched Platinum Choice Privileges card seemed to get us free breakfast and a renovated room, at least that's 1 of 2 for Choice now. The breakfast wasn't actually that bad either......

The following day took us to Busselton Aero Fest, an event that just so happened to randomly be on whilst we were in Town!

 

[bass_ke]

Busselton Aerofest was going to be a true test for this Tasmanian born pasty skinned man of scottish descent, the forecast temperatures were in the high 30's. I took every measure I could, long sleeves, massive hat, generous amounts of sunscreen and even SWMBO's scarf/head wrap/bear grylls inspired multi use survival cloth. The results were worth it, no sunburn at all! Enough about my wretched totally incompatible for Australian conditions skin and more of the Air show!







This look's like quite a cool way to travel!







Unfortuantely AMSA would have a much less pleasant tasking in the days following



WACO I think?

 

[bass_ke]

These guy's had a great deal of fun all day!



The noisiest and 2nd only to the chinook in terms of big Choppers I've seen.





I've had the fortune of riding in one of these, they are a hell of a lot of fun! Thankfully the Foxbat I went for a spin in had doors..........





The dornier look's pretty mean

 

[bass_ke]

Good to see a fast jet about!



The roulettes fly Pilatus aircraft I think? Certainly look's like one to me. I how mean they can make an aircraft look, check out the PC-12 for proof!







Old school power!



Unfortunately I didn't get any photo's of the performance but it was low, noisy and fast!

Miss 2 had a blast as well, it was great to have a chat to some of the ladies at the Australian Woman Pilot's Association and also interesting to have my little one attempting to reach out for every aircraft we went past, demanding "Door" and "Up" She's had a C208 ride in the past, maybe time to hook her up with another light aircraft experience!

We shot back to Margaret river for the evening, Stopping by the Margaret River Chocolate Co on the way!

 

[bass_ke]

Wow, I've been trying to finish this TR off forever!

The last couple of months have been crazy busy, not so much on the travel front but on every other front. Time to carry on....

Today it was time to leave Margaret River and head off to Busselton. As is true of our flying, our drive was going to be nowhere near direct. Instead of heading straight up the highway we decided to have a quick stop for Coffee and snacks in Cowaramup, traipse toward the coast via the Nougat factory, a quick stop at Yallingup up maze and up to Dunsborough before finally heading to Busselton.



Nannup pear!



About to produce litres untold of the nectar of the vines. Unforunately the whole vineyard experience was a bit lost on us as we aren't big wine drinkers, the brewery experience on the other hand was a winner.

As I've mentioned heaps prior and will probably continue to mention, the scenery in WA never stopped amazing me!



Heading toward Cape Naturaliste



On the way to Busselton we managed to get lost in the hills behind Dunsborough and ended up at a crazy cheap pottery sale!

Our Accommodation for the Evening was booked through AirBnb. Through a BOGO type offer we ended up with a 3 bedroom semi-detached style house for just over $100 a night. It was certainly nice to have a full Kitchen for a couple of nights to cook up a storm!

We finished the Arvo with a quick spin down to the Busselton Jetty for a sunset.

 

[bass_ke]

The next day started out early and actually a little bit chilly. We had prebooked a ride on the train that takes you to the end of Busselton Jetty and gives you some time in the underwater observatory at the end of the jetty.





It wasn't a bad way to spend the morning. The star attraction for today however was a Brewery tour. SWMBO came up with the idea, not me! The only requirement was that I collect a little bit of information along the way and put together a blog post at the end.

We had drawn up a quick map the Night prior but were heading from North to South, starting at Eagle Bay Brewery on Cape Naturaliste and ending at Cheeky Monkey, close to Margaret River.




I still find a lot of joy in paper maps, especially as they become used and drawn over. I still treasure my first Guidebook, Lonely Planets SE Asia on a shoestring with it's dog eared and hand written note filled pages. I no longer draw upon the one source of information, the book is falling apart and it's grossly outdated but it's still a great travel memoir.

Our first brewery of the day was the Eagle Bay Brewing Co.





They had 6 beers on tap, a large food selection and a wine menu. I chose the Single Batch Summer Ale which was perfect for the Beautiful WA Autumn afternoon. Takeaway 6 packs were available for $20-$22 each.

The next cab off the rank was the Bush Shack Brewery.



It's a little harder to find but tied as my equal favorite for the day with Cheeky Monkey.



Things are very relaxed here with Tables both inside/outside and rugs available if you want to have a beer on the ground. BBQ's are available as is a massive fridge full of free water for your designated driver or non drinking friends.



The inside of the main building actually feels like it could be a pub anywhere in the Australian outback. A decent amount of food is available as is unique brews by the bottle.



You could certainly whittle away hours here with friends

 

[bass_ke]

The Next stop of our little Soiree was at the Bootleg Brewery.



It was set on some nice grounds and boasted both a 2nd story in the main building and a 3rd story turret that you could gather a 360 degree view from.



I set myself up with the Prohibition Pils, it was deliciously honey like! These guy's also had a full food menu on offer, tasting paddles for $15 and the prospect of single bottle takeaway. I may seem to be rattling on about the takeaway minimums a bit but I was visiting a good friend in the Torres Strait after Perth (Yep from the Southwest to the Northeast via 3 flights and 2 days) and wanted to take some unique beer up to enjoy but didn't fancy schlepping around so many bottles that the Dash 8 running CNS - HID would exceed MTOW.



Our 2nd last brewery of the day was Duckstein which was attached to a winery. I don't actually have any pictures that are decent. We weren't about too long and it felt an odd place to be, no real explanation, I just didn't feel overly comfortable here. A pity as the surrounds and outdoor service areas are quite nice. I imagine at lunch time it may have a quite better vibe.

The lucky last brewery to be Visited today was Cheeky Monkey.



We were starting to get the munchies at this stage so ordered some food. We missed the full menu which finished at 3 but they do have a decent snack menu served until 5 which contains Cake and Pizza.



I'm actually getting a little giggle reading back through my notes, I must have started to feel the effects of delicious beer as I've described Cheeky Monkey as having a "Nest" of high chairs!



I think these guys may have had something to do with the odd writings in my notes.

The tasting paddle at cheeky monkey was $15 for 5 beers and came with tasting notes. Their location is amazing, the sun that had just started to descend certainly helped. This is where our tasting adventures finished and with a short ride back to busselton the evening also finished!

I truly think we should call AFF 2015 to be held in the SW of WA!

 

[bass_ke]

Finally the day had come for us to set our Navigation device back toward Perth, we decided however to finish our time in the SW with some good eats. Today would see us head from Busselton to Dunsborough and then backtrack with a straight run in to Perth.

Today I was going to give SWMBO a break and a bit of payback by dropping her off to Breakfast at Mana Kai whilst the little one and myself went for a cruise about town.



She assured me that the food was very tasty and the place had a similar vibe to Manna Haven in Byron Bay.

The Next stop was Samudra in Dunsborough, probably considered the Mecca of alternate lifestyle and eating within the region.



It was time for the little one to nap and so we decided to give SWMBO a chance to chill out at Samudra for a while and enjoy the above pictured delicious brekky.



I returned with the little one crashed out in her carrier and enjoyed a Coffee and some cake. We are both massive babywearing fans as per the above picture. I can't imagine being able to head half the places we have with a pram in tow. Our current stable of carriers includes 2 x Ergo Baby's, 1 x Tula Infant Carrier (Pictured), a Koala Mai Tai and a Deuter Kid Comfort III. We don't have more than 1 or 2 with us at a time but it gives us quite a bit of flexibility and our little one is quite happy to be worn on the Front, Back or even Side.

After the little one woke up we got some Sushi from the most amazing and random Sushi shop I've ever seen



And then shot quite a way up Cape Naturaliste to enjoy our Sushi and say one last goodbye to the South West.





If we've been road tripping for a little while I tend to start feeling a little attached to the open road



And the car



The A3 had proven itself quite Capable in the conditions that we through at it and the fuel economy was certainly appreciated! It was a long drive back to Perth but quite pleasant with a couple of stops along the way.

 

[bass_ke]

To complete our WA IHG experience we stayed at the HI Perth for two knights before flying out. Obviously TKWIA as we were greeted with complimentary snacks, a couple of bottles of wine, a room upgrade and an invitation to drinks with management upon arrival!

As we got in later in the afternoon and our departure from PER was a morning time one we were left with only one full day in PER. We used it to pop down to Fremantle, watch some ships, grab an awesome feed and drive back to town via the coast.



One can certainly get close to international vessels



The first Bananas I saw growing in WA



An awesome garden kitchen that we managed to catch lunch in




Our time to get home, sleep and get out to the airport came around very quickly. Check in was simple at PER and within no time we were through security and jagged hard left into the lounge. It's been a while since I've been into one of the older lounges, it was however pretty quiet and I even found a quiet corner



We only had time to receive some RSE (Responsible service of Espress) from the gentleman i beleive to be the one that causes fellow AFF'ers so much grief. Coming down the aerobridge I kept a keen eye out for a Rego, at least we weren't on a B738 like the way over and thankfully whilst peering out the window I was greeted with this.



Aye, XFH look's good to me.

 

[bass_ke]

07MAR2014
Virgin Australia
VA556
PER - SYD
VH-XFH A332
Seat 1H

Boarding was pleasant and it was nice to be directed to the left and into a peaceful cabin, it's been a while since my last J sector on widebody!

Just before pushback CSM Ben came by and introduced himself personally to everyone in the cabin. Today we would be enjoying the lunch time menu.



As per usual I've only awful awful photo's of the meal service, it was however quite tasty!





Not quite as good as the Lemon/Lime meringue on the way over but still very much enjoyed!

As the middle rows were free the crew were very accommodating in allowing us to have our meals separately and in a different row, it certainly helps when looking after a 1 year and 51 week old bubba!



This is the first time I've gotten both Row 1 and access to a Window on an A330, so far forward that I couldn't even get a decent shot of the favorite old "Wing N Engine" shot.





Espresso and coconut water is the key when travelling with Children! We didn't really make too much mess, it really isn't as bad as it looks!

Our little one slept for the last 2 hours or so of the flight which allowed us to settle in with a blanket and watch some Top gear (me) and sleep (wifey)

Upon top of descent Captain told us to expect turbulence and a slightly delayed landing into SYD due some lighting close to the field. This made me a little paranoid as we had a tight connection of one hour as it was, let alone delays and the potential of ground workers not being able to work safely in lightning. It turned out we had nothing to worry about, we landed only slightly late and even got time to hang out in the lounge for a quick refresh before the 3 hour and 5 minute leg to CNS on my favorite little Brazilian jet.

 

[bass_ke]

I just lost the whole next post, it's going to have to wait to later in the week now!

 

[bass_ke]

07MAR2014
Virgin Australia
VA1429
SYD - CNS
VH-ZPI E190
Seat 1D



At 3 hours and 5 Minutes, this would by far be my longest flight in the E-jet. It actually went pretty quickly though, due in no small part to the friendly voice of a fellow AFF'er (Kevrosmith) saying G'day from row 2 not long after take off.



Due to fine company and actually feeling a little tired I didn't really get any photos in flight at all. As is usual, being Vegetarian and in J is ab it of a lottery, we weren't particularly hungry and settled on the Veg pies that our CSM managed to rustle up.

We bid our farewells to Kevrosmith upon disembarking and got our baggage and car pretty quickly.



I never like getting brand new cars, getting Go Zen makes it a little bit less stressful though. The Europcar chap told me it only came off the truck that week.

I'd been keeping an eye on our booking at the HI CNS over the last couple of days an was delighted when it showed our room type as the only Suite in the property, not bad considering we booked the cheapest advance purchase rate.





It's a pity we were only staying one night whilst in transit to the Torres strait.

Check out went remarkably easy in the morning with us leaving most of our luggage behind at the hotel for when we returned, The 20kg of beer I'd picked up in WA wasn't getting left behind though, it was going to complete it's final leg in it's journey from the south west to the north east. I thought it a great gift to take up to my mate who doesn't have a great deal of choice on Ti!

 

[bass_ke]

08MAR2014
Qantaslink
QF2488
CNS -HID
VH-TQH DH8C
Seat 2C



We made it to the airport with only enough time to get some Sushi for breakfast before boarding. We couldn't find anywhereto store the car seat at the airport so actually ended up checking it and lugging it all the way up to the island.

Boarding was super easy, there weren't too many people on the flight today!

I was a little bit excited as I haven't been on a Dash 8-300 for quite a long time! We had a short wait on the tarmac as itwas the aircrafts first flight for the day and Captain had some extra duties to attend to, He was also the first captain I've seen wearing a baseball cap on an Australian airline!

This was my first QF flight since a run from LST -MEL last year, I haven't flown QF mainline for a number of years so don't have a comparison to QFlink but I've gotta say my flights with them have always been grand. We also got a kiddies pack, I haven't seen one of these for years!



Captain warned us on the way up that with TC Gillian hanging around we may not make it into HID, but we had enough fuel to divert to Weipa if need be :mrgreen:

The flight was actually quite smooth with some beautiful views available along the way.



Our landing was actually quite smooth, as was our disembarkation and baggage collection. The heat at the moment wasn't as oppressive as what I had been expecting.

Seeing one of the company Bellrangers out on the Tarmac I was hoping for a ride to TI in the back of my mind, Alas it wasn't to be and we ended up buying a return Bus/Boat transfer. The ferry ride over to TI was surprisingly smooth considering the weather hanging around.





Luckily we weren't staying at a hotel on the island, but with a mate who was meeting us at the dock. After a quick lap of the island and a tour to the "Rainforest" we did what local "Expats" do on a Saturday and had lunch at the Gab.



One of the other reasons for our visit was to scope the Island out with the intention of possibly taking a work deployment up here for a couple of years, Already just based on the food alone I was sold. You'd think vegetarian options would be pretty limited in the strait but the Falafel we got here was some of the best we've had in recent years.

Our 4 nights were filled with a lot of catching up, checking out work premises, cooking, drinking and walking.

A couple of dot points on TI;

Even if cyclone warnings are coming over the TV every ad break, locals don't worry. Just enjoy another Cinnamon whisky with them.
The TI taxi better value than the mainland.
Prices at the bottle shop change more often than those in a dodgy Khao San rd liquor vendor
It's awesome to get rained on whilst walking home, you even dry out before you get there!
The Island is nowhere near the awful place most family and friends (Who've never visited) back here make it out to be
Looking out the bedroom window of my mates place some morning you'd almost believe you were somewhere in the south pacific.
It seems like an amazing place to raise children, I didn't make it to the parents group but the amount of invites I received to do so whilst wandering around with my daughter was amazing!
The pickup van for Rebel Ferries runs a little late

 

[bass_ke]

The 4 days actually flew by, it wasn't long before we were back at HID awaiting our flight home. It felt a lot like SE asia, hanging out in the terminal greater whilst waiting for the call that security was open before proceeding into the tin shed/holding pen we would board from.





It does look like things are getting Upgraded though.

11MAR2014
Qantaslink
QF2489
CNS -HID
VH-QOW DH8D
Seat 6C



The flight south was a lot smoother than the one north, but visibility was nowhere near as good. I felt a little sadness as we left, we very near ended up here a couple of years ago and I certainly hope we do in the future. Once again, our arrival and hire car pickup in Cairns went very smoothly. We ended up with a Kluger this time, i've not had bad experiences with them in the past but this one was an absolute dog when it came to fuel economy.

We were once again staying at the HI, I had a great experience again with our left luggage being delivered to our room prior to us arriving, a free breakfast for us and family who were also staying but with no status and Platinum benefits extended to mentioned family members without status. The staff were also amazingly accommodating.