Day 1: Thu 8 Nov - Sydney to Bangkok

I flew to Sydney from Hervey Bay a week early to spend some time with Wendy.   After this it was sad to leave.  I was also able to catch up and do some cycling with my great mate and Army Padre, Phil Anderson.  It was nice to be chauffeured to the airport on Thurs and farewelled by Wendy.  I know she was very busy in meetings and preparing to retire in December 2012, but she took the time out to take me to the airport which I really appreciated.  

In no time at all I was booked in, through customs, security and immigration and sitting in the Qantas Club where I enjoyed a nice lunch of roast chicken, baby beets and sweet potatoes with green tea.  I do enjoy the comforts of this club as it makes travelling so civilised.  After lunch and reading the various papers and magazines on offer, I wandered down to gate 34 to board.  However, we boarded an hour late; due to "the late arrival of the aircraft".  A bit of rough weather on the way out of Sydney caused the seat belts sign to stay on for longer than normal; Qantas is very cautious about turbulence.  Bumps continued on and off with the seat belt sign also being turned on and off for the first hour or so. They then announced that we'd be 1 hr 45 mins late into Bangkok due to the late departure and strong headwinds.  As I had a motel room to go to and a car booked from the airport this was not a drama.  You can’t let little details like this faze you when travelling or it would spoil your trip.   Don’t fret over things you can’t control I suggest. 

Chatted to the bloke in the seat next to me (David) a soil professor at Uni NSW, who was off to a conference in Israel.  Very interesting and well travelled fellow who lives in Coogee and walks near Wendy’s unit at Little Bay sometimes; small world.  

After the initial bumps we enjoyed a very smooth flight all the way to Bangkok.   Not a real big aircraft the Airbus A330, 254 pax, 2 engines, about half the size and capacity of the double-decker Airbus A380.   Cruises about 890km/h while the A380 does 920, so not much difference in the airspeed. 

After reading for a couple of hours I decided to watch some docos on the entertainment system, but it didn't work.  So, I played around with it and finally after rebooting it a dozen times got it going.   This is the second consecutive flight I’ve had problems with the entertainment system.  Watched some documentaries which I enjoyed.       

Landed on the revised schedule after a nice breakfast.  Cleared customs very quickly and found the driver with the “GREG WALKER” sign.  I had pre-booked the car online as I feel this removes the uncertainty about transport on arrival, although I don’t have a bicycle to worry about this time.  I was driven, very fast, like only Asian taxi drivers can do, to the Grand President Hotel.   My room (pics below) had 2 separate bathrooms, 2 kitchens, a lounge room/TV room and a very large bedroom; what a complete contrast to the tiny motel rooms I had recently experienced during my tour in Europe.  I was showered and in bed by 11 pm, but not that tired considering my body clock was on 3am.   Bangkok is only 4 hours behind so I’m not expecting the jetlag to be too dramatic.

My hotel - The Grand President

Two of the many rooms making up my 'apartment' (excuse the mess!)