Do I look like a bike box??
It's 9am and we're having a coffee before we leave. We know that Chester has the sulks because normally he goes wild at the mere mention of the word "coffee". He loves a dogachino. But today when the coffee is made, he lies on the carpet with his head down. He knows. He knows he's being deserted. I've spent two full days making 50kg of dog food - veggies oats and chicken necks for dinner, porridge cakes for breakfast.
Our limo arrives at 9.30am sharp - a van with trailer in tow just for our bike boxes - part of the Etihad deal. 45 minutes later we are at the checkin counter at Brisbane International. Total weight for baggage for the two of us, including two bikes, is 41kg.
Time to say goodbye
I've been looking forward to this Etihad flight for months They have business class really truly flat beds. I learned that there's flat beds and flat beds. Air France has flat beds that are about 15 degrees off horizontal. Which means that there's such a slant on the bed that you need velcro taped to your shoulders to stop you sliding down. But Etihad have truly flat beds - ie horizontal. Not a big deal. Yes it is.
The flight to Singapore is quick and there's too much to eat. I watch three movies - Broken City, Jack Reacher and It's a good day to Die hard - or was it a Good Day to Die Hard Again. In Singapore we barely have time to exit, walk through the transfer lounge to the next gate and check in again. Next stop Abu Dhabi. Again, too much to eat. I watch To Kill a Mocking Bird for the 10th time. We're in Abu Dhabi for 3 hours - just time to have a shower before the last leg to Paris. More food.
Finally we arrive in Paris at 7.30am. The Customs checkin is quick. There's no such thing as food checks. I'm sure we could have brought in maggot infested fish from the Sudan and no one would have bothered check. Laissez Faire.