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We’re on the countdown to our first big trip around Asia. Four more sleeps to go.

I am now (slightly) regretting booking the Emirates flight from Brisbane to Singapore that leaves at 2.30am.

We are technically leaving on Thursday 26 April but I need to drill into my head that we’re actually leaving on Wednesday night. We have to be at the airport around midnight on Wednesday to depart in the wee hours of Thursday morning. I can see that this would be easy to mix up – arriving at the airport for your flight on the Thursday night. I wonder how many people do this?!

Lee doesn’t think his Dad is going to want to drive us to the airport at 11pm at night so we might have to take an airport shuttle. This means we’ll have to leave at 8pm and sit around the airport for an extra couple of hours. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, Brisbane airport is boooring! It’ll also cost us an extra A$115 for the shuttle which would have worked out the same as taking the Etihad flight that left during the day. I can make the best plans but you can never count on other people. 🙁

Not Our Boat!

Quality Time Strolling the Canals with Grandma

Our last week in Mooloolaba has been lovely. We’ve had my Mum here to visit. Reuben has spent lots of quality time with Grandma. I’ve been getting on with my pre-trip checklist. So far this includes:

  • Deciding what to take to Asia – We don’t need everything we have here in Australia. Some of it is getting sent back to Christchurch with my Mum when she leaves tomorrow – including the all important car seat and a few items like running shoes and jeans that we surely won’t need in the tropics. We’re leaving out Mountain Buggy here and hope that Lee’s Mum will be able to bring it back to New Zealand later in the year.
  • Buying a small, folding umbrella stroller (and pimping it out with Elmo stickers). Reuben has been having a great time pushing it around the house with his little collection of Australian native bird plush toys.
  • Buying other items I think we’ll need on the road like:
    • A few travel sachets of toddler formula just in case we can’t find anywhere to make up a bottle
    • Two pairs of training pants just in case we can’t find any nappies and to use at the beach when nappies aren’t really essential
    • Mini bottles to decant a few toiletries into like nappy rash cream, steroid cream for extreme nappy rash and Eno for Lee’s tendency to overindulge. This has made a big difference to the size of our toilet bags.
  • Sewing a label into Reuben’s blankets listing our name and email address. Reuben has a major blanket fixation and can’t sleep, relax or drink a bottle without his favourite (pink) blanket. If we lost his pink blanket we literally wouldn’t know what to do. He would be in absolute despair. Before she left NZ Grandma found the identical fabric, in orange not pink, so that’s our back-up plan.

Sunset Kayaking in Mooloolaba - Reuben is in between Lee's legs!

On top of all this Lee is trying to relaunch a site he has been working on for months so that he can have it done and dusted before we travel. We’ve been enjoying our last few days here and making the most of the beautiful weather. We’ve had a few trips to the beach, spent lots of time in the garden and paddling pool and have even taken the kayaks out for a sunset paddle around the canal. I’ve also been enjoying a few little treats that I like in Australia – Coles chocolate chip cookies and Lindor white chocolate truffles. Yummy!

Nothing More Entertaining Than a Tap and a Big Pot

I’m looking forward to travel life again. Two months is about the limit we can stay in one place. I’m sick of having housework to do and can’t wait to be in Thailand to eat out lots and have someone else clean my room and do my laundry. I’m sure lots of travelling mothers can relate to this one!

 

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Showing 5 comments
  • walkingon travels
    Reply

    I’m so excited you are hitting the road again. I can’t wait to follow your journey. I haven’t been to Singapore for a few years, but I have very fond and delicious memories of it 🙂

    • Bethaney
      Reply

      Hi Keryn,

      I absolutely can’t wait – no dishes, no laundry, no cooking three different meals to suit everyone in the family. Best of all it’s going to be a cheap few months. We have a free house and car in Australia but everything is SO expensive here. I think we’ll be spending LESS travelling in Asia than we would spend on food and petrol here in Oz.

      Were you in Singaore pre-baby? Any must-do or see recommendations?

      Bethaney

  • Alice
    Reply

    That is a very cute pic of Grandma and Reuby with the footsteps.

  • Sarah K
    Reply

    Where are you going first in Thailand? Has Lee been there before?
    That has come round so quick! Mooloolaba looks really nice, Reuby is having such an adventurous life so far!! Hope he can keep hold of the blankey and you can keep it clean

    good luck with that and the trip! Can’t wait to hear bout it 🙂

  • Reply

    I saw your post in the CouchSurfing Family Group! Glad I found you! Can’t wait to read about all your adventures 🙂

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