Getting ready to travel always makes me feel anxious. Much as I know I will have a great time, the lead up to departure always makes me feel stressed. Have I forgotten to do anything? Will my kids be ok? The house? My work? The dog?
The night before departure, I always start wondering why the heck I wanted to go.
I keep reminding myself of the bigger picture. The music. The show.
Finally, after a whole day of packing we get into the car and our son drives us to the airport for our late evening flight with Emirates.
We fly from Australia to Brazil via Dubai. I know it sounds crazy, to be going the wrong way around the earth, but it means one stop instead of three. It's two really long legs - Adelaide to Dubai, then Dubai to Sāo Paolo. If you go the other way, it's four legs - Adelaide to Sydney, Sydney to Auckland, Auckland to Santiago, Santiago to Sāo Paolo.
The flight to Dubai is 13 hours. We wait less than two hours in Dubai, then get on the next plane for São Paolo. This leg is 15 hours. It's a very long time to sit and be transported, but really not a bad way to spend some time; watching videos, reading, resting.
In the seat next to me is a tall, young Arab man, about the same age as my son. He greets me politely and shakes my hand. A few hours into the flight, I go to the bathroom. When I return, he's asleep, slumped across my chair. I nudge him gently to make him move, and slide into my seat. The boy twists his whole body around and settles down with a sigh, his head resting on my shoulder. He's found an in-flight Mum.
During the flight I watch a movie called "Twenty Feet From Stardom", about "almost famous" back-up singers. The subjects of the documentary are wonderful singers, who either don't want stardom or for some reason were unable to attain it. The exception is Sting's backing singer Jo Lawry, originally from Adelaide, who has done pretty well as a jazz singer in her own right, based in New York.
Finally we board our flight for Recife. It's always the last flight that kills you. This one is three hours long; it feels that we will never get out of the plane.
Finally, we arrive at the hotel late at night and collapse gratefully into the comfortable bed.
We've reached the other side of the earth.
The night before departure, I always start wondering why the heck I wanted to go.
I keep reminding myself of the bigger picture. The music. The show.
Finally, after a whole day of packing we get into the car and our son drives us to the airport for our late evening flight with Emirates.
We fly from Australia to Brazil via Dubai. I know it sounds crazy, to be going the wrong way around the earth, but it means one stop instead of three. It's two really long legs - Adelaide to Dubai, then Dubai to Sāo Paolo. If you go the other way, it's four legs - Adelaide to Sydney, Sydney to Auckland, Auckland to Santiago, Santiago to Sāo Paolo.
The flight to Dubai is 13 hours. We wait less than two hours in Dubai, then get on the next plane for São Paolo. This leg is 15 hours. It's a very long time to sit and be transported, but really not a bad way to spend some time; watching videos, reading, resting.
In the seat next to me is a tall, young Arab man, about the same age as my son. He greets me politely and shakes my hand. A few hours into the flight, I go to the bathroom. When I return, he's asleep, slumped across my chair. I nudge him gently to make him move, and slide into my seat. The boy twists his whole body around and settles down with a sigh, his head resting on my shoulder. He's found an in-flight Mum.
During the flight I watch a movie called "Twenty Feet From Stardom", about "almost famous" back-up singers. The subjects of the documentary are wonderful singers, who either don't want stardom or for some reason were unable to attain it. The exception is Sting's backing singer Jo Lawry, originally from Adelaide, who has done pretty well as a jazz singer in her own right, based in New York.
Finally we board our flight for Recife. It's always the last flight that kills you. This one is three hours long; it feels that we will never get out of the plane.
Finally, we arrive at the hotel late at night and collapse gratefully into the comfortable bed.
We've reached the other side of the earth.
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