QF 78 arrived in Perth on time at 12.35am Monday morning. But we were not done yet. There wasn't a parking bay so we had to wait for a departure before arriving at the gate. Ah ... Perth; one of the most efficient airports in the world! Finally arrived to be greeted by about 1,000 passengers in the arrivals hall; 4 flights had arrived just before us so the usual Perth customs, quarantine and immigration efficiency was on display for all to see. Of course Aaron ...

Well, part 2 of the Long Service Leave travels begin today. Today Aaron and I depart for the Arctic. We fly out this afternoon to Oslo, Norway; to begin our adventure. Over the next 3 weeks we will go on a cruise, fly to within a few hundred kilometers of the North Pole, ride a snowmobile, climb a volcano, bathe in hot springs near lava fields (Iceland) and go on a three day dog sledding trip in a remote part of Greenland. Our flight leaves at 3.30pm via Si...

Only got a little sleep. Kept trying to get comfortable although as I had a bulkhead seat which didn't recline it was going to be impossible. Crew kept the cabin dim until 11am Perth time, then served breakfast. We were going to be about 40 minutes early. A lot of smoke haze on the descent with Rottnest Island, the coast and city hardly visible. Immigration, quarantine and customs surprisingly quite efficient. Yellow Fever cards required for Africa and S...

With 12 flights over the next 20 days it would be wrong of me not to take a photograph of each aircraft. We are waiting to board MH124 from Perth to Kuala Lumpur - about 1 hour late already!

Well, we are at the airport. Check in tried very hard to get us emergency exit row seats for the long sector KL to Cape Town and Buenos Aires. Will try on arrival in KL. Hard to believe we are nearly on our way.