We started this marathon of travel on a Sunday in Sapporo. The next four days we spent 17 hours in planes and 16 hours in airline lounges. We took a taxi to the Sapporo station where we took the train to the airport. From the JAL lounge we saw a plane painted in a Star Wars theme. "Luke, I am your pilot." We spent two hours in the lounge and two hours in the air on our way to Tokyo. We hopped in a taxi and picked up the big bags from storage on the way to the hotel. We opted for dinner from the supermarket, sashimi, spicy chicken bits, cucumbers and we even bough enough for breakfast. Our late check out came too fast. Our next flight did not take off until 10:30 PM. We had a late lunch at a high end Chinese restaurant in the hotel but eventually there was nothing left but to go to the airport. We checked in at the ANA desk and tired to get my ticket upgraded to the business class level that Leslie had but it was not possible. When we booked the flights, we both had business class tickets loaded and by the time we hit purchase, all the business class tickets were gone and I had to sit in economy. We were able to buy a pass for the lounge for me, so we headed off to the lounge. We spent 6.5 hours in the lounge for a two and a half hour flight to Shanghai. The lounge was huge and we got to explore every corner of the lounge. We had to sit on the plane for a full hour before it took off. We landed in Shanghai at 2 AM and we loaded the entire pile of luggage into a small cab. The Shanghai hotel looked grand at the entrance but the room was subpar and had some mold. So we decided to leave the hotel as soon as we woke up. We found some tasty bits in the lobby and had that for breakfast. At the airport, the Juneyao Lounge was pretty small but the food was quite good. This time we were in the lounge for five hour but the flight was 10 hours. It was supposed to be shorter but there was bad weather in Sydney so we flew in circles a while waiting for a slot to land. We headed to the Pullman hotel and were able to check in at 8 AM. We got into bed and closed the curtains on the dark and rainy day. We slept until the afternoon as the previous night's flight was not what one might call comfortable. Room service was our dinner as it was still cold and rainy. For our last leg to the Sunshine Coast we were flying Virgin Australia. Breakfast at the hotel was good and there was a decent lunch at the VA lounge. Our stay in this lounge was only 2.5 hours and the flight was 2.5 hours. On the descent we could see out AirBnB which was fun to see.
Sapporo Station
May the force be with you
Does Yoda make the plane fly?
In Tokyo we saw these guys on loud motorcycles
The sun lit up this building
Nice view from the room in Tokyo
Day two of travel we had some dumplings for lunch before we headed to the airport
Time to play "Departure Board Bingo" of the 19 different cities we had been to all but five
We had six hours in the lounge so I tried a whiskey tasting
Lets give it a try
No dress code in the ANA lounge
We made it to Shanghai at 1:30 local time and we saw this piece of an airplane
The next morning we slept right through breakfast time. This sign was the impetus for us to eat the croissants in the display case
Western food available without any restaurant visit
Back in the lounge again, but this time it is Juneau Airlines
After the whiskey tasting the previous evening, it was time for something a bit lighter, a tea tasting
Another chance at Departure Board Bingo, we have been to 9 of 13 destinations
In the Shanghai airport there was a museum of traditional instruments
A stringed instrument
Snake skin fancy
Chinese banjo
A gatling gun flute
Mother of pearl inlay
Bang the drum
Zither me timbers
Our plane is here
Heading down to the gate we see the massive architecture of the Shanghai airport
Some entertainment while relieving the pressure
We made it to the Sydney Pullman hotel around 7:30 AM
We slept like dogs through the morning and into the afternoon
Landing in the Sunshine Coast
So many places to dock your boat
Civilization does not stray far from the coast
Some lonely mountains
It is a classic volcanic plug, the core of an old eroded volcano
We could see our place, a low building at the front in the center
The river just north of our stay
We are going to love this area
