Three firsts and a very long day

Sad to leave, but happy to be
going HOME

Osaka airport

Observation deck

Bridge for cars (top) and trains (bottom)
from mainland to airport

Statement of the year:
This fight is greatly delayed (top line)

Vending machine for towel for shower

Snuggled in

Everyone pick a bed

Dreamliner wing flexing
over Great Barrier Reef

Roar. Everyone on the shuttle bus wakes up as a boy racer screams down the highway like he is part of the Fast and Furious team. I am on my way to Kansai airport near Osaka. The airport is built on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay connected to land by the longest truss bridge in the world. It was sad to leave my travel buddies and start the journey home but all good things must come to an end.

Arriving at the airport I have a plan to kill time, the first port of call is a shuttle bus to the Observation Deck. This way, that way ok the bus leaves from No.1 bus stand. Nearly there, around the big concrete pillar and the bus pulls away. Have to match the schedule no matter what. I wonder if the driver had seen me would he have waited? It's only 10 mins to the next bus so let's sit and wait. Bored now, check emails. What my flight is delayed 6 hours, oh joy, oh joy. Slight heart palpitations. Time to give myself a talking too, nothing you can do about it, go with it. But I want to be home NOW, am sure the Easter Bunny is expecting me.

Either way, lets go on and do some exploring. The observation deck bus is here I think, it says Nanski, but the guy next to me has plane pins on his cap and ejector seat memorabilia on his bag. So let’s make an educated guess and assume he is a plane spotter and see where this bus goes. Phew, now the sign has been changed to observation deck loop. I am here, there is a shop and cafe (of course) and indoor and outdoor areas with great views of the planes, landing and taking off. Plane spotters and big lenses everywhere.

Enough of that it's time to board the next bus to Rinku Premium Outlets, all the big brands at discount prices. Laid out like a resort with plantation shutters and palm trees, I think I am in the Gold Coast. Grab a few things but this is all too sterile for me, time to move on. Have noticed that the bridge has a road at the top and a train line suspended underneath so with plenty of time to kill let's catch the train back. Easy, except all the locals staring at me, maybe the tourists are meant to stick to the free buses and not mix with the locals on the train line.

Right well are you bored now, ‘cause I am. Hanging out back at the observation hall as it is way less crowded than the terminal and lots of plane spotters to watch, but even they have disappeared now as the rain in pounding down. Back to the terminal, check in, Aussies hanging around everywhere, rockstar turns up, people leave queues to get photos, security pushes everyone back, momentary excitement, now back to boredom.

Through security, shops, shops and more shops, very high end. Let's investigate how the showers work. Ok, need to change 1000 yen note into change, buy a towel from vending machine (first 1), then put yen in the shower and get hot water for 15 minutes (first 2) how civilised. Now my mission is to fill water bottle, the man is telling me I have to get on a shuttle. What, to get water? All the other Aussies are dazed and confused too. Right we need to go to our gate on the shuttle. This is where we will stay the night. Now I know why I have been sleeping on futons for 2 weeks, to toughen me up for the airport. So the third first is to sleep overnight in an airport. Finally, we board the plane, my first ride on a Dreamliner and it is the quietest flight I have ever been on, no one is talking everyone is just laying in their seats in some kind of stupor.

At the time of booking it seemed like the easiest option was to fly #jetstar out of Osaka, oh I so wish I had done the two trains back to Tokyo and flown Qantas. Currently, I am in Australia, Cairns airport and IF all goes well I will be back home, 11 hours late.