Touched down

After a lot of doubts, worries and emailing, we finally made it back to Brisbane. Day 2 of quarantine.

So here is the recap.

The chartered flight organised by Singapore Air charter got taken over by CapaJet, also known as Trips Exotica. Those who have made bookings with Singapore Air charter were able to transfer their payment to Capa Jet. The original route was from Jakarta – Port Moresby – Brisbane. It was suppose to fly on 3 November at 4pm. A few days later, we received an email that the flight would be leaving from Jakarta to Brisbane on 4 November at 2am.

We were worried that we might not be able to get a boarding pass in Kuala Lumpur, but thanks to the Australian embassy in Jakarta and High Consular in Kuala Lumpur, we managed to get our transit permit at 6pm, the day before we were due to fly.

Arrived at the airport after 2 police checks. Good thing we had gone to the police station to get the interstate travel permit. Before we left our apartment, we still hadn’t received our eTicket yet. We were told that we should get it within 24 hours before the flight. Check in counters were open, we contacted our organiser to let her know that the eticket hasn’t been emailed. Just before 1pm, we received our eticket. We looked at it and took Capa Jet’s version of an eticket to check in. Took 6 of the Garuda check in staff to check us in. We made it to our gate before it got closed.

Arrived in Jakarta with no problem. We were escorted by 2 airport staff and an airport police. We got through all the checks with no problem and were deposited at the Garuda lounge. Not long after, someone from the embassy came to welcome and watch over us. He stayed until the last passenger from Bali arrived and asked if we could help watch over her after he had left.

That woman was on another level of panic. She is old and was not very hopeful that the flight was going to happen. We had to ask one of the staff to help us calm her down. She did and thankfully, our boarding pass for the next flight arrived in less than an hour before the plane.

We arrived in Brisbane at about 3pm-ish. Went through all the custom checks and filled in all the paperwork for quarantine. Got in our hotel at about 7pm and ate dinner at about 8pm.

So far, everything has been great. The room is not the same as the apartment we had, but enough for us to continue with our work. Food has been great despite everything we had read. Queensland government and Queensland health have been checking on us since day two to make sure we are all OK. Room break is around the parking area so it is not something I look forward to. My husband said that we would not go just for the sake of going out of the room because as soon as we were out, I wanted to go back in.

I hope all other Australians who are still overseas and want to come home will be able to come home soon. I still believe that if Australia hadn’t put on the cap, we would not be in this situation. I don’t understand politics and I don’t pretend that I do, but it does make me wonder if the government and the Australians are really benefiting from the cap.