My New Caledonia trip is starting the way most good adventures do, with a painfully early alarm and a sleepy wait at Melbourne Airport. Waking up at 4 am is never fun, but it hurts a lot less when it means the start of a holiday. If this post sounds a little scrambled, blame the half-asleep version of me typing it at the gate.
Last night was the second night in a row that I struggled to get a proper stretch of sleep. I’m hoping it’s just a mini hiccup and not a sign of things to come, because nobody wants to start a holiday running on empty.
Coffee was the first mission. I stood at the St Ali counter repeating my order to Fafa, “oat flat white, oh no, just a flat white”, a few times over. In the end, he came back with an oat flat white anyway. We are both still deep in sleepy mode, and as usual, I am extra irritable this early in the morning. Some things never change, even on holiday.
This morning has also taught me a lesson, which I’ve already written into my journal. Note to self: always travel in a cap, a hoodie and jogger pants. I looked for my joggers on a whim before we left, but only half-heartedly, and I couldn’t find them. Standing here in the wrong outfit, I’m already regretting it.
Even after a wide-awake cup of St Ali coffee, I’m still running on zzz. My only hope is that a snooze on the flight to Brizzy will fix me before we connect onwards to Nouméa.
I have brought a traveller’s journal to this trip, and I told myself I’ll fill this journal with all things New Caledonia: diary entries, travel notes and little moments worth remembering, ideally in neater handwriting than this first sleepy page.
They’ve just called our flight, so it’s time to board. The early alarm, the coffee mix-up, and the missing joggers are the opening scene of this birthday trip, and every good travel story deserves a slightly chaotic beginning—next stop, Brisbane, and hopefully a very good nap.
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