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Visit to Down Under

Yarra river in Melbourne

It is 16 September 2023, I am at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport to begin a long trip to Australia commonly referred to Down Under. I am barely on time with the check in process almost closed. It's important to ensure one is at the airport at least 2 hours before an international flight. Having checked in online makes the checking in process smoother. I am scheduled to travel to Melbourne in Australia via Qatar Airways. I am on a work sponsored trip to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. I am travelling with a workmate John. This is my first ever first to Australia. 

At Hamad International airport with John


The flight to Doha, Qatar is a smooth 7 hours trip. The Qatar Airways air crew are very friendly and helpful. We land at Hamad Airport at 23:00 hours. The airport is vast, well organised and beautiful. After taking a few photos we find a place to sit and have something to drink and eat. The prices, like in most international airports, are quite high. But one has to eat and drink some coffee!

After a layover of 3 hours, it is time to board for the plane bound to Melbourne. The flight is smooth but very long. A whole 14 hours. At some point I stand at the back of the plane and chat with fellow Zambian passengers for 30 minutes. I spend some time sleeping, listening to music and a bit of reading. The Qatar Airways are excellent as ever ensuring that passengers have enough to eat and drink. At this time I have not learnt the usefulness of drinking 500ml of water for each hour of the flight travel time. Next time I will make sure I do so. The chicken pie served as a snack on the trip is simply amazing. Be sure to try it when you travel on Qatar Airways.

After a long haul flight of 14 hours and a total travel time of 24 hours we finally land in Melbourne. The airport is easy to navigate. The immigration formalities go on smoothly. I have no baggage to claim as I had a carry on bag. When traveling to an international destination for a a week or less, I find it useful to only have 1 small carry on bag. Makes travelling easier and smoother. You should try it and enjoy the benefits. After almost an hour when my other colleagues have collected their bags we head to our various hotels. I am booked at Ibis Kingstyle Hotel. I like the room as it is not too fancy and has the basics one needs. The room does not come with breakfast which gives me flexibility on breakfast options. The times I have the full breakfast or cooked breakfast as it is called, I find it quite filling and well prepared. My hotel is 20 minutes walk to the Conference venue. There is also a tram close to my hotel which goes right up to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. For the next 4 days I will be attending the Global Entrepreneurship Congress being hosted by the Global Entrepreneurship Network Australia.





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