There was not much time left in Cairns so we returned to our hotel after a short city trip and an iced coffee. We had packed our bits and pieces already in the morning so we checked out and took the airport shuttle bus to Cairns airport.

This time the security checks at the airport were particularly rigid and I was not allowed to take my toothpaste tube in my hand baggage. It obviously contained only a small rest toothpaste, perhaps enough for brushing my teeth 4 to 5 more times – but the tube itself once contained 125ml instead of the allowed 100 ml! I am so relieved that they noticed! Now I feel a lot safer! The really bad terrorists can do no harm because they cannot smuggle toothpaste!

After my baggage had been scanned the discussion started – I had a 2g tube of Bepanthen nose and eye ointment(used) and it was not stuffed in a resealable plastic bag, and that counts as liquids or gels, too. The fact that I had been flying to Australia and within Australia with it did not count and the moment came when I had to part company with another piece of my stuff.  Really irritated we went on to the gate, ate a little something and wanted to get on the plane. I was just about to enter the gangway when the JetStar staff noticed that my hand luggage looked somehow heavy (Well, I guess it was…). He lifted it up and just said: “Way too heavy!”. Fortunatly I was allowed to get out what I needed for the flight and then I was told that it had to be checked in, as it was too heavy for being allowed to fly in the passenger cabin. I only took the laptop computer with me and said to myself, that travelling just became easier…

After a couple of hours in the plane we reached Singapore and because we had plenty of time waiting for our next flight to Frankfurt, we wanted to try the free wireless Internet access at Singapore airport. In theory that is quite easy, you just have to register once and get a password sent to you per SMS. So I grabbed my mobile phone – no not really, my phone was gone! I desperatly tried to remember whether I took it with me after I had discussed in vain with the scanning line staff in Cairns. I just could not remember.

I could not have a look whether I put it in my hand luggage as that was on its way to Frankfurt! So we just took Stähler’s phone and I will probably be enlightened in Frankfurt whether my mobile is still in Cairns or whether I put it in my bag…