Journey from Brisbane, to Bali, to Singapore to Tokyo: My Round the World Adventures

Intro

Day 17 of my Round the World trip had me in Brisbane, Australia, getting ready to leave this beautiful country, and continent. Because now I was about to go on a 24 hour journey to Japan, passing by 2 other countries. Yes, I had an original flight leaving Brisbane and only stopping in Singapore for a couple of hours before Tokyo, but because of the Disney Adventure cruise cancellation, I had to move the whole end my trip, and now I was stuck with these weird flights. But hey, that’s part of the adventure lol.

If you wanna see more about how I got to this point, see the previous episodes below:

• My 21-Day Round The World Trip: Starting with Paris and Berlin
• Top Christmas Markets to Visit in Berlin
• Copenhagen & Malmo Christmas Markets: A Complete Travel Guide
• Exploring Christmas Markets in Europe: Prague to Berlin
• Matterhorn Glacier Paradise: Your Guide
• My Strenuous Journey from Europe to Singapore to Australia
• What to Know Before Visiting Cairns: Top Tips
• Exploring Sydney during New Year’s Eve’s Eve
• Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Sydney: Tips for the Best Views
• Exploring Gold Coast, Australia: Best Things To do

Day 17: On the way to the Brisbane Airport

I think I tried the best I could to leave from OOL Gold Coast International Airport, but Brisbane seemed a bigger one, with more options to leave this country. For now, I was waking up very early on Day 17, and on January 2nd, 2026, everything looked so eerie around the city center where I was staying. I checked out and started walking around. In a city of 2.8 million people you would not expect that.

Went to the Central Station, which was the closest one, and after walking around I made it to the subway, which I took on the way to the International Airport Station. The ride was quick, but it could have been quicker. I was a little bit afraid that the security lines would be long.

BNE Brisbane International Airport

But no, everything was fast, and I made it quick to the secured area, to look for my flight. I needed to get rid of my Australian cash, so I got a bunch of food to bring into the flight, since it would be in Jetstar, which is a low cost airline that does not provide food on board. The Christmas decorations at the airport were still up. The airport also looked very nice and modern.

We boarded our Jetstar flight to DPS Denpasar (Bali) International Airport. The weirdest stop ever. It’s like stopping in some paradisiacal island for 2 hours, and then continue to some cold place. Fortunately, it did not make feel too bad, since I had been in Indonesia before, and spent a few days in Bali itself.

DPS Denpasar (Bali) International Airport

I took the long flight from Brisbane to Bali just to sleep basically. My motto is sleep the most you can while flying, since on land you would probably have to sacrifice a lot of the sleep.

From the airport I could see the huge monument of Patung Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK Statue), which is 121 m tall (approximately 397 feet).

I did not do customs, but once I identified my gate to the next flight, I started exploring the airport, because what else is there to do. I found this terminal very modern and full of nice stores and restaurants of all kinds.

And arts and props like this one.

There was even a Hard Rock Cafe here. I remember buying a hat back in 2019, to use the last of the local currency, and I never used that hat again, it did not really fit me lol.

Got myself a coffee, although decaf since I was planning to sleep in the next flight as well, that was also long.

And after careful consideration, given all the options, I chose to have lunch in a nice place that looked more local than the other ones. I got myself a duck plate, and it was really delicious. Man, it made me miss the very fresh food I tried in Indonesia when I was here back in 2019. I need to come back for sure.

From Bali to Singapore

Departed Bali not too long later, and was going to go back to Singapore. Remember that previously in this trip I stopped here on the way to Cairns, Australia. And now I was going back to tie back these 2 legs of my trip. Bali looked so beautiful from above. More than 7 million people visit this island yearly.

We were finally making it to Singapore, and would have spent all day just basically on a plane.

Made it to SIN Singapore International Airport (Changi) and this time I would for sure get out and explore a little bit more. Yes, risky move since I had to go through Customs, go into the city, and then back again to go through Customs and Security. But this was not the only time I did this. In a previous RTW, I did the same since I wanted to see Marina Bay Sands after so many years.

Exploring Singapore

I now had a few hours to explore the city before my connecting flight, so I took what they call a Grab (their Uber), and set directions for the One Fullerton Mall, since from there I had a nice view of the most important landmarks in Singapore. From the cab I could see them too haha: Singapore Flyer, Gardens by The Bay and Marina Bay Sands.

Got to the Promenade with suitcase and everything on hand, and the views were very beautiful.

The mall itself is very nice.

But look at that beautiful building. I always wanted to see the Marina Bay Sands, and now I do not even know how many time I have seen them. I stayed there back in 2015 and even took pictures from the infinity pool in the top floor. You can also go up there to the lookout buy paying the entrance fee, but the pool is only for guests of the hotel.

Walked around the Promenade, and saw the iconic Merlion. This area seemed a little bit crowded. Definitely, what it could have been if Disney did not cancel the cruise I would have gone on the Disney Adventure. But now in March 2026 is already out, and I expect to one day go on it. The good thing about the cancellation, despite the fact that I had to pay a lot of money changing flights, was that they gave me a 50% in ANY cruise, and I snatched that promo so fast, but I guess you will see that in a future post.

Went to the Starbucks, and got myself a Frappuccino, and just relaxed for a little bit, before heading out and seeing the beautiful lights of Singapore and the Marina Bay Sands. Definitely, will have to come back.

The Jewel at Changi Airport

Took another Grab and went back to the Singapore Airport, and of course I had to go into The Jewel.

The Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore is a massive nature-themed entertainment and retail complex designed by architect Moshe Safdie. It serves as a central hub connecting three of Changi Airport’s passenger terminals, but it is a destination in its own right, housed under a distinctive toroid-shaped glass and steel dome.

The experience of the Jewel is defined by its integration of high-end architecture and lush greenery: The HSBC Rain Vortex.

The centerpiece of the entire structure is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Water cascades seven stories down from a central opening in the vaulted ceiling. At night, the waterfall serves as a canvas for a 360-degree light and sound show.

There was even a huge Christmas Tree right in front of it, courtesy of the Disney Adventure. Just like we saw before, there were a lot of ads for this cruise at this airport.

The Shiseido Forest Valley

Surrounding the waterfall is a five-story indoor garden that contains one of the largest indoor collections of plants in Singapore. It features two cobblestone walking trails, the East and West Cascades, which allow you to hike through thousands of trees and shrubs, providing various vantage points of the Rain Vortex.

This airport is amazing and full of surprises but the Dreamscape garden in Terminal 2, was also a nice show to see.

Finally time to make it to my gate, and I finally boarding a Singapore Airlines flight (my favorite airline) to Tokyo Haneda. Was so excited to get back into this country as my last international stop before heading back to the United States.

Day 18: From Singapore to Tokyo

Finally plane food after we board, and it actually looked and tasted pretty good. The rest of the flight I tried to knock myself out since I had a long day the next day.

All these flights look so weird in retrospective, but believe me, more direct flights in the middle of the Holiday Season were astronomically expensive, and this given that Disney had messed up with the flights I had already purchased. But now, I was almost landing in Tokyo, and everything felt right again.

Arriving in Tokyo, Japan

We arrived super early in Tokyo, like right before sunrise, and the Customs line was actually pretty quick. By 6 AM I was actually looking for Google Maps directions to my next destination:

And yes, I was going to Maihama Station, famous for being the gateway to Tokyo Disney Resort, and the Disney Resort Line. I do not know, I felt like I needed to come back, but mostly Tokyo Disney Sea.

The sunrise felt pretty ominous, and it was freezing. For the first time in days I was back in the Winter part of the world, and Tokyo had just gotten snow the night before. It was my first snow day at a theme park?

And from the metro I was able to see the Tokyo Skytree, which I had also visited in the past. For now, I was going to focus on my first and only theme park adventure of this RTW (I cannot miss them right). But you will see all that in the next blog post.