The End

Tuesday 17th July – More Shopping

After a leisurely breakfast it was time to jump into yet another tuk-tuk for a trip to Liberty Plaza. The hotel staff was not impressed with this choice as they think it is a little expensive there. If it is, then we will have to try somewhere different. In the end it was slightly more upmarket as well as a little tired. There were two floors of small shops and boutiques where Alice did manage to find a pair of shoes.




















A quick bite of a pizza slice and we were back to the House of Fashion, Majestic City and Romafour. All of these establishments had something that we needed or should I say wanted. The merchandise at Romafour was a little more upmarket and priced accordingly. All in all the shopping in Colombo was okay but not easy like Bangkok. The market in Kandy would have been easier for items such as t-shirts and polo shirts.

The day was wound down with a swim in the pool and dinner at the hotel restaurant. I especially enjoyed the buttered vegetables that I had been craving for.

Wednesday 18th July – Colombo to Singapore

As usual the traffic in Colombo was as thick as a pea soup and moved as slow as frozen treacle. I’m glad that our ride is an air conditioned taxi that is impervious to the diesel belching buses and tuk-tuks. Luckily we left a little early as it took 1 hour and 40 minutes to travel the 40km to the airport.

On arrival our taxi was met by a gang of porters who were all anxious to guide us through the labyrinth and complexities of Colombo International airport. I noticed one of the vests indicated that the rate for a porter was 50 rupees per piece of luggage. Our porter was happy when he piled four pieces of luggage onto our trolley. At the first security checkpoint he unloaded all our bags for the x-ray machine and then was patient when we had to open Alice’s big case as the guards had noticed an anomaly on the screen which they could not identify. It turned out to be a packet of AA batteries that we had bought earlier in the trip. Better to be safe than sorry. The porter was certainly earning his rupees as we had to go through yet another security check with the x-ray machine. The Emirates check-in counter was at the far end of the terminal and I think that we would have taken ages to find it without him. There was no one in the queue at either check-in or immigration and we were processed infinitely faster than when we arrived fourteen days earlier.

Another flight, another meal, another movie and before you know it you have arrived in Singapore. There were no long queues at immigration and by the time we had reached the baggage carousel our bags were ready to be plucked off. We bought a bottle of Cabernet Merlot at the duty free and then went out into the arrivals hall for a taxi. Alice went to the ATM for some cash while I joined the queue which was moving rapidly. I had to let a few people pass me in the line before Alice arrived back. In no time we were at our final hotel for what has been a long trip.

I had selected a budget hotel, The Fragrance Hotel, Rose on Booking.com a couple of weeks back as they were offering a great deal of about $30 per night. The small room met our expectations as it was clean with a hot shower and working toilet. We were not expecting to spend much time in the hotel due to our late check-in at 9:30pm and our plan to spend all day tomorrow at Sentosa Island. A quick trip to the convenience store for some beer and snacks which will help us unwind from today’s travels.

Thursday 19th July – Sentosa Island
It must be a good room as we both slept in this morning. There is no breakfast available here so it was off on a short walk to everyone’s favourite, McDonalds. We were thinking of taking a taxi to Sentosa but our friendly receptionist convinced us to take the 145 bus to Vivo City where you can catch the monorail to the island. She gave us a quick lesson and some change for catching the bus.

The majority of residents have a swipe card so boarding times are quick. For miscreants like us there is a cash option, coins only which you drop into a hopper. No change is given so it pays to have a few denominations available. It was a full bus but by the time we had reached Chinatown there were plenty of seats available. The journey took about 45 minutes but seemed shorter as we had plenty of Singapore’s streetscape to admire. Alice had also struck up a conversation with an elderly Singaporean matron who was only too eager to practice her English and be of assistance to us.

At Vivo City we opted to purchase a day pass for Sentosa Island’s which allowed us access to 16 attractions. It was already 12:30 and did not think we would get much value from the ticket however the cheaper afternoon ticket was not available until 2:30. Our first attraction was the Singapore Cable Car. We boarded on the 15th floor of the Harbourside Building and were soon entombed inside the transparent “Angry Birds” cable car with picturesque views of Singapore’s landscape and harbour. Not to be content with this view we took a ride on the Tiger Sky Tower. At 131 metres this is the tallest observatory on the island and gives panoramic views.

Alice was in the mood for thrills so we helmeted up for a luge ride. It is a gravity- powered go cart that allows you to speed down a winding track aptly named the Dragon trail. We both passed some slow moving novices and thoroughly enjoyed our ride. After all those thrills we wanted something sedate so we headed down to Siloso Beach where we walked hand in hand along the shore. No surf, just the gentle lapping of the water on the gently sloping beach.

Lunch was a scary encounter as the prices were higher than the Tiger Sky Tower. I could not believe they wanted 13 dollars for a small bottle of beer. We ended up shelling out $42 for two burgers and one sparkling mineral water. You can imagine how I felt when 10 minutes later I spotted a McDonalds.

Next port of call was Fort Siloso which played an important role in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in WW11. There are old tunnels, cannons and memorabilia from this period. There is also a wax museum that depicts the signing of surrender documents for the British in 1942 and Japanese in 1945. Further downhill we could have played a game of combat skirmish but Alice was not up for dashing around a maze with a laser gun. There had been a light sprinkle of rain so I also missed out on the trapeze. We did however line up for a try on a Segway. First we had to sign our life away and absolve the Sentosa Corporation of any liability just in case we maimed ourselves on one of these machines. We confirmed our agreement with a thumbprint just like in CSI. All the safety gear was donned and we ready for our instructions. Once we figured out how to stay balanced Alice and I roared around the circuit like seasoned professionals.

Time was slipping away so we jumped on the Skyride which took us back to the top of the hill where the Butterfly House was located. There were not many butterflies but in the adjoining aviary there were some beautiful parrots.

It was just after 5:00pm and I wanted to watch the short movie Pirates in 4D. It was a rollicking adventure which managed to scare a few children as well as us. We both think it was an old movie starring Leslie Nielsen that used to be shown at Sea World on the Gold Coast. A new experience however was the extreme log ride that had us ducking and weaving as the images from the Cineblast screen careened towards us. After that ride I can understand why they don’t want pregnant women to participate.

It was time to return to the mainland and one last trip on the cable car. One intrepid traveller had organised champagne and food in his car and it definitely looked like a wedding proposal was about to occur. Back at Vivo City and Alice killed some more time by trolling through a couple of shops. She would have needed all day to cover the lot. The 145 bus arrived just before we got to the stop. The driver waited and I guessed that he was new because he had to look up the fare ($1.5) to Chinatown. A quick look at the impressive temple and it was off for a stroll through the markets. The products on offer were same, same but not different so only one purchase was necessary. We took a chance on a busy Chinese restaurant but were disappointed with the food. Just a little to gluggy for our taste.

It was around 9:00pm and we both starting to feel a little ragged. The bus frequency was good and we did not have to wait long for our bus home. It was a busy little trip and I ended up standing for the last section. A big enjoyable day out that was enhanced by the remaining Cabernet Merlot and seeing a new part of Singapore.

Friday 20th July – Homeward Bound

Just like the words from the Simon and Garfunkel classic we are Homeward Bound. Back again to McDonalds for breakfast which has not been too bad. Endless cups of coffee and a nearby clean toilet make it a suitable place. Our stay at the Fragrance Rose which is part of an endless Fragrance network was enjoyable. As we stood on the footpath with our bags a taxi pulled up and disgorged two more cheap passengers for the hotel. We piled in and our driver quickly whisked us out to terminal 1 of Changi Airport. There was no queue for the Emirates line as we are 3 hours early for the flight. This soon turned out to be 4 hours early when we learnt that our flight would be delayed by about an hour. Time will tell!

A good way to kill time is browse the duty free shops and spend the last of our hard earned coin. The duty free area at Changi is huge with lots of variety to choose from. Our bags are now slightly heavier thanks to the addition of some Daim chocolates, beauty treatments and cigarettes for he who cannot be named. Lunch was taken at one of the many eateries and was quite good. It was half the price of yesterday’s lunch and dinner and twice as good. The Emirates flight has landed and it looks like we will get away by 4:00pm.

The flight back home was going well until I started getting stomach cramps. It appears that the delightful curry that I had for lunch was not as good as I had thought. I made a dash for the toilet and luckily there was no queue for the loo. When I eventually emerged there were about six people waiting. I smiled and thought poor buggers. No more food and drink for me as I don’t need to star in the new movie “sh… on a plane”.

Saturday 21st July – Home

Touch down, Brisbane and the time is 1:30am. A fast dash to the toilet with clamped cheeks for me and a last minute alcohol purchase for Alice was the order of the morning. This is the first time that I have used my new passport with the new chip and it worked a treat. In less than a minute we had been processed electronically and passed through the barrier without any hassles. I wonder how quick it will be when everyone has a chip? Alice is now a seasoned professional when it comes to passing through Australian customs. She has everything that the officials may find interesting packed in the one bag. This saves an enormous amount time as you do not have to ferret through everything or have a customs officer poking through your undies. You are not really home until you exit the customs area and after three months away it is good to be back even if it is winter.
 
It is always nice when someone meets you at the airport, especially when it is family. Jemma and Telissa have braved the night air just to pick up the”rents”. A few tears, lots of hugs and we were finally home.

THE END!