Day 74, 6th July – Up, Up and Away
This morning Alice and I were able to sleep in to 8:00am. We decided it was time to get up when we could smell the fresh coffee that Joan had been brewing. I was definitely in a go slow mode and was enjoying the fresh rolls that John had brought home after his morning exercise. He is more disciplined than me. Before I knew it Alice was telling me that it was time to go. Like Speedy Gonzales I jumped in the shower and finished packing in less than 20 minutes. John and Joan drove us to the airport which to our surprise took only 24 minutes. We had a really great time with Lissa, Joan and John and were sad to leave after such a short visit. Hopefully, we will see them Down Under in the not too distant future.
We have given ourselves plenty of time to claim our tax refund and to complete our self check-in. The queues I picked were of course the slowest moving and I managed to encounter a polite but officious female staff member. It did not matter to her that our first bag was under the maximum limit by 4kg as she set her attention to the second bag which was an incredible 2kg over the limit. I was given the option of paying extra for the overweight bag or redistributing the weight. The decision was easy but we had to move aside whilst I stuffed some items into our carry-on luggage. Given that they were willing to accept the original bag for an additional payment I am at a loss to see what was achieved except to annoy their customers. In the end we still had plenty of time to enjoy the Servisair lounge prior to our departure to Frankfurt. This has been the best lounge so far on this trip and the open liver paste sandwiches that we made were delicious. Our boarding gate was not far from the lounge so we did not have to rush when it was time to board. The one hour flight was uneventful except as usual the clown in front had to immediately recline his seat.
On landing in Frankfurt for our five hour layover we took a tour of all the terminals in search of a lounge. Eventually we made our way to the Luxxlounge where we can avail ourselves of wine and food until 8:30pm. This lounge was nearly as good as Copenhagen and we must say that the Germans know how to make a good sausage. At around 8:20pm we let the lounge and headed off in search of our flight which will convey us to Singapore. We discovered we were departing from terminal Z62 so off we toddled following the directions that were well signed. There was hardly a soul at the immigration and security sections so our progress was fast and smooth. Some last minute duty free was in order prior to us making the long walk down the very long terminal Z. Even with the aid of the travelator it still took 10 minutes to reach our gate. Our aircraft is brand new and seems to have plenty of leg room. The flight was delayed by one hour as Frankfurt was hit by a severe electrical storm that impacted on all the departures. The woman in front of me thought that this was a good enough reason to fully decline her seat. I immediately thumped her seat and politely asked her to refrain from reclining until after our take off. Thankfully she acquiesced to my request.
Day 75, 7th July – Singapore
Our flight time was just over 12 hours and I think we did manage 3 to 4 hours of broken sleep. The only downer was that the young guy next to me was suffering from a heavy head cold. The food was good but the blankets were a little on the short side. We touched down smoothly in Singapore a little before 5:00pm and spent the next 15 minutes taxing to the terminal. As we were near the front of the plane we made a dash for the immigration counter to avoid the long queues. We were processed fairly quickly and then made our way to the luggage carousel where we waited and waited. I should have guessed that with our 5 hour layover in Frankfurt that our bags would have been the first loaded and as a result the last off.
A $S20 taxi ride and 25 minutes and we were at our hotel the Parc Sovereign located in Albert Street, Bugis. It is a great room and on the same level as the swimming pool. After a quick swim we thought that we should eat prior to catching up on the lost sleep. In the elevator we met an Australian couple from Melbourne so we joined them for dinner at a food court in Little India. There was plenty to choose from but Alice settled on a $5 curry with rice and chicken which was sufficient for both of us. My large beer ended up costing more than the meal. The food was good but it was time for bed so bid adieu to our new friends.
Day 76, 8th July – Orchard Road
We had a well deserved sleep in this morning prior to heading off to the shops. Alice wanted to have a look at the shops on Orchard Road so we found a map and decided that it was within walking distance. Although the weather was quite muggy it was a pleasant enough walk. Within no time the first of the big shops appeared and I was looking for a suffering seat to pass the time. Alice managed to pass through countless stores without purchasing one single item. We stopped for lunch at one of the many Asian food outlets that seem to be permanently affixed to each mall. Korean BBQ beef looked appealing but alas it only just passed as edible.
It was late afternoon when we arrived back at the hotel and after a short break we hit the pool. Even though it was overcast the temperature and the humidity were high. The pool temperature was just right and the water was as refreshing as a Singapore Sling from the bar at Raffles. We did a few laps of the pool on the pretense that it was exercise.
Earlier in the day we had spotted a restaurant offering two chilli crabs for the price of one so we thought it would be worth a chance. After all you cannot have a meal in Singapore without trying their famous chilli crab. Our entrees of rice, beans and icy cold Tiger beer arrived at the table so we cleared a space and started sampling the very tasty beans. It wasn’t long before the main course was delivered for our inspection and ultimate consumption. The two reasonably sized fried mud crabs looked like they were swimming in a deep pool of thick chilli sauce. I immediately set myself to the task of extracting the succulent flesh from the claws and legs. Before I could start I had to suck the sauce off the shell so the crab would not slip from my fingers. Tasty work! We both beavered away at the crabs and by the end we looked like we had gone a few rounds with a crazy cook. There was sauce and crab all over our hands, faces and the table. It was a great meal and at $S39 a good price.
Day 77, 9th July – Serangoon Road.
There was nothing planned for today so we had another good sleep in. Eventually we ambled out of the hotel and went in search of a cheap breakfast. We found a small shop that was selling coffee, toast and two eggs for $3.50 so naturally we took a seat inside. I thought that the eggs were boiled so I went to great pains to explain that we would like them soft boiled. When they arrived at the table they were not boiled but were half cooked microwave poached eggs. With a little more cooking time they at least looked edible.
Alice returned to the hotel so I decided on a short walk through Little India and Serangoon Road. This road was the name of a HBO series that was set during the sixties and a turbulent time in Singapore’s history. As you may expect there was plenty of incense burning at the front of many of the shops. There were plenty of sales happening at the gold stores that propagate the sidewalks of Serangoon Road. After covering the majority of the area and resisting the temptation to buy a sari I returned to the hotel.
Alice had sorted out our luggage so that we did not overload our large suitcase and earn the wrath of the check-in staff. It was close to 1:00pm which meant that we had to vacate our room and store our luggage for a few hours. With that chore out of the way we went in search of some lunch. I tried some Vietnamese spring rolls which were truly horrible. I think that my old thong would have tasted better. Our hunger pains were easily solved with some Burger King indulgence which starred the junior burger. Afterwards we strolled around the Bugis Street stores and the alleyways of the busy market. Alice thought there were some bargains to be had but she had neither the patience nor the need to try on any of the garments.
Just after 5:00pm we took another $20 taxi ride to catch our last flight of what has been an incredible journey. The whole process took less than twenty minutes which meant that we had at least 3.5 hours to kill before takeoff. The airport is so huge that we took the shuttle train over to terminal 2 where we had a light meal. After killing a bit of time we made our way back to terminal 3 and the twenty five minute walk to our gate. There were only a couple of seats available so we sat down next to a lady who was playing something on her IPad. Imagine our delight when it turned out to be a live broadcast of the State of Origin. The second half was underway and we were able to see the avalanche of Queensland tries. Finally they opened the security scanning area and started to let the passengers through. When it was my turn they pulled me aside and asked if they could search the bag that Alice had packed. Apparently the x-ray had showed that there were fluids in the bag. I told them there was nothing there and was happy for them to investigate. Imagine my horror when from deep in the recess of the bag they retrieved a bottle containing cleansing lotion. Luckily it was still in the duty free plastic bag so we were allowed to retain it. With no other dramas we boarded our flight for home.
Day 78, 10th July – Home
The flight home is just under 8 hours and could not be called arduous unless you manage not to sleep. Try as we might neither of us was able to drop off. A few movies, meals and trips to the toilet and we were touching down in Brisbane. Our flight was ahead of schedule and even with yet another long wait for our luggage we were in the arrival lounge before the scheduled time of 7:05am. Jemma and Telissa who were picking us up were nowhere in sight. Alice bought some coffee and just as we were about to take our first sips the girls came bounding in. Seeing their faces again brought some tears to our eyes and reminded us of how long we have been away.
Well in the end Phileas and his Princess made it home to Kawaku Lodge with two days to spare. It has been an epic and sometimes challenging journey that we were privileged to share with friends and family. To Julie, Tony, Doreen and Allan thanks for travelling the highways and byways with us and making it a memorable trip.
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