Flight (Singapore Airlines) is comfortable. It's a 2/4/2 seat plane and we're in one of the 2s so we only bother ourselves when toilet breaks are needed. The first flight I've taken in a very long time where food and drink are free, and where the seat-back entertainment device is working properly. Joy! The food is fine (we've been having Lite'n'Easy for months, and it was better than that), and I helped myself to Baileys on ice, wine, beer, all sensibly drunk over eight hours.
I watched three movies ("Oz The Great And Powerful", "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" and "Warm Bodies") of which only "Warm Bodies" was any good.
Arrive in Singapore on time (9:45pm local time). Breeze through Changi with barely a glance by the very bored customs people, no bag check. Surprisingly run-down looking arrival area. (Turns out Departure is where all the amazing is).
We take a taxi (some old car from the 70s, but clean and comfy) to the apartment (Forest By Wangz). We had to carefully explain where it was for the taxi driver (it's a new place) and we drove past it the first run through. After 30 minutes the taxi was only $24, even with the late-night 30%+ fee.
Check-in was paper-work intense. I had to sign to say I received the free laundry token. There was also inventory confirmation paper-work. It's serviced apartments so they're leaning more toward longer stayers, but still, it was a bit intense. Very very friendly and helpful though.
And the room is fantastic. Perfect aircon (which we upped from 21C to 25C pretty quickly), king bed. It's past 11pm so we set up and crash.
The weather, which we were expecting to be oppressive, isn't that bad. Nice cool breeze, a bit humid, but Melbourne gets much much hotter. It was kind of nice actually. Helps to have aircon to sleep I suppose.
Expect worse tomorrow.
Tuesday 13th August 2013
We wake around 7. I usually find something I don't like about a room on the first night and tonight I found two: the fridge motor makes a high pitched whine while it's running, and the plumbing in the building is VERY noisy, leaving us with loud sloshing noises every time a neighbour flushes or touches a tap. The fridge is easily fixed (off!) but the plumbing is something we'll have to deal with. It is literally the only thing I don't like about the place though, it's absolutely brilliant otherwise.
Our room comes with daily breakfast in the resident's lounge, except Sunday. We wander down around 8:30. The cook asks us what we'd like so we get him to make us scrambled eggs and hash browns. Meanwhile we check out what's on offer and have croissants, toast, OK. Cook arrives with food and gives us baked beans as well. It's all great.
It's been raining heavily all morning, but by the time we leave (around 10?) it's settled down a bit. It's warm and humid, but not oppressive. Being able to wear shorts helps a lot.
We walk to the MRT station, Novena. We struggle to find the entrance under the Velocity shopping centre and eventually cross the road to the subway entrance we could see there, which took us to an underpass under the road, back to Velocity. We then struggled a bit to figure out exactly how you got a train ticket, eventually asking in 7-Eleven, who happily sold us two EZLink cards ($10 each, with $5 travel credit). We topped them up with $10 each at the nearest machine (easy process).
Took the MRT to Dhoby Ghaut, then changed to another line for one stop to Bras Basah, aiming for the Singapore Art Museum. We walk right up to the door of the Art Museum, then change our mind and go to the Singapore History Museum just across the park across the road. The park gives us a good look at the local vegetation, all very tropical, everything has something growing on it. The grass they choose for most of their lawn is odd; big thick leaves. The trees are all awesome.
Singapore History Museum is free for Singaporeans, but $10 for tourists, a common thing for museums etc. in the country. We happen upon a guided tour starting so we latch on, and are guided through the history of Singapore, which I learned was shorter than I expected. Our guide talked up the benefits of their public housing system and enforced army duty in a way that was only slightly creepy.
After the guided tour we check out a photographic exhibition in the same venue, and think about eating there, but leave instead hoping for something less touristy.
We walk along Bras Basah Road to the corner of North Bridge Road and into Raffles Centre, and walk up to level 3 to the food court. The food court is nothing short of AWESOME. Some much amazing freshly made food for nearly nothing. We have some noodles from China King ($4.50 each). I appreciate the public place to wash your hands (another Singapore staple).
We walk from there to the Mint Toy Museum, passing Raffles on the way. The Toy Museum is bigger than I expected (more floors), but each floor is pretty much was I thought, being glass cases in a corridor filled with a pretty amazing collection of toys, from collectable movie/comic toys to ye olde racist toys of times past (like "Darkie" toothpaste which was still in the shops, but renamed as "Darlie"). No Transformers, although they did have a copy of the first TF comic. Recommended.
We decide, because it's there, to drop in the Raffles and have a Singapore Sling. It's what you do. For $24. The Long Bar is nice, with some cheesy automated fans, and a nice old-school Chloe-esque naked painting above the bar. Singapore Slings are also tasty, but everything is at least 50% more expensive in the Long Bar. My beer (a schooner of Tiger) was $18, which is frankly BS, even by Singapore standards.
We spot the Singapore Flyer ("big wheel") in the distance and decide to walk there. We keep seeing fish pedicure places, and are tempted... The whole Flyer complex is very touristy, and we almost question going up it, but the day was always planned as a "get the tourist walk out of the way" day, so we go for it, despite the $33 each price tag. On the way in is strangely obsessively secure, with our bags x-rayed. I wonder if it's all for show. You then must walk through a big museum complex explaining the flyer... and then you're photographed in front of a green-screen by cheesy photo souvenir sellers (this happens EVERYWHERE in Singapore and gets old very quickly). In the end the wheel is pretty good. It is very high ("largest in the world"?), and you get a fantastic view of Gardens By The Bay, Marina Bay Sands and the city as a whole.
We walk from there over the pedestrian bridge to the Marina Sands shopping centre, which is frankly insane. What Chadstone thinks it is in it's wildest exaggerated self-loving dreams, times ten. But we're not there to shop, we're looking at visiting the Marina Bay Sands building, which we finally figure out how to get to by crossing the road. We walk the length of the building, marvelling at the residents and shops for people a million times richer than us, finally finding the ticket booth for the observation deck, weirdly down some escalators outside the main building.
$20 each, warning multiple times that if it rains, too bad, it's a once off no-returns ticket, enjoy yourself! We're photographed again, and then take the very fast lift to the top. The observation part is just the front of the whole boat-shaped part at the top of the building, and we're a bit disappointed (as I'm sure most people are) that we don't get to see the garden or bar or infinity pool everyone talks about. One day I guess we'll have to stay there as a guest to see all of that (minimum $550 a night it seems, so probably not...). We have a beer while we're up there, and the view really is amazing, it is a very high building. We help some people take photos.
We spot the Merlion from up there so we conspire to go visit it. We jump on the newly opened MRT station under the building and take it to Raffles Place and, again after a bit of luck and stumbling, find our way to the water, and the pile of tourists, in the middle of which, is the white lion spitting water. He's pretty cool really, but behind and all around him are amazing views of the sci-fi Singapore skyline, so I find it slightly odd the amount of focus he gets.
From there we wander down Boat Quay and it's numerous restaurants and spot Red Dot, one of the microbreweries I read about before we left, so we decide to eat there. I have a Mushroom Burger, K has Pork Belly Burger. I have English Ale, K has Witbier. Both beers are nice enough, the English Ale has a nice red tone to it. The burgers are huge and I can't finish mine. Pretty expensive meal in the end, polar opposite to our $5 lunches.
Walk back to Raffles Place station take the train back to the room (about 8:30pm, we're stuffed). We visit the roof of the apartments, which is outside, with covered areas with fans and couches and a toilet. It's lovely. We decided to buy beer and sit up there in the near future.
Zoo tomorrow!
Wednesday 14th August 2013
Up early, having breakfast about 8:30. Reception orders us a taxi which arrives in less than 10 minutes. We get to the zoo about 10:15am after a less than 30 minute drive through kilometres of towers and trees.
We buy a four park pass each ($89 each) for the Zoo, River Safari, Night Safari and Bird Park.
The zoo is amazing. Absolutely huge. Took all day to just walk around everything. Animals generally visible through clean glass or safe behind a moat. All very tropical, lots of trees and flowers. A few of the animals didn't look very happy, the elephants and white tigers in particular showed a lot of repetitive boredom behaviour.
The monkeys and apes were often allowed to roam in the treetops above which was fantastic. The free-range Orangutan part was closed due to a fallen tree, but I didn't mind.
It rained a bit while we were there but shelter was always close, with something to look at, and the sky gave plenty of warning rain was coming via continuous thunder.
Spotted bats nesting during the day in some of the covered areas, and there were geckos everywhere randomly in Singapore and the zoo is no different.
We end up having lunch in the main lunch part in the middle, a great little mini hawker market setup with cuisines from the four main languages in Singapore (Indian, Malay, Chinese and English). The "Western" stuff looked horrible but our lunch was Chinese soups. Fish Ball soup is divine. We're always asked if we want a
Around 4:30 we head to the River Safari, a new zoo part built around a boat and fake Amazon river ride, but the river ride part isn't open yet so entrance is cheaper. Still included a long walk showing the various world river systems, lots of birds, Pandas and Dugongs. We were a little bit mislead by the entrance person who suggested there might be a boat ride closing at 5 so we rushed the whole thing a bit but at least we saw the Pandas and Dugongs. Dugongs are awesome.
We next wander over to the Night Safari to find it doesn't start until 7:30 (when it gets dark, without fail, every night). So we look around the shops, have an ice-cream at Ben and Jerry's, then have dinner (a roast duck meal set and a mixed satay skewer set) and a beer (Hoegaarden bottle $12 each, ouch).
At 7:30 we join the line for the Creatures of the Night show which in the end spends more time setting up, warning us not to use flashes and generally talking than it does showing off animals, but it is a LOT of fun, with some genuinely funny parts, and audience torture (leaving someone in the dark wrapped in a massive snake is kind of harsh).
We walk through all the walking paths, taking our time. Dark but you can just see, my sore eyes only just managing. Loved see all the night animals out and about instead of hiding up the back of a cage. Lots of bats, and mouse deer. Finally before we leave we take the bus ("tram") around to hear the commentary. Good to get up close to some of the bigger animals, like the Tapir, but I was surprised how quick the round-park trip is.
Taxi back around 10pm. The driver is very chatty, showing us his dog on his phone while driving. He's very well travelled ("for work") and says some fairly racist things about Indians and the French best not repeated. The English are "fine" but "crazy when drunk." Oh, good...
Very long day. Exhausted.
Thursday 15th August 2013
We sleep in for a bit, only just making breakfast. Walk out the door 9:45am and order a cooked breakfast and sit outside. More steamed buns! Yesterday the buns had been paste. Today it was some green thing that tasted great. The cook is friendly. A little too friendly actually.
MRT to the Marina Bay, then walk via the underpass to Gardens By The Bay. We walk, in the heat (it's sunny today so it seems warmer), to the domes, and buy a double ticket to get into the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest.
The Flower Dome is like some kind of space station. The ever present sky of glass and metal is incredibly huge, and the plant selection is great, especially the succulents garden. Could have done without the Singapore Birthday decorations everywhere though. Too much tinsel. The wooden Eagle sculpture is worth checking out from all angles.
The Cloud Forest, an artificial mountain, with a waterfall and walk ways, covered in another dome, is hard to comprehend. All very Sci-Fi. The walk through it all (lift to the top, then walk down) is fun, getting up close to the tropical plants. For some reason there is a toy train set in the corner of this dome, with a lot of interest from tourists. Behind them is an artificial mountain for Christ's sake and they're looking at toy trains...
The only thing in my head to compare to this place is theme parks, where they build huge buildings with water elements just for a bit of entertainment, and maybe a ride. No rides, but lots of entertainment.
We shop for a t-shirt, and Katie nearly bites the vaguely rude shop assistants head off for being short with us for looking at the folded t-shirts. Time for lunch!
We have lunch at the closest Super Trees at Verandah. Katie has herb encrusted salmon which takes so long to cook I'm finished eating by the time it comes out, but it is worth it, very tasty. I have a mushroom and bacon spaghetti. Coke Light, not Diet Coke. Same thing. Coke Zero seems to be a new thing, lots of advertising but not always easy to get.
Speaking of: 7 Eleven, Burger King, Starbucks are everywhere. Lots of other family brands, but lots of unfamiliar too. Randomly Harvey Norman is everywhere too. Vending machines are always full of stuff I've never seen before, and their canned drinks are bizarre and varied.
We walk through the themed gardens. We attempt to find "the forest" and find it but are confused because it isn't very foresty. We then walk along the other side of the "river", but don't realise it is closed for construction and the other side is blocked off. There is a hole in the gate I could get through but Katie refused. It's very hot so we sit for a bit and finally walk back. Very tired.
We stop at the Supertree dinning hall thing for a coke and water then walk the rest of the themed gardens, including seeing a giant orangutan topiary which made my day.
The cafe at the top of the biggest Supertree (IndoChine) is $10 just to go up. We think about it, but decide to go back to the dining hall for dinner. I attempt to get some money from the ATM and fail, not working? Slightly panicked as we have $100 left in cash. Credit still working though so I assume I'm doing something wrong. After 6pm the price to go up the tree is $16. Meanwhile we pay to go up to the ODBC Skywalk and walk through the trees for a bit. Nice view.
Dinner is at Peach Garden Noodle House at the food hall. Great stuff. Beef Hor Fun and Sweet and Sour Soup.
We wander about waiting until 7:45 super-tree light show. Some interesting reading in the colonial plants section, about how often they'd find a new plan, cultivate it, then a few decades later they'd all die out from decease. Over and over again. Spot four ginger kittens running around a garden, wonder if they're left there to get rodents, or they are rodents themselves...
Light show is OK, with some nice sounds, but to be honest the trees are cooler just sitting there with lights on.
We walk back over the bridge through Marina Bay Sands, looking down this time at the huge entrance and rich people.
Back to the MRT and back to the motel.
ATM at Novena station worked. I had to pick "Current" account, not "Savings". Vague memories of school hinted at "Current" account being your "money using account. It's Australia's fault we call this account "Savings" even though they typically earn no interest...
We think about the pool but it's too late (closes at 10, wouldn't be in for long). We have some tea and watch TV.
I jump online (Free Wifi!) with my phone (which I'd switched to roaming but blocked from roaming data to avoid cost) and check my bank account to make sure the credit/ATM stuff is working. All looks good.
Friday 16th August 2013
Breakfast inside again. Most of the things the cook has done have been nice (hashbrowns and eggs in particular) but the bacon he does is terrible. It's like it's been fried in oil rather than in the pan, and for an hour too long. Terrible terrible. Still, hard to complain. Too nice.
Finally work out the fruit slices that are white with black seeds is Dragon Fruit and the carrot coloured fruit is Papaya.
We take the red line around 9:15 to City Hall, then the green line to Boon Lay, then the bus to the Bird Park, getting there by 10:30. The Bird Park trip (one stop) costs 6 cents. Incredible...
Bird Park is, as are all the zoos, great. The bird show is fun, with lots of interaction. My only complaint, if this even is one, is that all the birds of a type are in one section, and there are so many of that type (owls, parrots, horn bills etc.) that once you're done you're almost sick of looking at owls... Silly I know... The horn-bills are fantastic...
We have Indian at a food stall around 1:15 and watch the Pelicans get fed around 1:45. There are jets overhead all day from the airbase next door. Apparently this is unusual.
The aviary is enormous, with a waterfall and multiple stories and a decent walk up stairs to observe both sides of the falls. We see the 2:30 feeding.
As we leave we walk past the falconry show which starts at 4 so we sit and wait and watch.
We take the bus back (had to wait 10 minutes, TEN MINUTES for the bus, unheard of!) to the train and get off at Chinese Garden which I looked up in my phone (offline TripAdvisor Singapore app) as we spotted it on the way.
We walk around the Chinese Gardens and Japanese Gardens, but it's late and much of it is closed. Army kids (they are kids, 18?) are doing training, running around with maps. The bonsai garden looked like it would have been good but it's closed. We buy a drink (sports drink in a can) from a Coke machine with a gecko stuck in it. The Chinese Garden pagodas are interesting. They look new but they've been around since the 70s. We walk up the big one and get a fantastic view. We see water shooting in the air in the distance. Not until I check the photo later do I realise it's a water park with water slides.
We wander back to the MRT, watching five trains go past in the ten minutes it takes to get there.
We take the train back via the yellow line, then red line to Newton and walk to the Newton Hawker market for dinner. Walk most of the way around getting attacked by hawkers. One of them says "all the food is the same" and we take his advice and just sit at the end at number 49. He immediately asks us if we want a drink and we get some huge (660ml) Tigers for $7 each. We pick a couple of dishes (squid and spinach), both of which are fantastic. Could happily sit there all night if we have infinite stomachs. Number 49 very nice to us, wish we'd gone back.
Walk back to the train, back to Novena. We buy a 6 pack of Tiger at 7 Eleven ($16.50) and go back to the apartment and go up to the rooftop to sit and drink a few. We wander back to a different 7 Eleven up the road (attached to a Shell) and buy ice cream and chips... and band-aids. Blisters.
Saturday 17th August 2013
Seriously, what's with all the smooth jazz everywhere? And the cicadas! They sound like car alarms. Random beep sound, completely unlike Australian or New Zealand cicadas. Refused to believe they were animals for days.
After breakfast we take the train north to the yellow line, then to Botanic Gardens. Wander to the Orchid Gardens, pay to get in. Orchids all lovely, the VIP garden, the cold room. The decide to have lunch at Au Jardin Restaurant, a place much less posh than it thinks it is, but still nice. Expensive. Some great mocktails full of flowers from the gardens.
We spot an enormous snail in the Ginger garden, take our photo with the waterfall because that is apparently what you do. We wander around the park, sculpture and squirrel spotting. Walk around Swan Lake, where there is a lovely ficus growing over the water with turtles crowded into the shade. We walk through the rainforest, just in time to hear the rain start.
We shelter at the end of the evolution garden and are forced to listen to some Christian students debating evolution, "isn't it easier to take the bible at face value?". We have to leave before we catch fire, braving the rain, which makes the evolution garden look great anyway. We wait out the rain some more with some Tamil gardeners. We get to talking and, having often spotted gardeners sleeping in the shade or hiding from rain, ask how much of their day is spent hiding from the weather, "at least half" they say, pointing to the rain "non-stop".
We leave them through more rain, up the red-brick path and get soaked. We wait with many other tourists in a large shelter near where we came in until the rain finally stops. We walk back to the MRT and back to the apartment.
We shower, eat some of the chips we bought at 7 Eleven yesterday, then go have a swim in the pool. It's the first swim we've both had since 2003 when we went to the Gold Coast. Hard to believe. Loved it.
Shower again, then to Velocity to look around. Not particularly impressed, but lots of places to eat. We choose a Japanese place (RamenPlay) and have ramen, rice ice-cream and Sapporo.
Back to the apartment for roof-top beers and relaxing.
Sunday 16th August 2013
Broke the soap holder in the shower. Half expected to pay a fortune for it but reception shrugged and said they didn't care. Also asked reception about taxi for Tuesday and they said getting to the airport shouldn't be a problem at 7 in the morning so call it then. We received a letter regarding a check-out inventory check which we're told can be done on Monday while we're out. Makes sense for longer stays I suppose, but more paper work...
No breakfast included on Sundays so we wander over to Velocity and pick a small cafe like place which serves "traditional" breakfast. I have something with egg, rice noodle and curry laksa from the breakfast menu, and we both get some very very sweet coffee. $10 for both of us. The coffee is awful, but actually tastes great once your mouth is full of chilli/curry. Decide it was fantastic in the end. And they ran out and handed over a forgotten hat which was nice of them.
Trains very very busy today, absolutely packed. Strange when the next train is only 2 minutes away people still cramming in, in a hurry. We go to Chinatown. Chinatown is very full-on, lots of hawkers selling mostly crap, but there are some interesting stalls. The temples in the area are lovely too, but we don't hang around long. After ducking into a tiny three story mall place with broken escalators to use the toilet (and have a quick look at a closed rare toy shop window) we jump back on the train and go to Arab street.
It's Sunday so most of the shops are shut, which is a bit of a relief after Chinatown but we feel a bit like we're missing out. The mosque is gorgeous, lots of people taking photos. We help a big group of Japanese take a photo, they complement my Ghostbusters t-shirt.
We wander from Arab street, past Parkview Square which we admire but do not enter (I've just looked it up and seen the amazing bar in there, wish we'd gone in now). We enter a random mall and go up to their food-court but stop at a dumpling place instead.
The dumpling place is great, lots of random food (crab dumplings, "carrot cake", some kind of pumpkin thing, all amazing). A great example of the cheeky way they charge you for everything though. We walk in and are served tea, there are peanuts on the table, and hand cleaning wipes. At the end of the meal we're charged for them all. Plus the usual 7% Tax and 10% service charge. A $35 meal quickly turns into an almost $50 meal. But we're on holidays so we don't really care.
We take the train to Raffles Place to visit the Asian Civilisation Museum. Absolutely awesome. We end up spending hours and hours there, not leaving until after 6. Every culture is covered, from Persia/Iran to various long lost kingdoms of Java, with examples of art from each and tons to read.
We eat at Clarke Quay again, walking it's entire length, aiming to eat at Brewerz brewery but it looks HORRIBLE so we go to the mexican place next door (Iguana's) which has their beer anyway. Beer is prices differently on time, at this time our jug (of "Steam Beer") was $36, but earlier it would have been less than $20. We have burritos (red snapper and pumpkin).
Train back to the room, ice-cream at Velocity on the walk back (pomegranate and cotton candy). We wander around the back of the motel trying to see what the weird rubic's cube coloured place down the road is that we'd spotted from the roof (Leong Wah Si Temple). Another (or the same?) temple is going strong when we walk past the other side on the way back. We're stared at as we walk past.
Beer on the roof again.
Monday 19th August 2013
Last breakfast. Cook asks what we're doing today and we tell him the Southern Ridges walk. He has no idea what we're talking about. Good sign.
Train to Harbour Front. Walk to the ticket booth for the chairlift but tickets are $26 and given we just want it to get to the top of the hill, not to go to Sentosa, we decline and decide to walk up. We walk over the road to the bus stop, really struggle to find the stairs but eventually figure out they're on the east side, not the west.
Signs warn us of monkeys and I get a bit excited. It's warm but not too bad in the shade. Lovely tropical forest on the way up the hill and some nice views of the city from the top (Mount Faber Park).
The sun is out today and a long walk in it probably isn't the best idea but we press on, we have bottles of water. Lots of excellent signs telling us where to go. We head over Henderson Waves, spotting some very sci-fi buildings in the distance. Through the tree-top walk, no monkeys, too hot. Over the Alexandra Arch to HortPark which is a bit sparse but provides toilets. Random geckos are always fun.
We're very hot now but struggle up the hill to the Canopy Walk. Still no monkeys. Eventually we walk down the hill to the lakes, then out looking for the bus. As we get there the bus is turning up (92?). Take bus (after a quick look at the map) to the train station near the uni. Some other European looking tourists follow us at a distance, luckily we go the right way. We've actually walked a long way, about six train stops, although there are a lot of train stops... Take the train back to Harbour Front, then on the Little India, hoping to get some lunch.
Little India is great. Bustling but much less hawker filled than Chinatown, and their goods are much more interesting (clothes, food, not plastic junk). We walk around a few streets suggested by Lonely Planet (Buffalo Road, Kerbau Road), then choose a place to eat (Vego place on corner of Dunlop Road and Serangoon). I have Idli.
We walk down Dunlop to Jln Besar. Lots of road construction so we get a bit lost, but eventually find the junk market I read about. Junk is an understatement, but it's fun. We wander randomly along the water channel which is being upgraded, and get a bit of a view of Singapore housing life, schools and shops under the high-rise apartments. We end up back at Victoria Street near Arab Street. Randomly find the beautiful blue Malabar Mosque.
Check the map and walk up to Lavender station. Take train back, decide to get off at Orchid Road to have a look around. Shopping Centres full of rich stores, but all very cramped. We try to find the president's residence but go the wrong direction. Signs for Metallica gig in Singapore on the 24th. They're all over town, but every pole in Orchid street seems to have one. Some lovely trees and parks around the area.
We're tired, train back to apartment. Walk around the place next to Velocity (Square 2). It's a rabbit warren of small shops. Tired and hungry, eventually find some sushi train place but it isn't very well populated so we don't trust the train. We order off the menu and have a few random things, none of which are particularly nice.
On way back we get ice-cream again. Back. Pack.
Tuesday 20th August 2013
Up at 5:45 to quickly shower, finish packing and check-out, which is all very quick (just $10 to pay for some beers we ordered a few days ago). They order us a taxi which arrives within 10 minutes as promised.
We get to Changi very early, spotting all sorts of Singapore fun on the freeway including a ute with a back full of day workers, multiple vespa sized motor bikes with people in shorts and no helmet driving at 80kph+.
Changi is crazy. Waterfall in the departure check-in area, very expensive food, butterfly house. We're barely even looked at when we go in and wonder why people go on about Singapore security. Later.
While having breakfast ($30 for us to have ham+cheese and a freakin' massive coffee) our flight changes departure gates, luckily we hear. An elderly couple freak out a bit and mishear it (as we did) as gate "E8" when really it is B8, which we check on a TV. I got and inform them of their mistake before they completely lose their minds (they're clearly very stressed as Gate E is ages away).
Ah, security. Line, multiple searches, passport checks again. The only non-organised Singapore area we see, it takes ages for no good reason.
We're seated in a 3 seat section now so we have a neighbour but she's nice and quiet, and we only annoy her once to go to the toilet, and she didn't mind at all when I spill some beer on her (can dropped off my table in a bump).
I watch "Iron Man 3" and "Humanoid Monster Bem" (which Katie watched while I watched Iron Man and recommended to me). "Humanoid Monster Bem" is a lot of fun. I started watching "GI Joe Retaliation" but it was so awful I stopped. Watch an episode of "Transformers Prime", new CGI retelling of G1 Transformers (with more annoying children). Amused to see Brian Tyler did the music, as he did for Iron Man 3, and everything else ever it seems.
Again the food and service is great, but a much bumpier ride home this time so the seatbelt light is on a lot.
Quicker flight this time (why? Earth spin) only takes 6 and a half hours. Customs quick (use the auto machine) but for some reason line to actually get out of bag pickup takes ages to clear. Bus to car-park, car still there, drive home.
Pick up dog tomorrow.
Regrets
Not really regrets, but next time we go we'll go to: