Singapore: Our large
bags had been collected at bedtime, so we just had carry-ons when we left our
stateroom for the last time and went off in search of a breakfast table in the
Lido. Somehow, we lost track of each other, so we each grabbed a quick
breakfast while I sent him a text and he sent me an email, neither of which was
seen until hours later. Fortunately, we both decided to try our stateroom and
we found each other in the elevator lobby. Larry’s passport didn’t register
properly or something, so he took awhile getting through immigration, but we
were still early for our pick up in the meeting area. Our driver, S.T., found
us in all the chaos and off we went for a curated day in Singapore. First stop
– the botanical gardens,
where we spent most of our time in the National Orchid
Gardens. It’s really spectacular!
Next up was an amazing cable car ride from a
mountaintop to a nearby island and then over the island from end to end. We had
wonderful views of the city and the old harbour and the recreation areas on the
island. Our lunch break was in Chinatown, but we chose a Vietnamese restaurant.
While we were in the area, we visited a huge, elaborate Buddhist temple, where
a well-attended prayer service was being held.
We then drove to the Sky Garden
and went up the 54 storeys to visit it. Before long, it started to rain and
everyone was moved inside, but we’d see the views and gotten some photos, so
the timing was OK. From there, we went to the Gardens by the Sea, where the
rain had caused the tours to be suspended, but we walked around for a bit, then
sat and watched all the visitors enjoying themselves. We had driven through
much of the city, but our last stop, to see
the Merlion (a combo with the body
of a mermaid and the head of a lion, that is the symbol of Singapore), yielded
more surprising views of how the city surrounds the water. We drove through
Little India and the Muslim area before heading to the airport. It was a great
day, but it was very hot and humid, so we were tired out. Changi Airport is a
real treat, compared to any other airport we’ve used. We found comfortable
seats to relax in until we could check in. Then checking in, getting boarding
passes and checking our bags was a real snap, with no line-ups at all. A quick
pass through immigration brought us to the departures area, where we found lots
of high-end shops and choices for food and drink. We chose the Heineken World
Bar. It wasn’t crowded and service was quick. Quick, but not good with a very
strange waitress. We didn’t encounter security until we got to the gate. Although
the flight was crowded (including about 40 high school girls on the Singapore
women’s football (?) team, heading to Spain for a tournament with their 10 or
so adult coaches and chaperones), we were surprisingly able to sleep through much of the 13 or so hour
flight to Frankfurt. Of course, Frankfurt Airport offered up its usual
challenges. There seems to be a strong bias against assisting travellers. We
had reservations at a lounge, and it took us close to 2 hours to find it.
However, it was a nice retreat for a few hours.
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