Monday 14th February
We woke up and had slept off the jet lag. Yes, leave your jet lag in Singapore. We had breakfast in the hotel. There was lots of fresh fruit available. There was also a hot food buffet. The fried eggs were freshly fried so more brownie points for the hotel as the fried eggs were not baked hard like they can be in some hotels. There was also Me Tei Tack a noodle dish - this is the first time I have had noodles for breakfast but fun all the same.
After sorting out the suitcases we went down to Chinatown again. I had to go down again as I was having a fitting for the jacket for the suit. As it is being posted to the UK, Jenny got a very good deal on a pair of silk trousers and blouse, which are again going to be made to measure.
Not only do all the taxi drivers know all the best places for cameras and other good places to shop, they also know of great jewellery factories to go to. They sound like they are miles away as they are saying that we could hire them by the hour. Even though we have not bought any jewellery we have done our bit to keep the economy going and no doubt we will be doing some more shopping on our return.
Jenny had a shower in the hotel so we ended in a bit of a rush for the taxi ride back to the airport. There we found that there are computers with free internet access for 15 minutes. I checked on a few emails and sent a few as well.
We seem to have changed from Quantas to British Airways. They do seem to interchange quite a bit. They are supposed to be the same plane but inside they are different. They seats feel a bit more cramped, those with larger hips would be struggling to get into these seats. The overhead lockers are also smaller. By the time we take off it is dark. We have a slightly different view of the wing this time. As we leave Singapore we see the twinkling lights of the city below. As it is the end of the Chinese lunar new year there are probably more lights than usual. The flight will be across the sea and Western Australia so there will be very few lights to look at.
Shortly after take off, we cross the equator so welcome to the southern hemisphere. I am glad I am not on a boat as they have rituals when they cross the equator or they do when there is a television camera there! On the flight it is not even mentioned. Then it is out across the Java Sea.
We are now informed about some quarantine restrictions when you fly into Australia. I had not realised how strict it all is. There is a whole list of things that you can not take into the country. They include seeds, plant material, wood and food of any sort.
Just after we got our meals we hit some turbulence. It is quite a challenge to read the scribbles that I wrote at the time. But by the time the turbulence had finished we were over the Indian Ocean. Just as the coffees are being served it gets a little bumpy again but not enough for the seat belt sign to go on.
I have just been handed a small bag with socks, eyeshades, toothbrush and toothpaste. It makes me think of the Pete Townsend line "You know where to put the cork". Then the lights go out. The lights that you usually can put on to read if you wish are not working at all so it is all rather gloomy. We make landfall at Port Headland but there are still 3 hours to fly!
After breakfast had been cleared away they then came around with the insecticide spray, or something similar, and everyone and everything was sprayed so that we did not bring any noxious substance into Australia. Jenny covered her head with the blanket, thoughtfully provided by BA.
