Oh what a busy day or two it's been! Sunday was spent catching up on stuff at home, tying up a few loose ends at work, visiting Dad and Alison, and then having a bon voyage dinner at Diana Wong's. Diana is a wonderful hostess who always has a wonderful group of talented and interesting people at her dinner parties. She's about to head off to the USA to visit family. From a tiny, cluttered kitchen in her Grey Lynn villa a huge Chinese buffet emerged that filled us all up.
I had to leave the dinner early, heading home to do the final touches of packing, then out to the airport. First impressions of Singapore Airlines were favourable - because I'd checked in on-line I got to go straight to the internet check-in counter which had a queue of just one - unlike the regular line which already had built up to quite a length. Unfortunately the 11.10pm check-in meant that most of the airport shops were closed, or in the process of closing so there wasn't much to do.
Boarding at last, and a bit of dissapointment at the aircraft. I'd been a major aviation buff in my teens (yes, that was a long time ago!), and Singapore Air had always impressed me as an industry leader in service and innovation. The reality was rather under-whelming. Admittedly, it was unfair to compare an airline's mass-produced supper, served at 2am, with the magnificent banquet Diana had prepared earlier. The in-flight entertainment selection was not great either - quantity rather than quality seemed to rule here. Still, it was a comfortable flight, and I managed to doze through most of it.
We landed at Changi a little earlier than expected, 6.20am, and the Singapore experience started! The airport is huge, and at that time of day it was deserted, so there were acres and acres of vast, shiny, clean, futuristically designed spaces to pass through. My suitcase came through very quickly so I headed off through the 'nothing to declare' aisle, which seemed to be unattended.... damn, I could have bought a few more bottles of wine over for my hosts after all!
First stop was an ATM to get a handful of SingaDollars, then a taxi to Gina and Mike's. Gina had sent me a txt with instructions for the taxi dricver, which I'd accidentally deleted so I hoped the less detailed address on my itinerary would work. The taxi driver had to check his map a couple of times, but we eventually made it through the early morning traffic to Pine Grove. This is massive complex of sixteen high-rise condominiums, a far cry from the lovely Mount Eden bungalow they left in Auckland! The exterior and public areas werew a little grim, and for a few minutes I was scared I'd been delivered to the wrong Pine Grove, but it didn't take long to be reunited with my old friends!
Big hugs and kisses and more hugs all round - a hurried tour through the apartment, and then Mike went off to work, and Olivia and Isabella headed off to school, leaving Gina and I together to catch up on gossip and go exploring together. The apartment is stunning, very bright and spacious, and with nice views over some incredibly lush communal gardens. I had a quick shower and shave, towelled myself dry.... and immediately felt wet again in the hunidity.
Gina had bought me an Ezi-pass pre-loaded with about $13 credit and we're going to have fun using this hopping on and off the great public transport here. We caught a double-decker bus in to Orchard Rd and had breakfast at one of the cafes in Raffles. Expensive but tasty..... and we were fuelled to explore the beautiful colonial-era hotel. Then time for a bit of culture at SAM, the Singapore Art Museum. The building was stunning - a former 1850's catholic school, but much of the current exhibition focussed on the political turmoil and massacres in Indonesia. Sobering, moving stuff....
Then it was time to meet Mike for lunch at a funny Japanese sandwhich cafe (yes, the Japanese take on sandwiches.... think sushi between two slices of Molenberg....). Next move was to return to Raffles and to try out the famous Singapore Sling in the equally famous Long Bar. Bad move - the place had filled up with tourists since we'd popped our head in earlier in the day, service took ages, and the drink was vile. And expensive. Hideously expensive. And, while we were suffering that, the afternoon rains arrived. The afternoon rain here completely redefines the meaning of the word deluge. It suddenly became a challenge to finish our plans to explore a few of the more desirable shops - especially Emporio Armani. Stunning clothes, jaw-dropping prices.
Then, Gina and I did a spot of grocery shopping and made it home to play at being domestic goddesses in time for the girls arriving home from school. Well, Gina did her usual gifted routine making dinner and checking the girl's homework, and I had a nap. Now dinner has been eaten, my presents have been handed out, and apparently it's 1.40am in New Zealand..... probably sleep time again!
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