Preamble: The Flight Over
Well, lets start this trip… My flight for Singapore left at 11:45 in the morning, yet I wasn’t able to last the morning without starting some controversy…
Used the Internet to jump a queue
I had bought my backpack and several items for camping that entitled me to receive some tax back from the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS). I’d arrived early, only to discover the line was very long. After waiting 15 minutes, without moving, one of the supervisors announced that only people who had used the TRS App could use the (very short) secondary line. So instead of waiting like a chump; I downloaded the app, and quickly filled in my refund details and jumped straight to front of secondary line. I was served immediately, however this did not make a certain lady in the other line very happy. She screamed at staff in very broken english, yet still had to wait until everyone in the secondary line was done. Overall, It took under 5 minutes to fill in the form and go through processing. I’ll be using my phone where possible on this trip.
https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Ente/Tour/Are-you-a-traveller
Watched a Train Wreck (of a Movie)
The flight was mostly uneventful, figuring that watching movies would speed up the passage of time, I decided to sit down and watch “Jupiter Ascending”… It had the opposite effect. Qantas was unable to accommodate my allergies, so I had packed some Gluten Free Biscuits, Chips and other nibbles to keep myself going. They at least provided a simple salad to at least get something healthy into my system. Another passenger, who had heard about my allergies, piped in with some anecdotes about his grandchildren with similar allergies. I had a good chat with “Bannon” for the remainder of the trip, whist learning how to pronounce several words in French and German.
Stared at the Clouds
The weather was mostly clear, with the exception of the descent into Singapore. However this made for some pretty cloud formations caused by the turbulence.
Ate a Sushi Burrito
Singapore airport always has a few surprises in store, this time it was Sushi Burritos. They seem to be like standard Sushi Rolls, but with enough ingredients to expand to the size of a burrito. I ordered the “Salmon Rumble”, with no onion, to appease my allergies. It went down like a treat.
Enjoyed Dinner on my Flight
The flight to London, was the longest I’ve ever been in a plane, but thankfully most of the flight had the lights on slow to simulate night time, so I did my best to sleep where possible. Dinner was provided to account for my allergies, but I was only told it was only “Lactose Free”, which made me a little wary… Discarding the Bread Bun I tucked into some Roast Turkey, with Potatoes and Mushrooms, Prawn and Celery Salad and some Rockmelon slices. Very good arrangement from British Airways. Yet I was very suspicious of some cranberry sauce on the Turkey pieces.
Enjoyed my first English Beer
A good night beer was provided, “London Pride”. With a name that beckons images of ironically named bad beer, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, so another was ordered. However the rest of the night was not as good as I’d hoped. I was cramped trying to sleep in a comfortable position, without finding much luck. To make it worse, my stomach had really started to get a little confused by the time zone, and was making quite a fuss. Which caused me to get up several times during the night, waking up my neighbours.
Made a fuss over Breakfast
Breakfast confirmed my catering worries, by providing poached egg covered in a Tomato and Onion sauce, which was definitely off my personal safe eating list. Some quick thinking ended up with some Corn Flakes and Soy Milk as a substitute. I got chatting with a fellow passenger from Hamburg, and got a few ideas on things to visit and look at in Germany and the surrounding area.
Completely Stuffed my iPhone
Tired, but very much alert I arrived at Heathrow and made my way to a SIM card retailer, when disaster struck. Not only did my phone not read the SIM card, it got jammed in the SIM card slot. As a ray of hope, an Apple Store was available near my Hotel, and was reachable via the Metro at the airport… Grabbing an Oyster Card was easy, as was topping it up at the counter.
Found a closed Apple Store
Leaving Piccadilly Circus station, to continue my journey on foot, was when the amazement of being in another country finally sinked in… this street was unquestionably British. With many Double Decker Busses and Black Taxis driving down a street lined with impossibly tall stone buildings. It was beautiful. Making my way to the Apple Store, I discovered it was closed until 10 AM. I realised my internal clock was on the brink as I was fully convinced 7:15am was mid afternoon… this day is going to get interesting.
And things got worse…
So frustrated at my broken phone, and needing to wait several hours for a possible fix, I began to wonder how things could get worse… and with that my stomach made a different noise than before… Surely this can only get better from here…
