Up, up and Away......

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Finally, after months of planning, it's time to go! My zippy little hire car got me to the Gold Coast Airport in record time, for my 9.30am flight to Singapore, with Scoot Airlines.
The flight was running late, but eventually we were airborne. The plane was packed with a bum on every seat. I settled in, book and iPad on hand, to help pass the seven hour flight. Scoot is a budget airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, and, like all budget flights these days, everything costs extra. Like a sandwich or croissant? That will be $8 please. How about a container of Tom Yam Noodles, topped up with hot water? Another $5.I had ordered a ham and salad croissant during my online booking process and knew when I received it, I was in for a treat. Err, not! It was possibly the worst airline food I have ever eaten. Cold, damp croissant stuffed with manufactured ham, cheese slices, and little else, it fell apart in my hands when I picked it up. Well, what's a girl to do? As the only other food I was smart enough to bring on board was a packet of Jaffas, it was eat it or go hungry.

I was surprised to see, during my flight, that not as much as one complimentary cuppa was offered to passengers. Apparently, if you're not prepared to buy it as an extra, you go without. Very poor service considering the duration of the flight. My sister Ginny needed to take medication during her flight and requested some water. She was given less than half a cup... A very poor effort Scoot!

As it was raining when I arrived in Singapore I decided not to brave the MRT with my luggage, as I had originally planned. Instead I organised a hotel transfer at the Ground Transport Desk at Changi Airport. Cost $9SGB ($7AUS), and I was the first passenger to be dropped off. Easy! I had a quick orientation walk around the streets of the hotel in the rain, squashed the urge to buy an umbrella which I'll definitely live to regret, and returned to my room to sit out the rain and wait for Ginny's arrival.

Ginny arrived at the hotel about 8.45pm (10.45pm Aussie time) via cab as she was lugging two rather large suitcases. The largest of the two is full of classroom resources, books and good 2nd hand clothing for the children in Cambodia. We went out for a walk to find a snack. Neither of us wanted to eat a heavy meal at that hour of the night, and ended up buying watermelon juice drinks. The markets and food stalls were closing down for the night, so we returned to our room for a catchup. It's now been 22 hours since I've slept, so bed is looking good. Tomorrow is another day......

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Comments

[Petra]

Loving your blog already! Looking forward to reading about your time in Singapore. I hope you made it to the top of Marina Bay Sands...

[Linny]

Glad you arrived safely.
Love your blog! Xxxx