On Reflection

On reflection, I am pleased I devoted the time & effort to document our travels. I now have a wonderful journal to add to the already published bellsonholiday - europe 2010. I am looking forward to completing the trilogy!

While we covered many miles & saw a great deal, I returned home exhausted. My body clock continues its struggle to adjust to AEST. On reflection, I regret not having paid closer attention to the planning of our itinerary and in particular the limited time allocated for rest & recreation. Next time!

Our 6:55 a.m. arrival at Brisbane International Airport was on schedule, but an onboard medical emergency delayed our disembarkation. This, along with clearance through immigration & customs, slowed our homeward journey by an hour and a half. After the cleanliness of Singapore, boarding the Airport Train was somewhat confronting. Wrappers & bags branded with the golden arch & the remains of a strawberry thickshake spilling onto the floor, tags etched into the glass, litter trackside & the graffiti was damning evidence for the scant regard some commuters have for our public transport systems. It was difficult to be certain, but  amid the graffiti I thought I glimpsed a 'welcome home!'

Singapore Airlines set a new benchmark for long distance flying. On reflection, both the level of comfort & the standard of service exceeded our expectations for an economy class flight. Singapore Airlines recent alliance with V-Australia allowed us to convert our flying miles to velocity points. This  option offers a far wider application for domestic flights with Virgin Blue.

At the time of travel the exchange rates were favourable - £0.6812; €0.8166; SGD1.3478. Once again we endorse the CBA Travel Money Card. On reflection, it offered a safe, cost effective & efficient means of  ensuring ready access to funds. Carrying Australian Dollars also provided a backup option to make currency exchanges as necessary.

We endorse The London Pass with Travel Card. The prepaid London Pass allowed priority access into more than fifty-five popular tourist attractions. The Travel Card gave us unlimited  travel on the London underground, buses, trams, trains & included a River Thames cruise. On reflection, the cards represented excellent value. Not so The British Heritage Pass.

Again we found Europcar was the most affordable car hire company. A discount coupon, googled & found online, offered an additional 15% saving. Our pre-booked vehicle was upgraded to a diesel Seat Leon, a Spanish version of the VW Gulf. It was a spacious, reliable vehicle & Phil confirmed it was comfortable to drive, but the road noise was noticeable when travelling at speed on the motorways. Fuel prices astounded. On average unleaded petrol retailed for £1.54 a litre, diesel £1.39. In Ireland the average prices were €1.55 & €1.33 respectively. On reflection, an international driver's licence wasn't required.

On reflection, the pre-booked shuttle bus that transported us from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our accommodation & returned us to Orly Airport was a comfortable & cost effective transport option. With vivid memories of the effort required to manage luggage while boarding & alighting from buses & trains & negotiating the many stairs in railway stations, engaging the door-to-door shuttle service in Paris was a sensible decision.

On all but two occasions Tripadvisor.com delivered on our accommodation requirements. On reflection, a lack of maintenance compromised the cleanliness of our guesthouse in Cork, Ireland & the location of the Aberdeen apartment detracted from what would have otherwise been a satisfactory holiday let.

On reflection, the mix of accommodation is something we would consider again. The B&B's offered a home away from home along with a host's personal touch. The pubs offered an opportunity to become acquainted with the locals & a ready history of the district. The guesthouses offered a  touch of home without the requirement to engage with management on a daily basis. The apartments offered space & lots of it! The hotels were conveniently situated near bus stops, train stations, ferry terminals & airports, giving us ready access to public transport for arrivals & departures. I used booking.com to reserve our accommodation choices. The option to  cancel without financial penalty, while not utilised this trip, was an important consideration.

The cost of food in Britain & Paris was approximately one third of what we outlay in Australia. However, this wasn't so in Singapore. The Singapore Sting added 17% for service & VAT on all food purchases. I also noted clothing was much cheaper in Britain & Singapore. Advertising 3 for SGD10 was commonplace in the Singapore markets! The cost of public transport was cheapest in Singapore.

She packed far too many clothes! On reflection, the decision to lighten the load &, while not cheap, engage Pack & Send to ship some of our belongings home ahead of our departure from Stratford-Upon-Avon, was a good one.

The British calendar may well have indicated it was summer, along with a timely reminder to turn off the boilers for three months, however, for visitors from the southern hemisphere, the British summer is not dissimilar to the winters of home, with rain! It didn't require any reflection to realise a heating option would have added to our comfort & eliminated the need to request a daily change of towels. 

Parking is a disguised tourist tax. The cost of parking varied between 90 pence & £3.80 an hour. It irked to be forever feeding parking meters to visit towns, stop at information centres, tea houses, toilets & remote locations to go bush walking!

Except for the seventy something year old woman involved in the road rage incident, the folk we met in Britain & Ireland were friendly & always willing to guide a wayward tourist. The two Frenchmen I met at the Tour de France confirmed what is so often said about the French.

The opportunity to visit Cambridgeshire & the parishes of my ancestors Ibbott, Elsum & Deller added another dimension to my family tree project. I am yet to contact Carl Deller from Bassingbourn. To meet Cousin Patrick Sammon & his family in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland & exchange family information was wonderful. I am yet to collate the information gathered. To visit the family farm & cottage, where sixth generation Cousin Daniel now lives, was much anticipated. While I didn't feel the expected sense of presence, it didn't disappoint. The school where my Great Grandfather Manus & his siblings were educated & a visit to the adjoining church where he & his family worshipped offered time to reflect on my family's beginnings. The romance surrounding the elopement of my Great, Great Aunt Nora & her neighbour, Patrick Wrightson, still warms my heart. To meet Cousin Marie, who for several years has been the link to my Irish roots, added to the joy of my Dublin visit.

On reflection, Wales won my vote for the most beautiful country & Port Isaac, Cornwall for the most picture perfect destination in The British Isles. The George Hotel in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire had the friendliest patrons, but the best pub food was served at The Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland. My accommodation award went to The Drover's B&B in Llandovery, Wales. However, The Hare & Hound Hotel at Bowland Bridge is worthy of a mention. Jill & Mike, proprietors of The Drover's B&B, received my vote for most outstanding hosts. As many stars as they like for these two & their bed & breakfast with dinner establishment!

On reflection, second only to my surprise 59th birthday party, our holiday was a wonderful way to celebrate our 60th year.

Happy Birthday Phil!

PS There are only two threads which tie Sira Quiroga, the central character in 'The Dressmaker', to Violet,  my  paternal Grandmother. Their occupation & the era during which the novel unfolded & Violet lived. That is, unless my Grandmother had a covert life as an operative for the British Secret Intelligence Service!

Acknowledgements:

Thank you Kate, Jane, Richard; Cousins Alan, Allan, Carmel, Carol, Diana, Jenni, Lynne; friends Anita, Clare, Delma, Jacqui, Jo, Jodie, Kim, Lilian, Trish, Vic & Vijay for your emails.

Thank you Jane for being available to handle the demands of our business. We appreciated your willingness to put aside time in your busy life to attend to the things that mattered.

Thank you Richard for clearing & processing our mail. Your contribution was very important & greatly appreciated.

Thank you Deb & Mandy for adjusting your Wednesday schedules to enable my weekly skype date with Mum. 

Thank you Deb for printing my daily bulletins so that Mum & Agnes could follow our journey.

Thank you Denise for taking good care of Belle.

Thank you Shane for maintaining the lawns & gardens during our absence.

Thank you Phil for planning our road trip through England, Wales, Scotland & The Republic of Ireland. Thank you for your solo driving effort & your company. As always, the pace & hectic schedule challenged my reserves of energy & stamina!
                                                                                  

                                                             

The Singapore Sting!

this should impress the kids!

Last night we ate at a restaurant housed within the Rendezvous Hotel, but leased independently. An enjoyable meal until it came time for payment. Added was a 10% service charge and VAT of 7%. Not a significant amount of money, but it was the deception that irked. The only fine print disclosing the additions was at the foot of the bill. Buyer beware, the Singapore Sting!

We found the harbour! We took a cable car to Sentosa, an island that has been developed for tourists & fun seekers alike. Sentosa is very commercialised, not unlike our Gold Coast Dreamworld, but on a much smaller scale.

Mt Faber, a hill at just 105 metres, is the highest geographical feature in Singapore. The highrise buildings stand much taller.

We returned to Esplanade Station, a station not a beach, to look at the historic & iconic Raffles Hotel. It looked impressive! It looked expensive! The Raffles Resort at Mudgeeraba has far greater appeal. We check-in on Wednesday, but first we must check-out of Singapore. That's happening at 9:10 p.m. tomorrow evening. The hotel has conceded a late check-out of 3:00 p.m. & it has also agreed to the use of the hotel facilities beyond that time. I expect we shall leave for Changi Airport at approximately 6:00 p.m.

tuk-tuked out!

I am looking forward to a reunion with our family at the weekend. Kate is joining us from Melbourne, Cameron from NZ. Jane, Michael & Reece, Richard & Kellie will also be home to celebrate Phil's 60th birthday. I am also looking forward to catching up with our Brisbane & Coast friends as soon as possible & when Telstra has reinstated our phone service I shall phone family & friends who live interstate.

Night Safari

The Singapore Night Safari began as a day zoo in 1973. With a commitment to wildlife conservation, the safari was introduced in 1994. It exhibits more than one thousand animals in 40 hectares of secondary forest. One hundred & twenty species from Asia, Africa, America & Australia range in discreetly hidden enclosures of natural habitat.

Our safari was oversubscribed, resulting in extremely long queues. Our objections were considered & our tour guide managed to fabricate a story convincing organisers to advance us in the queue for the tram ride through the park. A consideration we accepted & were grateful for.

Then it rained on the event organiser's parade. Torrential rain that washed out the evening for most. Shows were cancelled & walks were closed, however, we had an hour+ to wait for our return bus, during which time the weather cleared. This allowed us to complete the shortest of the walks, The Wallaby Trail, which took us to the 'Naracoorte Cave',  a recreation of a cave we are both familiar with.

We lived in Naracoorte, South Australia for eighteen months from mid 1974. Phil worked for the South Australian Highways Department. I taught at Naracoorte South Primary School. This evening allowed time to reminisce about my then class of Preps, Years One & Two & the transformation of our classroom into a cave & the term devoted to an integrated program about limestone cave formations. I recall the unit of work commenced with a visit to the real deal. Thirty-seven years on I wonder about 'my kids' & what they are now doing. I wonder if they ever recall their caving experience?

With a number of tourists to be returned to their respective hotels throughout the city, our bus trip back to the Rendezvous Hotel became a complimentary city night tour!

This morning we travelled by train to Marina Bay expecting to step from the underground to the sight of a bay & a marina. Instead, we found ourselves in the middle of a construction site surrounded by highrise buildings. A concrete jungle! A Day Safari! If there was a bay & a marina it was well hidden. We retraced our journey just two stations to Bayfront, a shopping mall of massive proportions! The terms Marina & Bay are indiscriminately applied it seems.

This afternoon we spent time with the crowd that besieged the Bugis Street Market. It was the largest market I have ever seen. Three floors, stall after stall, aisle after aisle. The hot, cramped & noisy market place soon lost its appeal.

Singapore Botanical Gardens

This morning we attempted to restore normality to our daily routine. An early breakfast was a good start. However, by mid afternoon we were battling fatigue, but refused to give in to sleep.

Today we familiarized ourselves with the MRT system, an efficient & cost effective way to move around under Singapore. The first thing I noticed about Singapore was its cleanliness. The second was the absence of graffiti. Perhaps there is something to be said for law enforcement & tough penalties for those who transgress the regulations.

This morning's destination was The Botanical Gardens, a beautiful oasis covering 52 hectares in the heart of Singapore. While much of the gardens were well established, evidence of new plantings suggested it continues to be a work in progress. The highlight was The National Orchid Garden. It was a knockout! I walked into an unsighted low steel beam when entering a hidden garden! Blooms of every colour made bold statements amid the greenery & served as a distraction while I nursed a sore head.


Unlike yesterday, the conditions were hot, humid & very uncomfortable. Energy sapping stuff! Agreement to return to the sanctuary of the hotel for a late lunch, a swim & a read was unanimous.

We have booked to join the Night Safari at 6:30 p.m.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Vijay. I hope you are again feeling well & that your birthday is an enjoyable one.

Where did the morning go?

Housekeeping woke us at 12:53 p.m. We had slept for 14 hours. It is Friday afternoon. Hopefully now that we have jetted & lagged, our body clocks have made the necessary seven hour time adjustment.

A few hours poolside, reading & a swim followed by a walk & a meal, our first in 36 hours, we feel rested. Today's temperature reached 32*C. We have been surprised with the low humidity.

The Rendezvous Hotel at 9 Bras Basah Road came recommended. A good choice Jen! Thank you. We are looking forward to exploring Singapore tomorrow.

Where did the morning go?

3:45 p.m. Wednesday -1 + 7 = 6:00 p.m. Thursday! Where did Thursday morning go?

Full marks for all who facilitated our departure from Paris. The shuttle bus delivered us to Orly Airport in just 35 minutes. Our British Airways check-in & security clearance was fast. A window seat enabled me to have one last look at Paris. I'm certain that as we circled Paris the right wing dipped just a little in a farewell salute.

Our arrival at London Heathrow was on time. We cleared border control, collected our luggage, cleared customs & had completed our transit from T5 to T3 in just 40 minutes. I have even higher praise than that given last week for the efficiency, helpfulness & friendliness of the staff. I expect those using the facility tomorrow may have a different story to tell. I understand border control staff are scheduled to strike on Thursday. I have also read that train drivers are threatening similar action.

My commendations for Singapore Airlines bag drop processing aren't as high. Passengers who had checked-in online were assigned to just one operator. With five staff handling airport check-ins, one doesn't have to be Einstein to calculate the processing ratio & time difference to complete the procedure.

Our flight from London to Singapore was just twelve hours. Again high praise for the hard working staff who made our trip a comfortable one. My neighbour, sitting in 48E, was hyper-hyperactive. He & his neighbour, two Gen-Yers, competed for more than hour. All seated in the vicinity heard their respective life stories. Then the testosterone testimonials began! Education, employment, promotions, wages, parents' occupations, sporting prowess, golfing handicaps, holidays, Singapore accommodation etc. There's an expression for this type of behaviour! It doesn't escape me, but I'd best not commit it to print! Silence! iPad on/off; computer on/off; magazine open/shut; pillow adjustment; rug on/off; shoes off/sox on; headphones on/off; light on/off; overhead locker open/shut & on it went. Sleep! Then he snored his way to Singapore! That, at least, I could mask with the aid of headphones & music.

Changi Airport was extremely quiet. I expect the majority of passengers on flight SQ321 were transitting to other destinations. Passenger processing through border control was executed with military precision. Customs was random scanning of luggage. We were random! That & a taxi to the city in an hour impressed.

The journey from the airport along the causeway was beautiful. Manicured parks, palms, hedges of bougainvillea in full bloom, all against a backdrop of beaches, the sea & the harbour. A lovely welcome to Singapore.