Jul 2009

A new dawn. Not sure whether it was my biological realignment with the southern hemisphere or that we were half way home but I bounced out of bed at 630am ready for action. Vic was unfortunately in a state where only sleep could help so I made my way back to the food market (that doesn’t appear to ever close) and had myself some dim sum for breakfast.

Gym. Vic was still in need of sleep. The gym here is great and there are two pools. After a 2.5 hour monster session, I took a dip in the rooftop pool. Hopefully Vic is ready to get up now.

Exhaustion. Vic doesn’t sleep on planes and I am out like a light as soon as my seatbelt is fastened. Maybe that in itself was explanation enough for the contrast in our physical and emotional states. The sheer mention of “Singapore sales” was enough to get Vicki into the shower. I should’ve thought of that earlier!

Shopping. Singapore is recognised internationally for its annual sale. There were a few things we needed to get, mainly more cabin luggage to avoid excess baggage charges on the way home but that didn’t stop us from buying a few treats for ourselves along the way.

Hotel. We stayed at the Changi Villiage Hotel simply because of its proximity to the airport. Price was right and the facilities were good although internet at $6 for 15 minutes is disgustingly rude for today’s day and age. That’s just greed.

Chilli crab. Speaking of greed, it was time for something to eat. Right near the hotel was an outdoor food market filled with bars and food stalls. The chilli crab is to die for in Singapore and would probably have to be the messiest dish on earth. Step aside vanity, I’m going in.

Frankfurt. Didn’t get to see much of Frankfurt as it was really only a stopover for our flight to Singapore. We were originally planning to spend a night here but we liked Munich so much that we spent it there instead. What we did see appeared modern but really not enough to accurately comment.

Line up. We arrived in Frankfurt about 7 hours before our flight departed. We ate and drank then made our way to the check in counter. We got there 10 minutes before it opened which was three hours before our scheduled departure time but still had to line up for 45 minutes.

What day is it? After finally filtering our way through the queue, we were asked for our passports. “Unfortunately, I can’t find you on the passenger list for tonight’s flight to Singapore. Can I please see your itinerary?” Suddenly a cold chill ran down our spines. We lost track of what day it was about 7 weeks ago. “What day is it?” we asked in the mousiest of voices. As it turns out, we’d arrived in Frankfurt a day early and didn’t feel like the smartest kids on the block. Better than a day late I suppose. We would have easily spent another night in Germany but for anyone who has travelled this long, once you have put yourself in a headspace for departure, it is very difficult to alter. Lucky for us, we were able to squeeze onto the flight leaving that night. They even let us off about 7 kilos of excess luggage. We had 67kg between us at check in and that is not including the abundance of hand luggage we were carrying, which easily would have come to another 30kg. We started with 28kg plus some very light hand luggage. It’s not over yet. We still have to check in our bags from Singapore to Melbourne!

Where are we? Our flight to Singapore was via Dubai. I must say the stopover in Dubai did us some good but visiting 3 continents and 4 cities in the same day certainly took its toll. We dumped our large bags at Changi airport (Singapore) and made our way to the hotel. Let me assure you, there was absolutely no feeling of separation anxiety!

Rush. Well after only a few hours sleep we got our things together and went to pick up our laundry. We had to buy a bag in the morning to complete our reorganisation efforts from the previous night. We’d accumulated so much crap along the way and another bag was needed to be better prepared for our onward journey and to avoid the dreaded excess baggage charge. It all happened without complication which afforded us some time for a meal before making our way to the train station.

Lunch. The food wasn’t much chop but the café was next door to one of the Munchen Filmfest theatres. I was thankfully able to get hold of a Filmfest poster that I desperately craved. Now that all ticks were in boxes, we could commence our departure ceremony (carting our f’ing luggage). I cherish the day that I can freely walk the streets without being consumed by the thought that I will soon have to transform into a luggage mule.

Train. I love German trains. They don’t only look cool but are so comfortable and functional. Our global pass ran out a few days ago so we had to pay for the ride to Frankfurt. Not cheap.

Munchen. Could it be our favourite place? Definitely in our top 3. Munich had all the modern day creature comforts of a big city but maintained its inner charm and regional feel without appearing forced. The people were great. So very friendly and welcoming. The food and beer definitely rated high but weren’t the only attractions. We’ll have to come back for Oktoberfest some year. That’s a promise!

Olympic Park. Home to the 1972 Olympics (when Germany was still divided). The stadiums were modern even by today’s standards, almost 40 years on. The park was filled with life and obviously now used as a site for picnics, festivals and various sporting events. Surrounded by perfectly manicured parklands and lakes, it had the appearance of a scale model from up high. So pristine and well preserved.

BMW HQ. The area was also home to BMW headquarters. Uber modern structures housing manufacturing plants, showrooms and a BMW museum (bummed we didn’t get to visit).

Tollwood Festival. This place was filled with food stalls, beer tents, market stalls, auditoriums and amusements. We smiled at each other as we walked in. A hidden little gem with some 30 odd years of history. As you’d expect, we ate several times. Bratwurst, Palacsinta, Guyash and Hamburgers to name a few. Beer and cocktails made up the rest of our consumption. We’ve got to be thankful to the locals that put us onto it. What a superb day.

Parklands. To walk off the meat and drink, we decided our best recourse was to walk through the park. It went against my end of holiday rule to only walk downhill however we ruled against it and decided to walk to the top of a nearby hill for a birds eye view of the area. No regrets. We even met some furry friends along the way.

Bag packing. Now for the dreaded reorganisation and packing of all our bags. Our aim was to pack our main luggage as if it was going home and leave the beachy stuff in a separate bag for Thailand. We also had to carefully juggle the heavier pieces between hand and check in luggage to balance out the weight. Quite the task. It took us a good part of 5 hours. Feeling better but still shitting ourselves in terms of excess charges. Lucky Emirates increased our allowance to 30kg but even after a few sneaky moves, we might still land ourselves in a little trouble.

Thailand. We still hadn’t booked any accommodation in Thailand let alone the flights from Singapore. In fact, we hadn’t even decided on a destination for our final week of pure relaxation before heading home. Lets just say, we went to bed at about 5am. I hope the tiredness didn’t affect our decisions.