Departing Brisbane
The international airport isn't as advanced as the domestic airport. There were no electronic check-in facilities :(, and it didn't seem as organized.
We bought some plug adapters at the airport but I was worried that they didn’t drop the voltage (for the country the plug was meant to fit). Oh well I since all countries (that I know of) have voltages less than 240 V it probably wouldn’t have to be a transformer (and the worst it could do was under power our devices). I wonder if Americans have a much worse problem with our higher voltages?
THANK GOD FOR MOVIES ON DEMAND!
The plane flight was 7 hours and the movies on demand made the time pass pretty quickly. I watched Borat (a good movie to watch when you are traveling), and Rocky Balboa (yeah yeah - I had to see the old horse going one more time at it).
Arriving Singapore
Changi Airport
Seems like a big airport (seemed bigger than Brisbane Airport anyway). Lots of shops everywhere. Lots of people from all nationalities. Lots of airline staff from all nationalities. No poverty to be seen.
There were some armed guards (they had machine guns and machetes [??? - what was the need for machetes - to get close and personal??]). I wanted to take a photo of them but I thought better of it.
Singapore
Cultural Shock #1: There was no cultural shock
(Ok, forgive me for my ignorant ponderings … it is my first time overseas after all)
Singapore is so westernised it is not funny. English is spoken/written everywhere. They all drive on the left, speed limits look the same, and I felt like I was just in yet another Australian city (I know I know It is only the first day so I haven't seen that much of the place).
We ate at a noodle bar that was more like a mess hall. It was ok. Then we roamed the streets. At last! Finally found a group of people where no English was being spoken. Some sort of open markets or something. Some poor girl was on a stage and singing "pop" music, but the audience was a bit rude (not clapping or anything when she finished).
Ha ha! There is a beauty clinic that has a "skin whitening" service. Why would anyone in their right mind want to lighten their skin? (The grass is always greener on the other side I guess)
There is not as much open as I would expect from Singapore, although I think (at least by looking at the maps) that I have barely scratched the surface of the city. Having said that, if I wanted to really discover Asia, I think that Singapore would not be the best place to start.
Well tired after first day, time to sleep. Woot! First chance to sleep without an alarm for ages.
