Day 1
Sunday 21.4.13
Fly-Scoot it read. A new Singapore owned budget airline that started last year flying directly from the Gold Coast to Singapore and back for a budget price but great service. I had to cancel my Qantas flight as my passport had not been received back in time. Although the Russian consulate had assured me that I would have my passport back on Monday the 15th of April it was not to be. My flight was booked for Wed the 17th, however on Tuesday it was still not in the letterbox. Qantas does not hand out refunds but puts the full amount into credit, however…there is always a however, then charges a cancellation and re-booking fee of about $120.
Anyway such is life. Of course to get a new flight booked at short notice costs double the amount I had to pay for my original ticket. So Fly-Scoot was the best option. At first it was tempting to fly direct to Chiang Mai to make up for lost time but as I am trying to travel overland from Singapore to Europe without flying I needed to start my journey in Singapore. Whether I stick to the plan remains to be seen as it may well be, that by the time I reach St Petersburg in Western Russia I may have has enough train travel to last me a lifetime.
Paula and Amy had dropped me off early AM to catch my 9 am flight. Landing on time in Singapore around 3 pm. Singapore was now a breeze as now I knew how everything worked. The excellent MRT train system runs like clockwork, like if a train is scheduled to arrive at 11minutes past 3 it pulls into the station exactly when the clock ticks over to the 11th minute. The stations are very different to Australian style stations as glass windows panes separate the track from the platform. When a train stops the train doors line up exactly with the glass platform doors which open automatically. I had booked the Green Kiwi hostel for no other reason that is was positioned in a different area to where I had stayed before, but still with walking distance of Little India. The people running the place were extremely friendly and offered some icy cold water before anything else. The dormitory bunk beds were comfortable and clean. At night I took a stroll through Little India. 1000’s and 1000’s of young men were walking the streets. I asked what was happening but got the answer that this was normal for a Sunday night as people would meet up to chat. At one stage I got completely lost but never felt uneasy in the dark streets. My journey had started.
