Well, got here in one piece and in the methods intended, thanks to the excellent travel organisation from ABV. First it was a bugsmasher (albeit a shiny new one – Bombardier Q400) from Canberra, then the shiny new Singapore Airlines A380 to Changi. The A380 is big, and nicely done up in cattle class at least. The prolaritat are on a different floor to the ruling class, so no comments about how first class looks, let alone the suites. The plane was fairly full, but luckily the people in front moved somewhere, so the people next to me moved to their seats (bulkhead row), so I got an empty seat either side. Good thing too, as Singapore airlines gives you about a cubic meter of pillows and blankets, and nowhere to put them.
A special thanks also has to go to Qantas – because of the short bugsmasher trip, my 20kg checked baggage allowance was further reduced to 20kg in one bag only. Luckily, clothes compress well.
Got to Singapore at about 10pm local time = midnight Aussie, found the transit hotel and had a snooze. Next morning got up a little early and went for a wander around the terminals. It is depressing how crappy Sydney airport is compared to this place – free butterfly gardens, free sleeping seats, free internet, free movies, free city tours and free transfers between terminals. Compare to Sydney where you get free queues and free construction work (hoardings at least, nobody actually working), and have to pay $5 to get the train to go to the next station to change terminals.
A special thanks also has to go to Qantas – because of the short bugsmasher trip, my 20kg checked baggage allowance was further reduced to 20kg in one bag only. Luckily, clothes compress well.
Got to Singapore at about 10pm local time = midnight Aussie, found the transit hotel and had a snooze. Next morning got up a little early and went for a wander around the terminals. It is depressing how crappy Sydney airport is compared to this place – free butterfly gardens, free sleeping seats, free internet, free movies, free city tours and free transfers between terminals. Compare to Sydney where you get free queues and free construction work (hoardings at least, nobody actually working), and have to pay $5 to get the train to go to the next station to change terminals.
Also, Singapore had a Mercedes Benz shop in T2 – managed to sneak a photo of some of their model cars before the lady told me not to. The combination of airport prices + Mercedes prices means no model can be had for less than S$200. For the fans: no w116 models either, but there was a 600.
Was then a short 2 hours Silkair flight to Phnom Penh, where Pheap, the CARE Cambodia HR person, and driver very kindly picked me up, took me on a quick city tour and to his house until the guesthouse was ready, and then dropped me off and set me up for Cambodia 101 with Liane and Matt.
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