ON THE LEAD UP TO THAT FAMILIAR ANNOUNCEMENT

This is a final boarding call for all passengers...............................

We had spent our last day and night at the Crowne Plaza which is situated at Changi Airport.  A favourite destination of ours for several reasons

• Very spacious rooms as we get a Club Room
• Great swimming pool
• Executive Lounge access
• One of the nicest buffet breakfasts in a hotel in Asia
• Excellent proximity to the airport terminals as you checkout, walk out down the ramp and along to the check-in counters

But before we walked out the door we couldn't resist in taking a few moments to capture the gorgeous floral decorations and ornaments in the hotel

Crowne Plaza - Reception desk.  The picture was mainly taken for the gorgeous ornamental cherry plum to the left decorated with Happy Chinese New Year symbols

The cherry plum in its full glory surrounded by potted chrysanthemums

Orchids appear at the tips of these wire branches which have been covered in taffata, with spathiphyllum at the base

Strands of almond blossom with little red velvet ties attached along the length of the strands

Changi Airport - Terminal 3.  More stands of almond blossom with two displays of flowers made up to look like pineapples.  Hamish modelling a "Minecraft" shirt thanks to an Argos purchase

A quick trip to the leaning tower found in the country shaped like a "boot"  Strangely though it is now sitting in the tropics!

Happy Chinese New Year to all our Chinese friends around the world.  The year of the Horse.  This is Bryn's year as there has been a full rotation through the calendar since 2002 when he was born

Finally, time to fly home to our lovely city Down Under.  We've seen some lovely new places, re-visited places we know, visited all our family and friends and met some new people but its always great to know that we live in one of the loveliest countries in the world and sometimes we forget just how lucky we are.

Thinking of our "Wicked" experience and those memories of Dorothy finally returning to Kansas after being rendered unconscious by a twister, "There's no place like home."

The old washbox.  A piece of fine German engineering which has been dealing with all the laundry ever since our return.  After all it wasnt just t-shirts and shorts that we packed we took all our wintery clobber / apparell.  The bonus is that after it's washed it can dry in the hot Australian sun within an hour, however, don't leave it out too long as it will fade.

Thanks for taking the trip with us.  Hopefully we haven't bored you all to tears as a blog is only a modern take on the slide night format.  At least with a blog you can simply switch off but those slide nights can turn into endurance tests while the enthusiastic returned travellers send their family and friends off to sleep whilst they are subjected to endless pictures of foreign shores.

THE END

Will there be a sequel?  Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SINGAPORE

Having at last arrived in Singapore which make this the last destination of our world adventure.  We are still in the Northern Hemisphere and need to travel another 137 kilometres south before we cross the equator and enter the Southern Hemisphere.

 

Hamish, waiting patiently for the Singapore MRT from Changi Airport

From the county of Somerset UK to Somerset station on the SMRT

Looking over a possible hire car.

Sarah keen on perhaps something other than in red

Ferrari 458 Spider

Only seats 2 so we may have to look at something else

Just some of the lovely decorations that adorn Singapore shopping malls

Shall we post Hamish in this "bendy" postbox?

Live models in the Gucci window on Orchard Road

A quick stop to delight in an Ice Katchang (R) and a Chendol (L)

These cost SIN $2 each and are really delicious

Our cat Marmalade likes this brand

Miu Miu on Orchard Road

Just some of the many, many decorations in place for Chinese New Year celebrations

Happy Chinese New Year - Friday 31 January 2014

Year of the Horse

PHUKET - THAILAND

It is now time to thaw out, and tan up in preparation for our return to Oz.  Several days of sun, sand, pool and Thai food

Sunwing Resort, Kamala Beach, Phuket

Kamala Beach - not a soul in sight

Boardgame time.  Thank you to Robin and Sheillagh our Exeter connection for these gifts.  In full use to keep the boredom at bay

Another Bolt moment for these 2 swimmers

Hamish preferring to "Twisting (in) the pool," a song similar to the Dire Straits track

Weight lifting and swimming, what great exercise

Kamala Beach. Just step outside our resort and you're on the beach

Phuket International Airport

VIP service for this family.  Perhaps it is the case to ensure that we leave Phuket

Malaysian Lounge, Kuala Lumpar

A potted Mandarin decorated in cards to celebrate Chinese New Year - Friday 31 January 2014 - Year of the Horse

Our flight to Singapore with Malaysian Airlines - B737-800

These two little gentlemen warned that this was the last Business Class flying segment of the holiday and it would be back to reality for Singapore to Perth

Next stop Singapore for a few days. Maybe some shopping, some more swimming and certainly some lovely food

PARIS - KUALA LUMPAR - PHUKET

Time to start flying again after a break of 31 days

Preparation before we undertake 11 hours and 40 minutes locked in a tin can, 35,000 feet in the air

Passport Control a la French style

Charles De Gaulle Aeroporto is interesting to say the least.  Ash says, "It's odd, it's French."  Not very practical but that's how art works
U2 used the Roissy Hall 2F for the cover and photo's for their 2000 album
"All That You Can't Leave Behind" 

 

One of the many travellator's that criss cross their way to the many gates

The only thing behind Sarah is a young Bryn 

If the travellator was any quicker you'd think you were on a rollercoaster

Maybe the up and down movement is a deliberate attempt to aclimatise people to the sensation of flying

Note the attractive orange bag Bryn is carrying.  A Sainsbury's strong re-cycling bag

Our conveyance for our journey

Airbus A380 on flight MH021 with Malaysian Airlines

Note the new livery, tones of blue dispensing with the red

We will be located on the port side of the upper deck in rows 6 A&C and 7 A&C

Hamish hot towelling it to rub the cheeky little grin on his face whilst we prepare for take off 

Hamish going through his pre-flight checks - trying out the shades

You'll be glad to know that he hasn't as yet obtained a commercial pilot's licence as covering your eyes whilst piloting is not a good sign

 Push back time and now to peruse the menu and to gaze through the televisual feast on offer

See you when we get to Phuket

PARIS - January 2014

Apologies in advance to all French people.  Nil use of any accents as English keyboard in use 

Taking a city break at L'hotel Novotel Paris Charles De Gaulle

Feeling in a technicolour mood after a breakfast featuring croissant avec cafe au lait

Note - un crossaint not multiples otherwise a much longer lie down would be necessary

Pocket size Tour Eiffel

Handy for travelling

With Bryn facing the Palais De Chaillot the photographer views the Tour Eiffel  

 

This ended up looking slightly interesting.  The building to the left looks like a blue lego block in comparison to the iron lattice tower

Hamish in Usain Bolt mode with one of the wings of the Palais De Chaillot in the background.  The PDC was built in 1878 and is also known as the Palais du Trocadero.  A large concert hall with two wings and two towers.  Architecturally unusual it contains elements of both Moorish and Byzantine architecture.  There is an aquarium below the building

The Apollo Musagete statue which stands in front of one of the wings of the Palais De Chaillot (Trocadero).  Hercules stands in front of the other wing

Palais du Trocadero, it was a large concert hall with two wings and two towers. An architecturally-unusual building, it contained elements of both Moorish and Byzantine architecture. An aquarium was situated below the building.

You can never tire of looking at this iconic scene.  Located on the Champ de Mars it was named after engineer Gustave Eiffel whose company designed and built the tower in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.  The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most visited paid monument in the world. Tour Eiffel is 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall and is roughly equivalent to an 81 storey building

No prizes for guessing what this famous landmark is

Arc de Triomphe Etoile.  The Avenue Des Champs Elysees runs to the left of the photograph and the ADTE is situated on an enormous roundabout with 12 roads leading from the roundabout

Meeting with a real French person.  The gorgeous Camille.  A romantic connection to a nephew soon to return to Australia when the visa is approved.

Our rendezvous at a cafe near the Gard du Nord station

 The Place De Clichy on the Metro 

Deux legendes indeed, H versus B.  Legends in their own lunchboxes!

Sky train to Terminal 1, Charles De Gaulle Aeroporte with Hamish steering this driverless conveyance

One more than cinq and one less than sept

Another variant on a selfie!

Back to L'hotel Novotel 

L'elegance est une attitude