Toowoomba to Singapore
Today was always going to be a long day of travel. We like to fly from Toowoomba (Wellcamp airport) when we can so I had booked our outbound flight to Singapore via Sydney with a longish wait there between flights. Connecting flights were less convenient for the homeward journey so we are returning through Brisbane.
I slept well enough last night once I got past the inevitable round of “what have I forgotten” thoughts. Majella seemed to drop off quickly but perhaps she was doing the same thinking. We were awake just before 6:00 am and soon up and moving.
By 7:00 am we were ready to leave so we had time to sit and wait for Hannah who had offered to take us to the airport. She arrived early, just before 7:30 am and we were soon on our way but not before getting a photo of us fully laden with our backpacks. We are taking those rather than suitcases which would be awkward for some of our post-wedding travels.
We were early at the airport but it was open so we checked in and waited for our first flight to Sydney. It arrived and departed on time, flying over country that was beautifully green after the recent rain. We can hope it stays green long enough for us to enjoy it if we drive south after we get back.
Although we were on the ground in Sydney a little ahead of schedule, our bus to the terminal from the QantasLink parking area had to wait for access to the terminal. We eventually disembarked, walked the length of the terminal, boarded another bus, and transferred to the international terminal.
Immigration with automated gates was quick and easy. Security was not busy so we were through that quickly too. Then it was upstairs to the Qantas Club for lunch and a four hour wait for our flight to Singapore.
Our eight hour flight went smoothly with a meal, snacks, and multiple movies. Arrival into Singapore involved a long walk from the far end of the terminal to Immigration with a temperature scan for COVID-19 along the way. We passed through Immigration easily but had a long wait for for our bags and then struggled to find the shuttle service because what little signage we saw seemed confusing. Once we found the shuttle we had a short wait for our ride to the city.
Our room at the Mercure Singapore Bugis is a loft room which means there are stairs up to a space just large enough for a double bed with a mattress on the floor. It was comfortable and we slept well despite the air conditioning being loud and cold. I was not prepared to go downstairs to look until morning when I found it was set at 16ºC – a bit too cool.
The rest of the room is comfortable if a bit tight for bathroom space – just a shower and toilet both opening onto the entry way so we need to step into the entry to dry off. The big benefit of the loft room is the 3m+ window that has a view over the city from our 13th floor room.
