At 2am the human body is generally at a low ebb but we're stuck with that flight departure time tonight. It's designed to put us into Johannesburg at 7am on a chilly Friday morning, a ten hour flight.
All's going to plan, as modern international travel generally does, despite travellers' tales to the contrary. But we're discovering new stuff, also a characteristic of modern times. In the hope that some of this may be useful or of general interest to other travellers on the same new-technology hurdy-gurdy here are a few observations from the trip so far.
>>Brisbane International airport lacks public Wi-Fi or at least I couldn't find it. See later comment about Singapore airport.
>>My pocket Wi-Fi device worked perfectly during the drive to Brisbane and at Brisbane airport so I was able to check and send email and communicate by Skype during our three hour wait in the terminal.
>>Singapore Airlines is still excellent. As Michelle Earl had predicted on Tuesday night at the Surf Club, the movie The King's Speech was among the many movies on offer, on demand. And yes Michelle, I enjoyed it.
>>Something new to me on the aircraft was the ability to charge batteries while flying. Here's a pic from SIA website of the charging port, tucked away on the underside of the central armrest. Thanks to my friend Allan Shearer for tipping me off about this.
>>Within 20 minutes of exiting the aircraft at Changi airport (Singapore) Mary and I were clear of Immigration and Customs. By 10pm (about 80 minutes after exiting) we were checking in to our hotel in downtown Singapore. During this time we spent about 30 minutes in comfort waiting for our hotel shuttle bus.
>>Before going through Immigration I stopped at one of the many Information counters, and, acting on information gleaned from the Changi website, requested my Free Wi-Fi facility. A few seconds later I had it, a printed docket giving login details. This provides six hours free high speed Wi-Fi, throughout the airport. It's given freely without any formalities.
>>Our hotel, not our first choice I must say but otherwise adequate, lacked Wi-Fi facilities.
>>My old favorite tackle shop in Arab Street has closed. But I found a couple of new ones and spent an enjoyable 30 minutes with Joshua Tan, the iPad-toting owner of one shop, talking about fishing while he flicked through the Noosa Yakkers pics on my iPad. He'd been to Noosa twice fishing and never caught a snapper. The pic of Jaro with a 82cm knobby got his interest. His shop has some interesting bottom fishing lures which I intend to pick up when I come back in a month or so.
So next stop Johannesburg. Hopefully the rather more complex travel arrangements for the rest of the day of arrival in SA (collect data Sim card for Pocket Wi-Fi; a one hour domestic flight; pickup hire car; buy essential provisions at supermarket and wine shop; navigate to Kruger NP and check in to our riverside thatched roofed cottage at Skukuza Rest Camp -- phew!) will fall into place. And then, being Friday, it'll be time for "cheese and bikkies on the deck" with a somewhat different view from our usual Friday evening.
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