My flight from KL was uneventful - we were off pretty much on time, and again I was on the front row of the plane. The stewardesses just about had time to give us a sandwich and a drink before we started coming down to land. By then it was dark, but the lights from all of the tankers and cargo ships just outside the port were clear to see, followed by lots of neat-looking apartment buildings, before crossing a train depot with lots of sidings (looked exactly like a model railway from above - even down to what appeared to be sprinkled on and stuck down grass in between the sidings!) before landing at the modern marvel that is Changi airport.
And this time it wasn't raining!
I keep reading about Changi from its former life. It gets several mentions in The Railway Man, Eric Lomax's powerful book, and then more recently in the first volume of Clive James's memoirs. He explained the sad story of his father being there, and his mother not knowing whether he was alive or dead, discovering that he had survived the war, only to be killed on his way home when the plane he was on crashed.
It is amazing to think that in just two generations, the place has changed beyond any recognition.
Being on the front row of the plane meant that I was off first, and therefore ahead of the game when I got to the immigration hall. Not that it mattered, as I had my choice of desks. No wait at all for my case, and then into the only line which was for the taxis, although I can't have waited more than five minutes.
The only disappointing thing was my taxi driver who was a bit of a nutcase. Someone carved him up a little towards the start of our journey, and from that point onwards he decided to drive like a loony.
Obviously I was far too British and reserved to actually say anything, but I took pleasure in giving him no tip at all, and because he didn't have the right change, he had to give me S$1 too much back.
Hah! That'll teach him!
The Fullerton seems to be much the same as ever - i.e. wonderful.
First thing was to get set up on the wireless and give Nicky a call, and then I headed out for a stroll and to get some food.
As you will see from the following pictures, things have changed a little since I was last here five years ago. That time, Marina Bay was a building site, and now it is the famous three-towered hotel complete with sky-park, shopping and a casino.
Wandering through the shopping centre and it was spectacularly upmarket. Try out this link to get a sense of what I mean. The alarming thing is that I was talking to Nicky earlier on about gifts to bring home!!!
I also wandered into the casino, and boldly made for the entrance to see what would happen. Sure enough one of the security guys came over to speak to me, and pleasingly, the only thing that they were bothered about was the fact that I didn't have my passport with me. The fact that I was wearing shorts and t-shirt didn't seem to concern them. Might have to remember to pop my passport in my pocket when I am out and about later in the week!
Took the lovely MRT back to the hotel (the only underground system in the world that Nicky is happy to go on!), and walking back through the lobby was looking at some old pictures of Singapore and the Fullerton (back in its post office days). The interesting thing that I hadn't appreciated was that the Fullerton used to be at the mouth of the river, i.e. everything to the East, including Marina Bay is built on reclaimed land.
Right, off to bed now. Early start for a trip to our Singapore office tomorrow.
