Wednesday 23rd October

Breakfast at the Ibis was the worst on holiday; really poor standard despite overall good reviews.  The driest scrambled egg, over crisp dry cremated bacon, cheap tinned beans, and soggy hash browns.  One cheap thinly sliced ham, two thin (cheap plain) cheeses. Toast, floppy croissant, cereal, cheap yoghurt, fresh fruit (probably best thing on offer, watermelon, pineapple and ruby grapefruit) auto pancake maker (sad pikelet size offerings), cheap jams, disappointing bland machine coffee. Ah well, looking on the sunny side, there was no chance of overeating before flight.

We comfortably caught the 0800 shuttle which was bursting by the time it picked up at the other hotels (Ibis budget and Ibis hotel).  So we checked in our bags with ease and on time (3 hrs before flight recommended for Schipol). Security was busy, but smooth and despite the adequate time allowed, we ended up only with about 1.5 hours before go-to-gate. 

Feeling the need to boost our health we got a couple of nice drinks from a juice bar, Vern had a Paris Hilton, which included collagen shot, whey shot, vitamin shot, coco water, strawberry, and pineapple.  I had a green Jo something that was spinach, kale, avocado, apple and vitamin shot amongst some other things.  They both were very enjoyable. My readers will know I am a firm believer in good hydration and nutrition at least the week leading up to a long flight to counteract any jet lag.

We meandered and carried out the usual perfume trial, checking prices and being horrified at how much things have increased.  Last time I had a big shop up of fragrance in 2019, they were half the price. Literally $200 plus NZ for a 100ml edp now, vs $100 pre Covid travelling.  

Boarding was on time, however once on the plane we were advised of a 40 minute delay. This announcement we accepted with a sigh of resignation as travel disruption had become a norm on this holiday.

Singapore looks to be around 34 degrees each day with high humidity, which I am really not looking forward to. We have been there two times before and whilst we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, we sweated buckets each time. 

As is our travel pattern, we break our long haul trip and save a final splurge for the stopover to ensure we are in the best possible fettle on our return. Furthermore, we have usually gone so hard out on holiday we actually need a rest. Resting in a 5 star is so much more enjoyable than a cheaper accommodation too ;-O

As we braced ourselves for the taxing 12 hour flight we focussed our thoughts on a long shower, super king bed, fabulous dining, a nice pool to relax and potentially breakfast with the Orang-utan at the zoo if we can organise it.