DAY 15 - SINGAPORE AND PATONG BEACH

Rhys in front of the Singapore skyline

We arrived in Singapore today at 4am after a 4 hour flight from Darwin. With sleepy heads we left the airport in a cab en route for Orchard Gardens Suites. Thanks to Alex Garling and the Garling family for kindly offering us their suite for the day in Singapore. Upon arrival we all hit the sack for a few hours with a long day of tying up loose ends upon the conclusion of the Australian leg of the trip.

Rhys' uncle was in town for the week on business and took us for breakfast and a coffee. Afterwards he kindly showed us around a city we all found quite impressive and high-rise at first glances. It's exciting for us now that the Australian leg of the trip is over as now, out of our comfort zone the real adventure seems to be starting. Most of the day was spent exploring downtown Singapore and glancing through shops before returning home and starting to work out some last minute logistical issues in regards to packages and parcels we need sent from Australia to be waiting upon our return from the next two weeks in Thailand. While Dave and Finto went searching for computer hardware that would make posting and uploading videos and pics easier, Rhys and Chuck caught up on sleep and went for a late lunch before heading off to the airport for our 7.30pm departure for Phuket.

Initial fears of missing the flight due to peak hour traffic passed thanks to some 'aggressive' driving on behalf of our taxi driver and upon arrival at Changi airport we passed time exploring what can only be described as one of the most amazing airports in the world. A gymnasium, full size swimming pool and on site cinema are just a few of the luxuries that are at the disposal of the in transit passenger within this complex and it wasn't difficult to wait out the 2.5 hours till boarding time.

I wish I could say the flight was smooth but in truth during the course of takeoff, air time and especially the landing Rhys and Dave especially shared a genuine concern that the apparent inexperience of the pilot may in fact lead to us not making it to Thailand in one piece. Nonetheless after a shaky landing we arrived in Phuket for what will no doubt be a relaxing 2 weeks.

Upon arrival in Phuket, Chuck ran into a very serious complication at the airport. having had to pre-arrange visas for the entry to Thailand over land which we expect to be a few weeks from now it was essential for all of us to not have this visa stamped on entry (most nations can gain a visa on arrival to Thailand if entering by plane, however overland one MUST have their visa pre-bought and organised otherwise entry is denied). Lost in translation, the customs official managed to stamp this visa on Chuck's passport, an enormous problem that wasn't received too warmly. After a half hour conversation the issue was seemingly resolved by the officer simply crossing out the 'used' stamp and essentially telling us we will be fine. It will be interesting to see how this pans out, having all been to Thailand before and all been in direct contact with the bureaucracy it could prove quite an issue when reentering later this month.

With no pre-booked accommodation we jumped in a cab for Patong Beach to see what we could organise. Given the popularity of Thailand this time of year this was no easy feat and took longer than we expected. However by 10pm we were finally booked in to some 'simple' accommodation and after a late meal we went for a walk around to take in the sights. Having visited the Australian bar we were keen to get away from a scene where everywhere we went we were hassled by every passer by as to weather we wanted to buy an assortment of completely useless paraphernalia, and have an early night in prep for the next days boat ride to Ko Phi Phi.

The Boys At Puma Bar

On the way back to the hotel, we passed none other than the 'Puma Bar' and had to stop in for a look. Dave has developed the nickname 'the puma' for a variety of reasons along the trip so far (from his seemingly cat-like ability to climb trees and puma-like prowess on nights out) and for us this was a must stop to look in and check out the action. All in all it was an interesting start the the Asian leg of the trip with an action packed day. No doubt the next weeks action will hopefully make for some interesting stories.