70 Plus fun with Lyn: June 2015

Monday, 29 June 2015

ZURICH

My visit to Zurich was like moving from one departure gate at the airport to another one. Nothing exciting to see. Hard to find any sign to prove that I was in Zurich. The only thing really different is before landing we were given a small piece of chocolate. There was only about 50 minutes between flights. From Singapore to Zurich took over 13 hours so this was just a little jourrney of one and a half hours.

SUNDAY IN LONDON

The days are very long here. I woke up just before dawn around 4.20am. Sunset is about 9.20pm. As I had no idea how long it would take me to get to church I thought I had better start out early. At home there is very little public transport on Sunday. Soon discovered it is not like that in London. There are people using the trains and buses constantly.

I left home at 7am and walked the short distance to the bus stop opposite the one I had got off at the day before. Wasn't too long before I saw a rail replacement bus coming along. I waved my arms frantically at the driver but he just looked and carried on. So frustrating. Then I realised this bus stop did not have a sign on it saying it was a replacement stop. Learned a lot about justice and mercy right then. Justice said I was not in the right place therefore he need not stop. Mercy said it was obvious I wanted to catch that bus and there were no other vehicles around and I was at a bus stop. Justice won! When I got to the correct bus stop it only took about ten minutes before the next bus came – and picked me up! TM - lost count!

While I was waiting for the bus I discovered why it is so noisy in my room. We are in the flight path to Heathrow Airport. I counted five planes in ten minutes. Then there are cars, trucks and buses that also use this street.

Back to Turnham Green station to get a train to London.

At Turnham Green Station

I got off the train at South Kensington at 7.50am. Church doesn't start until 9am. After a bit of wandering around and figuring out where the chapel was I entered the building 40 minutes before church was due to start. My earliest time to church ever! Lucky I had downloaded the latest Ensign magazine on my phone so I was able to sit quietly and read.

In front of the Hyde Park Chapel

People are fascinating. I am in England so I expect to hear the Queen's English spoken by Caucasian looking people. Not even! The Caucasian couple who spoke in Sacrament had recently arrived to live in London from Texas. In Sunday School the stake patriarch spoke with a lovely English accent and his skin was totally black. In Relief Society the teacher was American. A lot of the white people had come from different European countries. There were about 30 young ladies visiting from BYU and only a handful of sisters from the local ward present. In the street I could hear all kinds of languages being spoken. Really missed seeing some Polynesian faces though.

After church I wondered what I should do for the rest of the day. I knew I could not go back to my room and sit in front of my laptop for hours. The chair I have is not that comfortable. London has many free museums so I decided to visit the one across the road from the chapel. The Science Museum. Totally fascinating. I spent nearly four hours wandering around its five floors. The area I found most fascinating was the medical history. So glad I live now. So much history represented in agriculture, machinery, astronomy, technology etc. There were a lot of hands on places for children to experience the wonders of science. There was a steel column with a big sign on the floor around it which said “Do not touch”. Of course many people did. They got a mild electric shock for their disobedience.

The National Archives are closed tomorrow. A whole day in London – what should I do?

AT KEW

My hostess, Zina was about to go out and had asked a friend to look out for me. It was now nearly 1pm. She had just enough time to show me my room and give me a key. I just have a room here and share the bathroom with Zina and another guest. He is Brian from Christchurch who is researching the Vietnam War at the National Archives. A lovely young man, father of three. In my room is a tiny fridge and a microwave oven and an electric jug.

First I needed a rest. My ankles had disappeared and I was exhausted. After a nap I thought I had better go find a local store and get some food. I got to the front door of the apartment building and realised I could get into the apartment but not into the building. Once I shut that door I had no way of getting back in. Zina had forgotten to tell me the door code. There are three apartments on each floor. I started on the ground floor ringing each persons door bell. No response. Went up to the next floor to start there when a lady from the ground floor opened her door. She graciously gave me the code so I could leave the building. TM14.

Kew Village is just a few houses away. As I walked around it I was getting worried. I could see some nice restaurants – out of my league and a few other interesting stores, but no Sainsbury's which is what I really wanted. There was a store selling all kinds of organic food and produce. Great if I was at home with my kitchen. Found the last few shops and among them was a Tesco Express store. So relieved. At least I could get a few supplies. TM15.

ARRIVAL IN LONDON.

This is where the timing is really getting to be weird. I arrived at eight Saturday morning. This was 3pm Singapore time. I had arranged to check in to my accommodtion around 11am. Plenty of time to take things slowly. Because this is such a busy airport it took me 45 minutes in the line to customs. Lucky I visited the tiny room first. I had planned to catch a cab but as that would cost about $70NZD I figured a train would suffice. My instructions were to catch the Piccadilly Line train to Barons Court and the District Line train to Kew Gardens and the apartment would be just around the corner.

First there was a line as many people tried to get their train tickets. The first line I was in didn't take cash payments. Got in another one and bought an Oyster card -evidently much cheaper transport. Cost £5 for the card and £3.10 for my ride. Evidently I will get the £5 back when I hand the card in. TM10. Great – off to the train.

Got to Barons Court and was about to get off when I heard an announcement that the District Line trains were not running from there today and to go to Earls Court to get a connection. Next stop Earls Court so I got off there. No lifts or escalators I could see. Walking up stairs with two suitcases is not too easy. Lucky someone near the top lifted my big bag the last few steps. TM11. There I discovered that I needed to get back on the Piccadilly line to Turnham Green. That meant going down stairs with my two suitcases. Not quite as difficult.

When I arrived at Turnham Green I got trapped going through the exit gates. Evidently those things have a timer on them. Got my suitcases through and then it clamped me in place. Lucky there was an attendant close by who was able to release me. TM12.

From there I caught a rail replacement bus to Kew Gardens. When I got off the bus I asked a lady who was getting on if this was Kew Gardens Road. She assured me it was so I started walking. The bus stop was at number 274 and my address was 18. When I reached 106 I was at Richmond village. Obviously the wrong place.

A guy in a store where I bought some much needed water looked for my street on his phone. He told me to go back up the street where I came from [Kew Road] and Kew Gardens Road would be a couple down on the left. Back I went. Obviously he had not zoomed in too far on his phone to see all the other streets before my one. When I got to the Lion Gate of Kew Botanical Gardens I asked a young couple who were about to go into the gardens if they knew where my street was. Out came their phone. They zoomed in more and told me it was a few more streets up the road. TM13. It was actually just beyond the bus stop I had got off at originally.

All this time I was walking in my flattest shoes. It was a warm day. I had been flying for over 14 hours. The foot paths are very rough. Each road I crossed had those pavers so blind people would know where they were. And I was pushing, pulling two suitcases.

Shoes nearly worn out

I finally found the address I was looking for after walking 5.2kms when I could have walked .3kms.

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT SINGAPORE.

Some things I learned through observation and others from my shuttle van driver.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino

Lotus shaped Art Science Museum

The architecture is incredible. Got a sore neck trying to look at some of the tallest buildings.
Most buildings look new and very modern.
The country is about the size of Lake Taupo with 5 million people.
It does not look like too much of a concrete jungle because there are green and flowering plants everywhere. Some buildings have gardens built into them.
Every brand name shop I am aware of was in Singapore. From the high end shops of Orchard Road to the every day ones we are familiar with at home. Even a Harvey Norman store!
English is the first language. I saw tiny tots at the library being asked questions in English.
Not as safety conscious as Kiwis. Construction workers mosly wore helmets but no high vis vests. No helmets on bike riders. People sat in the back tray of small trucks.
Taxis have different charges. They all have a flag fall cost attached to their windows. I saw them from $3.20 to $5.
Nobody can have a vehicle that is aged over 10 years. They must be scrapped. This is to prevent pollution. My driver told me the cheapest cars – like a Suzuki Swift cost around $70,000. Vans like he was driving – with all the bells and whistles cost about $200,000. He said that was okay as they earned good money. $4,000 a month gross and $3,500 net. Good money??
The majority of people live in high rise apartment buildings. They cost about $200,000 to buy or $800 a month to rent.
The cost of vehicles really stuns me. You could buy a home for the cost of a van.
Education is affordable – not sure at what cost though.
Doctors cost $50 a visit and this includes any medications.
Evidently the government has plenty of money so they are using it to make Singapore the best place to be. Hence building is going on everywhere.

EXPLORING SINGAPORE

Shops don't open until 10 or 10.30 so there was no point in going out too early. Fortunately there were several shopping malls close to the hotel. I spent most of the day wandering around the shops – much cooler than outside. Had my first local meal. It was hard to choose as so many meals had things I didn't fancy eating. Settled on a chicken curry. It had a half cooked egg in it!. Not too sure about that idea.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry

It was really surprising to find things cost about the same as in New Zealand. The dollar is almost equal.

In the evening I went to the Night Safari. The bus from the tourist hub seemed to be rather late so I was concerned how long it would take to get the tram through the park. After waiting in the line for 45 minutes I had my ride. Saw some really unusual animals. There was just enough time to catch the shuttle back to the hotel. TM5.

The next day I needed to walk from my hotel to the tourist hub by the Singapore Flyer to catch an Hop on Hop off bus ride. Should take me about 20 minutes. I am sure it would have too, if they didn't have road works everywhere. Because I had to walk in the opposite direction before I could cross the road I discovered a lovely souvenir shop where I got a cute little orchid in glass. TM6. That walk took me about an hour and a quarter. The temperature was over 30 of course – this is Singapore!

By Singapore Flyer to catch the FunVee bus.

Arrived with a few minutes to spare for the next bus. TM7. Managed an inside top level seat with air conditioning. Bliss! TM8. Saw a lot of Singapore in comfort. After doing the city loop I had something to eat. They had a lot of these “Toast” shops. I had a cheese and kaya toast. Kaya is a traditional jam made from coconut and eggs. Tasted good but on a very tiny bit of toast. Had an iced chocolate with it.

Kaya Toast

After eating I went on the Chinatown bus so I could get off closer to my hotel. TM9. Check out time was 3pm so I needed to clean up and get out of my room. My shuttle pick up was not until 6.45pm so I left my suitcases and walked to Raffles City Mall. It appeared the Apple Watch was going on sale that day as there was a line of people waiting outside the Nubox store.

Got taken by shuttle to the airport. I was the only passenger so I asked my driver a lot about Singapore. When I stepped out of the van at the airport my glasses fogged up. The contrast was so great between the air-con of the vehicle and the humidity and heat outside.That ended my 2 days in steamy hot Singapore.

ARRIVING IN SINGAPORE

When I had been moved up to Premium economy, my bag was left behind above where I had been sitting. So even though I could get off the plane early I had to wait until everyone had got off so I could go back and retrieve my bag.

I finally got through customs to see my name held aloft and discovered the other people on my shuttle had traveled first class so they had been waiting some time for me – oops! They were off on a tour around China, Vietnam etc.

Still waiting to meet Mr X

My hotel room

Arrived at my hotel around 8am. Thought I would have to leave my bags and come back for my room later as check-in time was 2pm. Fantastic – my room was ready so I could go in straight away. TM4.

I stayed at the Peninsular Excelsior Hotel in Coleman Street. It was close to a few shopping malls.

Here are some views from my hotel window. I was on the 8th floor.

LEAVING NEW ZEALAND

As I travel I recognise all the tender mercies I receive and things I am grateful for. I shall mention them as TM.

My son Aden got me into the Koru lounge at the airport so I spent a couple of hours lounging around like the frequent travelers do. TM1.

When I checked in I saw that my seat was by the window and I really needed an aisle seat for the excursions to the tiny room. A young lady was sitting in the middle seat so I asked her if she would mind moving to the window – step one!. Then a young man who had the aisle seat came along and I asked him if he would mind sitting in the middle. Step two - task accomplished! TM2.

He was a lovely young man from Singapore who had been on a working holiday as a chef in Oamaru for six months. Had a wee chat with him about Singapore until we were all asked to move. Apparently someone had paid for the sky couch and that was in our row. The two young folk got moved up a couple of rows and I got moved to Premium Economy – not in the aisle – but I coped. TM3. There I had a chat with a lady who was going to Gallipoli with nine other people, seeing where their ancestors had fought and died and then cruising the Greek Islands.