Our farewell wasn’t as painful as we had thought it would be. Yes, we were emotional but we had decided earlier that we weren’t going to cry at the airport as it would just make it harder to leave.
The days leading up to our departure were really wonderful. We spent as much time as we could with our families. We didn’t want an elaborate send off or going away party. We got a lot of joy just doing what we always do, the ‘same old things’ that we wouldn’t be doing for a while! It’s amazing how much more you appreciate the little things when you know you are going away. This is one of the small joys of travelling that often goes unnoticed; it gives you time to think and reflect about your ‘regular’ lifestyle.
Aside from the fact that Kristian’s head swelled about two sizes too big on the plane there is nothing really noteworthy to report about our flight from Melbourne to Singapore.
As we disembarked, the humidity hit us immediately. It was as though we had walked into a sauna. This was quite short lived however as we moved through the airport. As with most indoor spaces in Singapore, the aircon was pumping. From the inside you would never imagine the intense heat and humidity that lies just beyond the windowpane!
Getting to our b&b was pretty straightforward. We booked a cute little room through ‘Air BnB’ on Gemill Lane, a charming little lane just off the bustling Club Street in Chinatown. How amazing it was! Upon arrival we were greeted by a very friendly Linda, a nomadic, travel loving artist from Austria who grew up in Germany, has lived in Melbourne, Malacca, Switzerland (the list goes on…) has been based in Singapore for the passed four years with her partner Philippe and is moving to San Francisco in a month. She gave us a thorough rundown of places to see and things to do. She handed us our keys and we immediately felt at home.
The room itself is very bright. A typical Singaporean Heritage House, it is beautifully decorated (unsurprisingly, considering we are staying in an apartment full of artists and designers). The sun radiates through the windows, which are framed by beautiful, old shutters. Although we are aware of the unrelenting heat and humidity that awaits us beyond the freshness of our room, we head off to explore Chinatown.