BALI TO SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY

First my goodbye breakfast at the W Hotel Bali of salmon benedict and tuna sushi:

I splurged on a hotel limousine at a cost of $22.  However, the best they could do was drop you off perhaps a mile from the check-in.  The crowd walking in was the most I've ever seen in my life, and almost as chaotic as Cairo, Egypt.  Once into the airport, though, all was calm.  I wonder where all the people went.  

This is a good example of getting there can be a lot of fun.  My Singapore Airline flight was terrific.  A farewell view of Bali:

The audio-visual system was extraordinary.  You had a choice of 80 movies, 127 TV programs and equivalent music options.  Excellent variety of drinks.  Here are the Silver Kris Sling and Singapore "Raffles" Sling.  The Silver Kris was far, far superior, as the other was too, too sweet:

At the St Regis Singapore the Decanter room provided a wide selection of wines and cheese.  Free.  Plus Platinum members could use a special area where you could order any bar drink you might want plus have access to a generous buffet:

I ordered a gin martini, very dry, and it came horribly sweet.  However, I told the waiter for educational purposes so, but said, no problem, I'll drink it anyway.  So he brought another one anyway:

The famous Al Yee joined me for a drink here, and, amazingly enough, he said he could see this table from his apartment, which was next door.  Scroll down to my day in Singapore and dinner with Al and Elizabeth.  I learned that there is quite a connection between Indonesia and Singapore.  The economy in Indonesia is mostly controlled by local (to that country) Chinese, and they mostly actually live in Singapore, many in the same condominium as the Yees.  Oh, want to buy an apartment here?  There are now a couple available at the Marina Bay Suites (not where they live) for $7 million each.

THEN CAME THE SHOCK OF THE TRIP.  I showed up at Changi Airport and learned that I could not fly to Australia without a VISA?  Huh???  Fortunately, Singapore Air had a counter just 20 yards away capable of issuing this document, for $50.  If you try to depart late at night or very early in the morning, you are out of luck.  Now I'm wondering if I need to do this for New Zealand, my next stop

Continuing on from Singapore to Sydney, the Silver Kris Lounge is as good as it gets.  It is a separate area from the Star Alliance lounge.  Here are a couple of scenes:

My breakfast was fish congee with a tuna/tomato salad, Brie cheese, a croissant, champagne and bloody mary.

In an incredible coincidence, my flight to Sydney went right over the W Bali.  First Surabaya and then Bali:

The flight to Sydney took 7.5 hours.

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