Margaret joined me and after showering we started to tidy the house by washing the linnets we'd used. Once we got the load going we headed out to do our final errands of Singapore. First we headed back down Orchard Rd, that crazy street where every building is a giant shopping mall... and found a JNT, Japanese National Tourism... or something like that. There we booked and filled out the paperwork needed for 7 day train passes through Japan. If all is as I understand, once we redeem the vouchers we purchased we get pretty much unlimited train travel through Japan.
After that we headed back to the apartment. En route, we first stopped for some small ice creams that we'd been meaning to try. They give new meaning to the term... ice cream sandwich. It was a block of ice cream, wrapped in literally a piece of bread. I don't know the type of bread but it was sweet and I found the combo surprisingly tastes.
We then stopped in a mall to buy a bottle of wine as a thank you. I wanted to get one from a location we'd been to (town or city), but could not find one. So, we stuck with country and picked up an Aussie bottle.
We returned to the apartment where we packed, wrote out a thank you note, and did what we could to tidy the place. We were out the door and in a cab by 4. On the way to the airport we learned that it is possible to travel to Kuala Lumper (KL) by bus. Interesting... the airport was, in usual Singapore style, very clean, efficient, and easy to navigate. We found our gate, grabbed some food, and boarded.
The flight itself, by the time we stopped ascending, we began descending. So, that was quick and easy. Again we arrived and found our way out with no trouble. Unfortunately, takeoff, and thus landing were a bit late. So it was a bit of a challenge and a couple phone calls to find the taxi driver we'd hired to pick us up. That said, we found him and he was very nice.
Turns out, our arrival was moments after a huge rain storm, which seems to be pretty normal in the evenings at this time of year. That said, I had one of the best lightning spotting's of my life. Looking out over some flats I caught a streaking bolt that seemed to hold itself in the air for a couple seconds, lighting the sky up an eerie purple before vanishing again. Lighting is cool.
Our drive then took us on a bit of a roundabout way to the hotel, but not much as it was much further than I expected once I looked at a map. On the way we drove through Putrajaya, where our driver took us to/past many palaces palaces and temples. We saw a few large masques, all of which were topped my massive domes and lit up brightly compared to the city around them. Similarly lit was the prime ministers office, which looked just like a palace sitting atop a peninsula jutting into a lake. As we crossed the lake we could see to the other side of the lake where the prime minister has his residence, which also looks a bit like a palace. On occasion he travels to work by boat...
We then continued north a bit more to KL. We got a bit of an explanation on the relation between the prime minister, 9 sultans and the king. I believe together they have a sort of democracy.... but i'm very hazy on those details. We also talked about tomorrow and got some tips on our plan, as well as a suggestion for a location to eat steamboat, a Malaysian style of eating that looks like a hybrid between fondue and barbecue. I look toward to that.
We finally arrived at our hotel, a very nice place called Flamingo on the Lake. We got a good deal for 3 nights and 2 days, as a result of I think them trying to fill rooms for nearer dates. But it was perfect to match our length of stay. Our room is very nice and as suggested, looks over a small lake.
So, upon arriving my phone was not wanting to connect to the internet and I was tired. So, my blog was delayed, I apologize to my loyal readers, and I went to bed. In exchange, i'm looking to write my brief bonus post about tips on Singapore, should you ever plan a visit.
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