Day 43 & 44 - Sydney - Singapore - Airbus A380 - Arrive

Tuesday was our last day in Sydney. We're both a bit sad about that. We took an Uber to Bondi Beach again. There is a lot less going on during the week than on the weekend. Elisa enjoyed the sunshine in Sydney and I explored the Pacific from the water 😁. On the way back we ordered an Uber again. The driver was really great: he is very friendly, open to us and has an absolutely cheerful nature. On top of that, there were a few tips for Sydney but we were no longer able to implement them. We joked that we would meet again by chance at the airport the following day (he wanted to book a flight to Malaysia at short notice). I said that I was the one with a beer in my hand and he replied that he was drinking a beer too. He and his friends have a chat group in which they always send each other short videos of themselves drinking beer. This is probably a tradition and he said: “You just have to hold on to traditions. I’m traditional” 😂. We laughed really hard. That was a very nice and funny encounter 😃.

In the evening it was time to pack things and make preparations. Since there are strict entry rules in Singapore, we of course looked at what we weren't allowed to take with us or what we had to pay attention to. There are sometimes harsh penalties. In this respect you have to be a little careful. You should fill out a health form online at least 3 days in advance. We did it last Monday (2 days before) 😅😁. Let's see what happens 🤷🏼‍♂️.

Sydney reminded us a bit of Auckland. And by that we don't just mean the shared British history, which is undoubtedly visible in the architecture (and also in the flags of the nations) 😄. But the weather is a little better here. It is a clean city, with parks and trees as well as a sky tower, a large harbor bay, a few skyscrapers and an intact infrastructure. But Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world - for pretty much everything. You cannot buy alcohol in supermarkets. You have to go to separate shops for this. The requirements are relatively strict in this regard. On the outskirts of the city you can probably observe the kangaroos and koalas living in the wild. The same also applies to snakes and spiders 😅.

On Wednesday the time had come: travel day. The day before we read that we were supposed to fly on a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380. I found that really cool. So I was pretty excited in the morning. I could hardly believe it when the machine was actually visible in front of us. A real monster: 2 floors, 4 engines, almost 500 seats. Right at the entrance there are stairs up 😅. The seats are reasonably comfortable, there is legroom, the aisles are wider than usual (it seems so) and there was a lot of space around the toilets. You could almost have played football there 😅. Awesome 🔨! The service from the crew was wonderful and the food was good too. The 8-hour flight itself was very pleasant overall.

We thought a lot about entry, but it was completely in vain. Our passports were simply scanned at the passport control machine, then a quick photo + fingerprint. Complete. That's it. Apparently there are no more stamps either. A pity.

We would describe the first impressions of the city/country as follows: Very warm and high humidity, streets are in very good condition, everything is extremely clean, no chewing gum, skyscrapers, illuminated skyline. There are cameras everywhere and you feel safe. Chic and promising 👍🏻.

Best regards