Our journey to Sydney

We will spend 10 months in Sydney and Australia, that's the plan! We, that's Torben, Susanne, Ole (8) and Mika (5).

Unfortunately, the visa processing took longer than announced, which means we submitted our applications too late - however you want to see it. Instead of 2-4 weeks, it took 8 weeks in the end, until all 4 visas were confirmed after many phone calls from all our stops. Because we already left without the visas in our pockets with a lot of confidence that they will be ready soon...

Am 1.10.2016, finally, it's time for us. Departure to Singapore with FinnAir via Helsinki. Singapore will finally be our starting point for the next few weeks until we are allowed to enter. In Singapore, I struggle with the heat and especially with the humidity for a few days. Now I also feel the stress of the last days before the departure. But we enjoy the hotel pool, explore the hotel's surrounding area Citycenter, Gardens by the Bay and we get a first impression of the city with a bus hop-on/hop-off tour. We visit the very artificially looking island Sentosa. With all its amusement parks, cable cars, restaurants and hotels, it feels like its own world - probably a close and quick option for relaxation and leisure for the Singaporeans. Each of us finds something to eat at one of the 'food courts.' Even geocaches are hidden there. During our walk through Chinatown (to repair Torben's phone), a taxi with Ikea advertisement drives through the streets :-), on the way to a friend's house we pass Ikea in the end - it's somehow like home. Flower shops are different though. Plastic versions are displayed, the real flowers come from the fridge and are brought to life with spray.

We also took a regular bus and a driverless and over-air-conditioned subway. The bus drivers were a treat compared to our colleagues in Berlin :-)
Although Singapore is very diverse, green and already impressive, since we are in the middle of Asia and the rainy season has not yet really started, we spontaneously plan 10 days in Bali!