Hall-Reppens in Singapore: Goodbye, Sydney!

Friday, we had to leave Sydney to return to Singapore. Our flight was scheduled for 3:40 PM, which seems like you have lots of time to do last minute things. Actually, you have to check out of your hotel room by 11 AM, and get into a cab for the airport by 1 PM. That leaves just enough time for 1 or 2 last minute errands.

When I got up in the morning, I showered, ate, dressed and packed. Because Erin is younger, single, and childless, she is on a different schedule. After she got up and showered, we saw the express check out bill. Our room had a mini bar refrigerator, but they left 4 spaces for any personal items. The yogurt and other items that we put into the fridge apparently jostled the mini bar contents, causing us to be billed for items that we didn't consume. Most of the charges had been reversed, but there was still a $7.50 balance. I went down to talk to reception while Erin got ready. The man was very nice, and reversed the charge immediately. He asked if I needed help with our bags, and I told him that my daughter was still packing, so we would hit the "Magic" button when we were ready. When I returned to the room, Erin was almost ready. She had just made herself some coffee, and tried to get her yogurt out of the fridge. The refrigerator was now locked. The maid would find some surprises when she cleaned the room! So, that's our cautionary tale; Don't complain about the mini bar bill until you've emptied the fridge of all your items, because it automatically locks as soon as you turn in that sheet!

Erin went to the lobby to use the free wi-fi, while I had our bags stored. Then we went across the street to the Queen Victoria Building to get some breakfast for Erin. We found a shop with egg sandwiches, and we ordered and paid. While Erin was waiting for her sandwich, I noticed two men walking by with just the types of hats that I wanted to buy for Rich. I tried to get their attention, but they either didn't hear me or ignored me, and got onto the escalator. I chased them down the escalator, and accosted them at the bottom. I told them how much I liked their hats, and ask where they had gotten them. I explained that most of the "Australian Hats" that I was seeing now were all leather, and that is not suitable for Singapore weather. They were very kind, and told me that they had gotten them at a store called "David Jones", but they may have gotten them 10 or 15 years ago. They told me how to get to David Jones, and even what area of the store to search. As I said earlier, Australians are very helpful!

We had no luck at "David Jones" or another big department store called "Myer". I did find a tube of lipstick called "Lipstick Queen", that I had read about in the Chicago Tribune. As I was paying for my purchase, I asked the women at the counter if they could recommend anyplace to find that style of hat. They asked if I was looking for the type of hat with the corks hanging down. Definitely not! They were happy to hear that, as those hats were made in China, and not good souvenirs, anyway. They recommended a souvenir shop about 3 doors from our hotel. We went to that store and found a hat. It was not exactly what I wanted, because it had a leather brim, but it did have an airy straw top, and it was made in Australia, so it may work in Singapore. I did make a huge mess as I was looking for the right size, and the clerk asked, not too politely, if I needed help. But I had just found an XL, so I was good!

We made a few more last minute purchases, and headed back to the hotel, to get our bags, and get into a taxi for the airport. I was planning to use the last of my Australian money for the cab and something to eat at the airport. However, when we got to the airport, we had gotten upgraded, so we got to eat lunch in the lounge. Before we boarded, we bought some fashion magazines that Erin could read on the plane, and then share with our hair stylist at home.

Goodbye, Sydney!!