2nd May - The Departure

So here we are - ready to fly out of Brisbane to Singapore - rest a day - on to Istanbul - rest a couple of days - on to Rome and then to Bari for a two week exploration of Sicily - then on to Berlin - on to the grandkids in Connecticut - see Hamilton in NYC and the Getty Center in LA before heading home.

We arrive at the airport.

Something appears distinctly wrong - we find ourselves at check-in in a flash - bag tagging and bag drop-off  rapidly effected with the assistance of a kindly Qantas agent - l caution myself - don't get carried away - perhaps this service is only rendered in business class and is no indicator of qantas' true commitment to customer service!

Through security and the efficiency and politeness continues - initially daunted by the seemingly kilometer long queue we find ourselves at border control in a virtual second. 

Into the Qantas lounge - the politeness remains - I caution myself again - remember where you are! 

I look around - I am surprised - these are not, at least  in the majority, business travelers - they are mostly old farts like us on holiday jaunts - the genuine business traveler is in the clear minority. I decide that inspite of the terrible protestations of my bank account, I feel comfortable enough here .

As we wait, the demography of the lounge is influenced by the arrival of greater numbers of middle aged business travelers and by a few younger business travelers accompanied by young children and teenagers - the near-teenagers amongst them wander amongst the food and drink dispensaries handling everything in sight - their parents seemingly oblivious to their antics presumably because they are preoccupied with the complexities of moving their families from one country to another.

We wait - some female members of the old farts club have become just a tiny bit raucous - a few have accepted the advice of their friends to "have a champagne breakfast in the lounge before you leave" - they smile as they make their way to toilets - their excitement obvious. 

It's 9:30 - more and more of the real business travelers are engaged on their phones - most are respectful with their volumes - some less  so.

It's 10:30 - the plane boards - immediately we are into our seats out comes the champagne - the attendants attend - the pilots pilot and the holiday officially starts! - we are off to Singapore!

Soon we are onboard and Bernie's champagne arrives - she sips and sips - there are still dregs remaining when the cabin staff arrive to take the glasses - "nah - nah" says Bernie.

 

I look at the hostesses and hosts - I recognize them as hostesses and hosts! - then I realize - that is not the appropriate DEI terminology - I realize with horror that I have become "Trumpised" - I quickly correct my inner self - I now recognize them as "cabin crew".

The cabin crew of all genders or, at least of the gender that they identify as, are all well past any age where they could rightfully claim to be young. Some might be able to legitimately claim to be middle aged but most would themselves realise that they are approaching retirement. People tell me that Hervey Bay is where the "newly weds" look after the "nearly deads". Given my earlier comment about the demographic of the Qantas lounge in Brisbane, in business class on this flight to Singapore the "nearly deads" are being tended by people approaching their  own age albeit that the servers are performing their duties with all the experience and expertise that their long life has made available to them. They are universally polite and attentive.

A movie - a nap - some Mozart - how good was he!!! - another nap - some Janis Joplin - how good was she!!! - an encouraging start to the holiday. 

A Singaporean airport experience nothing like any thing available to a traveler in Australia. "Was that customs?" Says Bernie as we able along  towards the baggage claim.

Soon our bags are in the back of a taxi and we head through the neat, tidy and green thoroughfare from the airport to the Amara in Chinatown.

Again - I find it unusual - it is not raining in the late afternoon in Singapore. 

You are on the 15th floor says the receptionist - lots of dining choices says she - "local faire at the little cafe" says she. We settle in and dine on vegetarian fried rice and "traditional" iced lemon tea. 

The holiday has started well