I got up at 3:30 am on April 12th to pack. I’d been waking every 2 hours or so anyways and figured that I might as well stay up rather than rely on the alarm. One pair of my jeans was still a bit damp from sweat and rain, but I packed them with everything else anyway since I planned to do laundry in Perth. I had time to have several cups of much-needed coffee from the Nespresso machine in my room before heading downstairs to check-out of the Naumi Hotel; I was in a taxi headed to the airport by 5:25 am. 

The airport was surprisingly busy with early flights; there were lots of people waiting, waking up and trying to figure out where to go. An automated terminal allowed me to print my boarding pass, tag my luggage and drop off my bag. At 19 kg, I’ll need to mail some things from my bag home soon to make packing easier and to keep the weight under 20 kg. Yes, the typical allowance is 23 kg but 20 kg is heavy enough to wrangle. I shouldered my backpack and headed to Security; it was an automated passport scanning terminal which had a bit of trouble clearing me but eventually got it right. I had a notion to go the Singapore Airlines lounge, since I was maybe 45 minutes or more early before boarding; I ended up going to the wrong lounge to ask for directions to the Singapore Airlines lounge. And since the Singapore Airlines lounge was a walk in the opposite direction of my gate, I just started a slow but steady walk to my gate. Though it has been true in all of the airports I have passed through so far, there is so much more shopping and high end expensive shopping available here than I am accustomed to seeing! The logic of the airport shopping experience has always eluded me: I’m away from home, dragging my suitcase or carry-on around and I am going to buy more stuff to carry/pack? At a price which is likely NOT competitive!? A friend explained that it is a matter of taxes: you buy duty-free at the airport or even if you are taxed, you can probably get a tax refund in the airport. I guess that makes sense for high-ticket items but it still seems a little odd to me with my one suitcase. 

My gate was closed when I arrived there and I had to wait for about 25 minutes for it to open. Once inside the gate, there was more security screening and another immigration form to fill out – I actually preferred filling the forms out while seated in a terminal rather than in the plane; it was easier to find a pen, my passport and my ticket at the gate where I could spread out a bit. I did not have to wait very long before boarding and settling into my Business Class window seat. The flight was about 4.5 hours; I dozed for much of that time – I did wake for some breakfast and the sight of endless oceans. I’d gotten an Australian visa online months ago and the whole immigration process seemed to go very smoothly for me. I didn’t even have to wait very long for my bag.

It was warm but not humid in Perth – I was so much more at ease outside than I had been in Singapore. The taxi ride to the hotel was easy and comfortable; I was able to check in and head to my room by early afternoon. Between my early rising and just general fatigue, I crashed in the bed until late evening when I ate snacks from the minibar for “dinner”. I went back to bed to sleep a bit more though somewhat fitfully; Perth is in the same time zone as Singapore, so I guess I was simply tired. I’d conceived Perth as a rest stop for me while planning this trip; a lot of internet items stated how ‘sleepy’ the city is compared to Sydney or Melbourne. After Singapore, quiet and sleepy with laundry facilities sounded just fine!