• traveled 16 years ago
“My friend and I decided to spend the New Year in Mexico…” - these are the lines I started my previous story… Less than half a year has passed, now I have something to share with the reader again… Taught by bitter experience, with "stuffed bumps", we, as befits a seasoned "Russo Turisto", gathered on vacation for the May holidays.
… More ▾
“My friend and I decided to spend the New Year in Mexico…” - these are the lines I started my previous story… Less than half a year has passed, now I have something to share with the reader again…
Taught by bitter experience, with "stuffed bumps", we, as befits a seasoned "Russo Turisto", gathered on vacation for the May holidays. Even on the way back, fellow travelers from Mexico praised the Asian countries very much. Without thinking twice, I began to choose...
Chose for a short time. A look was thrown at the island and peninsular countries - Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia. Travel agencies were just full of offers about them. The choice fell on a combined tour: Singapore-Bali (Indonesia)-Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)-Sigapur, from where back to the Motherland. True, already on the spot they regretted that they had not also seen Brunei, I really miss this impression in my head...
With visas, registration of a ticket, everything is quite simple. There were no questions, since a visa is issued on the spot, and it costs practically nothing (a visa to Brunei, however, is issued for a long time, this process is similar to the "Schengen countries"). And indeed, upon arrival in a particular country, the employees of the "migration" gladly put stamps in their passports and pasted some stamps.
I can not help touching on the topic "about sore. " Those who are familiar with our previous trip will probably remember the “adventures” with the Lufthansa airline. For this trip, we chose Singapore Airlines, and only one of the domestic flights was operated by Qatar Airlines. So the same Singapore Airlines enters Star Alliance with Lufthansa, i. e. are companies close to each other in terms of development strategy, tariff scale, etc.
On April 26.2008, we, as expected, arrived at the Domodedovo airport. Maybe I'll be subjective, but I don't like him very much. No offense, but always confused by the crowd of "hungry" tourists with a bunch of bags, children and other loads, always crowding the terminal building and waiting for their charter. After waiting in line at the front desk, we managed to drink coffee. And when the turn came up to us, the girl at the counter kindly took our passports and tickets (some of which were electronic), which she studied for a long time and carefully (I specifically draw the reader's attention to this fact, there will be a denouement at the end). She looked at the computer for a long time, after which she called the senior shift. A no less kind girl asked us to show all the tickets that we had on hand, and subsequently began to ask where we were flying and how long. She also asked for a "traveler's sheet" (this is a piece of paper that is issued when buying an electronic ticket, from which you can see where you are flying and what flights). Of course, I asked her a question - what is the “trick” of an electronic ticket, if in 10 (!!! ) minutes they could not understand which route I was flying, to which she was no less kindly silent. After picking up our luggage and receiving boarding passes, we moved to customs control.
At the customs, a couple of employees looked at our declaration for a long time with the amount indicated there (taught by previous trips, we became financially thrifty, you never know)... useful). Then we went to passport control. Thank God, at the exit from the country from Domodedovo, the queues are small (which cannot be said about the entrance! ). The local girl checked the passport with both the ticket and the boarding pass, stamped it and wished me a good rest.
We had an hour before departure, which we spent jogging around the shops, and having heard the call sign “everyone to land in Singapore”, we moved to the exit. An employee of the airline once again checked the boarding pass, after which the people began to actively boarding...
Our flight took place with a landing in Dubai. Unfortunately, we walked very little around this wonderful airport, since the parking there was only an hour and twenty. Another 7 hours of flight, and the lights of the country-city of Singapore appeared in the dark porthole.
The city is certainly impressive. Beautiful, neat, overall - clean. A separate impression is made by people - different in skin color, style, height, religion, probably orientation... The same thing about them - they are all in a hurry somewhere. As shown in American films, Manhattan, only more modestly. We chose the Shangri La 5* hotel for our stay. And, frankly, they never regretted it, because it is magnificent. Huge, but at the same time cozy, everything is automated both in the halls and in the room, it deserves only the highest ratings. And what food! I haven't been there, but I think that's how they feed in paradise… Only 5 minutes walk from the hotel is the main shopping street (unfortunately, I don't remember the name). This is a shopper's paradise! At the same time, the prices are frankly pleasing. What, say, in GUM, costs 20 thousand rubles, you can buy in the city (comparing the equivalent in rubles) for eight thousand. Moreover, things are much better in quality and choice.
Now about excursions. On the first day we went to Sentosa Island. The locals want to turn it into an amusement park (on the principle of Disneyland), but they are still far from the last one. They took us on a cable car over the strait with an "awesome" view of the port, which, by the way, is one of the largest in the Asia-Pacific region. On the island, we were briefly told about its prospects, after which we were taken to the aquarium, where everyone could feed stingrays, eels, piranhas, and even small sharks with pleasure. And in the evening we had a laser show. The show is more for children, but it's worth watching once...
The next day we booked a city tour. As expected, at exactly 8.50 the bus came for us. It should be noted that the people in Singapore are extremely punctual, everyone comes "to the minute. " By right, one of the best guides in Singapore - Victoria - kindly told our tour group about the city and all its advantages and disadvantages. I will not list the sights, I think the reader himself is able to find a lot of information about this on the net. I will note something else - I personally, as a person with a broad Russian soul, began to strain the compactness of this city-country - somehow I can’t imagine that I can’t, say, with my family, leave the city for 50 kilometers to the forest for a picnic
The third and last day in Singapore we devoted to shopping. Of course, there is something to try on, and subsequently buy. But this must be done wisely, because at the end of our journey we came across cheaper, but no less high-quality options. I note that it is worth a ride on the Ferris wheel, which, by the way, is the highest in the world, and in the evening you can ride a river bus and light it up on the Clarke embankment (a place for gathering "party-goers").
The shopping trip didn't go unnoticed. Not only did the “cutlet” in my pocket lose a lot of weight, especially with my companion, but we also caught a cold. And together. And most importantly - that "Coldrex" or "Theraflu", as always, was forgotten at home. But nothing, we got rich life experience and mastered local pharmacies... It can also be useful sometimes...
And now the time has come to continue the journey, and we again ended up at Singapore Changi Airport... I note that Singaporeans are very proud of this airport, they tell how big it is, about the new terminal 3 and about their national airline. In general, Singaporeans are proud of three “things” - banks, a port and a national airline (with Changi and the status of the first operator of the largest aircraft in the world A380, which, by the way, we managed to see “live”). Then I did not know how vivid impressions I would have from visiting this airport.
It was also very cold in the terminal. Approaching the check-in counters, the girl looked at the tickets for a long time and carefully (I draw attention to this fact for the second time), after which she checked us in, told me something about “business” and pointed to a separate entrance. I looked at the ticket and was shocked - it turns out that we are also flying business class (booking code "B"). At the same time, we were pleased with the cost of the ticket - a three-hour business cost us $ 320 for a ticket with all fees. At the entrance, two security officers kindly checked our passports and tickets (they checked, checked, and found nothing), and the local customs officers did the same behind them. Having received a stamp in the passport and at the boarding pass, we went to the business hall...
Well, what can I say, dear readers?? ? Cool, in one word. So that I live like this - in two words !! ! From such a “business”, I didn’t even go to duty-free shops in order to stock up well the day before.
Everything on the plane is amazing. 3 hours to Indonesian Denpassar passed like 2 minutes. This was facilitated by excellent food, comfortable cocoon chairs and very polite and smiling staff. And even despite the heavy rain at the airport of arrival, I liked everything very much.
The Indonesian island of Bali greeted us with rain and humidity. The first thing that catches your eye is the difference between Singaporeans and Indonesians. The former, for the most part, are very neatly dressed, have a fair skin tone, and speak excellent English. The second, according to external data, are similar to Indians, few people speak a foreign language, and those who do speak do it with such an accent that it is difficult to understand what a person wants to convey to you.
The second thing that struck us was money with a huge number of zeros and aluminum (and unusually light) coins. A visa for citizens of the Russian Federation is issued upon entry, payment is also made on the spot. The customs officer, having taken my 100 bucks, exchanged them with a debt from a neighbor, eventually gave me such a lot of money that the "patty" in my pocket got fat again! I draw the attention of the "Soviet people" to the fact that when entering the country, you need to carefully count the number of days of stay. Most combo tours are designed for 8 days of rest in Bali. When you enter, you yourself consider how many days you will rest. Then a simple Soviet person thinks: “Yeah, a visa for 7 days costs 10 bucks, and in 8 days you need to buy a monthly visa, which costs 25 bucks... Why would I overpay, maybe it will work. ” At the same time, the customs officer, seeing that you are taking a visa for fewer days, quietly keeps quiet. Why? You will soon find out. . .
I, as a respectable citizen, went to the control first. At the same time, my companion retired to the ladies' room, and we agreed to meet already at the baggage belt. After counting how many days I have a rest (eight), I bought a monthly visa and moved on. A friend, having spent a lot of money in Singapore, decided to save money and bought a visa for 7 days. I note that many have done this.
Having received our luggage, we went outside. There we were met by a short young man who introduced himself as Sindu. After Singapore, out of habit, we ask him something in English. Imagine my surprise at how well he speaks Russian.
20 minutes by car, and we were brought to the territory of the Intercontinental 5 * hotel. The first thing that catches your eye is a guard in a police uniform and with a machine gun in his hands. Near the massive barrier, the second "security guard" examined the bottom of our car with the help of a special mirror, and only then allowed us to pass. How much I wander around the planet, but I have not seen anything like this since my three-year visit to Sri Lanka.
The concept of hotels in Bali is very different from the same in Singapore. If in the latter everyone builds strictly upwards, then on the island everything is built in breadth!
The hotel is located in a great location right on the seafront. The vast territory, stylized as an ancient Buddhist temple, undoubtedly adds a special flavor to the rest. The locals, by the way, partially speaking Russian, like to tell that Mr. Medvedev himself and his wife rested here, not yet being, of course, the President of our great country. True, we did not find evidence of this journey...
The hotel has everything. What is nice, even beach towels are in special boxes on every corner. Service excellent. The cuisine lets you down a little, especially the local one: everything is tough, spicy, in some places simply tasteless. We highly recommend the Italian restaurant on site - I was in Rome, but even there the food was not as tasty as in this institution.
Locals from the first day begin to offer you spa services and a variety of excursions. Both the author managed to test both, as they say, in his own skin. From the "excursion" I recommend rafting on mountain rivers and ATVs in the jungle - one of the most interesting excursions that I have ever been on in my life. As for visiting local temples, they are quite primitive and do not carry any kind of cognition (with the exception, perhaps, of the temple on the water). Actively "push" our brother and SPA - excursions. Believe me, for that kind of money you can spend a day in Moscow relaxing in the best center. In any hotel, a similar package of services will cost 2-3 times cheaper. And most importantly, you don't have to go anywhere.
Tried to find a disco there. Locals say you have to go to Kuta - a resort town on the other side of the airport. Music, of course, played, but it did not pull the disco to which we are all accustomed.
I wanted to go to the island of Java, to Jakarta, but mother laziness did not allow those who nevertheless flew to these places came in delight. I’ll add on my own that I myself am an adherent of the idea: “If you haven’t looked at the capital, then you haven’t been in the country... ”
People in Indonesia are friendly, always smiling. In general, they love Russians. Consider the second Cuba. It's a shame they don't make much money. For example, a salary of $400 is considered high. They love Russian music very much, so if you get together, do not be lazy, take a couple of CDs with you, give them to the locals in memory of the meeting. They, believe me, will not remain in debt...
Eight days passed quickly. My grandmother said correctly - "Relax - do not work! ". On the last day, having specifically “re-tanned”, I packed my bags and in the evening we flew to Kuala Lumpur.
The flight was operated by Qatar Airways on an Airbus A330. If we compare them with Singapore Airlines, then I liked the latter more. The “Qataris” have poorer food, narrower seats, and the step between them is also small. At the Denpassar airport, we were also quickly checked in, after carefully reviewing our passports with tickets. At the "migracien" all the employees were worried about one thing - whether the tourist bought the right visa. An attentive reader remembers that my friend decided to save money, which, in principle, turned out sideways. The airport employee in clear English (which is uncharacteristic for them ) said that the visa is overdue, and you need to pay a fine of 100 bucks. I had to shell out. Having received the coveted hundred, he was deeply parallel to everything else (and this surfaced only later)... Having passed the pre-flight screening system, we went on boarding and soon flew to Malaysia.
2 am local time. The plane landed at the airport of the former capital, Kuala Lumpur. The country impressed me immediately. Starting from the airport. The unrealistic size of the complex (no less than Dubai, definitely) struck with its scope. One four (!!!! ) runways were worth something. Even though they only use one. For reference, say, in Moscow Sheremetyevo, the second lane was opened only in March of this year, and the Malaysians built them many years ago. In general, the airport was conceived as a hub, but the idea was somehow implemented incorrectly. The lack of passenger traffic and a certain emptiness were felt in the airport building. For example, at 2 am, only our flight arrived, and even then with an intermediate landing, landing 20 people (!!! ) at the same time.
The migration service stamped our passports, after which we went to the main hall of the airport, where no one met us except for a group of taxi drivers... I was pleasantly surprised that our transfer was lost somewhere... After waiting 15 minutes, we went to the information desk , from where the girl tried in vain to call the hotel or the representative office of the tour operator. One of the drivers was also a representative of our tour operator, however, he met another couple, so he called the dispatcher and found out that the driver, as I understand it, overslept.
After waiting for him for 40 minutes, we managed to inspect the entire huge airport and return back to the central information desk. We were met by a driver of Indian origin in the "outfit" characteristic of his nation. After saying hello in good English, he apologized for a long time that he was late… We got into an old S-class Mercedes and went to the Renaissance 5* hotel. The road from the airport took about 50 minutes, and to pass the time, I talked to the driver.
Frankly, he was shocked by his English. It turns out that I know a lot of words and perfectly understand English-speaking people (apparently, years of business trips are affecting). This is what our driver said. . .
We talked about many things - about Malaysia, about its industries, about religion, about politics, about Russia and the recent elections held there (at that time, who lost the thread of logic), about our Presidents, about our planes, etc. The conversation converged to that Malaysians are very fond of Russians, and that we are, in general, a “real” country (I know that this sounds like flattery, but later, I became convinced that many people think so).
Arriving at the hotel, the driver disappeared as quickly as I appeared. It is located on one of the central streets of Kuala Lumpur, just a 10-minute walk from the Twin Towers, from the famous TV tower, next to one of the stations, as the locals say, "monorail" (monorail - English - monorail road). Speaking of the latter, - unlike the Moscow one, it (the monorail) is made simpler, more convenient for passengers, travels faster, and even cheaper. There is a lot to learn… The hotel frankly embarrassed us. At one in the morning in a five-star hotel there was one security guard at the entrance, and only one employee at the "reception"! And that's all... We had to be tired, sleepy, very "sunbathed" in Bali, to drag our suitcases to our room on our own (and with visiting more and more new countries, the number of bags increased exponentially - I hope everyone remembers what it is ).
The hotel is not 5 star. The same "Shangri La", located on the next street, albeit in a smaller building, looked inside at all 6 stars, while "Renaissance" pulled on the average 4ku! The rooms are also quite scarce in terms of interior and services. Of course, tired of a night flight, it was deeply parallel in which room to stay, but if you are going to Kuala Lumpur for several or more days, I strongly recommend choosing another hotel...
So began May 9.2008 - Victory Day, widely celebrated in our country. I started the morning with the next exploits - I tried to understand where our guide was. The same "Indian" who drove us at night did not give me a single envelope with instructions, saying that everything would be at the reception. Business went to a dinner, and our guide didn't show up. The night ringing of the tour operator continued the logical continuation... By the way, the continuation is far from cheap... Having pretty much “run up” on everyone who answered me in the office, I calmed down. After some time, a young man called me, introduced himself as Anton, who became our guide. True, on Victory Day he could not show us the city, and we postponed this event to the next day, which, by the way, was also my birthday
Since sitting in a room never attracted me, we, using the advice of knowledgeable people, moved to the shopping center located in the famous Twin Towers (Twin Towels), which was considered one of the largest in Malaysia. I don’t consider myself a “shopper”, but what I saw amazed me. How? Variety, service, quality, and most importantly, price. For example, a shirt from well-known gay designers "D and G" (for those who do not understand, translate the phrase into English in quotation marks) costs (in our money) 1.5-2 thousand, and of very good quality. According to local residents, 30% of the VIP-rags market in Russia is supplied with Malaysian-made goods. Those who haven't been to GUM for a long time, for example, can “refresh” their memory and sincerely “rejoice” at the prices there.
The day passed very quickly. Returning to the room, we realized that the capacity of our suitcases and bags is definitely not enough to take away everything we bought. I had to get a couple of box bags in a nearby store (and we arrived home like loaded donkeys). And in the evening they decided to celebrate the day of victory in the “bar under the sun”, which is located on the “nth” floor, under the roof of one of the hotels.
I met my birthday with a stale head and a lack of joyful thoughts. I was awakened by the alarm clock, which, as always, by the way, rang at 8.30 in the morning. And we got up so early, because our guide finally showed up and was going to arrange a sightseeing tour of the city.
The tour was informative, but I can’t say that I remember it very much. For 2 hours we traveled the whole city, understood the state structure of the country, the life of the local population. I was interested in the cost of housing in the city center. It turns out that a “two-bedroom” (2 bedroom) apartment is located in the very center of the city, in an “elite” house (in Moscow it would be listed as “within the garden ring”) 70-80 thousand in American currency. And this is with the simplest finish! And a house on the ocean (sea) costs, on average, 50 thousand in the same currency. At the same time, people are given mortgages at 3-5% per annum. We are far from such figures, of course.
Even more interesting is the situation with cars. A lot of manufacturers have opened their factories in Malaysia. Of course, a locally assembled Mercedes is more expensive than a European one, but it can be borrowed at 1.5% per annum (!!! )
At the end of the tour, we also went on an excursion to the television tower (in terms of height, by the way, the third in the world, after Canada and Moscow), and ran a little through the shops. And in the evening we were waiting for a plane to Singapore and a flight home.
The airport was as quiet as the night of our arrival. Quickly checking in, we proceeded further to the pre-flight inspection. That evening, my companion did not feel well, apparently, sudden changes in climate caused some kind of colds. So, before the inspection, she went to a place known to everyone, and I sat down on the “bench” and looked at our boarding cards. An interesting point in my friend's ticket caught my attention - instead of the name "Tatiana" (that's her name), the name "Maria" was listed. I was about to go to the front desk and swear why the name was entered incorrectly, but along the way I became thoughtful. I think everyone knows that the system issues boarding passes based on the ticket. I took it out of my bag and was just shocked - my companion's ticket had a different name. Moreover, under a false name, we flew around 5 airports in 3 countries, passed all possible pre-flight, customs controls, landing control, etc. And not a single service stopped us with this question (!!!! )
After discussing this situation with a friend, we decided to keep quiet about it and fly to Singapore. As I expected, everything went smoothly. Since we had a time interval of 9 hours between arrival and departure to Moscow, we went to the SwiSS hotel (4 stars). In one well-known film, the phrase “You might think that Shangri La is here! ” Somehow sounded. . . It was about us at that moment. . . The hotel, although it was clean inside, turned out to be very modest in terms of service and interior for such a room price ($ 350). At night I had nightmares, it was very cold (the button to turn off the air conditioner did not work ), and Tanya was ill, and she constantly woke up... Barely holding out until morning, we went to Changi airport, where unprecedented surprises awaited us.
After registering, we went to customs control in terminal 2, already familiar to us. Standing in line, I noticed that very nice girls were sitting at all the counters, and, by the will of fate, some kind of grandfather was sitting behind ours. I respect the elderly, but this employee should have retired a long time ago.
As an experienced "fighter", I went first. Having received a stamp on my visa, I went to the duty-free zone. After that, this "grandfather" looked at Tanya's documents for a long time, and then asked "Hu from Maria? " My companion, being in a very ill condition, and without much experience in speaking English, was at first confused, but then I came to her aid. For about five minutes I explained to this respected gentleman that this is a middle name, like "John" and "Jonathan. " In general, the chip did not work, and Tanya remained in Singapore. And they didn't let me go back either. Shouting across the aisle to her to go to the check-in counters to sort things out, I went to the head of the shift of the migration service to resolve the situation. After 15 minutes, Tanya returned, saying that the ticket would not be changed for her, but she had to buy a new one, which costs 3200, in the same American currency. This arrangement made me furious. The shift supervisor, realizing that he smelled “fried”, decided to let me go back to Singapore, leaving my passport as a deposit, but then, looking carefully into my eyes, he decided to give me my passport as well.
At the check-in desk, they shrugged, they said that the ticket was used up for the most part, and they would not be able to change it, they only offered to buy a new one for the amount indicated above. We refused. I began to insist that a representative of Singapore Airlines be called. After 15 minutes of scandal, attention was drawn to me from everyone who flew out of the 2nd terminal that early morning.
Time moved inexorably forward, but there were no ideas. Of course, I could buy a ticket for the indicated amount, but, to be honest, the toad was choking. Secondly, I'm not used to paying for other people's mistakes. And then I remembered the conversation with the guide during the first visit to Singapore. The attentive reader will remember that Singaporeans are proud of three "things": banks, the port and the national airline. Remembering the third terminal, and how cool we flew to Bali in business class, I decided to try to break through the other gates. And even though we were not flying business class, but as my grandmother said, “face with a brick - and go! ” This principle worked! The lovely girls stamped our passports and we went to the duty-free zone and quickly moved to the next terminal (with documents in the name of Maria). Having seen plenty of films in the country known to everyone in my childhood, I understood perfectly well that after the scandals that I rolled up, all the services warned about the presence of two “crazy rashans”. As time has shown, I was right...
Having put my companion on the bench 2 exits ahead (the distance to our exit was 300 meters, so they could not notice us), I took off my sweater (it was cold in the morning), baseball cap and glasses, and became a “new person”. As I found out later, they didn’t remember my companion (as for us they look the same, so do we for them... ), but they remembered me - the main brawler - dressed in a blue sweater, a baseball cap with a star (I brought it from Cuba), and wearing glasses, and that my name is Alex. I came out wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. A pre-flight inspection was carried out here, after which people approached the counter, marked the boarding passes, and passed into the "sump", after which they walked to the plane. My attention was drawn to the officers who stood between the screening service and the counter where the boarding marks were marked, in a narrow corridor. They checked the documents of all Russians. Thinking that I should get lost, I waited for the right moment.
Five minutes later, a group of our tourists with surfboards appeared, about fifteen people. I got it - this is it! Quickly calling Tanya, we went to the screening with the whole crowd. After checking everything, they lowered us, and everyone went on. The officers, seeing the guy with the girl, began to check passports and boarding passes. After looking at the documents of my friend, they immediately let her through, and my documents were examined for about three minutes. Then one of them asks: "Alex? " I nodded approvingly. Then they checked all the documents again, my photo, and once again asked: “Alex? ” I said, - "Well, Alex, Alex! ". After exchanging glances, they said something to each other, and they let me go too.
There was one more obstacle - the check-in booth for the plane. It was automatic (everyone went there and inserted the landing cards into a special box, from where they received an absentee spine). Before us stood an elderly man who could not figure out what to do. Feeling as a fifth point that the problems were not over yet, I decided to help him, and then go through and hide in the toilet.
And with a trembling hand, I lower our landing cards, and that's it! Hooray! We're coming through! Not having time to move away from the booth, I hear screams and screams behind our backs... Turning around, I again fell into a state of shock. In an organized crowd, the woman with whom we quarreled recently ran towards us, her assistant, the head of the airport migration service, the head of the airport police, with 4 policemen, the head of the security service of Singapore Airlines, and 2 more girls from the service service. We were asked to sit next to the counter. Already prepared to make a fuss and go to the end, I sat down.
The chief of police began to chastise those guards who looked at my passport. The only thing I heard was that they kept repeating "Alex, Alex. . . ". All amicably communicated with each other obviously on raised tones. About five minutes later, the same woman came up to me and in good English told me that part of the story about which we knew nothing.
It turns out that my monologue about the courts inspired her, and she got through to the director of the customer service department of Singapore Airlines. He called the head of the airport, who, in turn, called the head of the migration service. Apparently they agreed. Just in case, they also called the Russian consulate, where they were told the following: “Send people, we will figure it out in Moscow. ” Everyone unanimously agreed, but at some point they realized that we didn’t exist. They gave the command to look for us, put up guards at the gate in order to “catch the crazy rushan”. But then they remembered me, at that time already dressed.
They brought us a lot of apologies, the girls from the service gave us tea, after which they let us go and wished us a good flight. The whole "sump", where mostly Russians were sitting, looked at us as Bonnie and Clyde of the 21st century... But the main thing is that we got on board.
Ten hours of flight, and we are in our native Domodedovo. The airport, as usual, met us with a huge queue of tourists at passport control (everyone who flew to Turkey and Egypt two weeks ago returned refreshed and rested ).
Then two hours in traffic jams to the house. And that's it, the end of the journey!
A month later, I received three envelopes from Singapore Airlines at the postal address at the place of permanent registration. In the first one, I received a letter of apology for the incident from employees, many of whom I managed to get to know personally, in the second, I received an award card with accrued miles and a “for harmfulness” bonus, and in the third, a voucher for a day of free accommodation in a hotel in Singapore, and an invitation to visit this wonderful country again…
Taught by bitter experience, with "stuffed bumps", we, as befits a seasoned "Russo Turisto", gathered on vacation for the May holidays. Even on the way back, fellow travelers from Mexico praised the Asian countries very much. Without thinking twice, I began to choose...
Chose for a short time. A look was thrown at the island and peninsular countries - Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia. Travel agencies were just full of offers about them. The choice fell on a combined tour: Singapore-Bali (Indonesia)-Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)-Sigapur, from where back to the Motherland. True, already on the spot they regretted that they had not also seen Brunei, I really miss this impression in my head...
With visas, registration of a ticket, everything is quite simple. There were no questions, since a visa is issued on the spot, and it costs practically nothing (a visa to Brunei, however, is issued for a long time, this process is similar to the "Schengen countries"). And indeed, upon arrival in a particular country, the employees of the "migration" gladly put stamps in their passports and pasted some stamps.
I can not help touching on the topic "about sore. " Those who are familiar with our previous trip will probably remember the “adventures” with the Lufthansa airline. For this trip, we chose Singapore Airlines, and only one of the domestic flights was operated by Qatar Airlines. So the same Singapore Airlines enters Star Alliance with Lufthansa, i. e. are companies close to each other in terms of development strategy, tariff scale, etc.
On April 26.2008, we, as expected, arrived at the Domodedovo airport. Maybe I'll be subjective, but I don't like him very much. No offense, but always confused by the crowd of "hungry" tourists with a bunch of bags, children and other loads, always crowding the terminal building and waiting for their charter. After waiting in line at the front desk, we managed to drink coffee. And when the turn came up to us, the girl at the counter kindly took our passports and tickets (some of which were electronic), which she studied for a long time and carefully (I specifically draw the reader's attention to this fact, there will be a denouement at the end). She looked at the computer for a long time, after which she called the senior shift. A no less kind girl asked us to show all the tickets that we had on hand, and subsequently began to ask where we were flying and how long. She also asked for a "traveler's sheet" (this is a piece of paper that is issued when buying an electronic ticket, from which you can see where you are flying and what flights). Of course, I asked her a question - what is the “trick” of an electronic ticket, if in 10 (!!! ) minutes they could not understand which route I was flying, to which she was no less kindly silent. After picking up our luggage and receiving boarding passes, we moved to customs control.
At the customs, a couple of employees looked at our declaration for a long time with the amount indicated there (taught by previous trips, we became financially thrifty, you never know)... useful). Then we went to passport control. Thank God, at the exit from the country from Domodedovo, the queues are small (which cannot be said about the entrance! ). The local girl checked the passport with both the ticket and the boarding pass, stamped it and wished me a good rest.
We had an hour before departure, which we spent jogging around the shops, and having heard the call sign “everyone to land in Singapore”, we moved to the exit. An employee of the airline once again checked the boarding pass, after which the people began to actively boarding...
Our flight took place with a landing in Dubai. Unfortunately, we walked very little around this wonderful airport, since the parking there was only an hour and twenty. Another 7 hours of flight, and the lights of the country-city of Singapore appeared in the dark porthole.
The city is certainly impressive. Beautiful, neat, overall - clean. A separate impression is made by people - different in skin color, style, height, religion, probably orientation... The same thing about them - they are all in a hurry somewhere. As shown in American films, Manhattan, only more modestly. We chose the Shangri La 5* hotel for our stay. And, frankly, they never regretted it, because it is magnificent. Huge, but at the same time cozy, everything is automated both in the halls and in the room, it deserves only the highest ratings. And what food! I haven't been there, but I think that's how they feed in paradise… Only 5 minutes walk from the hotel is the main shopping street (unfortunately, I don't remember the name). This is a shopper's paradise! At the same time, the prices are frankly pleasing. What, say, in GUM, costs 20 thousand rubles, you can buy in the city (comparing the equivalent in rubles) for eight thousand. Moreover, things are much better in quality and choice.
Now about excursions. On the first day we went to Sentosa Island. The locals want to turn it into an amusement park (on the principle of Disneyland), but they are still far from the last one. They took us on a cable car over the strait with an "awesome" view of the port, which, by the way, is one of the largest in the Asia-Pacific region. On the island, we were briefly told about its prospects, after which we were taken to the aquarium, where everyone could feed stingrays, eels, piranhas, and even small sharks with pleasure. And in the evening we had a laser show. The show is more for children, but it's worth watching once...
The next day we booked a city tour. As expected, at exactly 8.50 the bus came for us. It should be noted that the people in Singapore are extremely punctual, everyone comes "to the minute. " By right, one of the best guides in Singapore - Victoria - kindly told our tour group about the city and all its advantages and disadvantages. I will not list the sights, I think the reader himself is able to find a lot of information about this on the net. I will note something else - I personally, as a person with a broad Russian soul, began to strain the compactness of this city-country - somehow I can’t imagine that I can’t, say, with my family, leave the city for 50 kilometers to the forest for a picnic
The third and last day in Singapore we devoted to shopping. Of course, there is something to try on, and subsequently buy. But this must be done wisely, because at the end of our journey we came across cheaper, but no less high-quality options. I note that it is worth a ride on the Ferris wheel, which, by the way, is the highest in the world, and in the evening you can ride a river bus and light it up on the Clarke embankment (a place for gathering "party-goers").
The shopping trip didn't go unnoticed. Not only did the “cutlet” in my pocket lose a lot of weight, especially with my companion, but we also caught a cold. And together. And most importantly - that "Coldrex" or "Theraflu", as always, was forgotten at home. But nothing, we got rich life experience and mastered local pharmacies... It can also be useful sometimes...
And now the time has come to continue the journey, and we again ended up at Singapore Changi Airport... I note that Singaporeans are very proud of this airport, they tell how big it is, about the new terminal 3 and about their national airline. In general, Singaporeans are proud of three “things” - banks, a port and a national airline (with Changi and the status of the first operator of the largest aircraft in the world A380, which, by the way, we managed to see “live”). Then I did not know how vivid impressions I would have from visiting this airport.
It was also very cold in the terminal. Approaching the check-in counters, the girl looked at the tickets for a long time and carefully (I draw attention to this fact for the second time), after which she checked us in, told me something about “business” and pointed to a separate entrance. I looked at the ticket and was shocked - it turns out that we are also flying business class (booking code "B"). At the same time, we were pleased with the cost of the ticket - a three-hour business cost us $ 320 for a ticket with all fees. At the entrance, two security officers kindly checked our passports and tickets (they checked, checked, and found nothing), and the local customs officers did the same behind them. Having received a stamp in the passport and at the boarding pass, we went to the business hall...
Well, what can I say, dear readers?? ? Cool, in one word. So that I live like this - in two words !! ! From such a “business”, I didn’t even go to duty-free shops in order to stock up well the day before.
Everything on the plane is amazing. 3 hours to Indonesian Denpassar passed like 2 minutes. This was facilitated by excellent food, comfortable cocoon chairs and very polite and smiling staff. And even despite the heavy rain at the airport of arrival, I liked everything very much.
The Indonesian island of Bali greeted us with rain and humidity. The first thing that catches your eye is the difference between Singaporeans and Indonesians. The former, for the most part, are very neatly dressed, have a fair skin tone, and speak excellent English. The second, according to external data, are similar to Indians, few people speak a foreign language, and those who do speak do it with such an accent that it is difficult to understand what a person wants to convey to you.
The second thing that struck us was money with a huge number of zeros and aluminum (and unusually light) coins. A visa for citizens of the Russian Federation is issued upon entry, payment is also made on the spot. The customs officer, having taken my 100 bucks, exchanged them with a debt from a neighbor, eventually gave me such a lot of money that the "patty" in my pocket got fat again! I draw the attention of the "Soviet people" to the fact that when entering the country, you need to carefully count the number of days of stay. Most combo tours are designed for 8 days of rest in Bali. When you enter, you yourself consider how many days you will rest. Then a simple Soviet person thinks: “Yeah, a visa for 7 days costs 10 bucks, and in 8 days you need to buy a monthly visa, which costs 25 bucks... Why would I overpay, maybe it will work. ” At the same time, the customs officer, seeing that you are taking a visa for fewer days, quietly keeps quiet. Why? You will soon find out. . .
I, as a respectable citizen, went to the control first. At the same time, my companion retired to the ladies' room, and we agreed to meet already at the baggage belt. After counting how many days I have a rest (eight), I bought a monthly visa and moved on. A friend, having spent a lot of money in Singapore, decided to save money and bought a visa for 7 days. I note that many have done this.
Having received our luggage, we went outside. There we were met by a short young man who introduced himself as Sindu. After Singapore, out of habit, we ask him something in English. Imagine my surprise at how well he speaks Russian.
20 minutes by car, and we were brought to the territory of the Intercontinental 5 * hotel. The first thing that catches your eye is a guard in a police uniform and with a machine gun in his hands. Near the massive barrier, the second "security guard" examined the bottom of our car with the help of a special mirror, and only then allowed us to pass. How much I wander around the planet, but I have not seen anything like this since my three-year visit to Sri Lanka.
The concept of hotels in Bali is very different from the same in Singapore. If in the latter everyone builds strictly upwards, then on the island everything is built in breadth!
The hotel is located in a great location right on the seafront. The vast territory, stylized as an ancient Buddhist temple, undoubtedly adds a special flavor to the rest. The locals, by the way, partially speaking Russian, like to tell that Mr. Medvedev himself and his wife rested here, not yet being, of course, the President of our great country. True, we did not find evidence of this journey...
The hotel has everything. What is nice, even beach towels are in special boxes on every corner. Service excellent. The cuisine lets you down a little, especially the local one: everything is tough, spicy, in some places simply tasteless. We highly recommend the Italian restaurant on site - I was in Rome, but even there the food was not as tasty as in this institution.
Locals from the first day begin to offer you spa services and a variety of excursions. Both the author managed to test both, as they say, in his own skin. From the "excursion" I recommend rafting on mountain rivers and ATVs in the jungle - one of the most interesting excursions that I have ever been on in my life. As for visiting local temples, they are quite primitive and do not carry any kind of cognition (with the exception, perhaps, of the temple on the water). Actively "push" our brother and SPA - excursions. Believe me, for that kind of money you can spend a day in Moscow relaxing in the best center. In any hotel, a similar package of services will cost 2-3 times cheaper. And most importantly, you don't have to go anywhere.
Tried to find a disco there. Locals say you have to go to Kuta - a resort town on the other side of the airport. Music, of course, played, but it did not pull the disco to which we are all accustomed.
I wanted to go to the island of Java, to Jakarta, but mother laziness did not allow those who nevertheless flew to these places came in delight. I’ll add on my own that I myself am an adherent of the idea: “If you haven’t looked at the capital, then you haven’t been in the country... ”
People in Indonesia are friendly, always smiling. In general, they love Russians. Consider the second Cuba. It's a shame they don't make much money. For example, a salary of $400 is considered high. They love Russian music very much, so if you get together, do not be lazy, take a couple of CDs with you, give them to the locals in memory of the meeting. They, believe me, will not remain in debt...
Eight days passed quickly. My grandmother said correctly - "Relax - do not work! ". On the last day, having specifically “re-tanned”, I packed my bags and in the evening we flew to Kuala Lumpur.
The flight was operated by Qatar Airways on an Airbus A330. If we compare them with Singapore Airlines, then I liked the latter more. The “Qataris” have poorer food, narrower seats, and the step between them is also small. At the Denpassar airport, we were also quickly checked in, after carefully reviewing our passports with tickets. At the "migracien" all the employees were worried about one thing - whether the tourist bought the right visa. An attentive reader remembers that my friend decided to save money, which, in principle, turned out sideways. The airport employee in clear English (which is uncharacteristic for them ) said that the visa is overdue, and you need to pay a fine of 100 bucks. I had to shell out. Having received the coveted hundred, he was deeply parallel to everything else (and this surfaced only later)... Having passed the pre-flight screening system, we went on boarding and soon flew to Malaysia.
2 am local time. The plane landed at the airport of the former capital, Kuala Lumpur. The country impressed me immediately. Starting from the airport. The unrealistic size of the complex (no less than Dubai, definitely) struck with its scope. One four (!!!! ) runways were worth something. Even though they only use one. For reference, say, in Moscow Sheremetyevo, the second lane was opened only in March of this year, and the Malaysians built them many years ago. In general, the airport was conceived as a hub, but the idea was somehow implemented incorrectly. The lack of passenger traffic and a certain emptiness were felt in the airport building. For example, at 2 am, only our flight arrived, and even then with an intermediate landing, landing 20 people (!!! ) at the same time.
The migration service stamped our passports, after which we went to the main hall of the airport, where no one met us except for a group of taxi drivers... I was pleasantly surprised that our transfer was lost somewhere... After waiting 15 minutes, we went to the information desk , from where the girl tried in vain to call the hotel or the representative office of the tour operator. One of the drivers was also a representative of our tour operator, however, he met another couple, so he called the dispatcher and found out that the driver, as I understand it, overslept.
After waiting for him for 40 minutes, we managed to inspect the entire huge airport and return back to the central information desk. We were met by a driver of Indian origin in the "outfit" characteristic of his nation. After saying hello in good English, he apologized for a long time that he was late… We got into an old S-class Mercedes and went to the Renaissance 5* hotel. The road from the airport took about 50 minutes, and to pass the time, I talked to the driver.
Frankly, he was shocked by his English. It turns out that I know a lot of words and perfectly understand English-speaking people (apparently, years of business trips are affecting). This is what our driver said. . .
We talked about many things - about Malaysia, about its industries, about religion, about politics, about Russia and the recent elections held there (at that time, who lost the thread of logic), about our Presidents, about our planes, etc. The conversation converged to that Malaysians are very fond of Russians, and that we are, in general, a “real” country (I know that this sounds like flattery, but later, I became convinced that many people think so).
Arriving at the hotel, the driver disappeared as quickly as I appeared. It is located on one of the central streets of Kuala Lumpur, just a 10-minute walk from the Twin Towers, from the famous TV tower, next to one of the stations, as the locals say, "monorail" (monorail - English - monorail road). Speaking of the latter, - unlike the Moscow one, it (the monorail) is made simpler, more convenient for passengers, travels faster, and even cheaper. There is a lot to learn… The hotel frankly embarrassed us. At one in the morning in a five-star hotel there was one security guard at the entrance, and only one employee at the "reception"! And that's all... We had to be tired, sleepy, very "sunbathed" in Bali, to drag our suitcases to our room on our own (and with visiting more and more new countries, the number of bags increased exponentially - I hope everyone remembers what it is ).
The hotel is not 5 star. The same "Shangri La", located on the next street, albeit in a smaller building, looked inside at all 6 stars, while "Renaissance" pulled on the average 4ku! The rooms are also quite scarce in terms of interior and services. Of course, tired of a night flight, it was deeply parallel in which room to stay, but if you are going to Kuala Lumpur for several or more days, I strongly recommend choosing another hotel...
So began May 9.2008 - Victory Day, widely celebrated in our country. I started the morning with the next exploits - I tried to understand where our guide was. The same "Indian" who drove us at night did not give me a single envelope with instructions, saying that everything would be at the reception. Business went to a dinner, and our guide didn't show up. The night ringing of the tour operator continued the logical continuation... By the way, the continuation is far from cheap... Having pretty much “run up” on everyone who answered me in the office, I calmed down. After some time, a young man called me, introduced himself as Anton, who became our guide. True, on Victory Day he could not show us the city, and we postponed this event to the next day, which, by the way, was also my birthday
Since sitting in a room never attracted me, we, using the advice of knowledgeable people, moved to the shopping center located in the famous Twin Towers (Twin Towels), which was considered one of the largest in Malaysia. I don’t consider myself a “shopper”, but what I saw amazed me. How? Variety, service, quality, and most importantly, price. For example, a shirt from well-known gay designers "D and G" (for those who do not understand, translate the phrase into English in quotation marks) costs (in our money) 1.5-2 thousand, and of very good quality. According to local residents, 30% of the VIP-rags market in Russia is supplied with Malaysian-made goods. Those who haven't been to GUM for a long time, for example, can “refresh” their memory and sincerely “rejoice” at the prices there.
The day passed very quickly. Returning to the room, we realized that the capacity of our suitcases and bags is definitely not enough to take away everything we bought. I had to get a couple of box bags in a nearby store (and we arrived home like loaded donkeys). And in the evening they decided to celebrate the day of victory in the “bar under the sun”, which is located on the “nth” floor, under the roof of one of the hotels.
I met my birthday with a stale head and a lack of joyful thoughts. I was awakened by the alarm clock, which, as always, by the way, rang at 8.30 in the morning. And we got up so early, because our guide finally showed up and was going to arrange a sightseeing tour of the city.
The tour was informative, but I can’t say that I remember it very much. For 2 hours we traveled the whole city, understood the state structure of the country, the life of the local population. I was interested in the cost of housing in the city center. It turns out that a “two-bedroom” (2 bedroom) apartment is located in the very center of the city, in an “elite” house (in Moscow it would be listed as “within the garden ring”) 70-80 thousand in American currency. And this is with the simplest finish! And a house on the ocean (sea) costs, on average, 50 thousand in the same currency. At the same time, people are given mortgages at 3-5% per annum. We are far from such figures, of course.
Even more interesting is the situation with cars. A lot of manufacturers have opened their factories in Malaysia. Of course, a locally assembled Mercedes is more expensive than a European one, but it can be borrowed at 1.5% per annum (!!! )
At the end of the tour, we also went on an excursion to the television tower (in terms of height, by the way, the third in the world, after Canada and Moscow), and ran a little through the shops. And in the evening we were waiting for a plane to Singapore and a flight home.
The airport was as quiet as the night of our arrival. Quickly checking in, we proceeded further to the pre-flight inspection. That evening, my companion did not feel well, apparently, sudden changes in climate caused some kind of colds. So, before the inspection, she went to a place known to everyone, and I sat down on the “bench” and looked at our boarding cards. An interesting point in my friend's ticket caught my attention - instead of the name "Tatiana" (that's her name), the name "Maria" was listed. I was about to go to the front desk and swear why the name was entered incorrectly, but along the way I became thoughtful. I think everyone knows that the system issues boarding passes based on the ticket. I took it out of my bag and was just shocked - my companion's ticket had a different name. Moreover, under a false name, we flew around 5 airports in 3 countries, passed all possible pre-flight, customs controls, landing control, etc. And not a single service stopped us with this question (!!!! )
After discussing this situation with a friend, we decided to keep quiet about it and fly to Singapore. As I expected, everything went smoothly. Since we had a time interval of 9 hours between arrival and departure to Moscow, we went to the SwiSS hotel (4 stars). In one well-known film, the phrase “You might think that Shangri La is here! ” Somehow sounded. . . It was about us at that moment. . . The hotel, although it was clean inside, turned out to be very modest in terms of service and interior for such a room price ($ 350). At night I had nightmares, it was very cold (the button to turn off the air conditioner did not work ), and Tanya was ill, and she constantly woke up... Barely holding out until morning, we went to Changi airport, where unprecedented surprises awaited us.
After registering, we went to customs control in terminal 2, already familiar to us. Standing in line, I noticed that very nice girls were sitting at all the counters, and, by the will of fate, some kind of grandfather was sitting behind ours. I respect the elderly, but this employee should have retired a long time ago.
As an experienced "fighter", I went first. Having received a stamp on my visa, I went to the duty-free zone. After that, this "grandfather" looked at Tanya's documents for a long time, and then asked "Hu from Maria? " My companion, being in a very ill condition, and without much experience in speaking English, was at first confused, but then I came to her aid. For about five minutes I explained to this respected gentleman that this is a middle name, like "John" and "Jonathan. " In general, the chip did not work, and Tanya remained in Singapore. And they didn't let me go back either. Shouting across the aisle to her to go to the check-in counters to sort things out, I went to the head of the shift of the migration service to resolve the situation. After 15 minutes, Tanya returned, saying that the ticket would not be changed for her, but she had to buy a new one, which costs 3200, in the same American currency. This arrangement made me furious. The shift supervisor, realizing that he smelled “fried”, decided to let me go back to Singapore, leaving my passport as a deposit, but then, looking carefully into my eyes, he decided to give me my passport as well.
At the check-in desk, they shrugged, they said that the ticket was used up for the most part, and they would not be able to change it, they only offered to buy a new one for the amount indicated above. We refused. I began to insist that a representative of Singapore Airlines be called. After 15 minutes of scandal, attention was drawn to me from everyone who flew out of the 2nd terminal that early morning.
Time moved inexorably forward, but there were no ideas. Of course, I could buy a ticket for the indicated amount, but, to be honest, the toad was choking. Secondly, I'm not used to paying for other people's mistakes. And then I remembered the conversation with the guide during the first visit to Singapore. The attentive reader will remember that Singaporeans are proud of three "things": banks, the port and the national airline. Remembering the third terminal, and how cool we flew to Bali in business class, I decided to try to break through the other gates. And even though we were not flying business class, but as my grandmother said, “face with a brick - and go! ” This principle worked! The lovely girls stamped our passports and we went to the duty-free zone and quickly moved to the next terminal (with documents in the name of Maria). Having seen plenty of films in the country known to everyone in my childhood, I understood perfectly well that after the scandals that I rolled up, all the services warned about the presence of two “crazy rashans”. As time has shown, I was right...
Having put my companion on the bench 2 exits ahead (the distance to our exit was 300 meters, so they could not notice us), I took off my sweater (it was cold in the morning), baseball cap and glasses, and became a “new person”. As I found out later, they didn’t remember my companion (as for us they look the same, so do we for them... ), but they remembered me - the main brawler - dressed in a blue sweater, a baseball cap with a star (I brought it from Cuba), and wearing glasses, and that my name is Alex. I came out wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. A pre-flight inspection was carried out here, after which people approached the counter, marked the boarding passes, and passed into the "sump", after which they walked to the plane. My attention was drawn to the officers who stood between the screening service and the counter where the boarding marks were marked, in a narrow corridor. They checked the documents of all Russians. Thinking that I should get lost, I waited for the right moment.
Five minutes later, a group of our tourists with surfboards appeared, about fifteen people. I got it - this is it! Quickly calling Tanya, we went to the screening with the whole crowd. After checking everything, they lowered us, and everyone went on. The officers, seeing the guy with the girl, began to check passports and boarding passes. After looking at the documents of my friend, they immediately let her through, and my documents were examined for about three minutes. Then one of them asks: "Alex? " I nodded approvingly. Then they checked all the documents again, my photo, and once again asked: “Alex? ” I said, - "Well, Alex, Alex! ". After exchanging glances, they said something to each other, and they let me go too.
There was one more obstacle - the check-in booth for the plane. It was automatic (everyone went there and inserted the landing cards into a special box, from where they received an absentee spine). Before us stood an elderly man who could not figure out what to do. Feeling as a fifth point that the problems were not over yet, I decided to help him, and then go through and hide in the toilet.
And with a trembling hand, I lower our landing cards, and that's it! Hooray! We're coming through! Not having time to move away from the booth, I hear screams and screams behind our backs... Turning around, I again fell into a state of shock. In an organized crowd, the woman with whom we quarreled recently ran towards us, her assistant, the head of the airport migration service, the head of the airport police, with 4 policemen, the head of the security service of Singapore Airlines, and 2 more girls from the service service. We were asked to sit next to the counter. Already prepared to make a fuss and go to the end, I sat down.
The chief of police began to chastise those guards who looked at my passport. The only thing I heard was that they kept repeating "Alex, Alex. . . ". All amicably communicated with each other obviously on raised tones. About five minutes later, the same woman came up to me and in good English told me that part of the story about which we knew nothing.
It turns out that my monologue about the courts inspired her, and she got through to the director of the customer service department of Singapore Airlines. He called the head of the airport, who, in turn, called the head of the migration service. Apparently they agreed. Just in case, they also called the Russian consulate, where they were told the following: “Send people, we will figure it out in Moscow. ” Everyone unanimously agreed, but at some point they realized that we didn’t exist. They gave the command to look for us, put up guards at the gate in order to “catch the crazy rushan”. But then they remembered me, at that time already dressed.
They brought us a lot of apologies, the girls from the service gave us tea, after which they let us go and wished us a good flight. The whole "sump", where mostly Russians were sitting, looked at us as Bonnie and Clyde of the 21st century... But the main thing is that we got on board.
Ten hours of flight, and we are in our native Domodedovo. The airport, as usual, met us with a huge queue of tourists at passport control (everyone who flew to Turkey and Egypt two weeks ago returned refreshed and rested ).
Then two hours in traffic jams to the house. And that's it, the end of the journey!
A month later, I received three envelopes from Singapore Airlines at the postal address at the place of permanent registration. In the first one, I received a letter of apology for the incident from employees, many of whom I managed to get to know personally, in the second, I received an award card with accrued miles and a “for harmfulness” bonus, and in the third, a voucher for a day of free accommodation in a hotel in Singapore, and an invitation to visit this wonderful country again…
Like
You like
• 29
Show other comments …
