I'm in Singapore after the longest leg of my journey home. It got off to a smooth start and on time. Heathrow was busy. Check out the line up. 

There was only light cloud so I had a good view as we flew over south east England. 

Before crossing the coast.  

As before, the food was amazing. As if I don't have enough excess weight to lose! 

I watched a couple of movies (The Dressmaker and How to Be Single) before trying to get some sleep. This was the first time I tried out folding the seat down to a flat bed. It was really comfortable and I certainly rested for a few hours but I don't think I got any sleep. Just too much noise or movement. The last few hours of the flight were a little bumpy too which didn't help. 

They woke us a couple of hours before Singapore for breakfast. After more delicious food I was able to get out my proper camera and catch some of the sunrise.

And the lights of Singapore as we approached. 

I had time for one more movie so I watched The Danish Girl. Glad I finally got to see it.  

So I've got about 14 hours to wait around in Singapore before boarding the final flight home. Time to freshen up and maybe read the book I bought at Heathrow.  

Last night, after some dinner in the lounge, I went to the transit hotel to sleep. You can book rooms for 6 hour slots. When I arrived the receptionist advised that they are doing maintenance work hotel and that the power might go off between 2:00 and 5:00. And that, if it did, the emergency light would come on in my room - but not to panic! He gave me an extra hour for free for the inconvenience.

Well, at 2:00 the power did go off and the emergency light did come on. Not bright enough to keep me awake but bright enough to be annoying. I managed to avoid the light and get back to sleep before the power eventually came back on and the light went off (back to front, I know). The room was fine though, perfect for my needs with a nice bathroom. 

I checked out at 5:00 and made it to the lounge which was quiet but not empty. I got myself some breakfast.  

Hardly a soul around. 

On the way to the buffet I saw the headlines about Prince's untimely death. Couldn't believe it. What's going on this year?

After some downloading my photos it was time to head to the gate to board my chariot. I've been on an A380 a few times already but always economy.

Business class is upstairs. I spent a bit of time getting to know my home for the next 14 hours. So many little compartments. The seats are HUGE - more like a 2 seater.  

By the time we departed it was 9:00, so once we were up in the air it was time for breakfast number 2. 

The French toast was delicious.  

Nicely full, I settled in to some movies. First was Bridge of Spies followed by Star Wars VII - finally got around to seeing it. 

Most of the people in the cabin appeared to want to sleep all the way to London so I felt obliged to keep my shade down for a lot of the trip. But I still managed to get glimpses of the journey from time to time and a long stretch at meals.  The terrain began with islands and meandering rivers.

When I looked down after watching Star Wars in noticed a vast expanse of wilderness. It reminded me very much of the terrain in the movie except someone had changed the colour palette from sandy brown to dusty grey.  

Slowly I noticed the natural curves of erosion make way to the angular lines of civilisation.  Then, when we reached Afghanistan it changed again and I began to see snow capped mountains that got more populous as we reached Georgia. They looked as if they had been dusted with icing sugar.

I gazed for ages as we crossed into the Black Sea and tracked along the northern coast of Turkey. 

Somewhere in that time was lunch. I had the chicken. The dessert was particularly delicious.  

Rum Baba.  

There was thick cloud as we reached Europe, so nothing to see for the last couple of hours. Hoping to see some English countryside I watched eagerly when we crossed the English Channel but it was just thick white cloud until just before the airport.  After being in a holding pattern for a couple of loops we landed only a little after schedule. 

The weather in London was cold, grey and wet. But I didn't mind at all. It was just great to be back here.

It would have been rush hour and my original plan was to catch the tube to the hotel. I was anxious that would be difficult/stressful so I decided to catch the Heathrow Express to Paddington then a taxi to the hotel. A much better option. The taxi driver was SO talkative. 

The hotel room is lovely with a view of Kensington High Street.

In an effort to reset my body clock I resisted the temptation to fall straight into bed. Instead, I was brave (for me) and ventured down to the restaurant alone. The food and service were excellent. I had Asparagus Gnocchi and Seared Tuna followed by a small Lemon Soufflé.  

The lounge at Changi airport has 1 piano song. On continuous loop. Over and over again. Time to put my headphones on.  

I'm sitting in the KrisFlyer lounge at Changi airport after the first leg of my flight to London. It's been an ultra smooth journey so far. You see, when I booked the flights there was a sale and I decided to treat myself to business class. And what a difference it makes. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I was up early after a restless sleep last night. Em and Ash stayed at my place last night so I had my breakfast on the balcony as the light started to come up so I didn't disturb them too much. The taxi was early but it meant I got to the airport and through customs quickly.

We boarded on time. I'm not sure about the rest of the plane but business class was only about 1/4 full. I had no one else in my row at all. I promised Anna I would provide all the details of the flight, so here goes.

The seat was super comfortable. 

More leg room than you could ever wish for. 

We got a pack with slippers, socks and an eye mask but I didn't bother taking a picture (sorry Anna).  

The chair was electronically controlled - once I worked it out! 

After a glass or two of champagne I started by watching The Lady in the Van. Great movie. Then it was time for lunch. 

The menu. 

Delicious. 

This was SO good! 

The Brie was the best.  

As lovely as the meal and service was, I little part of me almost missed the fun of discovering the usual tray of compartmentalised, and sometimes ambiguous, items. Not complaining though.  

Shortly after lunch we crossed the WA coast and left Australia.  

Shortly after passing over the coast I noticed at least 22 tankers of some type anchored off shore. They looked odd all grouped together but then I noticed many more around Indonesia and Singapore.  

I was feeling tired (from doing nothing) so I reclined and listed to music for most of the rest of the trip. The flying conditions were perfect with a very smooth flight. 

An hour before landing it was time for more food. I didn't need it but how could I refuse. 

Smoked turkey focaccia with sweet potato chips. 

After landing, I spent a little time wandering around the terminal getting my bearings. While I was syncing photos from my phone a couple wandered near. The lady had a selfie stick and was taking photos/video of herself in every imaginable direction and pose, including while sitting on an unattended buggy. It was hilarious to watch.

I'm going to hang around the lounge for a while and grab something to eat. It's 5:30pm now and my next flight isn't until 9:00am tomorrow. I've booked a room in the airport hotel to grab a bit of sleep then I'll come back to the lounge before my flight.

After choosing to stay in the airport instead of taking a bus tour into the city I was a little worried I might be in for an arduous and boring day. In the end though I had a great day. I read, ate, drank and explored. And massive airports like this one are always good for a photo or two.

When I paused to take this shot I was only looking at the handrail. I only noticed the great lines and perspective when I checked the image. Another happy accident.

Masses of trolleys waiting patiently for the next wave of travellers. 

By 8:00 pm I'd been there 12 hours. Only a few to go and I was feeling tired but OK. I've picked up a little cold and my runny nose was getting very annoying. I decided to seek out some medication. I made sure it wasn't going to prevent me from sleeping in the plane. Yes, it will make me drowsy? That's OK, I thought. I took one just over an hour before boarding not realising how quickly or intensely it would take effect. The last hour before boarding was hell! I had to keep constantly walking or moving for fear of falling asleep at the gate. I have never felt so happy and relieved to finally sink into my seat on the plane. Not that it would ensure sleep. I dozed at best, yet it was enough to make that final flight seem quite short.

On the advice of the airline I decided to get to Heathrow as early as possible. The added bonus was that I could take the Piccadilly line before peak hour hit. I wasn't keen on navigating through those crowds.

To my surprise, when I got to the airport check-in went as smoothly as normal. The check-in clerk noted my middle seat and looked to see if an aisle seat was available instead. So glad she didn't find one because it turned out that my seat was in the row that only has 3 middle seats - a really good spot! I must note the seat location details in addition to the seat number in future. 

The flight was fine. Being a night flight, I intended to try and sleep and organised myself accordingly. But unfortunately, despite best efforts and ideal conditions, it was not to be. 

So I have the day in Singapore. I had planned to catch a bus tour from the airport but I'm just too tired. Plus I think I've picked up a minor cold, so not feeling 100%; preferred to potter around the airport. 

I noticed this sign with lovely words on the door to the butterfly house. 

This time tomorrow I'll be home.