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Paul Bigland

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Paul Bigland

Category Archives: Travel

Rolling blog. HS2-ing and fro-ing, pt 1…

31 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Hs2, Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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Hs2, Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

06:30.

07:25.

Another silly o’ clock start. I’ve been up for an hour getting ready to head South to meet up with my ‘partner in crime’ for a couple of days exploring HS2 railway construction and mitigation sites, but first I’ve got to get to Banbury. The weather’s looking bleak. The rain’s already started here in the Calder Valley so Dawn’s being a star and giving me a lift to the station so that I don’t get a soaking from the off! I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to keep popping back to see what I get up to…

07:30.

Thanks to Dee I arrived at Halifax station dry and in plenty of time. Having bid Dawn au revoir I caught the 07:14 Halifax-Hull, an earlier train than planned which gives me an extra 6 minutes in the bank. As it’s starting from Halifax it’s also far less crowded, despite being worked by a 2-car Class 158 today. No doubt that situation will change once we’ve reached Bradford and beyond.

Even so, I’ve bagged a table seat, plugged my phone into the USB socket to keep it charged and begun to catch up with the waking world.

Almost as soon as we left the cheerful Guard conducted a ticket check. With the train being quiet we swapped cheeky banter as I asked when the trolley service came round!

07:40.

As I predicted, the train filled up at Bradford Interchange. My bay and the opposite table are now full. There’s a young businessman of Indian extraction sat opposite whilst the rest of the seats have been taken by a mother and daughters – also of Asian extraction but further South and East. I haven’t heard them speak so I can’t tell where they hail from originally.

Now we’re heading towards Leeds on a miserable day weather-wise. The sky’s a monotone grey, producing the light drizzle that soon has you soaked as it has the ability to permeate almost any clothing.

08:25.

My time at Leeds was brief, just 15 minutes. I hardly had time to get the camera out but then there wasn’t much of interest to photograph on such a grey day. Making my way to platform 15 I waited for Cross-Country’s 08:11 to Bristol Temple Meads which arrived spot on time. Consisting of two four-car Class 220s the service was reasonably busy. The was plenty of custom for it at Leeds, although several were only going as far as our next stop at Wakefield Westgate where we exchanged them for more long-distance travellers. The cross-country network is all things to all people. Some use it for short hops as the timings are convenient whilst others appreciate its reach and use it for far longer journeys – students and senior travellers especially.

Cross-country may not be the biggest operator but it’s certainly the most far-reaching. Although the network’s been cut back from its height its tendrils radiate from Birmingham afar as Penzance and Aberdeen. What a shame the dept of transport have no idea what to do with it other than cut its train-fleet by forcibly retiring their high-speed train fleet with no plan for replacement. Their capacity is desperately needed in the summer, especially now passenger numbers have bounced back and the state of the economy’s forcing more people to holiday in the UK.

11:00.

My trip to Birmingham was uneventful, although it gave great views of the HS2 construction sites at Washwood Heath and Curzon St, where the pillars for the elevated station deck are springing up like mushrooms. I filmed this as we passed.

Building HS2’s Curzon St station.

Birmingham’s wet. Very wet, so I was glad to seek shelter on Chiltern Railways 10:55 from Moor St which will carry me to my rondezvous in Banbury.

In a sign of the times I popped into a shop in New St which sells baguettes. It was always a busy place. For years the filled baguettes cost 99p and made a cheap and tasty meal. Then, post Covid they increased to £1.20. Today they’re £2.20. It may have been the time of day but the shelves were full but the shop empty. I was the only customer.

28th March picture of the day…

28 Tuesday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Architecture, Community rail, Community Rail Network, Nottingham, Photography, Railways, Travel

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Architecture, Community rail, Community Rail Network, Photography, Railways, Travel

Tempting as it was I decided not to do a rolling blog today because I had more than enough plates to keep spinning without adding another one to the mix. We had a convivial night with many of the Community Rail Network team as we were saying goodbye to Director of Support and Development (and Deputy Chief Executive) Brian Barnsley. Brian was one of the early members of the team from the days when the organisation consisted of a handful of people. After a fun ‘life of Brian’ presentation at the conference social a few of us adjourned to a local hostelry that served real ale – and where you didn’t have to pay hotel prices! Even so, we were good as Dawn and I had to be up by 7am because Dee was working on the conference reception desk with Community Rail Support Officer Daniel Wright. The pair of them made a great double-act, prompting humour and a relaxed atmosphere – just what you need to know that the conference you’re attending isn’t going to be stuffy! We were starting early as many delegates had a long way to travel home, so whilst I had time to tuck into the excellent hotel breakfast Dee was preparing for the delegate deluge. leaving me no option but to drop in a Red Cross parcel of a Danish pastry, croissant and coffee to provide that all important sugar-rush! The conference was a really good event. There was a great range of speakers and presentations to keep people engaged which meant I was kept busy with the camera and laptop as I was constantly feeding the CRN media team with images to use on Twitter and other social media. That said, I did get to listen to and learn from some of the presentations, as well as chat with old friends during the coffee-breaks. The event wrapped up by 16:00 when we bid our farewell to Nottingham with many of us heading North to Yorkshire via Northern’s 16:17 to Leeds. Now the pair of us are relaxing at home ready for another busy few days.

You can find some pictures and more details of the event on CRN’s twitter feed at @CommunityRail.

Now, what to choose for picture of the day? I’m tempted by some of the conference photos but decided against it. Instead, here’s a look at some of the lovely old buildings that make up much of Nottingham’s city centre. In places like this is always worth looking up, although in Nottingham this is made easier by the fact the town’s built over a range of hills!

Here’s the view looking down Queen St with the clock and dome of the Town hall in the background.

Tomorrow I’ll be based at home as I’ve a lot of pictures and paperwork to catch up with before my next escapade later in the week which will involve a popular (and regular) feature of this blog as a friend and I will be visiting several High Speed 2 construction and mitigation sites along the phase 1 route between London and Warwickshire, so expect plenty of words and pictures to come.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Nottingham bound…

27 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Community rail, Community Rail Network, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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Community rail, Community Rail Network, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

09:30.

We’re packed, all electronic devices charged and ready and about to head off to the station to begin our journey to Nottingham to prepare for the Community Rail Network conference. I’ll blog about the trip en-route so feel free to pop back later to see what we get up to…

11:00.

We’re on our way on a bright but bitterly cold day. We even had a snow flurry before we left. Right now we’re on Grand Central’s 10:40 train from Halifax to London which we’re using to get to Wakefield where we connect with Northern’s Leeds-Nottingham service. This GC class 180s busy and even more so after calling at Brighouse where a few dozen were waiting to join. The latest ORR statistics show that GC services have really bounced back from Covid. They’re currently at 103% of pre-Covid figures. Great news for an open-access operator.

The section of line between Ellend (where a new station’s due to open in 2025) and Brighouse has recently been opened up by a huge amount of lineside tree clearance which makes it feel less like a green tunnel.

11:45.

We had 10 minutes for a cross-platform interchange at Kirkgate, where a new building has appeared on the island platform 2-3. Built on behalf of Grand Central it’s a substantial 3 room structure that replaces the draughty and basic shelter that used to be there. There’s staff accommodation at one end, a seated waiting area in the middle and what looks like a potential retail outlet or small office at the other. Only it doesn’t appear to have any power sockets, just a fuse board, which is odd!

The new structure at Kirkgate.

Our Nottingham train arrived spot on time. Thankfully, it’s formed of a 2-car Class 195 so we can make the most of the power sockets and wifi as there’s other members of the CRN team aboard too.

14:15.

Having reached Nottingham and the venue in plenty of time I’ve a few hours to kill before I’m needed I’ve nipped out to make the most of the good weather and grab some new library shots whilst I’m here. East Midlands Railway have had many Class 170s cascaded to them from other operators to start replacing their old BR built fleets. Some have come from Anglia, via Transport for Wales, such as this example.

With Nottingham Eastcroft depot in the background 170271 works 1K67, the 13:43 from Newark Castle to Crewe. To the left is the former parcels depot. The building’s intact and used as a Virgin active health club.

16:40.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of hours exploring and getting pictures of railways, trams and the town. One thing that struck me is how many vacant shops there are now. Parts of the town centre are almost deserted. One street I walked along was 90% derelict. Here’s a couple of phone pics to be going on with. I’ll add camera shots later.

The old parcels depot which is now a fitness studio.
There’s one mad Tory Chiltern Cllr who insists that reopening the Great Central is a viable alternative to building HS2 as most of the route is intact. Really? This was the Great Central through the centre of Nottingham. Nothing remains.

Right, now it’s time to go to work…

23rd March picture of the day…

23 Thursday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Merseyside, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Merseyside, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel, West Yorkshire

Today wasn’t a bad day to have been working from home as the weather’s been changeable to say the least – and not exactly balmy either. We’ve had shower after shower interspersed with heavy cloud, bright sunshine, rainbows and wind. I didn’t mind too much as I’d plenty to keep me occupied at home including editing all the pictures from the past few days. They’ve been captioned and placed in several different galleries on my Zenfolio website. If you’re a transport nerd I’ve pretty much covered all bases. You can find ships here. Aviation here and even some buses here. On the railway front there’s pictures of Trans-Pennine Express as well as Northern and Merseyrail. If freight services are your bag I’ve also added a few shots of loco-hauled GBRf trains. Right, everyone happy now?

Ah, that leaves me with one problem. What to choose as the picture of the day…

OK, there *is* one picture I’ve not added to anything yet. It’s one I took in New Brighton the other day and it’s of a pub sign that became rather famous due to the subject matter. Folk on Merseyside are well-known for humour and directness when it comes to politics. You can get into some great discussions on the latter on both sides of the Mersey (unless you venture into Tory Cheshire) where the heat of political discussion is almost always leavened with acerbic wit.

This particular establishment (formerly the James Atherton on Victoria Rd) decided to make their feelings known about Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock. Considering yesterday’s events when Johnson made an arrogant, unapologetic and entitled arse of himself in front of the Parliamentary Standards Committee this seems rather appropriate.

Some folk may be wondering why I’m referring to Merseysiders rather than ‘Scousers’. There’s a simple reason for that. ‘Scousers’ is a term that only applies to those born in Liverpool – not elsewhere on Merseyside. So, people from Birkenhead (the ‘wrong’ side of the Mersey) and satellite towns outside the city real Scousers call ‘Woolybacks’! I was born in the L9 district of Liverpool. Therefore, by an accident of birth (and a long story) that makes me a Scouser. ‘alright’!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

14th March picture of the day…

14 Tuesday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Singapore, Travel

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Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Singapore, Travel

Now I’m back in the UK I’m returning to the picture of the day format for daily blogs as life isn’t going to be quite as exciting or colourful here in dear old Blighty although I have do some interesting trips and visits planned over the next few months. Today wasn’t one of them! Dawn had to go into the Community Rail Network office in Huddersfield whilst I was half tempted to go for a wander with the camera as the weather this morning was gorgeous. It was one of those crisp sunny mornings that really make you want to enjoy the day, but the forecast showed that it wasn’t going to last. The forecast was spot on. By lunchtime heavy cloud had enveloped the valley, closely followed by heavy snow showers but the snow didn’t stick as the ground was so sodden.

Deciding I was going to be more productive at home I retreated to the office to continue paper shuffling and picture editing until late in the afternoon when I decided exercise was more important. Wrapping myself up in waterproofs I strolled down to Sowerby Bridge. I’d half a mind to try and get a few pictures of the Trans-Pennine Express services which are being diverted through the Calder Valley due to the engineering blockade at Stalybridge but the weather didn’t play ball. Mind you, the lateness of the day and the position of the sun (when it shone) didn’t help. Maybe tomorrow as I’m still readjusting to the UK weather after two months in Asia where it’s much more predictable – and a damned sight warmer!

Back home I knocked off early in order to take up cooking duties whilst Dawn was at work. We’d purchased all the ingredients for a Thai green curry, a dish we both really enjoy so I spent a happy hour chopping chicken and slicing veg before filling the kitchen with some delicious smells to welcome Dee when she walked in the door.

Now it’s time to wind down for the evening and leave you with today’s picture, which is another from my recent Asian travels. Singapore has some amazing architecture – old and new. This includes stations on their metro network, especially on some of the newer lines. They’re essays in glass and steel, but each one’s different. Here’s Stevens station on the Thompson-East Coast line which only opened in November 2022.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Back to work…

13 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Calder Valley, Georgetown, Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Calder Valley, Georgetown, Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Travel, West Yorkshire

Today was my first Monday back at work and the past two months travels already seem like a dream if it wasn’t for the fact I’ve all the pictures that prove it was real. Oh, and a tan! Jet lag is already receding. I’m still waking up early but not half-way through the night, although tiredness in the evening is still hitting me. It’s not as if I’ve been exerting myself physically as I’ve been stuck behind a desk for the vast majority of the day because I’ve been busy wading through emails and a pile of real mail that’s been accumulating whilst I’ve been away. Then there’s been the weather. We had heavy, gusting rain during the night that’s disposed of all of the remaining snow. The rain returned this morning and never really went away. Persistent precipitation meant that I didn’t even get out for a walk today – making it only the second time I’ve not hit my steps target this year. I’m hoping to make up for that tomorrow although the forecast looks bleak.

On the bright side, I’ve got a lot done today even though I’ve been trying to ease myself back in to my usual routine slowly. I’ve edited the final selection of pictures from my trip although most of them still need to have captions added. I did get a few dozen completed which you can find in the Malaysian gallery (link) on my Zenfolio website. There’s many more to follow tomorrow. Now it’s time to call it a day as the jet lag’s beginning to catch up with me and I’m planning on an early night. But, before I go I’ll leave you with a sample shot from my latest Malaysian pictures.

Homelessness is a problem in Malaysia, just as it is in the UK, although as a more developed and richer country we have even less of an excuse to allow it to happen. People find all sorts of temporary places to live. In the case of the chap in the green shirt it’s the bus station underneath the Komtar centre which provides a roof over his head (and that of several others). His belongings are hung on the rail next to him and stored underneath seats to the right. With the constant to-ing and fro-ing of buses it’s hardly the quietest or least polluted place to live, but at least it’s safe…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

A lazy Sunday back in West Yorkshire…

12 Sunday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Musings, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Musings, Travel, West Yorkshire

I’ve had a fantastic time travelling through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore these past two months, but I have to admit it was rather nice to get back to Bigland Towers yesterday after such a long journey back to the UK. Dawn was a star and prepared food for the pair of us whilst I unpacked and got used to being home again. Come early evening the lack of sleep caught up with me. Apparently, I fell asleep by 20:30. I was wide awake again by 05:00 so crept out of bed so as not to disturb Dee and spent several hours editing pictures in the office before Dawn woke. My body clock was telling me 05:00 was early afternoon Singapore time. I suspect my sleep patterns will take a few days for my natural rhythms to adjust which is why the two of us have had a slow, relaxed day today. Well, that and the fact we’ve both been on our own for the past couple of months so have to get used to being a couple again. In truth, we’ve both had a lovely day at home catching up with each other about all those things you can’t fit into a weekly video call which is what we kept up whilst I was away.

Come late afternoon with the yesterday’s snow having nearly all melted we walked down into Sowerby Bridge for the first time this year. It being Sunday the place was quiet. The supermarkets and most other places were shut. Even the few pubs that were open were quiet. All except the ‘Hogshead’ brew pub where we called in for a drink. That place was full but not overflowing so we managed to find a seat. It felt strange to be back in a pub after being in Asia for so long. I’d rarely visited any bars whilst I’d been away – and those that I had were very different to a British pub full of white faces!

Now, having enjoyed the fruits of Dawn’s efforts in the kitchen which produced slow-cooked chicken with pressure-cooked veg we’re having a quiet night in and about to enjoy each others company whilst watching a film. I’ll be working from home for much of this week as there’s loads to catch up with but I plan to have a day out covering some of the changes going on with the rail network in the North-West – weather permitting…

The nearest I got to a local pub in Malaysia was this beer and wine shop in Georgetown. In the evening customers would grab a stool or two and take over the road outside. There was a fantastic mix of locals from different communities, expats and travellers from all around the world.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

The Asian adventure ends back in West Yorkshire…

11 Saturday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Air Travel, Photography, Railways, Singapore, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Photography, Railways, Singapore, Travel, West Yorkshire

This is a short blog from me as that was a long 24 hours – and then some! I was up at 05:30 yesterday in order to pack and make my way to Changi airport where I arrived at 08:00. I finally left the airport on a Singapore Airlines flight at 02:15 the next morning! Then I had a 14 hour flight during which managed a couple of hours sleep at best (so my Fitbits tells me). After landing at Heathrow at 08:25 Dawn met me at terminal 3 for a delayed but wonderful reunion after my 2 month absence. I’d enough time to grab a shower at the hotel room Dee had booked for us (but I never got to share with her) before it was time to leave and head back North. Making our way to Kings Cross via the Piccadilly line we were soon speeding our way up the East Coast Main Line to Leeds before catching a local service to a snow-covered Halifax and the Calder valley. In the space of a day I’ve gone from the 31 degree heat and humidity of Singapore to temperatures hovering around freezing! There’s so much that I could write about the journey but tonight’s not the time. I’ll flesh this blog out more tomorrow when I’ve had some sleep. It’s great to be home and now it’s time to have some quality-time with my wife. See you all tomorrow!

The view from our bedroom window looking out across a snow-covered Calder Valley with the next load on its way…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Asian adventure day 57. The long (long) way home…

10 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Air Travel, Airports, Photography, Singapore, Travel

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Air Travel, Airports, Singapore, Travel

08:45. (Singapore time)

I’m now at Changi airport waiting for my flight to Doha. Changi’s always been on of the world’s best airports when it comes to facilities. Rather than being confined to the usual regimented rows of airport seating I’m relaxing in a single seat recliner with a table fitted with power sockets. I’m sat next to a large garden water feature, complete with fish to watch if you want to pass the time!

To give the Qatar airport staff credit. I was dealt with by a lovely young woman of Japanese extraction who heard my tale of woe regarding booking and immediately took me to a desk and found me window seats on both flights. I’d have thought they’d have all been taken but I expect I’m not alone in having problems checking in via their website!

I was looking forward to coming home but now the news has broken that the shitshow we call a government has postponed building sections of HS2, the new high-speed railway on cost grounds. The idea that a 2 year delay will save money is the stuff of fantasy, but it does show just how economically incompetent they are. They’ve already wasted hundreds of millions on the project with dither and delay which has led to plan revisions and more waste. I really can’t wait to see the back of this lot.

No doubt I’ll be blogging about this at greater length when I get back to the UK and there’s no travel tales to regale you with, In the meantime, I’m going to relax, enjoy the facilities at Changi and enjoy my flights. I’ve a rapid transit in Doha so there’ll be no time to blog there. What I won’t be doing in Changi is enjoying a drink. Apart from the fact it’s far too early this is one expensive airport. Here’s the bar prices. $21.50? That’s £13.35 a pint!

There’s no Wetherspoons full of drunks here…

The next you’ll hear from me us when I’m back in the UK. Dawn (blizzards in the Pennines permitting) is coming to Heathrow to meet me. We’re having an overnight in a hotel before travelling home together, so don’t expect to hear from me later today, even though I do arrive back in the UK this evening!

10:30.

Oh, shit! We’ve just been told our flight is delayed by at least an hour, so that’s my connection in Doha almost certainly missed (I only had 80 mins to connect). I’ve been told I’ll be put on the next available flight to Heathrow, but at this stage I’ve absolutely no idea when that will be.

12:45.

I’m still at Changi airport. The Qatar staff had promised at 12:00 update. This has now slipped to 13:00. Looking out I can see our plane on the tarmac with the cowlings around one engine lifted. That means we’re going to be delayed for several hours yet. It also means I can kiss goodbye to getting back to the UK today. The last flight from Doha arrives at Heathrow at 22:00, two hours behind the one I should have been on. The maths simply don’t stack up. I await the 13:00 update with interest…

17:00.

The 13:00 update was to move the time of the update to 15:00. It was clear by now this was no minor problem. Shortly afterwards we received the news that the plane was was being rescheduled – to 04:00 tomorrow. We were all to be taken back into Singapore where we’d be put up in a hotel until coaches came to collect us at 01:00. This meant going back through the faff of immigration and filling out online passport checks first, then collecting our baggage and jumping into taxis to take us to our hotel, the £200 a night Grand Park City Hotel, not the sort of establishment I’d normally stay in on my own unless I was on a press trip!

Dinner (on Qatar) is at 18:30. In the meantime I’m going to relax for a bit and enjoy the luxury.

17:15.

Whilst I was writing this I had a phone call from the airline. They’ve pulled out some stops and rebooked me on a direct flight from Singapore to London with Singapore airlines. Now, instead of arriving God knows when, I’ll be in London at 05:55 tomorrow morning. Still later than arriving today, but a lot better than having to change at Doha and get a flight whenever.

19:15.

The saga continues! I’ve just received an email from Singapore Airlines to say my new flight (SQ322) is delayed! Instead of leaving ay 23:45 tonight it will now depart at 02:10 on the 11th. I’m really not bothered as it means I land at a better time – 08:20, which means Dawn gets a lie in at the hotel!

23:45.

I have this feeling of Deja Vu! I’m back at Changi airport only this time it’s terminal 3 not 1. 3 is rather like having an airport tacked on to the side of a shopping centre. Admittedly, there’s some interesting architectural features and lots of planting, but – it’s still a shopping centre.

Having been fed and watered at the hotel earlier I’m fine so resisted all the temptations. To be honest the price of local dishes isn’t bad. It’s the Western stuff thats ‘chingy’. But, right now I simply want to get on that plane and head home.

00:35.

Still waiting for the call to head through security to the gate. Apparently (in contrast to the size of the rest of the airport) the holding area’s small. In an effort to stay awake I went for a long wander into terminal 1 where I was earlier. Changi’s a truly International airport. There’s folks from all corners of the planet here. Quite a few have bedded down as their flights aren’t for ages. No-one bothers them. It’s a marked contrast to the last time I spent a night at Stansted before catching an early morning flight. The airport had security going around harassing anyone who tried to get in a horizontal position as it was ‘forbidden’. I’ve ensured I’ve never used the airport since.

Don’t try this at Stansted. But don’t expect any carpet either.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Asian adventure day 57. The day before I return home…

09 Thursday Mar 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Food and drink, Photography, Singapore, Travel

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Food and drink, Photography, Singapore, Travel

I was hoping to have a full and busy day here in Singapore but that was thwarted by my airline – Qatar. I’d tried to check-in online with them the other day but their website’s crap. It keeps hanging up. I even tried on my phone where I got a little further before the same thing happened. In frustration I tweeted about it and tagged them in. This gained a response which I thought was hopeful but it proved to be anything but. Whoever was on the other end of the Direct Messages went through the standard checklist. Not quite ‘have you tried turning if off and turning it back on again’ but not far off! When I was asked for information I’d already supplied I started to get a tad tetchy – especially as we were getting nowhere slowly. I was asked if I’d tried using another device – after having explained I’d used both my laptop and smartphone from the initial message. In the end, their bod on the ‘help’ desk gave up, basically. Their ‘constructive’ suggestion was that I turn up at the airport an hour early as I might get a seat I want! FFS! That’s it? What pissed me off even more was that I didn’t even get an apology, never mind any real help. To add insult to injury, Qatar sent me an email this evening asking me to check-in online. They’re oblivious to my earlier problems. Just for fun I clicked on it to see if it’d work. Did it hell…

After getting p*ssed off with Qatar Airlines and with the clock ticking I decided to head out to salvage at least some of the day. I found a local Indian establishment that served and excellent Masala Dosa which I scoffed for brunch before catching an MRT train from Little India down to Marina by the Bay – an area of Singapore that never even existed the first time I came to Singapore. It’s developed a lot since my last visit in 2017. In truth, it’s a fascinating ‘green’ area as it contains so many ecological sites as well as brilliant architecture. There’s ‘cloud forest’ which puts all Victorian palm and greenhouses to shame. Plus, there’s also ‘supertree grove‘ which makes you feel like players in the film ‘Avatar’. As if this wasn’t enough there’s also some great views across the serried ranks of ships waiting their turn to dock in the harbour. There’s so many that they look like a WW2 invasion fleet – on steroids.

The new waterfront.

In finest ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’ tradition I walked almost all the way back home via a couple of places I’ve long memory of. Needless to say, that culminated in the 2nd shower of the day!

Afterwards I went out again to travel on the MRT whilst getting a few pictures. I pitched up at the end of the line, Marina Bay. Formerly Known as Keppel harbour the place has history, much of which is to do with WW2 evacuations but also a rather audacious seaborne raid launched after the island had fallen to the Japanese. The raid’s remembered by this plaque on the waterfront.

This evening I stayed closer to home as I needed to pack ready for a silly ‘o clock start (thanks, Qatar) whilst giving myself a free few hours to have something to eat, then write this – which was delayed by the fact I got into conversations with total strangers. The first was a retired Air Force technician around my age who now runs fitness classes. He was fascinating to talk to as we both shared a similar (although not identical) perspective, The rest we could agree to have differing opinions on. The second chap I met I bumped into purely because we ended up sharing a table at a popular Indian eatery. He was a wagon driver, originally from Tamil Nadu in the very South of India. He’d left his family behind to come and work in Singapore where he could earn good money and send remittances home. What a lovely way to end my trip, talking to locals and incomers about their very different lives out here.

My last Indian meal in Asia for now. This was a gorgeouschicken curry, full of the rich flavour of individual spices.

Now I’m back in the hotel, not quite believing that tomorrow I’ll be flying back to the UK. And what a time to do so. I won’t even touch on the shambles that passes for Government right now. My immediate concern is that there’s up to 40cm of snow predicted for West Yorkshire. A bit of a contrast to where I’m travelling from. But, whatever the weather, I know I’ve a warm welcome awaiting me as Dawn’s coming down to meet me at Heathrow, where we’ve a hotel booked for a night as I land far too late to get a train North.

So, this is my final blog from Asia – on this trip anyway. It won’t be long before I’m back The past two months have been fantastic but I’m not going to try and sum up the trip in this blog as it’s late and I’ve got to pack. Instead, here’s a few pictures from today’s wanderings.

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