Ah, joy...

Saturday 21st June

Ah well, I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Having arrived too late last night to do the suit-fitting thing, we turned up at the tailor first thing this morning (11.30) (after yet another uninspiring breakfast at the Sepia Residency). Needs some fine-tuning, come back at four...

Duly turned up at 4 (having done laps of MG Rd trying to get last-minute stuff for people, as my original plan was sold out when I got there...) - then waited for an hour and a half... Trousers could use some small adjustments, but I guess they will be happening in Australia!

Rushed (such as it is possible in Bangalore peak hour) back to the hotel to bathe and encourage my new suits to fit into my suitcase.

The suits were so big and heavy (in a good-quality kind of way), I was not sure I'd be able to get my suitcase packed, let alone checked in in a hassle-free manner. So I madly rushed around throwing out cheap stuff, eg my Nivea face-cream and almost-finished Dove body-wash, tipping out my shampoo, etc, in an effort not to pay a vast amount per kilo of cheap stuff I could have thrown out, if you see what I mean.

Surprisingly, the zip-out extension on my suitcase works in a mysteriously good way. If I have trouble closing the suitcase, I unzip the extension, close and zip the suitcase, and then I am able to re-zip the extension down again. And managed it with multiple suit contents. Heh, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here - it still has to arrive in Melbourne!

Weighed in at 25 kilos, and they let it through, so all was well. And didn't weigh my carry-on luggage, which was even weller, there are a few weight-causing books stashed therein. Still, I could always go for Plan B on the backpack, which is to remove my laptop and slightly heavy powercord and pull the "I'm allowed a laptop as a separate item" line.

Have to admit I was feeling slightly sorry to be leaving Bangalore - having spent the previous two weeks travelling around, it felt a bit like coming home yesterday, what with all the familiar shops on MG Rd, which is about all I know of it. And I was beginning to recognise the approach to the Vintage Sepia.

Flight was about as exciting as a five-hour midnight flight can be. Large meal served at 1am, Bangalore time. Stiflingly hot during the allocated sleep period. Must find out why they make it so hot, is it just to make babies cry and adults grumpy? Something orchestrated by the hosties union, so they can prove they earn their pay?

Anyway, as a grand finale to the flight, the person sitting in front of me saw fit to throw up all over the aisle during landing. Not much you can say to that really. Adult. Sick bag in seat pocket in front of him. Chooses not to use it, but instead to share his fortune (and 1am dinner) with the rest of the plane. Perhaps he was in cahoots with the hosties union.

So now for a few hours of browsing Changi Airport (having realised that though I have time to go shopping in Singapore proper, probably not much will be open at 6am on a Sunday) - whilst looking forward to a nice long day-time flight back to Melbourne. With, I feel compelled to say, probably the crappest lineup of movies I've seen on a plane for a long time. Might have to dig out some of those weight-causing books from my backpack...