Day 1.5? - Singapore

(Singapore Airport)

The Singapore airport is probably better than Disneyland. Especially if you are a travel-wearied body like myself. The airport is like a small city that goes just about 24-7 and has a free movie theater, massage chairs for free and massages for 20 dollars, magnificent shopping, a koi and orchid pond, and best of all Pods.

Pods you ask? That's right and not Invasion of the Body Snatcher type pods either. It's a mini-hotel in the airport where you can rent a "pod" or tiny little room by the hour, and for about 5 bucks an hour. We got ourselves a six hour block of a tri-pod (ha, ha. HA!) for around 70 smackers. You can see modeled here the awesome first class pj outfits mentioned in the previous blog. (Well, you will when I post them in a week.) I look like Tim Duncan in this picture, which may strike you as odd, but the Singapore air caused a really strange growth spurt. Midgets all-- I beckon you to sunny Singapore.


Right before we landed I asked our flight attendant what he usually does here. He said, and I quote, "In the daytime I chill out, and in the night time I freak out." Interesting. And perhaps a bit disturbing depending on how he defines "freak out."

We took a 6 hour nap (well 2 after laying awake for 4), and then got up to wander around the airport, munch on some breakfast pizza and enjoyed some lovely (and cheap) massages and manicures. I also had THE best smoothie. EVER. It was fresh squeezed orange juice, tart yoghurt, and ice, and maybe something else but it was OH..yes...delicious. I crave it now.



I think the best discovery in Singapore was the hole in the floor toilets. Gina and I went in to the public restroom, entered our stall and discovered this:



That's right, a hole in the ground which you squat over, trying not to soil your clothing and do your business. I was not comfortable, but it did give me extra incentive to master yoga in Bali for added flexibility on my flight back.

The people here are delightfully friendly. Smiles all the time and friendly, friendly, friendly.

We went in to the city for a few hours before we had to catch our flight and tooled around little India, where we rediscovered the meaning of the word HUMIDITY, and the words Back Sweat, as well as the smell of Incense. It was a veritable feast for the senses. Yuck.





We grew hot sweaty and tired, and after a look at this temple and some little shops headed to cooler ground...


...Raffles Hotel.


It was built by the Brittish founder and it was gorgeous. And cool as in cold. It was like what I imagine old colonial architecture in India looks like. Beautiful. We had a feast of Indian food with some comical waiters who competed for our attention by trying to beat each other at pulling out our chairs and bringing us special treats. They were very entertaining and we were sad to say goodbye to them...and the attention.



And so we returned to the airport and to yet another flight...off to our final adventure. BALI.