Singapore

Singapore

Unfortunatley, Singapore did not go exactly as planned. The airport is amazing however! After a 6 hr flight, we arrived at Changi, probably the nicest airport we have been too. We intentionally checked our luggage (we pack carry on for all our trips) so we wouldn't have to mess with it during our 16 hr layover in Singapore. Smart thinking Will! We knew this portion of the trip would be rough because we had 2 overnight flights back to back! This is also the part of the trip that both Will and I discovered that Dubai Taco Bell Quesadilla's and sensitive American stomachs don't mix, and we have been suffering the consequences ever since! But hey, if it is a parasite, I have a great doctor!

We arrived at the airport around 7:30am and were completely worn out. We had time to kill because stuff wouldn't be open. Luckily for us, Changi has special napping areas, so we rested for about 3 hours on these little lounge chairs....the only bad thing was that it was right next to the Hard Rock Cafe, so loud music didn't help much.

We left the airport around 11 and thanks to Singapore Airlines, we got half off our tour bus ticket. What we didn't know is that is was more like a shuttle bus rather than a touring bus like the Big Bus tour I wanted to take. Will and I were both so tied and there was no commentary to keep us awake, so we ended up taking cap naps on the 2 hr city tour and didn't get off at any of the sights.

We wanted to ride this giant ferris wheel, but it was closed, so we walked to this newly developed area that has building that would rival Dubai any day. (just not as many). One building looked like a broken egg shell and the other had three towers with a boat on top. We later found out that it was a casino and a museum. It was hot and muggy, so we found a Starbucks to cool off. My boss Benny had forwarded the name of a band director that recently moved to Singapore, so we contacted him and he met us at the Starbucks. My plan to have authentic Asian food did not happen because our stomach still were not happy. So we found a local pizza joint in the bottom of a mall below street level. Tim had been looking for a decent pizza place and he said that restuarant was the closest thing he has found so far...so i am glad we could help. We had a really nice visit with Tim and shared our travel stories and learned more about the Sinapore culture.

One of the coolest things for me was that while we were at Starbucks, all these tiny band students started showing up. They were giving performances next to the lake so we got to watch those! These kids were tiny too! They only looked to be in third grade and were playing middle school level music. Yes, I heard Lady Gaga a few times. Some things I learned about band over here are:
Band kids only meet 2 times a week for rehearsals!
Instruments are selected for the kids, not the kids select the instrument.
Students are in school year round.
Tutoring is viewed as a way to get ahead, not remedial. Students finish their day around 1 but stay late for tutoring trying to advance. The individual drive is much higher over here.

I really enjoyed seeing all the band kids and learning how they teach in Singapore.

We headed back to the airport around 7 to take showers! Yes, they have a really cool lounge that offered a hourly sleep hotel, and a spa type place that offered nail, hair, and shower services. It was a great airport to have a long layover. While walking around, we say a butterfly sancuary and a choy pond.

We took showers and went back to wait for our 12:30 am flight to Sydney! We felt tons better after taking showers.

Fyi...do not spit on the grass, chew gum, or bring food on the trains...you could get fined!

Oh..and Singapore Airlines really was amazing. The flight attendants are beautiful, food looked good(I could not eat it) and they gave out Givenchy travel bags that contained a socks, and a tooth brush. Every person got a menu with was would be served and there was free wine and beer the whole flight.