Singapore: December 12-17, 2015
December 12, 2015: First You Get there
(SinTravel days always involve a lot of time in transit and not much sightseeing. The plane is supposed to take off at 4:40pm. It takes off about a half hour late. AlteCocker has not preordered dinner--for which, of course, you have to pay for on Tiger Air. Asia has a gazillion discount airlines--and the names seem to change all the time. So far this trip she has flown V Air, Nok Air (nok=duck in Thai) and now she adds Tiger Air to her list. There is also a Thai Lion Air. Must be an Asian thing about animal names for airlines. Dunno.
And so arrival at Chiangi Airport in Singapore is late plus Singapore is an hour later than Chiang Mai, so an hour is lost. The airport is spectacular but it is a long walk to passport control. No need to stop at baggage claim. This is a hand luggage only trip. AlteCocker just has a small backpack needing tropical clothing (e.g., shorts and t-shirts) only. She was going to take a taxi to the hotel, the Dorsett Singapore, but has been tipped off by her seatmates to take the MRT (yes, the same name as Taiwan's system!). That is not the only thing that is similar to Taiwan's system on the MRT. The entire thing looks like the Taiwan MRT and AlteCocker knows immediately what to do. In fact, after a bit of googling she discovers that the fare collection systems were designed by the same firm. The structure of the MRT seems identical as well and AlteCocker is quickly at home. When she gets to her stop, AlteCocker asks before going through the station doors and is directed to exit "haitche". AlteCocker had a bit of difficulty understanding that until she realized it was the English pronunciation and she needs exit "H". The hotel practically has its own exit, so very convenient--and $1.83 SD ($1.25 US) as opposed to $40-50 (SD) in a taxi. Couldn't have been easier and cheaper!
Unfortunately, it is really too late to get dinner (Singapore is an hour ahead of Thailand--and 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time in the US) and the weather is, well, very rainy. The weather will be more of the same while she is here and AlteCocker left her umbrella in Thailand. Very stupid move, but the hotel loans her another, so no problem.
The hotel is very nice and $100 a night US so not too bad--the shower has the best pressure she has had since arriving in Asia and you can throw the paper IN the toilet in Singapore as there is a sewer system. It is on the edge of Chinatown which AlteCocker will explore tomorrow. So she goes into her room and does the blog. For the record, folks, Singapore uses the same sockets as the ones in England, and, yes, AlteCocker has the correct adapters.
And so it is off to the races in Singapore!
And so arrival at Chiangi Airport in Singapore is late plus Singapore is an hour later than Chiang Mai, so an hour is lost. The airport is spectacular but it is a long walk to passport control. No need to stop at baggage claim. This is a hand luggage only trip. AlteCocker just has a small backpack needing tropical clothing (e.g., shorts and t-shirts) only. She was going to take a taxi to the hotel, the Dorsett Singapore, but has been tipped off by her seatmates to take the MRT (yes, the same name as Taiwan's system!). That is not the only thing that is similar to Taiwan's system on the MRT. The entire thing looks like the Taiwan MRT and AlteCocker knows immediately what to do. In fact, after a bit of googling she discovers that the fare collection systems were designed by the same firm. The structure of the MRT seems identical as well and AlteCocker is quickly at home. When she gets to her stop, AlteCocker asks before going through the station doors and is directed to exit "haitche". AlteCocker had a bit of difficulty understanding that until she realized it was the English pronunciation and she needs exit "H". The hotel practically has its own exit, so very convenient--and $1.83 SD ($1.25 US) as opposed to $40-50 (SD) in a taxi. Couldn't have been easier and cheaper!
Unfortunately, it is really too late to get dinner (Singapore is an hour ahead of Thailand--and 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time in the US) and the weather is, well, very rainy. The weather will be more of the same while she is here and AlteCocker left her umbrella in Thailand. Very stupid move, but the hotel loans her another, so no problem.
The hotel is very nice and $100 a night US so not too bad--the shower has the best pressure she has had since arriving in Asia and you can throw the paper IN the toilet in Singapore as there is a sewer system. It is on the edge of Chinatown which AlteCocker will explore tomorrow. So she goes into her room and does the blog. For the record, folks, Singapore uses the same sockets as the ones in England, and, yes, AlteCocker has the correct adapters.
And so it is off to the races in Singapore!
December 13, 2015: Chinatown
Since the hotel is near to Chinatown, AlteCocker starts her side trip to Singapore by walking to Chinatown. In Chinatown she stops first at a food hall where she notices a long line in front of an eatery full of locals. She figures it must be the best place and stops there. It takes forever to get served because many are ordering huge amounts to take home for Sunday lunch. The name of the eatery--just a food stall--is "Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle." Was it worth the long wait? When you are a tourist in a hurry to "see it all", probably not. It is hot as hades in the Chinese market as well with only fans for relief and the stalls add to the heat with all the cooking. Anyhow, AlteCocker had some of the Chinese chicken and noodles for lunch.
Then it is onto a walk through Chinatown. She stops at tourist information and the Chinese Buddhism Museum across the street. It is free and AlteCocker spends a couple of hours there. It is really different from the Buddhist places she has seen in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. The museum contains a tooth of the Buddha and that room--where lots of people are meditating and worshiping is understandably off limits to photos. Otherwise you can take photos in most of the museum--even at one point of Buddhist monks chanting. There are plenty of women chanting there as well in black robes. The women do not have shaved heads as Buddhist nuns do in Thailand--and there are more women than men. AlteCocker does not really understand what is going on but it is a great photo op.
Then she goes down to the vegetarian cafeteria in the basement to have a diet soda and gets trapped by an elderly Chinese man determined to share his knowledge about meditation with her. As with all such people, it is interesting for a few moments but AlteCocker has a tough time extracting herself to continue her tour of Chinatown. Finally she exits the museum and sees the shopping area--usual tourist drecht and more eateries. She finally sits down in a a restaurant because it is pouring rain--tropical pouring rain. She has some drink called a banana latte and it is delicious. A sort of milk shake with banana ice cream and kahlua. Yummy but way too large. Obvious that AlteCocker will need no dinner after that drink. Finally the rain lets up a bit and AlteCocker buys an "I Love SG" t-shirt and then sees some baggage tags with a Ninja Turtle attached--perfect for the Ninja Turtle obsessed little boy who lives next door to AlteCocker and whose mother keeps an eye on the house while she is away. She gets what she hopes is a "Frozen" baggage tag for his sister. What does AlteCocker know from "Frozen"?
Then it is back to the hotel. She ends up with a light dinner at the hotel coffee shop as she is too tired to go out again. By the way, Singapore is hot and humid. You will change your clothes all the time--and AlteCocker is rinsing out underwear in the shower. Every time she hits the hotel room she is showering and changing and she did not bring enough changes. It is not a once a day change place.
Then it is onto a walk through Chinatown. She stops at tourist information and the Chinese Buddhism Museum across the street. It is free and AlteCocker spends a couple of hours there. It is really different from the Buddhist places she has seen in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. The museum contains a tooth of the Buddha and that room--where lots of people are meditating and worshiping is understandably off limits to photos. Otherwise you can take photos in most of the museum--even at one point of Buddhist monks chanting. There are plenty of women chanting there as well in black robes. The women do not have shaved heads as Buddhist nuns do in Thailand--and there are more women than men. AlteCocker does not really understand what is going on but it is a great photo op.
Then she goes down to the vegetarian cafeteria in the basement to have a diet soda and gets trapped by an elderly Chinese man determined to share his knowledge about meditation with her. As with all such people, it is interesting for a few moments but AlteCocker has a tough time extracting herself to continue her tour of Chinatown. Finally she exits the museum and sees the shopping area--usual tourist drecht and more eateries. She finally sits down in a a restaurant because it is pouring rain--tropical pouring rain. She has some drink called a banana latte and it is delicious. A sort of milk shake with banana ice cream and kahlua. Yummy but way too large. Obvious that AlteCocker will need no dinner after that drink. Finally the rain lets up a bit and AlteCocker buys an "I Love SG" t-shirt and then sees some baggage tags with a Ninja Turtle attached--perfect for the Ninja Turtle obsessed little boy who lives next door to AlteCocker and whose mother keeps an eye on the house while she is away. She gets what she hopes is a "Frozen" baggage tag for his sister. What does AlteCocker know from "Frozen"?
Then it is back to the hotel. She ends up with a light dinner at the hotel coffee shop as she is too tired to go out again. By the way, Singapore is hot and humid. You will change your clothes all the time--and AlteCocker is rinsing out underwear in the shower. Every time she hits the hotel room she is showering and changing and she did not bring enough changes. It is not a once a day change place.
December 14, 2015: Singapore Zoo and Little India
OK, today AlteCocker does something very touristy, but, hey it was fun. The bus picks her up at the hotel just as she comes down from the room just before 8:00am and she is off to breakfast with orangutans at the Singapore Zoo and for a visit to the Zoo. The Zoo is a good distance from downtown and involves a bus ride from an MRT stop and a lot of time, so, OK, she has booked a tourist package. The bus drops the group off at the zoo and AlteCocker exchanges her voucher for breakfast. The buffet is huge with different tables devoted to what the different ethnic groups like to eat. AlteCocker tastes a little of everything--and except for the fruit disliked most of it. It is the usual buffet with lukewarm food.
But you don't come to the breakfast to eat. You come to have your photo taken with orangutans. After a brief snake petting opportunity in come the orangutans and people scramble to line up for the photo op. Of course, if you want the photo, you pay extra. AlteCocker's photo turns out well and she buys it. It costs $35 for the photo, key chain with the photo and a fridge magnet without the photo. The whole overprices morning costs about $70 US with breakfast and the photo. Yes, it was overpriced but where will AlteCocker get such a photo op again? Borneo later in the trip when she goes to Malaysia? The orangs appear all to be females and juveniles. The males--who have a different spectacular facial presentation (at least from the photos AlteCocker has seen)--are not present. Perhaps they are harder to manage. The zoo has a huge free range area for the orangs who are really the stars of the zoo and are native to Malaysia and Singapore.
After the photo op AlteCocker wonders around the zoo and takes the tram around a bit. It is not as large as the National Zoo she does not visit in DC. One of the zoo stars is a polar bear--the only one in SE Asia--but it is only one bear and he seems rather lonely. Of course, it is probably very difficult to care for a polar bear in very hot and steamy SE Asia.
After the zoo, we are taken back to our hotels and it is time for a shower and a nap. In the evening AlteCocker heads for the Little India Market. The set up is very similar to the Chinese Market but smaller. AlteCocker has a very spicy chicken tikka and a mango coconut drink as an antidote. Then she decides to take the train to Harborfront--only one stop past the hotel. Harborfront is a shopping mall and a cruise/cable car terminal. Not going on a cruise (it's a terminal for the large cruise boats not harbor cruises). AlteCocker takes the cable cars. It is plural as to do the entire thing, you have to get on two different cable cars that cross the harbor area to a mountaintop and then to an island called Sentosa--home of a lot of amusement parks including Universal Studios (Disney is in Hong Kong). AlteCocker is not interested in theme parks and is very glad she did the cable car in the evening. You can't take photos because the car is moving and nighttime requires long exposures leading to very blurry photos ((delete, delete, give up!), but the cars have no air conditioning. They must be saunas in the daytime. Still the lit up harbor is very nice and you can see the large Christmas tree at teh Harborfront Shopping Center.
Having done the cable car (check it off the list!), AlteCocker stops at Starbucks for a cold frappachino and takes the MRT back to the hotel, shower and bed.
But you don't come to the breakfast to eat. You come to have your photo taken with orangutans. After a brief snake petting opportunity in come the orangutans and people scramble to line up for the photo op. Of course, if you want the photo, you pay extra. AlteCocker's photo turns out well and she buys it. It costs $35 for the photo, key chain with the photo and a fridge magnet without the photo. The whole overprices morning costs about $70 US with breakfast and the photo. Yes, it was overpriced but where will AlteCocker get such a photo op again? Borneo later in the trip when she goes to Malaysia? The orangs appear all to be females and juveniles. The males--who have a different spectacular facial presentation (at least from the photos AlteCocker has seen)--are not present. Perhaps they are harder to manage. The zoo has a huge free range area for the orangs who are really the stars of the zoo and are native to Malaysia and Singapore.
After the photo op AlteCocker wonders around the zoo and takes the tram around a bit. It is not as large as the National Zoo she does not visit in DC. One of the zoo stars is a polar bear--the only one in SE Asia--but it is only one bear and he seems rather lonely. Of course, it is probably very difficult to care for a polar bear in very hot and steamy SE Asia.
After the zoo, we are taken back to our hotels and it is time for a shower and a nap. In the evening AlteCocker heads for the Little India Market. The set up is very similar to the Chinese Market but smaller. AlteCocker has a very spicy chicken tikka and a mango coconut drink as an antidote. Then she decides to take the train to Harborfront--only one stop past the hotel. Harborfront is a shopping mall and a cruise/cable car terminal. Not going on a cruise (it's a terminal for the large cruise boats not harbor cruises). AlteCocker takes the cable cars. It is plural as to do the entire thing, you have to get on two different cable cars that cross the harbor area to a mountaintop and then to an island called Sentosa--home of a lot of amusement parks including Universal Studios (Disney is in Hong Kong). AlteCocker is not interested in theme parks and is very glad she did the cable car in the evening. You can't take photos because the car is moving and nighttime requires long exposures leading to very blurry photos ((delete, delete, give up!), but the cars have no air conditioning. They must be saunas in the daytime. Still the lit up harbor is very nice and you can see the large Christmas tree at teh Harborfront Shopping Center.
Having done the cable car (check it off the list!), AlteCocker stops at Starbucks for a cold frappachino and takes the MRT back to the hotel, shower and bed.
December 15, 2015: Riverwalk and Asian CivilizationS Museum
Today AlteCocker was getting tired of the heat in Singapore. She was told it was the cooler season. She supposes that is relative. She would not want to be in Singapore during the hot season! Everytime she goes out, she is immediately sweating bullets. She clearly has not brought enough clothes and is constantly washing out underwear. She did not count on showering more than once a day and needing to change clothes ever time she returned to the apartment, but that is what she had to do. It is like DC in the heat of summer with no relief. It rains for part of every day like clockwork and the rain makes it even more humid.
Enough kvetching. It was time to see something. She takes the MRT to the Raffles stop and there is a salad restaurant where you choose ingredients for a salad. She decidess it was time for a salad. SE Asia food is very interesting but sometimes you need rabbit food. Once AlteCocker figures out the system, she is just fine and the salad is great. Then she walks around the area known as the riverwalk. Basically it's the the area where Sir Stamford Raffles first landed (there is a statue to him, of course) and where there are a lot of old buildings. Many have been turned into restaurants with a lot of atmosphere (which means Singaporeans eat outside; personally the air conditioned salad place was a better choice for AlteCocker. Had she had more time she might have come to the area again and tried one of the restaurants, but she didn't have time. She did walk around to the other side of the river and decide to go to the Asian Civilizations Museum. When she walked in a docent tour was about to begin. While such tours can be of uneven quality, the docent she had was absolutely terrific. There was a boy on the tour about 9 or 10 and she had him eating out of her hand. The tour was focused on how trade resulted in cultural exchanges in SE Asia. Actually AlteCocker was pretty much eating out of the docent's hand too. While she certainly has a lot of exposure to the cultures of SE Asia by now, the docent was just superb and the tour was a great summary. The museum is not huge when you compare it to the Smithsonian but the collection is very nice and well presented. At the end of the tour we were escorted to where there is a display of items found on a shipwreck. Some of the items looked contemporary rather than having spent a lot of time under the sea. They cleaned up well.
AlteCocker did stop in the restaurant adjacent to the museum but only to have an iced coffee with ice cream. It absolutely hit the spot! She then walked the rest of the riverwalk area and made her way back to the MRT snapping photos of an interesting statue of Malay traders making a bargain--picking up a Singapore ice cream sandwich along the way. These are a slab of ice cream (you pick the flavor and the selection is large) between two vanilla wafers. It was delicious and only $! SD (or 71 cents US at current exchange rates). AlteCocker had mocha chip. She was told later that those ice creams used to be half that price! Wish they had them in the US--and for the same price.
For dinner AlteCocker went back to Chinatown with a detour to check out another food court type place near the hotel. It didn't look very interesting, so she tried to find the place where she had the banana latte drink on her first visit to Chinatown. She couldn't find it and ended up ordering a chicken dish from a food stall. It was spicy. One thing is that, if you order food, in no time flat a drink vendor comes by and touts his drinks, so you don't have to look for drinks. The drinks come to you. She just had water.
Then she began to make her way back to the Chinatown MRT station because she wanted a quick way back to the hotel. She ran into the banana latte place which is called Chinatown Seafood. Yes, she had another banana latte. She will be dreaming about those banana lattes back in the US. It is good that the do not exist because she would need a larger t-shirt size if it did.
Enough kvetching. It was time to see something. She takes the MRT to the Raffles stop and there is a salad restaurant where you choose ingredients for a salad. She decidess it was time for a salad. SE Asia food is very interesting but sometimes you need rabbit food. Once AlteCocker figures out the system, she is just fine and the salad is great. Then she walks around the area known as the riverwalk. Basically it's the the area where Sir Stamford Raffles first landed (there is a statue to him, of course) and where there are a lot of old buildings. Many have been turned into restaurants with a lot of atmosphere (which means Singaporeans eat outside; personally the air conditioned salad place was a better choice for AlteCocker. Had she had more time she might have come to the area again and tried one of the restaurants, but she didn't have time. She did walk around to the other side of the river and decide to go to the Asian Civilizations Museum. When she walked in a docent tour was about to begin. While such tours can be of uneven quality, the docent she had was absolutely terrific. There was a boy on the tour about 9 or 10 and she had him eating out of her hand. The tour was focused on how trade resulted in cultural exchanges in SE Asia. Actually AlteCocker was pretty much eating out of the docent's hand too. While she certainly has a lot of exposure to the cultures of SE Asia by now, the docent was just superb and the tour was a great summary. The museum is not huge when you compare it to the Smithsonian but the collection is very nice and well presented. At the end of the tour we were escorted to where there is a display of items found on a shipwreck. Some of the items looked contemporary rather than having spent a lot of time under the sea. They cleaned up well.
AlteCocker did stop in the restaurant adjacent to the museum but only to have an iced coffee with ice cream. It absolutely hit the spot! She then walked the rest of the riverwalk area and made her way back to the MRT snapping photos of an interesting statue of Malay traders making a bargain--picking up a Singapore ice cream sandwich along the way. These are a slab of ice cream (you pick the flavor and the selection is large) between two vanilla wafers. It was delicious and only $! SD (or 71 cents US at current exchange rates). AlteCocker had mocha chip. She was told later that those ice creams used to be half that price! Wish they had them in the US--and for the same price.
For dinner AlteCocker went back to Chinatown with a detour to check out another food court type place near the hotel. It didn't look very interesting, so she tried to find the place where she had the banana latte drink on her first visit to Chinatown. She couldn't find it and ended up ordering a chicken dish from a food stall. It was spicy. One thing is that, if you order food, in no time flat a drink vendor comes by and touts his drinks, so you don't have to look for drinks. The drinks come to you. She just had water.
Then she began to make her way back to the Chinatown MRT station because she wanted a quick way back to the hotel. She ran into the banana latte place which is called Chinatown Seafood. Yes, she had another banana latte. She will be dreaming about those banana lattes back in the US. It is good that the do not exist because she would need a larger t-shirt size if it did.
December 16, 2015: The Gardens by the Bay
The one thing that you must see in Singapore is The Gardens by the Bay. There are two buildings for which you have to buy a ticket: The Floral Pavilion and The Cloud Forest. If you just want to walk around in the exterior area, those are free. AlteCocker had picked up a ticket for this attraction earlier in her stay and wanted to be sure she used the ticket. She starts in the floral pavilion. It is all decorated for Christmas. There is entertainment on weekends during the holiday season (and reportedly huge mobs of people--which is why AlteCocker went during the week. She stops in the Floral Pavilion for an expensive--but delicious--sandwich--which comes with a salad and fries. It hit the spot. What did not hit the spot was that the batteries (just AA batteries) in AlteCocker's camera chose that moment in which to die. Boo! Hiss! So she does not have many photos.
Exiting the Floral Pavilion she looks for batteries in the extensive gift shop, but whoever she spoke with said the did not have batteries. That turned out to not be the case but the end result is very few photos.
For AlteCocker the Cloud Forest was worth the price of admission. It is really fabulous and you take an elevator up to the top and then walk down seeing the "forest" on many levels. The idea is that you get a simulated experience of walking through a rain forest at many levels. It really is very well done and everyone but AlteCocker was taking a lot of photos. When she finally hit the gift shop at the end of the visit, they did indeed have batteries (overpriced of course) but it was too late for photos because she was done with the attraction. She did, however, buy batteries and a couple of souvenir items including a small wooden picture that displays the skyline of Singapore. She hasn't bought much on this trip, so why not? AlteCocker did not walk around the outside free bits of The Gardens. Given the heat, that is probably better done in the evening--and AlteCocker has had enough after visiting the two indoor buildings. While you can walk from the MRT stop to the indoor pavilions, AlteCocker took a shuttle that is offered (extra charge). In the heat, she does not desire extensive walking in the sun. The outside gardens are a place you could spend considerable time in because they are huge. AlteCocker does get a photo of the Marina Bay Hotel. It consists of 3 towers with a garden that goes across all of them. Must cost a lot of money to stay on the top floor but the view has got to be a winner!
Then she heads back to the hotel and takes a nap. For dinner there is a real treat. Through the blog a local named Michelle has contacted AlteCocker and she and her friend Nisha are taking AlteCocker out to dinner. They took her to a Muslim area that has Turkish food. She eats something with coconut rice which she is sure is not served in Turkey. The food is excellent and AlteCocker, now with camera batteries, snaps some photos--including one of Singapore's principal mosque nearby. The food is, shall we say, Turkish-Malay. As with everything she has eaten in Singapore, the taste is different from anything else she has eaten. It is a good restaurant frequented by locals called the Kampong Glam Cafe. To get there we got off at the Bugis MRT stop and walked about 10-15 minutes. AlteCocker's new friends take her to her MRT stop and Michelle and her husband (he met her after the meal) walk her to the hotel. One of the benefits of blogging is this sort of encounter. It "spices" up any trip--although in Singapore you don't need more spices.
Exiting the Floral Pavilion she looks for batteries in the extensive gift shop, but whoever she spoke with said the did not have batteries. That turned out to not be the case but the end result is very few photos.
For AlteCocker the Cloud Forest was worth the price of admission. It is really fabulous and you take an elevator up to the top and then walk down seeing the "forest" on many levels. The idea is that you get a simulated experience of walking through a rain forest at many levels. It really is very well done and everyone but AlteCocker was taking a lot of photos. When she finally hit the gift shop at the end of the visit, they did indeed have batteries (overpriced of course) but it was too late for photos because she was done with the attraction. She did, however, buy batteries and a couple of souvenir items including a small wooden picture that displays the skyline of Singapore. She hasn't bought much on this trip, so why not? AlteCocker did not walk around the outside free bits of The Gardens. Given the heat, that is probably better done in the evening--and AlteCocker has had enough after visiting the two indoor buildings. While you can walk from the MRT stop to the indoor pavilions, AlteCocker took a shuttle that is offered (extra charge). In the heat, she does not desire extensive walking in the sun. The outside gardens are a place you could spend considerable time in because they are huge. AlteCocker does get a photo of the Marina Bay Hotel. It consists of 3 towers with a garden that goes across all of them. Must cost a lot of money to stay on the top floor but the view has got to be a winner!
Then she heads back to the hotel and takes a nap. For dinner there is a real treat. Through the blog a local named Michelle has contacted AlteCocker and she and her friend Nisha are taking AlteCocker out to dinner. They took her to a Muslim area that has Turkish food. She eats something with coconut rice which she is sure is not served in Turkey. The food is excellent and AlteCocker, now with camera batteries, snaps some photos--including one of Singapore's principal mosque nearby. The food is, shall we say, Turkish-Malay. As with everything she has eaten in Singapore, the taste is different from anything else she has eaten. It is a good restaurant frequented by locals called the Kampong Glam Cafe. To get there we got off at the Bugis MRT stop and walked about 10-15 minutes. AlteCocker's new friends take her to her MRT stop and Michelle and her husband (he met her after the meal) walk her to the hotel. One of the benefits of blogging is this sort of encounter. It "spices" up any trip--although in Singapore you don't need more spices.
December 17, 2015: Good Bye Singapore
Well, it is time to go. AlteCocker had thought about visiting the Chiangi Prison Museum (about what the Japanese did to the British interned after the Japanese took Singapore during World War II), but, in the end, there is no time. The museum is near the Chiangi Airport, but she has heavy hand luggage to schlep and seeing a museum with it would just add another complication so she does not go.
Now a word about Chiangi Airport. It is certainly the most beautiful and well organized airport she has ever passed through. If you can't find your way around there, there is something wrong with you. In addition to being gorgeous, it is just so well organized. There are sleeping couches if you get stuck there with a long change of planes. There are information desks all over and it is obvious where you need to go. The US airports could take a lesson from Chiangi Airport. So, AlteCocker makes her way for the check in for her flight, gets through the exit formalities with the stamping of her passport and is on her way back to her SE Asia base. Everything goes off according to plan. Her leftover Singapore money is used for food in the airport and again on the plane. The last 30 cents is given to a kid on the plane. Her MRT card with a little less than $4 SD left on it was given to someone heading for the MRT who had just arrived. To continue reading, please look back at the Chiang Mai blog for December 2015.
Now a word about Chiangi Airport. It is certainly the most beautiful and well organized airport she has ever passed through. If you can't find your way around there, there is something wrong with you. In addition to being gorgeous, it is just so well organized. There are sleeping couches if you get stuck there with a long change of planes. There are information desks all over and it is obvious where you need to go. The US airports could take a lesson from Chiangi Airport. So, AlteCocker makes her way for the check in for her flight, gets through the exit formalities with the stamping of her passport and is on her way back to her SE Asia base. Everything goes off according to plan. Her leftover Singapore money is used for food in the airport and again on the plane. The last 30 cents is given to a kid on the plane. Her MRT card with a little less than $4 SD left on it was given to someone heading for the MRT who had just arrived. To continue reading, please look back at the Chiang Mai blog for December 2015.