THE THREE ALPHA TRAVEL

Flying from Singapore to Bangkok I would have to wait for about 12 hours at the Changi airport. I booked my Bangkok flight to be the next day so I coincide with the arrival of a friend from Spain in the same city but as well so I can experience what everybody is saying about Changi; the best airport in the world to pass a night if you have to.

It is so true as well… Where do I start? Free Internet, 24-hour super market, 24-hour food gallery and so much more in a specific transit part of the airport. There is even a transit hotel with its budget option – a bed with a room and shared toilets / bathroom – at about 20 Euro. Feel like home, if you have the money that is – if you find yourself without money well… you are the odd one out.

I was lucky to have had some RM from Malaysia and exchanging them for Singapore Dollars I payed for my overnight stay in the airport (food, drinks & bed). I do recommend Changi airport when you travel in Southeast Asia and you want to stay overnight between flights. The prices are expensive and the security can be tight so have your ticket printed out as the police might ask you – to be honest they are not too bad.

Around 04:00 I woke up checked out and went for my backpack. Went outside customs and straight back in again. The customs lady was laughing… Checked in for the flight to Bangkok, flew there and here I am, in the Baan Dinso Hotel for two nights, a bit southern than the dreaded Kao Sahn. Remember where Leonardo Di Caprio sleeps the first night in the movie “The Beach”? That’s where Kao Sahn Road is. Anyway I hope not to have his luck which reminds me that I have to read the book too… they tell me it is ages away from the movie (makes sense as well).

Write to you soon!

Well, well, well… Singapore – or else the “city of lions”. Four days I think are enough for anybody to decide if they like it or not. But then maybe it is not such an easy decision. The truth be told, it is one of the only cities or countries  not touched by the recession or crisis or whatever you want to call it – which is a positive if you are looking for a job. Also is safe, clean and well… over-controlled.

Block of flats in Singapore

Here I met Amit, an ex-colleague of mine from Autodesk and so my first night was to become the only night in the city full of Tiger beer and insights on its night life (I hadn’t had a beer in the last two weeks before this). I had met him before in Switzerland and we pretty much did the same thing back then. To me the visit was helpful in that it made me adopt a more positive side of what I though of Singapore – I did not have the best image for it by the way…

The two favorite pastimes of the Singaporeans are shopping and eating. The shopping part can be easily explained. The whole country is a big shopping mall! The further I was getting into the malls the dizzier I was getting out of them. And then the streets – with traffic but clean as I have never seen in a big city! Eating obviously is good because of so many cultures having to live on each others’ diets. The people seem to be overworked and underpaid (but that’s only me seeing what I saw in 4 days so apologies if it’s not the case) and obviously retail therapy is the only therapy. The only other similar capitalistic city I have seen so far is Shanghai…

All in all, I do not think I would like to go back to Singapore for just visiting. I do not rule out that given the need I could go there in search for a job – a big city is always a big city with all its bads and goods.