Gym's Ramblings: Safe in Singapore

Well, we survived another marathon travel day and this morning we have definitely found our way out of the snows of the Great White North. It is currently 32 C in Singapore and very humid. Mrs. Gym and I were up early for a workout followed by a nice breakfast in the hotel cafe and have already hiked over to one of the local landmarks herein the city, to get a feel for the layout of this very clean and very beautiful, ultra-modern metropolis.

Our bodies tell us that it is 11 P.M. but they have to get used to the fact that over here on the other side of the world, a half-world away from where they are used to being, it is 14 hours later in the day. This means as I write this post, most of my readers are going to bed and I am sitting here tomorrow morning their time. How can this be? I have lost 14 hours of my life. Don't worry, I will get it back on the return trip.

So how was the trip? Well it was a gruelling three-legger with 2-hour stop-overs in Vancouver and Hong Kong. The first two legs were Air Canada and the last one was a new airline for us, Singapore Airlines. Generally, everything went well, our one checked bag went into the bowels of Calgary International Airport at 7 AM on Halloween Day and as if by magic, it emerged from the bowels of Singapore Changi Airport at 10 PM November 1, 2012 as if it had been beamed there by Scotty himself. Mrs. Gym and I showed quite a bit more wear than that suitcase when we arrived in Singapore last night after a 24 hour journey, door-to-door.

Before I go on, let me indulge you with a little bit about the airlines that we used. The first leg was routine and Vancouver Airport is now one of the nicest airports in Canada so nothing of note until we boarded AC007 from Vancouver to Hong Kong. This long leg of 12+ hours was notable because of the crew we had "looking after us". This was the oldest crew that I have ever flown with. As the flight progressed, I found myself taking note of where the defibrillator was stored near my seat because I thought I might have to use it on one of the flight crew before too long. Every single one of the AC crew was in his or her mid-sixties and a couple of them looked older that than that. What a change we experienced when we boarded Singapore Airlines flight No. SQ865 from Hong Kong to Singapore, as the average age of the stewardesses was 30-something and each was dressed in the Singapore Airlines service sarong which are very classy looking. The two sets of crews were as perfect a complete antithesis as you could ever imagine. In addition the Singapore crew moved in a blur compared to the Air Canada crew. In am not sure of this but I think the crew to passenger ratio is much higher on Singapore Airlines than most of its competition. Finally, on the subject of the epic journey by air, let me just say that Hong Kong International (Chek Lap Kok) Airport and Singapores Changi Airport are also two fine mega-airports. They are both massive yet clean, efficient and comfortable monster infrastructures.

We are currently staying in the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The singapore sling was invented here somewhere between 1910 and 1915. The Long Bar here has been named as one of the world's top-10 bars. And if that isn't enough Michael Jackson stayed here with an orangatan friend some years ago. The hotel opened in 1887 and now is 125 years old. We chose to stay in one of the oldest parts of this sprawling accommodation because of the deluxe rooms in that wing (see the pictures below). Our three-room suite has 15-foot ceilings and a beautiful all-marble bathroom with all the amenities. Why else did I pick this hotel? The answer lies in a previous blog post that deals with our last trip here. When we cruised by here in early 2011, we looked in the door of this hotel but were not allowed to go into the lobby because we were not guests of the hotel. This time, I strolled into the lobby and walked past the doorman like I belonged, because I did!

front-room/nook/gin and tonic room

bedroom

looking from the bedroom into the front room and to the front door, note the 15 foot ceilings

all marble and free toothbrushes

nice tub!

Our room is on the ground level

The lobby that Gym strolled into like he belonged

This morning after breakfast we went for a ride on the Singapore Flyer. It is about a mile form Raffles so we hoofed it over there and bought tickets for one revolution around this giant ferris wheel. It was a major photo opportunity and Mrs. Gym took full advantage of that fact. It was mostly clear this morning and there are some spectacular views for the top. The Flyer is currently the largest ferris wheel in the world standing 30m higher than the London Eye. While it is very similar to the London Eye in appearance it was a completely different in that there was no line-up at all. We did the London Eye last year and had to but fast-track tickets to get on quickly, but that was not necessary at the Flyer this morning. We bought our regularly-priced tickets and strolled right into one of the all-glass cars. Two thumbs up on this tourist experience.