Thursday, February 19 – Singapore

Another day of rain! Brother!

I have to say though, I feel like I’ve been incredibly lucky during my travels when it comes to weather, including on this trip.

The one time that sticks out as being rather unlucky was my visit to Nepal. It happened to take place as the remnants of a Typhoon passed through! Not a lot of rain, but major cloudiness. I was hoping to see the Himalayas and Mount Everest, but that didn’t happen, well at least from ground level. I ended up booking a tourist flight on Buddha Air to get above the clouds to see the highest mountain on Earth.

Bonus picture: Everest from the Buddha Air cockpit.

So, I did take advantage of the poor weather situation and got some work done today – mainly Journal stuff and prep for my trip to Bangkok tomorrow.

By late afternoon though I was ready to get out, regardless of the rain.

As part of the New Year’s celebrations, the Esplanade is putting on a series of free concerts called Cool Classics. I’m going to make my way over there to check out tonight’s performance.

(And actually, by the time I left the hotel the rain had stopped. The walk to the harbor was a dry one!)

The Esplanade Concourse (performance venue)

Tonight’s performers – Low and Behold

It was an interesting performance by a trombone and tuba duo. (The woman speaking is a composer, a couple of her works were part of the program) They played 4 pieces that lasted about 30 minutes. A nice evening diversion. And did I mention that it was free?

I’m back on the rooftop of the Esplanade, pleased that the rain remains absent!

The clouds have a cool effect on the skyscrapers, reflecting their lights and partially obscuring them in some cases.

But of course it started pouring rain on my walk back!

Fortunately there was a metro station close by that I could escape to.

And by the time I got to my station, the rain had stopped once again.

Friday, February 20 – transit from Singapore to Bangkok

I had a leisurely morning because my flight to Bangkok wasn’t until early afternoon.

Here are a couple more New Year’s images as I prepare to depart Singapore…

In my hotel’s lobby. Oranges, specifically Mandarin oranges and tangerines, symbolize abundant luck, wealth, and prosperity during Chinese New Year due to their vibrant, gold-like color and their names sounding similar to words for luck and success in Chinese dialects.

At a grocery store in the metro station.

I’m now on the train to the airport. I posted this mainly to point out how clean the floor is. Amazing!

The metro station at the airport.

Sorry! One more New Year’s display – this one at the airport.

The departure area in terminal 2 at Changi Airport.

I don’t think I’ve encountered this before: Automated baggage drop off. You print off the label, affix it to the bag, scan the tag at the drop point, place the bag on the conveyor, and you’re issued a receipt. Slick.

I did a double take here. This custodial worker is using a scraper to clean the floor. Do you think you’d see this taking place at LaGuardia or LAX? Hahahahaha…

Travel Note: I have a one way ticket to Thailand, but was not asked by a Singapore Airlines agent about an onward ticket…because I didn’t meet with an agent due to the automated baggage drop. However, like Singapore, I had to complete a Thailand online digital arrival card within 3 days of my flight to Bangkok. The information required included my departure details from Thailand, so maybe that will negate anyone asking me about it. We’ll see what happens at Bangkok immigration…

(There is no cost associated with obtaining the Thailand Digital Arrival Card)

Like my arrival at the airport, the Singapore departure immigration check was completely automated – passport scan and facial recognition. And there was no security checkpoint before or after immigration. That’s weird! Well, it turns out the check was done at the gate. Still, seems odd to me…

Okay, this is absolutely the last New Year’s reference you’ll see! Cute little airport shop though…

Our Dreamliner awaiting departure to Bangkok.

The seating configuration was 3-3-3, and I’d say the plane was 3/4 full. I had a window seat with nobody next to me, which was nice. The service on our two hour flight included hot towels (in economy!), and a nice meal of chicken pasta with a class of wine. I love Singapore Airlines! (The cost of the flight was 233 USD). I could have saved a few bucks and went with a low-cost carrier, but no.

Travel Note: I needed no cash in Singapore. Perfect! (Chuck is cringing as he reads this!)

We landed around 2:30pm in Bangkok, which is one hour earlier than Singapore (I am now 13 hours ahead of Madison). The line at immigration was fairly long, but was moving pretty quickly. This may be due to the fact that the immigration agent asked me zero questions! Not “Where are you staying?”, “When are you leaving?”, etc. I can only guess that, like I mentioned earlier, all the pertinent information was already provided in the Digital Arrival Card submittal. No questions required!

After doing some research, I came to the conclusion that the no-brainer way to get from the airport to my hotel is by train. And it’s not just because of the cost. It’s mainly due to the fact that traffic in Bangkok is brutal. The drive to the hotel would be excruciating.

The train journey is not going to be painless however. They make you work for it: Three different train lines requiring separate payments to each. Here’s how it played out:

• From the airport I had a 25 minute ride on the City Line. I could use my contactless credit card for payment on this leg; by just tapping the card on entry and exit. It was actually pretty nice, because most people were not using that option, and instead waiting in line to buy a ticket. There are separate gates dedicated to the contactless user, which were basically unused. From there, I transferred to…
• The MRT (subway) system; a short walk from the City Line. This was pretty straightforward, and I could use my contactless card again. The journey was only for one stop. My final connection was to…
• The BTS (elevated skytrain) system; another short walk from the MRT. This was a challenge though; because it was rush hour and the station was packed. I was also going to have to buy a ticket; using cash. When I got up to the kiosk to make the purchase everything was going smoothly until I attempted to insert the banknote for payment. It kept spitting it back to me! Ugh! I eventually gave up and joined the queue to buy the ticket from an agent at the counter. Not a big deal I guess; just frustrating in a unfamiliar environment. And I only had 2 stops to go for this leg.

The total cost of the 3 trips was 77 Thai Baht (2.50 USD).

My hotel was only a 5 minute walk from the BTS station.

On the first train from the airport.

The BTS Train

Welcome to Bangkok! (View from the BTS elevated walkway)

I eventually arrived at the hotel at 4:45pm. To be clear though, I was being deliberate and taking my time throughout the journey. Making sure I wasn’t rushing myself; that’s when I make mistakes with things like getting local currency and boarding the proper train.

Volve Hotel. My room is on the top floor, middle.

The lobby

129 USD/night, including breakfast

My room faces a busy street, with a lot of scooters. I’m going to be needing my earplugs!

Sidenote: I see United Airlines has once again devalued their frequent flyer miles. I’m happy I’ve been using mine up over the last few years!