Singapore Arrivals

Our flight from Las Vegas to Singapore went by with the speed of a slow moving truck driver on his last batch of "no-doz" The final list of things to do before we left piled up to a point that I feared not being able to meet our plane on time. Past experience told us though our original flight was 8:45 am, it was wise to get there early and try to board the 7:30 am flight to LA. Luck was with us because the 8:45 am flight had been changed to 10:30 am and they wanted us on the earlier flight anyway.

Our Plane was new and each of our seats had the individual video monitor. We traveled from Las Vegas to LAX to Tokyo then on to Singapore- totalling over 20 hours of travel time. You have to hand it to the foreign air carriers, they tend to have great service and all the entertainment to help make this long flight bearable. I can tell you horror tales of my last experience with United but is was free so had to be done. So the advice today is don't just shop price for around the world trips, seek service and comfort. There is nothing worse then having to beg for water at 30,000 feet in the air.

Lets talk Airports for a second. Have you ever noticed the difference between most US airports and major airports around the world. With the exception of San Francisco and some of the others that I have not traveled to, many of the airports in the U.S. seem to be lacking in the cleaning area. I am amazed at how clean the escalators and people movers our in Japan and Singapore. I believe the term is Virtually spotless. I can't say the same for LAX. The U.S. does have some of busiest airports in the world but boy our image could use a little sprucing up. It also wouldn't hurt if some of the people working in LA would drop the attitude and be a little more courteous to people(customers) using their facilities. I am not talking about TSA people but those in the lounge areas or there providing directions.

Our excitement was mixed with the blur of being half exhausted as we landed in Singapore. We were welcomed by our Sister Aline and of course a little Singapore rain. With four large bags and two carry-on bags, thank goodness for a large van brought by another family member, Warren. Once we arrived at our close friend house, PG showed us where to drop our bags. Being that it was after midnight and we had finished with hugs and greetings, the subject turned to a main Singapore pastime, "Eating"

We had past a 24 hr outdoor noodle house just a few minutes walk from PG's house. So we grabbed a few umbrellas and set out to get a late night supper. The area we are staying at is very quaint in that most of the homes are 3 and 4 story mid-rises. Lots of lush large trees and vegetation towering throughout the outsides of the buildings, like the buildings were placed in open areas of the plant life. Did I mention that PG's home is a "Walk up" Flat? No lift!!! And we had 4 large, HEAVY, bags and two carry-on bags. No wonder I felt a twinge of hunger at 12:30 am. Not so bad after you catch your second wind and take deep breaths.

The first thing you notice at this 24hr noodle shop is that it is outdoors but under cover. The rain had moved to a drizzle as we walked but picked up after we finished eating. Every table was full except one and lots of good smells came from the open kitchen area. Jenny and I sat down as Aline and Warren placed our order with young chap looking a little wet from the local humidity or maybe it was because they were busy. There was over twenty people slurping noodles, soup and hot tea. We just added four more to their count. Within two minutes our four bowls of noodles and our big bowl of veggie soup was placed on our table. The steam rose from every item. Though it rained it is not cold by Las Vegas winter standards. I left wearing a coat in Las Vegas but wore short sleeves as we ate our quick served supper. Short of describing each bite, it tasted great. I would say it would compare to a home cooked meal but without the mess of clean up. In Singapore, these shops are everywhere and are the "fast foods" of the neighborhoods. There are the McDonald's and even a Burger King right when we came out of the airport but the difference is that the food was real good and we all ate for under $9 U.S. total.

A short walk back, another thing that is not done too much in Vegas, and we are ready to say goodnight. Through the haze of being tired and our excitement, I wonder what we will miss first from Las Vegas.

We have lots to do and many people to meet to work on our Real Estate Plans.