Our travels took us from Bangkok to Chang Mai (a gorgeous part of the country), down to Ko Phi Phi and finally to Singapore. I have many fond memories of this trip, including exceptionally good food, some of the genuinely kindest peopleI have ever met, impressive temples and Buddhas, vibrant cities, pristine beaches, Thai cooking classes, a Singapore Sling at the top of the Marina Bay Sands and incredible public transportation infrastructure.

However, all good things come to an end and before I knew it, June 26 2013 — the long-awaited day — had finally arrived. It started off very early in the morning and, unfortunately, after a relatively small amount of sleep. I tried to get a good amount of shut-eye the night before in order to fully enjoy the upcoming flight, and went to bed around 10PM after one last excellent Chicken Rice meal at the local hawker stand. I was staying at the Little Red Dot hostel on Lavender Street and had the pleasure of enjoying an eight-bed room with three strong snorers on my last night (hostel occupancy had been quite low on the nights prior). I literally found myself counting sheep and tried to force some rest.


6AM
Eventually, and not a moment too soon, my alarm went off and I immediately got up to strap on my running shoes for a quick jog in the city. I am an avid jogger and also though that I would be a good idea to get some exercise and get my circulation going before sitting down for 18 hours. I had also hoped that such an early run — it was in fact still dark outside — would be more comfortable than my previous attempts in the blistering Singapore day-time heat. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong when returning to the hostel 30 mins later with a sweat-drenched set of running gear. I collected my things and walked down to Lavender Station on the MRT East-West Line for a quick, 30 minute one-connection ride to Changi. I am a lover of all things transportation and thoroughly enjoyed riding the Singapore MRT, a system reminiscent of the types of public transportation seen in futuristic Hollywood films. Entering the impressive Changi MRT station, I took a turn towards Terminal 3, bidding my this amazing city farewell and eagerly anticipating the exciting chapter ahead.






8AM
I had transited at Changi’s Terminal 3 twice, but had never experienced Terminal 3 airside before. It is absolutely no surprise that this airport is consistently rated among the top-three in world, from grandiose and functional architecture, to endless shopping and dining opportunities, thoughtful passenger amenities and perhaps the best airport bathrooms I have ever seen (better than in many airline lounges) — this airport was the perfect starting point for my upcoming journey. I proceeded directly to the Business Class counters in check-in area 6 and handed off the trusty travel rucksack that I had borrowed from a friend to a cheerful SQ check-in agent. I was informed that the flight was “quite full” and confirmed that my original seat reservation for 16K was still registered in the system. I was handed the infamous blue SQ boarding card, snatched some Business Class baggage tags and set off on an expedition of T3, exploring all nooks and crannies, and snapping a ton of pictures on the way.






8.30AM
I now headed straight to the SQ Silver Kris lounge in T3, a haven that I was of course unable to visit on my inbound journey due to SQ’s fairly restrictive policies towards Star Alliance Gold status holders. After proudly presenting my newly acquired blue boarding pass, I was lead past the dragons to the tranquil temple of marble, leather and dark wood that lay beyond. My first task was to take a much needed shower (after lugging bags through June humidity) and to grab some breakfast, which my post-run stomach was not shy about requesting.






Shower rooms are located within the bathrooms and are a tad on the narrow side. I am not one to complain, however, especially not after being ushered by a friendly shower-agent into a spotlessly clean bathroom full of practical amenities like shavers, mouthwash, moisturisers and shoe horns.






After a refreshing and rejuvenating time under the SQ sprinkler it was time to hit the breakfast spread at the lounge buffet. There was an extensive selection of hot and cold offerings covering both western and local cuisines (from scrambled eggs to congee). I had worked up quite an appetite at this point and although I knew I was going to be extensively fed on-board, I figured there was still enough time until the midday service for me to enjoy the lounge offerings. I started with a bowl of cereal and fruit salad, then proceeded to an assortment of hot items with bread and rounded off with a plate of tropical fruits that I would come to dearly miss in about 18 hour’s time. The only disappointing element in this buffet was the horrible synthetic-tasting orange juice. This confused me slightly, as I would have expected fresher offerings to be available in the South East Asian region (understanding of course that this region is not a primary OJ producer).






A second point of disappointment, which has been discussed many times previously, was the lack of views from the lounge and it’s generally dark appearance. After finishing off my breakfast, checking my mails and having a quick glance at the papers, I found myself ready to leave for a continued exploration of Changi’s landside offerings.






9.45AM
In the spirit of getting some exercise before SQ 22 I decided to walk over to Terminal 1, the only area of Changi that I had not yet explored. I was impressed by how good the terminal looked post-renovation. Standing on a foundation of early 1980s infrastructure, this terminal alone beats other international airports (especially in the US) by a mile. After visiting my fourth airport garden, I also came to realise that Changi must possibly be the only airport in the world where landside offerings are more exciting than the flagship lounge While impressed and appreciative of the Silver Kris lounge I was not as blown away by the experience as I was by TK’s Lounge Istanbul, for example.