The flight departed Newark late, an equipment swap and flight crew issue pushing our departure back by a few minutes. By the time we reached Detroit, the snow had already covered everything.
The next thirteen hours were spent in mental hibernation, a state where your mind is unwilling to confront the events occurring to the body. The cramped space, low lighting, and humming background noise all combine to create, as the woman across the aisle from me said, a vision of what hell is like.
To my disappointment, the flight to Tokyo arrived with such a small lead time I had no opportunity to enjoy Narita International Airport. My own guilty pleasure, sitting in the airport listening to the announcements in Japanese, would have to wait. All was redeemed with a seat change from row 10 to row 5, moving me up from coach to business class. I had often heard of the “elusive” operational upgrade, where so many have boasted they receive these on about 25%+ of their international flights. Yet this was my first experience, and I was overjoyed at receiving it.
Singapore, the beautiful garden city it is, continues to delight. Heading to the MRT station, I was overwhelmed once more by the raw energies of Asia. Shopping here is like a religion, and one cannot find an MRT station without being overwhelmed with stores hawking clothing and electornics. I spent the day wandering about the grounds of the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery before heading to the botanical gardens to see the orchids. A late return to the hotel combined with dinner, before I found myself here downloading a few episodes of Strangerhood, a discovery from one of the Wired magazine articles I read on the plane, as I stare out my window over the Central Business District (CBD).
Tomorrow, I head out in search of relaxation, fireworks, and more shopping.