A little taste of Singapore

Yesterday I got to Changi airport at 0600 for my 0730 flight. I didn't end up on a plane until 2300.

Why did I spend the entire day at the airport? It's actually a funny story about a stupid person: me.

My original flight plan was Singapore to Ho Chi Minh, then Ho Chi Minh to Seoul. I would get into Seoul in the early evening and have some time to explore the neighborhood before settling in. I failed to check the visa requirements for Vietnam, though. I couldn't get a boarding pass, and the minimum time to process a visa application was 24 hours, so I was stuck here.

The easiest solution was to book a flight to a country that didn't require an advance visa to visit. Luckily, there was a direct flight to Korea from Singapore. The catch? It left at 2315 at night.

It was cheaper than rescheduling both of my original flights and paying for a visa, so I did it. There are worse airports to be stuck in than Changi. It's beautiful, clean, and there are plenty of shops and restaurants to pass the time. There are comfortable chairs everywhere and free massage chairs scattered around.

I've also been able to collect some of my thoughts about Singapore and sort through the pictures I've taken, so you all get a post out of it.

I stayed at the Wangz hotel, and I highly recommend it if you're here. The rooms are comfortable and spacious, the staff are extremely helpful, and it's close to a number of transit stations. It's also in easy walking distance to plenty of sights to see and neighborhoods to explore.

The hotel is pretty neat architecturally. You notice it from quite a ways away.

Here's the room:

They also do something I've only just started to see: they provide you with a free cell phone loaded with Chrome, Google Maps, and a guide to the local area. It's called Handy, and it certainly was:

My hotel in Seoul offers this too, and I'm excited to use it. It's going to save me the cost of a temporary SIM or roaming data charges.

The first night I was in Singapore I had dinner at the hotel restaurant. They had Kangaroo loin on the menu. I'm always willing to eat a new mammal, so I jumped at the chance. It's a lot like venison, but has its own texture and flavor. It was delicious:

The raspberry jus it came with was phenomenal.
It perfectly complimented the meat.

Here's a couple views of the city from the rooftop of the hotel:

This is a good example of what Singapore looks like: plenty of modern high rise building along with tropical foliage.

Your typical crosswalk in Singapore. 

A decent skyline view, but I took a much better photo...

I stayed until night feel and took what might be my favorite picture of the trip so far: Singapore at night:

If you look carefully, you'll see Orion's belt at the top. The camera actually saw it better than my own eyes.

I went out after dinner and found a local craft brewpub just around the corner. It was a small place, but had front and back outdoor seating. The owner was a gregarious and friendly guy who loved talking about the beer he had and the sights to see around Singapore. He gave some good advice and I appreciated him a lot.

It's called the Canjob taproom, and if you're ever in the city you should go have a beer. He's got a small draft selection but a ton of bottles from all over the world.

The signs in the place were really clever, with actual taps bolted onto them.

There's a lot of solid bar food available for cheap. This was a black pepper meat pie and it was delicious. I had one every time I came in.

They had a lot of local brewers, and they are all above average to excellent.

And here's a typical tree in the city. I don't know what they're called, but they're everywhere.

I have a lot to say about Singapore. It's a beautiful city that does a lot of things very well. The public transit is solid, taxis are easy to find and relatively cheap, and most neighborhoods have everything you need. It's clean and friendly. It's hot and humid, if that's your preference. It's also expensive, so be prepared if you're coming. There are deals to be found if you're willing to go off the main roads, but you're going to spend while you're here.

In another post I'll show you the most touristy things I've done on this trip. They were fun to do, but I had to pay a lot to do them.