2010 Summer Adventure - Singapore, Day 1

I had a birthday surprise this April...a 2 nights Straits of Malacca Cruise on Superstar Virgo...courtesy of old friends.  On April 20 I took the 10:30 AM PAL flight to Manila to meet up with the group in NAIA Centennial Terminal 2 for the 3:20 PM flight to Singapore (SG). The PAL staff in Bacolod checked me in for international transfer to Singapore, so all I had to do was to get myself to the international side of the airport. This was the first time I ventured to the international side and I saw a Jollibee kiosk and...a Prayer Room/Chapel!!! I went inside to pray for my family's safety as well as the hospital while I am away and of course, a safe and fruitful trip for me too.  I went out feeling so peaceful...you see, I am really not a traveling person and being away from home, family and work for more than 2 nights and out of the country at that, gives me butterflies in the stomach.  In fact, this deep familial attachment is one reason why I chose to work and live near home...to be with my family is over and above all other reasons for living. Of course, if we all travelled together, that would have been different..but the free invitation was for me alone and I could not refuse it this time since this a second invitation and to say no again would probably mean it would also be the last time. So there I was sitting all alone in the waiting area looking sad and excited all at once. By 1 PM, the group was complete and we were all eagerly waiting to board.  We arrived at Changi Airport past 7 PM and it was huge, orderly, efficient and traveller friendly! My only other international trip was in Hongkong just before the turnover and we landed in their old Kai Tak airport, my vivid memory of that was the stench I smelled when we landed.  My one comment of the SG airport is that with all the hype regarding strict security...we were able to get our luggages out of the airport with no security person checking if it was ours or not...I had my luggage pass ready in hand but no one to give it to...hmmmmm. There were 2 vehicles waiting, one for our baggage to be brought to Concorde Hotel and a huge bus for us to bring us to Kublai Khan Restaurant. After dinner, we were checked into the hotel for a good night's rest...wake-up call is 6:30 AM the next day!