Asia influence

I am sitting in my new most favourite airport ever right now; Singapore’s Changi International airport is the bomb. Oops, poor choice of words, but it really is in a class of its own in comparison to the many other airports I’ve trudged and/or sprinted through.

I'm just over half way through my 2 day hop-scotch flight route, with 6 hours in Tokyo – most of which were spent looking out the train window  –  arrived in Singapore at 3am, and am now off to Kuala Lumpur for another 5 hours before arriving at my final destination of Indonesia!

(now in Kuala Lumpur LCCT airport)

This is my first Asia experience, and I have to say that so far, judging by the inside of airports, it doesn’t really feel much different than any other major international hub, although it is really hard to get a feel for a country from just the airport, that hardly counts. Arriving in Tokyo Natari airport, I immediately determined that 6 1/2 hours in such an airport would be rather tedious (disappointed with Tokyo airport), and a quick visit into the city seemed feasible with that much time, so I decided to go for it.

One part that I kind of forgot about in planning this trip, was Tokyo. I figured it would be fairly obvious for a tourist to figure out where to go, since it is TOKYO after all, the city of King Kong and Godzilla (or is that Hong Kong??), bustling with trendy Japanese and flashy shopping. It wasn’t until I actually exited the Tokyo Central train station in the middle of a boring downtown intersection, that I realized I know absolutely nothing about Tokyo. 

Maybe I had it confused with Hong Kong, or whatever city it is featured as the "major Asian centre” in every apocalyptic Hollywood action flick... In any case, it was not what I had expected. 6 1/2 hours turns into 4 very quickly with little things like customs, security clearance, boarding, etc., so I had exactly 30 minutes to power walk around 8-10 blocks of “downtown" Tokyo, and noted that the shops were all high-end designer stores, similar to Paris shopping in the Champs-Elysées block, not exactly the “Japanese” experience I was hoping for.

This is where I spent 3 of my 4 hours in Tokyo

See, I really am in Tokyo!

About 3 hours into my stay in Tokyo I did thankfully catch on to the driving and walking on the opposite (left) side of the road, avoiding most of the near collisions with fellow pedestrians and bikes. Now I understand why the Banff tourists always seem underfoot, like they purposely walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk just to be difficult, but no they are actually doing what is completely expected and normal in their own country!! Hm... Tokyo was a bust, but I feel that I gleaned at least a bit of enlightenment with the whole pedestrian traffic thing, and also reminded myself why it is important to research each destination on my in itinerary, so that I can make the most of my “Amazing Race”-like city tours and airport layovers.

Singapore airport was like heaven-on-earth to the weary traveler, and I’m convinced it was designed by an experienced female traveler, because they thought of everything!! I tend to judge an airport using the following criteria:

     

        1. Cleanliness –  (also applies to point #4 & 5)

        2. Accessibility (layout, proximity of terminals & city centre via train/shuttle)

        3. Services (variety of food and shopping options, hours of operation, information centres, maps)

        4. Toilets (more on this below)

        5. Comfort (lounge chairs vs hard plastic bucket seats)

I fell in love with the public toilets in Singapore, they even had a vanity mirror section with cushioned stools, like a classy restaurant washroom, so lovely. I gave them my feedback with an extra big smile – see photo from bathroom wall. Changi airport had many other things to make the weary traveler feel welcome and at ease, pictured below; it really was like a little paradise at 3am.

Vanity mirror in Changi airport bathroom.

Kuala Lumpur LCCT (low-cost carrier terminal) was exactly what it promised to be, low-cost and rather grubby in comparison to Changi’s delux comforts. It reminded me of a typical West African airport (similar level of bathroom cleanliness, or lack there of), with many more food service options though, some of the food shops were actually quite tasty (fresh fruit smoothies, hot & spicy wraps, noodle bowls, and KFC & McD’s should you so desire). I found a quiet corner in the Coffee Bean shop for a while to do emails, then wandered as far outside the terminal as I could pushing a luggage cart, to do some stretching and chill in the muggy morning sun.

My little spot of peace for yoga/stretching, with the noisy & polluting buses in the background.

The parade of toilets...

Ah...

No thanks.

I had started to notice a subtle change as I traveled from one airport to another - something which I think speaks volumes about the local culture - and that is the way in which people line up, or form queues. Tokyo was almost military-like in forming queues, and I received a few dirty looks as I strolled ignorantly up to the edge of the train platform, completely missing the orderly line off to the side. Singapore was a bit more relaxed, but it was 5am when we were lining up for the flight, and I think we were all still a bit groggy. Kuala Lumpur  involved lots of line cutting and “queue-jumping”, but it was fairly tame in comparison to some of the other pushy airports I’ve been in (Niamey, Casablanca, Kano, etc.). 

Stay tuned for more airport reviews, as I have another few new stopovers ahead  of me – why take the same route back when there are so many new & exciting airports to discover on this side of the world! 

Hm...

P.S. Road traffic here makes Cotonou and Benin roadways look tame in comparison - and I had a few moments of heart-stopping panic as my sleepy eyes would open to see us flying toward oncoming traffic on the wrong side!! My brother puts the bus drivers in Benin to shame with his rally driving skills; little sister is duly impressed (and somewhat terrified).