Morning of day two - Singapore

Up at 4:30 am. I just couldn’t sleep any more. 

I got locked out of my room. My key wouldn’t work after I left my room to find another bottle of water. So I shuffled downstairs to the lobby in my slippers. Luckily I was alone in the lobby and they gave me a new key. As I shuffled my way through the hallway with the windows looking out over the dark city of Singapore it reminded me of the hotel scenes in Lost in Translation. I’m the only one shuffling around to the workout room or the lobby at 5am. 

I turned on college football. Sunday morning is Saturday primetime football. Michigan plays Minnesota at 7:30 am Sunday Singapore time. So I’m planning on heading out for a run at sunrise (which I think is 7am) and then I should be back to watch halftime. I’m streaming the games over the wifi on my computer; what would I do if I had to survive with just the four stations on the TV?

My room has some kind of Italian mini espresso machine. I decided to make coffee at 6am to get going for the day. The machine made such a racket - I guess it was actually pressurizing the water to get a good espresso, but it sounded like a freight train in my room. I was certain I would get a call from downstairs to please keep it down. I didn’t, so I made a second cup.

I went for a run. I ran somewhere between eight and nine miles. I went up Orchard Rd the big shopping district, then down to the marina and around a loop circling the water. It was very humid and it sapped the energy right out of me. I got drenched by a downpour halfway through and was soggy all the way back to my hotel.

Once back I found a nice man who works at the hotel willing to make me a flat white while I ate pastries and watched Michigan football. There are worse ways to recoup from a run.

Day one in Sinagapore

I landed at 8am on schedule. Immigration was amazingly easy. Stamp in the passport and move along. I was through customs and immigration in no more than 10 minutes. It look longer to wait in line to buy my mass transit 2-day pass for the subway.

I took the mass transit to my hotel. Which was slower but I got to see lots of people on their Saturday morning routine. Everyone looking at their phone. Going wherever they go. Not too crowded. I get off in Little India about 1 km from my hotel and walk. I see lots of indian shops opening up for the Saturday selling. Jeans and t-shirts among other things.

I get to the hotel. The room isn’t ready but the hotel staff are super nice. I get to shower in the hotel gym. The smallest shower room known to humankind. But it had a shower and a sink and nobody else was there to share it. I showered, shaved and changed. I felt so much better. Left my luggage at the front desk. Found a nearby Starbucks to get a hit of coffee to tell my body it was morning (not night). I met up with my friend Bryan and we hit the Tekka Centre to get some lunch. I ate chicken and rice and a Tiger beer (the local brand). Not a risky lunch. It hit the spot.

We shopped along Serengong road and talked. We went to the Mustafe Centre where they had more bags than I’ve ever seen in one store. The store had everything, and one floor was just bags. It was like Costco for bags. Suitcases. Briefcases. Wallets. Bags on top of bags. It was awesome. I wanted everything, and bought nothing. Saturday afternoon they were packed with people shopping. Looking for new suitcases to pack all their souvenirs. Another floor was all candy, they had a sale on green tea Kit Kats. I made a mental note to come back and buy some before I go.

We walked up to the Jewel Cafe for coffee to re-energize. It was a small coffee shop that looks like coffee shops do all over the world. Atmosphere and air conditioning. We each ordered a flat white which was gorgeous. Then we moved on to beer. We drank and talked through the hot afternoon hours.

About five in the afternoon we hopped the mass transit to the Marina Bay, a reclaimed island with a huge casino. The bay that got created is surrounded with skyscrapers and the whole city skyline. We found the super trees which were just sort of metal sculptures shaped like trees and decided the (long) line for walking “among the trees” wasn’t worth it. It was very green - like a Disney created garden. We kept going to find Satay by the Bay.

We ate beef, mutton, shrimp and pork belly satay. And beer. It rained and we walked slowly with our umbrellas to the marina bay where, at 8pm, crowds of families gathered for a lightship spectacular. It was nice. The music was putting me to sleep. I decided the first ten minutes captured the essence enough for me. We walked back to the subway and back to the hotel. Bed by 9:30 pm. Success.

The big enchilada

Sixteen hours in flight started with a maintenance problem and an initial 45 minute delay while we sat on the plane. Ominous sign? 

After six or so hours into the flight. I watched a movie (The House with Will Ferrell) and an episode of Westworld. I ate the meal they provided (chicken and rice) and had a couple of beers. After about four hours I couldn’t keep my eyes open any more and I had to sleep. I was really trying to hold out for longer but I couldn’t. So I inflated my pillow and got out my eye mask and slept.

It’s funny how the seat feels like it’s not reclined at all as you try and sleep. When it is clearly reclined as you get up and see just how far back it is. You get totally used to the recline and it seems like your seat is broken. But it isn’t; you’re just wanting more recline. But the strange thing is that on previous flights I’ve had full recline seats and still sleep hasn’t come to me. So I’m not sure I could sleep a bunch unless I had a big queen bed in the sky. And we all know that isn’t happening.

Back to sleep or watch another movie?

Watched another episode of Westworld. Ate the turkey sandwich they gave me and drank another beer. I decided I probably need to watch another movie before sleeping some more. I think Spiderman Homecoming. The entertainment system on this new 787 is much better than the older models. Better touch screen, more responsive. Very good.

I feel lucky to have an open middle seat next to me. The space is very good. A place to set things, my elbows don’t knock into people. Very pleasant. I wonder if I’m drinking enough water. I’m taking some Advil and no jet lag pills regularly to minimize the effects of the flight. I also am wearing my calf compression sleeves I use for long distance running to help with blood flow while I sit for a long time.

About an hour and a half before we land and the flight attendants bring another meal. Eggs and fruit with a roll. The food has been good and well timed it feels like for the trip. Two real meals and a sandwich, with pretzels and drinks in between. I felt like I ate a lot on this flight and enjoyed it.

Bringing along a book about finding joy was a good option for getting to sleep. Not that it was boring but it was reflective and didn’t have a start and end. I read a chapter and found myself reflecting and going sleep. I enjoy fiction books that have a story and engage me in the plot, and the downside is usually I want to keep reading instead of going to sleep. I did bring a fiction book along and I’ll save it for the return flight.

I wonder if I’ll be able to shower when I get to my hotel early? I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume I can leave my bag, but my room won’t likely be available until midday. i hope i can ask to use the spa or pool facility to take a shower and maybe shave. I think it will do wonders for the rest of the day. I also think I should seek out some coffee. I wonder if I can get a good cup of togo coffee on my trip from the airport. I think I’ll take the rapid transit, people say it is wonderful. I expect it means more walking from the station to the hotel and hopefully coffee.

We land about 8am on Saturday morning. Having flown 16 hours from SFO and departed about midnight Thursday night. I lost Friday. But I’ll get it back by having two Mondays. Boy that doesn’t seem fair, does it? 

At the gate

At the gate of UA1. It's much nicer. Better chairs. More of them. And the people are super chill. Nobody is lining up in group 2 for fear that group 1 has gotten so big their bag won't make it onboard. Or we all are just too scared of the 17 hour flight to worry about our bags.

The SFO United Club

Sitting in the United Club in SFO waiting for my flight to SIN. I need to stay up. I need to stay up a lot. If I’m going to make the first day in Singapore count, I’m going to have to stay up a lot and then sleep like normal before we land. I don’t know if I can, but I’m going to try. 

So no snoozing in the club for me. I’m eating tomato bisque soup and drinking Coors Light. It isn’t as busy as the O’hare club was probably just because it is later. It’s 8:45 pm PT and most people should be home (or getting home) by now. Unless you’re me waiting on United flight 1 to Singapore that now leaves at midnight. 

My flight is delayed. Not bad. Only a 30 minute delay, and it still says scheduled to arrive on time. I guess you can make up 30 minutes on a 17 hour flight. Headwinds or lack thereof.

The gate will be a walk from the club so I have to figure out when to leave the semi-luxury of free soup and beer to wait at the gate. I’m guessing I have 2 hours here. I’m hoping they have more food than just the soup.

A nice lady decided to camp immediately in front of me and bang out emails (literally she was banging her keyboard loud enough that I could hear her). I’m not sure why she’s standing, everyone else is sitting. It was a little unnerving. She wasn't looking at me, but she was facing me standing in a way that I kept looking up to see if she was looking at me. Awkward.

Two beers and two bowls of soup later and I’m off to my gate. 

I have two books to read on my flight: The Book of Joy and The Lost Symbol. I wonder if I'll read them both. Or either.

The Pilot

There’s an off duty pilot sitting across the aisle from me. As our flight was being delayed, he came to the gate in full uniform and had an animated conversation with the gate agent. It wasn’t clear to me what he wanted. I thought maybe he was our relief pilot. He seemed to be having an argument as though he thought we needed him and the gate agent thought otherwise. 

After we boarded, I watched the pilot board our flight but he was no longer in his uniform. he didn’t have a seat, he just waited at the door to see what seats would be available. He was wearing a white undershirt and a zip up sweater that said “Ferrari”. He sits across from me and takes off the sweater (it was warm), so now he’s wearing his uniform pants and an undershirt like a regular Joe flying. He looks for the seats that were recently vacated by folks who won the First Class upgrade lottery and just got moved up to the front He plops down in the aisle seat across from me.

As the flight attendants come by with drinks, he orders two beers (“Voodoo Rangers”) and drinks them while he reads his NRA magazine. He’s compelled by the article on how the NRA isn’t nearly as powerful as it once was. He swills down his Voodoo Rangers over a couple hours and eventually orders a third one. 

Interestingly when he goes to the bathroom, I notice the white undershirt is actually a much nicer pocket t-shirt with the Ralph Loren polo logo on the pocket. So it only looks slobbish, he’s actually much much cooler than all that. Out comes the Vanity Fair magazine to read while he drinks the last Voodoo Ranger and we descend.  

On the plane (to SFO before SIN)

On the plane heading to San Francisco, a “short four hours and twenty minutes” according to the flight attendant. The original departure was 4:06 pm but mechanical delays meant deplaning and waiting until we finally left around six o’clock. 

I left lots of time for my layover in SFO partially because I had a bad experience on a similar connection to India five years ago. My flight was delayed and the only flight from Newark to New Delhi was set to depart exactly when my late flight landed. I sprinted to the plane with a vision of having to wait a whole day for the next flight. My layover before my Singapore flight would be four hours to accommodate this possibility. Plus, I can use the United club since I’m flying on a long haul international flight so waiting a few hours will include complementary food and beer.

So we boarded the plane again, stowed our luggage again and are finally on our way to California. It seems crazy to think this four hour flight isn’t a quarter of the next flight. I took this same Chicago to SFO flight a few weeks ago to see my family, and I recall thinking at the time that it wasn’t so long. We’ll see how I feel after forty hours of flying on Monday night.

My flight from San Francisco to Singapore is UA1. I always wondered if there was a flight number one. There is and I found it. It isn’t Air Force One, it’s United 1. It reminds me that President Trump is leaving for Asia today, too. We don’t have plans to meet up while we’re both overseas, but it’s an interesting coincidence. Sort of glad I’m not overlapping with him in Singapore. I don’t really like that guy, so it would be awkward.

I planned a variety of entertainment options for my flights. I have movies, books and music. The light should also have in-flight movies and audiobooks. I’m also hoping I can get at least eight hours of sleep in during the 17 hours to Singapore. In my experience that’s optimistic - I don’t get more than a few hours of sleep on the plane. Even when I’m in the lie flat seats.

I feel lucky on our second chance at departure. Boarding the plane, my seat mate in the middle seat found an aisle seat behind me leaving the rare and majestic empty middle seat between me and the window seat lady. Now I only have to deal with the fact that he seems to want to punch the back of my seat repeatedly in-flight.  

What did I bring for a weekend jaunt to Singapore?

I put a lot of thought into what I was going to bring on this trip to Singapore. It struck me like an interesting puzzle. I was going to be gone only four days. I should be traveling light. I was traveling 20,000 miles to a different country so I also felt like I needed to bring the right stuff. Who knew what would be available for me to buy if I forgot. Plus I was traveling to an entirely different climate - I left Chicago and it was 33 degrees F and would land in Singapore on the equator where it would be 85 degrees F. 

First I pulled together things I thought I wanted to bring. I was going to spend as much time on the plane as on the ground, so it was important to have stuff while I was flying. In particular, I need entertainment. So I brought three books, four movies, a tv series, all my music. I packed my computer, tablet, phone and iPod. I wasn’t going to skimp on any of these devices.

What about clothes? I packed light clothes because it was going to be hot and humid. I didn’t want to pack a bunch of clothes so I decided one pair of pants, two changes of underwear and two t-shirts. I am wearing a travel button down that breathes. And I needed to bring workout shorts and a tank-top so I can go for a run. I love running everywhere I travel. So that’s all the clothes. 

Shoes suck - they’re heavy and take up a lot of space. So I’m wearing my running shoes and I brought light sandals. I don’t normally wear running shoes around when I’m not running, but I decided I wasn’t up for bringing another pair of shoes. I’m only there for a short time, and I’m not going anyplace fancy.

For the flight, I have my noise canceling headphones and an inflatable neck pillow. I have an eye mask and earplugs for sleeping. I packed some food (nutrition bars and kit-kat bars) and a collapsable water bottle. I always feel like flying is a little like backpacking, you need to be sure you have food and water when you want it. No depending on the flight attendants.

I packed it all in one soft-side bag that converts to a backpack. Some people swear that they need luggage with wheels, and I often have a roll aboard bag when I travel for work. For the most flexibility, I opt for the soft-side bag because I don’t mind wearing it as a backpack and the wheels take up a lot of space. So I also packed a small lightweight daypack that collapses down to nothing. I can use it once I drop my bag off at the hotel to hold a water bottle, my travel book and whatever little things I need.

It’s going to rain a bunch when I’m there so I packed an umbrella and a quick-dry hat. I thought about ditching the umbrella, I assume I could buy one when I’m there. I brought it anyway just figuring I had a small one that fit, and I would certainly need one. I also brought a waist pack (fanny pack). I could have probably left it, too, since I had the day pack but I like having it to carry my phone when I’m out running.

I expect there will be at least one or two things that I never use. That’s how it goes. I always try and limit what I bring and I still find there’s something I was sure I would need but I never used. I wonder that that will be this trip?

So that’s all I have. It doesn’t sound like much, but it still weights 23 pounds. Sounds like a little but feels heavy enough. It seems like I should be able to pare it down even more since I’m only going for a few days. Most of it isn’t clothes or shoes. I thought I might only need a backpack when I started, but I’m glad I’m using the larger soft side case. Who knows, I may bring home some souvenirs.  

Preboard for Singapore

I'm in line Thursday afternoon waiting to board the flight to SFO. I spent a few minutes it's in the lounge. Included when you're a Gold member and suffering through a long haul flight. It was busy so I got some water, a banana and sat for a minute. Plus it was far from my gate, so I couldn't really relax. I have 24 hours of travel ahead of me. I'm excited for the adventure. Like an ultramarathon I'm curious how I will do for the duration. I'm optimistic but everyone I tell gives me a look like I have a prison sentence. Time will tell. No upgrade for me, only economy plus. 

Thursday evening from ORD to SFO is a full flight. All the work people who travel for the week heading home. Any free seat has been given up to standby passengers. Pack us in United.