Singapouring

There is no direct flight from Bangkok to Borneo, so after 3 months after our first visit we found ourselves at Singapore Changi Airport again. This time we'd stay longer as our connecting flight was scheduled for the next morning, and so we had the entire afternoon and evening to kill. 

We signed up for one of the free tours of Singapore city that the airport organizes daily for passengers in transit and that takes you around the most significant landmarks in a couple of hours (large part of that time is spent waiting in line for the immigration control). When we hopped on the bus and started heading towards the city the sun was still shining and the guide was telling us how lucky we were since in the past days it rained through almost all of the tours. Just as we were entering the Marina Bay area, the sky started to look suspiciously dark grey and in the same exact moment when the bus stopped to let us out for a bit of exploration, the sky started falling. For the rest of the tour all we could see were liters of water pouring over the bus windows as we were passing, presumably through Chinatown. We'll have to come back to Singapore some day to see it better than through a blurry glass.

Clouds are gathering over Marina Bay

These are supposed to be the Gardens by the Bay. And a lot of rain

Merlion, the symbol of the city

The same creature, without the rain

Singapore airport is one of the passenger-friendliest in the world - the terminals have free wifi plus countless computers free for use, there are large entertainment areas with cushion seats and big screens, there's a cinema, gardens, playgrounds... you name it! I can understand why there are people actually staying inside the terminals for days.

Orchid garden

Sunflower garden

Who said it was only for kids??

But the best part of Singapore airport is the sleeping. We had slept in several airports before (and there are more awaiting us on this trip), usually on the floor or on the benches. But this time we were in for a treat! We found a free dark relax lounge with reclined chairs, far from the hustle, what a luxury! We would have enjoyed the night more if our fellow sleepers hadn't snored like elephants, but still it was unexpectedly good alternative to sleeping somewhere in the corner on the floor.

We woke up early and so excited to take the one hour flight that separated us from Borneo. Just to say Borneo gave us goosebumps, Borneo, how awesome that sounds!