Arriving in Singapore

Well, we finally made it to Singapore. To the left is a picture of me and Marla before the flight. I think we may have traveled for a little more than 30 hours including 2 layovers in Chicago and Hong Kong, which is definitely more than I’ve ever traveled before in airports/planes. I remember when we used to visit Israel over the summers and after a 12 hour flight we would be picked up by one of my uncles in Tel Aviv and have to drive 4 hours to get to my family’s kibbutz in northern Israel. That always seemed like an eternity to me but now it seems like a short trip. Some highlights of the trip:

• I slept for 4 hours on a bench in the Chicago O’Hare Airport hugging all of my possessions so that no one would steal them. Let’s hope no one got a picture.
• My laptop made it to First Class to charge but unfortunately I can’t say the same about myself.
• We were served ramen noodles from Chicago to Hong Kong, which was better than any of the other food (why can’t they do that in the U.S.?).
• I watched “Dazed and Confused” for the first time in 10 years and remembered why it had been my favorite movie in high school. Clearly, it has re-positioned itself on the top my current list of favorite movies.
• I also watched Bill Maher’s new documentary, “Religulous,” which is humorous but clearly Bill just wanted another forum to talk down to religious folks, denounce all faiths, and proclaim everyone who doesn’t think like him an idiot. It’s worth seeing, but like with Michael Moore’s films, take it with a grain of salt. I say this because like Bill I’m agnostic yet I still have respect for faith, which it seems he does not.

Everything went smoothly with our arrival. I can tell I’m going to really enjoy Singapore’s knack for efficiency and neatness. I stepped outside and the humidity enveloped me, bringing me back to the middle of the summer in Tel Aviv where even though the sun goes down, the heat stays. Our tour guide, Rocky, a 3rd generation Singaporean (originally from India), told us there are two kinds of weather in Singapore: indoor and outdoor. As soon as I got on the bus with him and the rest of the group, I entered “group travel mode” and felt like I needed to be on the mic at the front of the bus telling people about the next day’s itinerary and to make sure to drink water (can anyone tell that I’ve staffed too many Israel trips?). I haven’t traveled in so long and I remember why I love it so much. It’s exciting because you never really know what’s going to happen next. Everyone was in good spirits on the bus ride to the hotel, which makes me confident that our group is going to get along great. If, after 30 hours on a plane, we can all laugh with (and at) each other then it’s a good sign.

Our hotel is amazing but is very old fashioned so the staff actually brought our bags to the room after we checked in. While this was very gracious, I was a little uncomfortable because I hate having people do things like that for me. I know they get paid, but it just makes me feel awkward. In any case, now we’re here, showered (woohoo!), and are off to bed so that we can wake up early and head out for some sightseeing. Rocky told us not to wear “hot pants” tomorrow because we’re having a lunch at a swanky hotel. Don’t worry Rocky. I don’t own “hot pants.”

The man himself...Rocky.