Ayubowan! Or: How to (under)estimate an air conditioner...

"Omelette or chicken?".

That's a question that probably very few of us hear when it comes to choosing breakfast. And probably the person asking the question isn't a well-dressed Sri Lankan woman (yes, that word exists, I looked it up) in a turquoise saree. But the further you travel towards the "other end of the world," the more likely it becomes that you'll be served chicken for breakfast (we, with our European palates, took the omelette by the way... maybe it'll be chicken on the return flight... who knows?).

But enough about omelette and chicken, back to the essentials. The flight went well and relatively turbulence-free. The airline 'Sri Lankan Airlines' is really recommendable. Good food, attentive flight attendants, a very entertaining entertainment program and all for THAT PRICE. In addition, you are greeted with a cheerful 'Ayubowan' when boarding (hence the title of this entry). Unfortunately, we couldn't put our brilliant plan to sleep in the airplane (which is not so far-fetched for a night flight) into action (partly because of our excitement and partly because of sitting) and so we tossed and turned restlessly, falling into a kind of half-sleep (probably more like a 'quarter-sleep') only to be 'woken up' a few hours later with an 'omelette or chicken'. And so the circle closes...

The view from the airplane when approaching Colombo can be described in one word: forest... dotted with a few lonely houses. So the airport was somewhere in the middle of nowhere... which fit the atmosphere there very well. For airport conditions, it was quite quiet. In addition, there was some eerie background music playing, which gave the whole thing a ghostly touch. At least this scenario would have made a nice opening scene for a horror- psycho-killer thriller or, to put it in the shortened version for parents: we didn't feel QUITE as safe as at Frankfurt Airport. At least we had some time to freshen up and take care of our daily dental care. But then it was time for check-in...

The Sri Lankan officials took check-in quite casually. Probably any terrorist would have smiled pityingly (ok, ok, Richard, I really exaggerated there...).

In the airplane, we were sitting next to a nice German lady our age, who told us about her au pair year in Australia, which she was traveling to (Richard called it the 'German travel instinct' that the probably only three Germans on board booked seats next to each other AND that these Germans then - who would have guessed - naturally want to travel to Australia/New Zealand). So far so good... let's skip ahead a little.

Finally! Singapore, Changi Airport, we land. After filling out some immigration paperwork and collecting our luggage, we decided to spend the remaining time until the hotel shuttle arrived by exploring the airport grounds...

AMAZING... what a place! The size! And everything is so clean! And then these cool architectural and design details! Already here, we noticed what would be confirmed later during the shuttle ride: there seems to be no place in Singapore where there is no room for a tree, bush or at least a blade of grass, which makes the city feel very lively.

After eating something in a food street (I ordered a dish called 'Maggi Goreng'), we went to the shuttle waiting area. Unfortunately, we missed the shuttle one or two times (most important lesson of the day: ASK! The people here are really friendly and helpful), but that was okay, we spent the remaining time taking photos and drawing.

When we left the airport building, we walked into a wall of heat with our armored, bulletproof shoes, hoodies, and woolen socks. That's when you learn to appreciate an air conditioner. Luckily, the bus shuttle - like everything else here - was very good. Singapore is simply stunning at first sight. Modern skyscrapers next to colonial and traditional buildings, illuminated avenues and parks next to roads and concrete.

Our hotel is also great! (But see for yourself...). Unfortunately, we only found out today how to lower the air conditioner, so we had to go to the balcony to warm up (that's when you learn to underestimate an air conditioner...).

We also miserably lost the battle against jet lag, so we didn't go to bed until 3:00 a.m. local time and today we could only get up around 12:00 p.m. But more on that later...

Warm regards from Richi & Maggi

Singapore, Mon 24.10.2016, 11:29 p.m.