The First Attraction in Singapore: Getting Around Changi International Airport
The plane touched down. I was
excited. The blood in my body was rushing to get out of the plane. I was kind
of nervous actually because I haven’t really planed our way out of the airport.
I know that there is MRT going to the city center but I was with my girlfriend
and family and I feel the burden of directing our tour! Hehe… ok I stressed
myself.
When we went out of the tube I
first saw the long walkalators of T2 or terminal two. I first looked for a
comfort room. According to my economic professor in college one of the sign of
a developed country is the airport’s comfort room. It proved my professor’s
theory. It was perfect though NAIA Terminal 3’s comfort rooms are not far. The
only thing is the comfort rooms have a touch screen for evaluation of the
maintenance of an elderly with a picture on it.
We stepped onto the walkalator
then stepped on the thick carpet to experience walking and riding the
walkalator. (hehe… so childish) Things began to change so dramatically when I
saw the common area where a free internet services are available. There was an
orchid garden in the middle where every first timer can’t afford to miss a
pose. A signature shops on every sides are saying hi to your wallet or maybe
credit card. There are maps, brochures, and guides everywhere for free. And all
those things are found in all the terminal.
There is this long wooden table
like with engraved images on top of it. I wonder what it is. But when a saw a
large sheet of paper and a set of crayons I knew it is one of the amenities of
Changi airport. Each engraved images picture out the symbols of this small
island nation. I put in to place the large sheet of white paper on the engraved
image that I liked then began scratching my favorite Crayola colors. It will
take you a precise rhythm to get a perfect art. And mine? I don’t know… hehe. The
masterpiece (not actually mine) serves as my remembrance of my arrival in
Singapore.
That was just the arrival hall of
Changi T2.
I know for a fact that Changi
Airport is one of the best airports in the world competing with Incheon and
Hong Kong Airport. Most of the travelers, foreign and local (Travelers I met in
the Philippines and other Asian country), easily mention Changi Airport
whenever I asked them of the best airport they have ever seen. So as I visit Singapore I said that maybe if
I have a chance to go around the airport I will do so to see the whole airport.
And base on what I have read and heard the airport is a tourist attraction.
We headed to the immigration
after the long delayed cause by our amusement of the airport. After grabbing
some free candies in front of the immigration officer I realize that I still do
not know how to get to Bugis area where our hostel is located. I was so stupid
not getting the information from the free internet inside. Now my agenda was to
look for a free internet access or a wifi hotspot and use my iPad. I wasn’t at
peace because of this dilemma. After grabbing our bag from the conveyer we
headed to the exit and still I do not know how to get to Bugis.
When we exited there was a man
who approached us and we were shock he was looking for us! I don’t know who was
he but I observed that Phoebe’s parent were all smiling and shocked as well. It
was Tito Gel, the husband of Phoebe’s aunt Tita Pilita who I also met months
ago. Tito Gel is a Commodore of the Philippine Navy based in Singapore. He was
practically there to fetch us! Whoa! That was a total relief for me. We have a
guide!!! Haha… Tito Gel generously treated us for a breakfast inside the
airport. It was my first time to eat two uncooked egg with kaya and coffee.
I thought we are heading to the
MRT to get to our hostel but tito Gel offered to tour us around the airport. We
all agreed especially me =)
We went first to the departure
area of T2 just an elevator away from us. Everything in this airport is
attractive. One thing you would notice is the spacious area and high ceiling
common to most airports. The artistically engineered ceiling of T2 is themed
after a palm leaf to give the impression of a garden inside the airport.
We walked towards the east side
of T2 to transfer to T1 via the Skytrain. The three terminals of Changi Airport
are connected via skytrain. Different shops
from dining to tech shop lined up the airport that gives us the impression of
being in a mall. And yes it is as if you are in a mall and a garden. Did I mention
that aside from garden and playground there is a theater inside the mall, I mean
Changi T2! Hehe…
Can I say this again: That was
Changi Terminal 2 =)
It will just take you less than
two minutes to get to T1 the first terminal build in Changi airport. The 30
years old terminal accommodates 24 million passengers per year. So that’s two
million passenger traffic per month or 66, 000 people stepping on this terminal
every day! No wonder there are wide range of shops inside the terminal.
The main attraction in this
terminal is the state-of-the-art Kinetic Rain located at the Departure Hall. Thousands
of cooper droplets perfectly choreographed will let your eye glued on each. Each
piece perfect and smooth moves relaxes each traveler before departing. To
further understand what I am saying here are the videos of the Kinetic Rain.
That was just Changi Terminal 1
Change T3, the “green” terminal
is the newest of the three terminals which opened on 2008. The five years old
terminal has a lightning system that allows natural day light to enter the
terminal thus giving a peaceful atmosphere. The ceiling is beautifully
engineered and it entails a lot of time to finish that, for sure. Like the kinetic
rain, the ceiling itself is an attraction in T3. I can’t help but to study each
details of the silver colored panel. Those panels are perfect for the ceiling
of my bachelor pad. Hehe…
Another attraction in T3 is the Green Wall. The Five story high tropical garden vertically planted with over 10,000 pieces of
plants. I always see this picture whenever Changi Airport is portrayed by
media. At the bottom of the vertical garden is the wall which embosses welcome
greeting of different languages of the planet. I was bless and proud to see “Maligayang Pagdating”
the hospitality greeting in my homeland – Philippines.
That was Changi Terminal 3
Aside from the attraction that I mentioned
above there are still a lot of stunning things to see in the three terminals. Like
in the malls and theme parks, and I told you Changi Airport is soon to be
labeled as one, there are themed attraction in each terminal depending on which
season or festival you are in there. Overall Changi Airport of Singapore is one
of the best I have ever seen. It is a backpacker/traveler friendly airport. And
I bet this is the favorite airport for all because of the amenities and
attraction. I heard that airports in Hong Kong and Incheon can be comparable
with Singapore’s Changi airport. I haven’t been there but I love to see it =)
For more information you can visit the airport’s website for your guide. What I
wrote here is just the tip of the iceberg. There are still a lot of things to
see in Changi Airport.
And that was Changi International
Airport of Singapore.
They say that Singapore doesn’t have
any natural resources as compared to its neighbors. Buy after 50 years of
independence the city state with 63 islands on the tip of Malaysian Peninsula
is world class as it is. Truly if we are given much it is very hard to attain
prosperity inside and out. The Singaporean has almost nothing to show in the
world when they became independent but look at them now, one of the richest country
in the world. I salute the people’s spirit of this nation. The masses especially
the forefathers lived up their name - SIngapura. Only with a lion heart you can
attain such success with very limited resources.
Happy Travels =)
