Recently, in November, I booked a saver award for JFK-FRA-SIN-BOM for something like 126K miles + taxes. Pretty reasonable mileage for 3 sectors in Singapore Suites I must say. I would have preferred to book a round trip in business for few more miles, but the dates would just not work out. Instead, I chose to book this and a return award in coach on the SkyTeam alliance.
This booking allowed me to make a day trip to Singapore to sample local specialties with the help of excellent recommendations made by members of this forum. I wasn't able to hit all the spots as intended, but the laksa at Katong 321 and dim sums at Din Tai Fung were especially memorable. Weather gets in the way! I am acclimatized to the north american climate and the equatorial weather took a toll on my body. I was drenched from head to toe as I made my way through leafy Orchard Road to Clark Quay, only to give up, get in a cab and head on over to Maxwell Food Center. Something about the chicken rice at the Tian Tian. I should have known this place is an outdoor food court, sans air conditioning! I was sweating a bucket, further lubricated by an ice cold cane juice from a nearby vendor. At this time my stomach was bursting as well, having splurged on numerous meals between JFK to FRA to SIN. But I just had to do it. In about 6 hours I spent in the city, I ate 5 whole meals! I swear, I polished them off! The Tian Tian chicken was good, but not a favorite of mine. Look, comfort food hits different spots for each recipient. Mine was the steamy hot broth in the chicken dumplings at Din Tai Fung. And what's with absence of tissue paper at food courts? Look, I would have paid 20 bucks if someone offered me a box of tissue, perhaps 50 bucks for a fresh, dry towel. I had none, and availed myself of my shirt sleeves to dry off. Once the sleeves were drenched, I had to reach the bottom of my shirt to further dry my lips. I must have made a scene worthy of a youtube moment, but the anonymity of a strange tourist in a foreign land allows one freedom from local civility. I kid you not, the hot sauce in the chicken would have taken my lower lip but for the dry end of my shirt bottom. Civility be damned, I will keep my lips!
My ride from JFK. The visage of this matronly A380 just boggles your mind. How does it even take off? It's got 22 wheels, with a wing spans of 260 feet. Did you know, it's broader than it's long (239 feet)? At about maximum take off weight of 600 tonnes and >5800 sq. ft of real estate. That's like a suburban north american home taking off in the sky. Well, every now and then, homes here do fly off in the tornado season, but in the case of A380 it's routinely done with four engines with a thrust of 80,000 lbf! This bird's starting to show its age, but is fully serviceable nevertheless. Perhaps retirement is close by, but just not today.
This booking allowed me to make a day trip to Singapore to sample local specialties with the help of excellent recommendations made by members of this forum. I wasn't able to hit all the spots as intended, but the laksa at Katong 321 and dim sums at Din Tai Fung were especially memorable. Weather gets in the way! I am acclimatized to the north american climate and the equatorial weather took a toll on my body. I was drenched from head to toe as I made my way through leafy Orchard Road to Clark Quay, only to give up, get in a cab and head on over to Maxwell Food Center. Something about the chicken rice at the Tian Tian. I should have known this place is an outdoor food court, sans air conditioning! I was sweating a bucket, further lubricated by an ice cold cane juice from a nearby vendor. At this time my stomach was bursting as well, having splurged on numerous meals between JFK to FRA to SIN. But I just had to do it. In about 6 hours I spent in the city, I ate 5 whole meals! I swear, I polished them off! The Tian Tian chicken was good, but not a favorite of mine. Look, comfort food hits different spots for each recipient. Mine was the steamy hot broth in the chicken dumplings at Din Tai Fung. And what's with absence of tissue paper at food courts? Look, I would have paid 20 bucks if someone offered me a box of tissue, perhaps 50 bucks for a fresh, dry towel. I had none, and availed myself of my shirt sleeves to dry off. Once the sleeves were drenched, I had to reach the bottom of my shirt to further dry my lips. I must have made a scene worthy of a youtube moment, but the anonymity of a strange tourist in a foreign land allows one freedom from local civility. I kid you not, the hot sauce in the chicken would have taken my lower lip but for the dry end of my shirt bottom. Civility be damned, I will keep my lips!
My ride from JFK. The visage of this matronly A380 just boggles your mind. How does it even take off? It's got 22 wheels, with a wing spans of 260 feet. Did you know, it's broader than it's long (239 feet)? At about maximum take off weight of 600 tonnes and >5800 sq. ft of real estate. That's like a suburban north american home taking off in the sky. Well, every now and then, homes here do fly off in the tornado season, but in the case of A380 it's routinely done with four engines with a thrust of 80,000 lbf! This bird's starting to show its age, but is fully serviceable nevertheless. Perhaps retirement is close by, but just not today.
Comment