I left to shop. My two sons had asked for "American candy," which I dutifully found in one of the airport's nine candy stores. My sons and daughter also wanted an iPod, which I bought for US$230, compared with US$300 in New Delhi. But I waltzed past perfumes, diamonds, clothing, mini-stereos, and locally-made, gold-plated orchids (costing up to US$356).
I needed to find the Skytrain, to travel from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. "The ride takes approximately 89 to 90 seconds," said Shaheed's replacement at the information booth, directing me to the rail car.
"Approximately?" I asked.
"Yes, approximately," she said.
It took 84 seconds, after a four-minute wait.
I ate sushi. I watched MTV with a group of teenagers on one TV set. I watched the Discovery Channel with four-year-olds on another set. I hooked up my laptop to a free Ethernet line next to a 20-year-old Malaysian student who was chatting with his family over his laptop using Skype technology. I poked around the cactus garden that had "do not touch the plants" signs every couple of meters, which of course encouraged me to touch the cephalocereus senilis (old man cactus from Mexico) and the euphorbia splendens (a crown of thorns that come from Madagascar).
And I found the outdoor swimming pool. It was past midnight and closed, but I stumbled upon an unlocked door and climbed the stairs to admire the water shimmering in the night-lights. No one was around, the water seemed so inviting, I bent over to test the temperature. Warm. Should I strip to my boxers and jump in? My children would treasure that story.
I looked at my watch. It was 1:15am. Oops! My flight was leaving in less than an hour from Terminal 2. With regret, I hustled to the Skytrain (two-minute wait, 85-second trip), raced to my gate and arrived with only minutes to spare.
My seven-hour layover had flown by. I was ready for my next seven hours in this airport. I could try oxygen therapy, a workout, a pedicure perhaps and, if my timing was just right, maybe even a forbidden Singapore skinny-dip. Now that would be a layover to remember.
RSS