A short piece I wrote in 2016 about my first experience in Singapore Changi Airport – my first time solo overseas.
First impressions last.
First impressions of Singapore Changi Airport:
Upon arrival the humidity hits you all of a sudden, like being flicked by a wet towel in the locker room… Then the smell of 1970s casino carpeting tainted by the tropics permeates the air. Vast expanses of musty 1970s Casino carpet as far as the eye can see. The transit lounge is huge. I went into the little boys room to relieve myself and an asian man bellies-up to the urinal beside me with an air of confidence. After answering his call, he proceeds to flush, turns 90 degrees away from me, rinses his hand in the gushing urinal, then finishes by what I can only assume was a refreshing splash of cold water on his pecker… Well it is hot and sticky in here…
After browsing the duty free I ate a mexican chicken burger with nachos in it. They have Starbucks. Now I am lounging by the rooftop swimming pool sipping a long island iced tea and taking in the wonderful aroma of jet fuel lingering in the thick humid air. Planes are landing and taking off around me. The relief of the pools mild water is only transient… I don’t want to leave the pool.
TLDR: there are lots of good smells here
Try here if you’d prefer a more mature assessment on the experience of foreign travel.