[Travel] Drinking the water

[Dan Rohtbart]

Greetings from Singapore, where culture shock has rendered me useless!

I retract my slight against the Singapore airport. In an early email, I
said that it was only a typical Western airport with the occasional koi
pond and orchid garden. Facts right, tone wrong. Singapore airport is a
Western airport! Air conditioning. Security staff. Sterile isolation from
other people. A spa where I can shower. All the stuff I have missed for
the last month.

Singapore had me for a day and completely twisted my brain. All things
considered, the twist could have happened in New York, and Betsy would
have had to handle me nearly melting down at the first inconvenience.
Instead, I seethed at the Singapore Airlines staff. Let's just say that my
problem became their emergency.

Because I didn't have a seat assignment yet (and I wanted to avoid the
middle all the way in the back) I tried to check in this afternoon.
Online? No dice. Ticket issued by USAir. Phone? Not at per-minute charges.
So I went to the downtown service office, mainly because I practically
tripped over it. That's where we learned that I managed to lose the last
ticket in my booklet. The booklet was intact, aside from one page. After a
month of being pressed up against my wallet, the edges got destroyed. The
Thai Air gate agent in Bangkok, laughing at me in my Vietnam conical hat,
got distracted and pulled out too many tickets. At least that was my
guess. So my Singapore Air helper called Thai Airlines, who denied any
wrongdoing. Singapore Air helpfully told me that I could not fly to New
York tonight. I politely swallowed my tongue, as my eyes rolled back in my
head. They offered that I could buy a ticket, and sort things out with
USAir. Adrenaline, sweat, bile. They ask me for contact info, so they can
tell me if they get any info....but USAir has no office in Singapore, and
only they can reissue the lost ticket. These are worse than Communist
hoops!

Just as I'm getting up, a service rep comes running from the back room,
holding a fax. Thai Air got off their asses and looked through their
records. Indeed, my ticket was there. And now Singapore Air can check me
in. Thanks, guys. Three-ring binder service at its best.

I'm about to run out of time, so I'll save Singapore stories for the
future. In a nutshell, it's not as strict as you would think. I ate an
overwhelmingly good feast last night, then walked around town. The
electronics shopping was fantastic.

My hotel was a Western three-star hotel, which I booked from New York. I
expected it to be adequate. After a month on the road, my jaw dropped at
the reliable airconditioning, flat bed, and shower which didn't soak the
floor.

I'm still not used to the biggest difference: I can drink the tap water.
Every time I pull a glass, I tense up. The first sip is scary, and I
usually can't finish the glass. But it's a start. Back to the West.

All the best,
Dan