Colombo trip: a first in several ways — part 2 of 3

I furiously looked left and right, I probably looked panicked… or maybe like a cyborg that needed to immediately process a mental picture of Changi airport's layout. I noticed a series directional signs for a transfer desk down the hallway-slash-highway. Being the exemplary graduate of Sesame Street that I am, I just followed the arrows. It was not the transfer desk I needed. Nevertheless, I received very clear instructions from the airport staff on where to go, including what was written on the signs that I should continue to follow. I was instructed to ride a "skytrain" to transfer to another terminal.

Whether it was the precision of the instructions, or the clarity of the language it was delivered, I began to regain my confidence - I relaxed and took time to soak in the atmosphere. I was inside a very interesting and rather comfortable environment. Walking through Changi felt like window-shopping in a luxurious mall. Still, one never forgets how this airport is one of the region's most important "crossroads," what with the vast array of airline logos, monitors showing flight numbers and boarding gates, passengers of every shape, color and "national costume" tugging/lugging baggages and walking in different directions.

Yet still, the busy-ness of it all didn't seem too apparent - everywhere "real greenery" abound, every now and then splashes of floral color. At the end of one delightful row of orchids in full bloom, a young, Caucasian lady was smiling at me. Oops! My mistake. It's a life-size cardboard cut-out of Paris Hilton; she's not one that would stir my persuasions nor was she a lady (if some sources were to be believed).

I saw like travelers-in-transit enjoying sufficient creature comforts: cushy chairs, coffee shops, lounging areas, spa and massage clinics, computer terminals with free Internet connection. Getting a spot on the Internet terminals was quite easy - there were so many terminals available, one never had to wait too long to get a turn.

I was equally pleased at the duty-free shops; they take in almost any kind of foreign currency (it seemed). I learned this when I bought a ream of my cigarette brand in one shop (there's a possibility that my brand won't be available in Sri Lanka) and tried to pay with a 100 US dollar bill. The shopkeeper didn't have enough to break the bill and asked what other currency I had. I paid in Philippine pesos and was given Singapore dollars for change. (But hmm… I didn't notice any area reserved for smoking.) Shopping is not the only form of recreation in Changi. There were staging areas and announcements of events. In one staging area, there was an invitation for a Sudoku tournament.

As boarding time neared, I directed my wandering towards the boarding area of the Lankan Air flight to Colombo, unsettling thoughts of the things I was about to do in ICAAP resurfaced. That slightly distracted me from the pleasant loitering I've been doing in Changi. Suddenly, the over-one-hour stopover felt too short.