Singapore Diary. Part 2: Arrival in Singapore

Continued from Part 1: The trip from Boston

Sunday, July 22, 2007

My flight from Tokyo to Singapore arrived a few minutes early --around 11:40 pm local time-- and I had visions of zipping through ultramodern and gleaming Changi Airport, thanks to the much vaunted Singaporean efficiency. Alas, it was not to be. I don't know about the rest of the airport, but the arrival hall is pretty typical, actually not as modern as Boston or most other US or European airports.

When I got to the bottom of the escalator my heart sunk. There were long lines to reach the immigration officer. (And guess who stood in the slowest moving one!) Anyway it took more than 30 minutes to get to the front. It turns out they are just using an inefficient process. They were using old fashioned passport scanners that require the immigration officer to hold the passport over the glass and wait for the scanning to occur. That was a little disappointing especially after more than 24 hours in the air.

I was thinking of the impact this might have on a medical traveler when I noticed a woman in a wheelchair being wheeled straight to the front of a line and going right through. My sense is that this is the more typical entry path for those who can't stand. If you are coming to Singapore for medical treatment you might want to check to see whether your provider can help make arrangements.

Anyway, things soon improved. I zipped through customs and was met by the first of several helpful and efficient Singapore Tourism staff that I would encounter during my visit. Driving a new Mercedes, he drove me to the Gallery Hotel, pointing out various landmarks along the way. Unlike drivers in most other countries I've visited, this one wore his seatbelt and didn't speed. I've heard their are fairly severe penalties for speeding (probably for not wearing seatbelts, too), so I wasn't terribly surprised. There were several cars that passed us --though not at great speed. Perhaps they were daring fate.

There was no traffic, and the hotel was only about 20 minutes from the airport, which seems to be a typical trip length around here. I wasn't surprised at the lack of traffic late at night, but it has been somewhat weird to notice a lack of traffic during the day as well. Everyone must be on the train or living at the office. (Actually I think the cause if ample public transport and economic restrictions on car ownership.)

The hotel is arty but functional, and the elevators have a little feature I've never seen before: when you press the door close button it lights up to indicate that your stimulus has been received. It's a nice touch that reduces stress and cuts down on the tendency to push the button repeatedly when you are in a hurry.

There was a helpful packet for me at the front desk, welcoming me to "Singapore, the World's Choice Healthcare Destination," the media program that formed the core of my trip. The other members of the media were from places I generally have little firsthand exposure to: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Dubai, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Author Josef Woodman and I are the only ones from the US, which is fine by me.

I got into my room just after 1 am and had the typical fitful sleep that's so common for me after a shift of 12 time zones, so I caught up on some emails and called home for free using Skype (highly recommended for use when overseas).

I was up by 7 am to use the rooftop pool. A nice start to my day.

See Part 3: Press briefing and Alexandra Hospital