A NIGHT IN THE TRANSFER HOTEL - SINGAPORE

We flew from LA to Narita (Tokyo) Japan (10 hours).  The flight was a bit delayed, but we had no problem continuing to our next flight from Narita to Singapore (Chiangi Airport) (7.5 hours).  Our next leg is from here (Singapore) to Kuching in Malaysian Borneo.  That flight isn't until 12:50 today (whatever that means- at this point I'm not entirely sure).

We were told that when we got to the airport that we should NOT get our suitcases and NOT leave the airport.  Really?   We spent last night in the Ambassador Airport Transfer hotel.  Sounds grand, huh?  Well, if you think about it, when you are traveling for hours and hours what do you need?  1.) a shower 2.) clean underwear - we had been warned and came prepared, and 3.) a place to lay horizontally that's clean.  And that's just what we got.  Want a window with that?  Nope.  You don't need a window.  Our joke was that we were permitted to leave to get food, and that food wasn't delivered on a tray through a slot in the door.  But then, I have to explain this airport.  We'd been here before, but we'd been visiting Singapore, itself, so we didn't realize what this place is like.  There are 3 terminals connected by trains.  Inside each terminal are dozens of shops, restaurants, a few hotels, and a myriad of other things that people who are trapped for hours waiting for flights might want to play with.  Weird doesn't begin to describe this place.

When we landed last night we were worried about how the suitcase regimen worked.  All the suitcases that aren't picked up go into a big hall sorted by airline and which flight.  When we checked into our Malaysian flight today (we don't leave until 12:50 and it's only 8:30 now) they got the information about our bags (the receipts the airlines give you).  Then, according to plan, the suitcases then get transferred to your ongoing flight.  To be continued.....

The other thing about landing last night was that it was teeming rain.  Not a heavy rainstorm - teeming. When the jetway connected to our flight it wasn't tightly up against the plane, and the rain poured in-between like a shower on full blast.  They re-adjusted the jetway and we've been indoors ever since.  We do get several hours of WIFI to fill our time.  Until Kuching... or whenever we get internet.