Once upon a time I was invited to train APAC region
sales and marketing people in Singapore. Because of my busy schedule, I
succeeded to bargain business class flights. There I was sitting on the
Lufthansa business class almost alone; only one passengers with me and couple
of air hostesses making their best to serve us. That was my finest airline dining
experience, indeed. White table wear, Champagne to start with, all the three
courses were served separately, extra old but very tasty dessert. A relaxing start
for an intensive working session with my dear laptop.
Even if the visit was short, I used my opportunity for
an extreme personal test. Noon time close to the equator is hot and humid, temperature
above 35 degrees. A perfect time for a test run. 40 minutes was my limit and it
felt like three hours hard run in a hot Finnish summer day.
That was short visit, but couple of years later I was
lucky to spend a bit more relaxing time and see some of the local tourist attractions.
See couple of personal tips below:
- A perfect way to start a day in Singapore is an early run at the Botanic gardens. Remember to use the opportunity to join the groups of local people doing their relaxing morning exercises.
- Enjoy the hot evenings in Singapore. It is completely dark, but the temperature is higher than the warmest summer day in Finland. That is a perfect weather for wearing shorts and t-shirt, except if you are going for a dinner. The restaurants are cooler than refrigerators in Finland. I learned that forever after one mistake.
- A nice place to spend a sunny day during weekend is Sentosa. However, beware the suddenly changing air conditions. I was walking on a sunny beach when a small wind started to blow. All the other people started to walk away from the beach, but I continued my tour for a while. In couple of minutes even I needed to turn around because of the wind and light rain. Soon the wind and the rain was very heavy. That was the only time I have seen vertical rain. I was getting soaking wet when I run two meters from the covered bus stop to the bus.
Lessons learnt:
Use your opportunities to enjoy.