It became facebook real, then it became “Hi stranger whom I'm sitting next to on the plane for the next 8 hours” real. I totally won. My travel buddy was this delightful Canadian man called Jay, who was off to India for work for 2 weeks. Originally from Edmonton, now lives with his Australian wife in Brisbane. We were both friendly, open for a chat, and managed to get the perfect balance of small talk: movie watching without that awkward 'well, I'm going to put my earphones in now' moment. Delightful. First hour and I've made a new friend! Yay!
Roll into Changi and I wander through the terminals to check out what the next 18 hours will hold. I'm feeling so lit up inside, despite not sleeping as much as I'd hoped, I feel like I'm radiating some kind of light from my pores. I was reflecting on a conversation I had with my friends Caroline and Vanessa the night before I left; Love with Reckless Abandon. at the time I had been lamenting in a joking way that I couldn't quite understand why people don't love wholly and completely upon meeting. I understand this is a crazy statement to make in general, please be advised I was highly sleep deprived and it was more a commentary on my approach to the dating scene than that of humanity. I mean, there are hand gestures that go with the statement “RECKLESS ABANDON”… Keep an eye out for the pending video (how many Parisians do you think I could get in a group to say random things with me? Hm, challenge). So, here I am wandering through Changi, feeling lit up from making a new friend, excited about my day's plans and I find the Social Tree in Terminal 1. I think, 'You know what the next 6 months needs? A catch phrase, or a hashtag, or a World Tour Poster”. Opportunity presents itself and I'm now on tour. Stop one: Singapore!
Once I registered for the free Singapore tour, I headed off to find coffee and maybe hit up the group of nordic looking people who were doing the tour to be friends with me. They were not so open to conversation, and I ended up chatting to some delightful Germans and a Frenchman! After our jaunt into the city to look at the MerLion, we stuck together for another hour or so and officially ticked off: Orchid garden, Enchanted garden, Cactus garden, Sunflower garden, Butterfly garden, Movie cinema 2 & 3, and I found some hidden 'relaxation stations' that I've napped at also. The German's tapped out for earlier flights, leaving the Frenchman (I can't currently remember his name, don't even know if we exchanged them – ah! The familiarity that can be created by a free bus tour! No names required!) and I to fend for ourselves until the late hours of the evening. Lastly will be the free foot massage seats found around the terminals to get the complete Changi experience. I had flagged splurging for a lounge experience due to the time, however when you have unexpected company it's interesting how there are self-imposed social considerations that suddenly pop up. He wasn't so keen on splurging and as it was the two of us I couldn't bring myself to leave him to his own devices! We did part ways as I was keen to find these relaxation areas to have a nap and watch movies. The few additional hours spent with the unexpected company of another was lovely, and I'm grateful that I know when I need to do my own thing. Batteries (both electrical and emotional) needed to be recharged and that was a solo task.
Day one of the RECKLESS ABANDON tour is deemed a success! One new friend, three fun people whom I spent time with and are forever immortalised in my holiday photo collection, and I have completed the entire list of Changi experiences. Now. More napping must occur in order to continue to present in Paris with the same lit up feeling. This time, I'll be taking it to the streets!
Happy Wandering x
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