My Client Development Trip to Singapore

A few weeks ago, I went to Singapore for some client development meetings.  It was a nice trip but it was tiring, as these short haul trips are wont to be.

The morning I left, Hong Kong was the funniest juxtaposition of Christmas trees and palm trees.  It has been an unbelievably unseasonably warm winter.

 The airport was not particularly busy that day.

 I stayed at the Fullerton Hotel on this trip.   It is a hotel set in what used to be the post office.  It's widely reputed to be haunted and I didn't give much thought to that until I had one of the worst sleeps of my life in this hotel.  Coincidence?  Or just my overactive imagination freaking myself out?

Despite the hot humid Singapore weather, the hotel was fully decked out in Christmas cheer. 

The room was very spacious, albeit a bit dated.  I had a nice view of the harbor.  My worries about it being noisy were alleviated by the very strong double paned glass windows. 

 They offered a Samsung phone in the room for free calls and internet surfing.

 My only glimpses of Singapore this time around were the areas around my hotel,

 and then the areas near clients' offices, which ranged from the super sleek,

 to the more charming and quaint.

 My outbound flight was with Cathay on a slightly older plane but my inbound flight was with Singapore on a beautiful new jet.   I have to give Singapore Airlines an A+ after this flight.  Maybe they will eclipse Cathay to be my new favorite airline.  Singapore's entertainment system is far superior to Cathay's and their food is better too.   I wish they flew direct to New York or Chicago...

Speaking of movies, on this trip alone I managed to watch the movies Equity, Bad Moms and Captain Fantastic while going and coming back.  Now that's what I call a productive trip!

 The Singapore seats are very wide and plush.

It did take me FOREVER to find the plugs though.  They were hidden behind a nifty sliding panel next to the light.

 I decided to experiment with their food offerings and opt for some more traditional Singaporean dishes that I wouldn't normally have tried.   This was a stewed dish of braised pork belly with egg and tofu and mushrooms topped with pickled cabbage in a sweet and salty soy broth.   It was very tasty and didn't at all seem like airplane food!

 I also tried this traditional Singaporean dessert a sticky glutinous jelly with little kernels of barley paired with fried crullers.

I finished the meal with most delicious oranges I have ever had (I had four in quick succession and contemplated asking for a few more).  They had been refrigerated and their sharp sweet juice was tart and delightful.