Breakfast at the Maxwell Reserve is a very British Colonial
affair, I do say. Even my best manners
seem somehow lacking.
At the airport, we have the Grab driver drop us off at the entrance
to the Jewell, the facilities integrated high-end mall. By high end, I mean Porsche has their own
café. That kinda high end. We have plenty of great shopping at home,
plus our bags are stuffed, so we’re not here for a designed monogramed
anything. We’re here to score the last
waterfall of the trip. The Rain Vortex
is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, dropping some 131 feet through an
indoor 7 story forest valley. I can only
imagine the pitch meeting. “You know
what this airport REALLY needs???”
The flow starts at 10am to much fanfare, which we take in with big
smiles. It really has gotten expensive to
entertain us.
We walk the connector to Terminal 3 and bypass the airline
lounge. We opt instead for the
terminal’s butterfly garden because “You know what this airport REALLY
needs???” Yes, if you’re going to put an
actual living butterfly garden in an airport, I’m damned sure gonna stop
by.
From there we take a leisurely walk to the gate where the
civility continues. We’re flying direct
to JFK, a scheduled 18 hours. Since
we’ve been here, Israel and the USA have started a major offensive against
Iran, a place we flew directly over on our trip in. Either by original plan or by inciteful
rerouting, today we’re going the other way home, our flightpath over the
Pacific, Alaska and Chicago.
Once again, Singapore Airlines proves its status as one of
the world’s best. Our meals included, in
no particular order, chicken satay, Wagu steak, and lobster thermidor. Wines included a 2016 Chateau Livran Bordeaux
and a fine Spanish Alberino. Somehow
after a 17 hour flight, you still wish you had a little more time in your
pod.
We’ve been home for about a week when I am writing
this. With some time to think on our
time in Asia, here are some random reflections.
The Thai people are some of the kindest we have ever met
anywhere in the world. When our friends
ask us “how was it”, all our stories are about the people we had the privilege to
spend time with.
We absolutely fell in love with Chiang Mai. Mandy says she felt like a traveler in Phuket
and Krabi, but felt like she was at home in Chiang Mai. It could easily be a sister city to our
beloved Philly, historic and hardscrabble with undertones of constantly reinventing
itself.
Even though we’re not religious, we were moved by many of
the Buddhist temples. Their beauty and
sense of peace provide a calming effect on your soul.
Our time at the Farmstead was absolutely the most authentic thing
we have ever done on a trip. Definitely not
for everybody, but if you’d like to experience how these rural tribes live, it
is very much available. A few days we
will talk about always.
We were a bit conflicted about doing an elephant experience,
having heard stories of cruelty and even abuse. We are very glad we did this for
ourselves. I’m not sure how it used to
be, but the people who run the preserves now absolutely dedicate their lives to
the bonding, care and protection of these regal beasts.
We understand why Krabi and Phuket are so popular. Beautiful, hot weather, great food, incredibly
affordable. But if we were in the
neighborhood again, we’d plan on doing nights further from the busy hubs.
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It’s no surprise Singapore Air is so good. It’s just like the rest of Singapore. Well designed, well engineered, well
practiced. Proper, polished and polite
by plan.
Can’t wait to go back!
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