Weekend out of Manila and the 2 times I got stuck in Changi Airport back in 2014

Today marks my 14th day off my last day at work and I'm taking a trip to see one of my good friends in Singapore. It was 10 years ago since I last step foot out of its immigration borders although I've spent a total of countless hours in their beautiful airport back in 2014 due to two separate reasons, which gives me the reason to look back into it.

12 hour delay

The first one was during my transit from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to NAIA. I had purposely adjusted my layover to amount to 12 hours for me to explore the city. Unfortunately, I lost my passport in Paris a day prior to my flight. Although I was able to travel across the world with a photocopy of my passport, I braved going to the Singaporean immigration to try to go out. I blame the sleepless flight for this move as I should have known that it was merely impossible to enter borders without a passport. True enough, I was stuck in the airport for 12 hours. It was a beautiful experience with multiple entertainment options and strong projection of the city making you feel as if you are walking down the streets of Orchard Road.

9 hour delay


The second was my transit from Manila to Zurich. Just 2 months after the 12 hour mishap, I didn't expect for this to happen. My flight which was supposed to be at 12 midnight was moved to 8 in the morning. This time, I slept in the benches of the airport after claiming my free meal. SQ provided blankets, water and coffee, which for me was great hospitality. Surely they couldn't mobilise all the A380 passengers to a hotel nearby but they utilised what was available to ensure that everyone was comfortable. Prior to boarding, a present for the airline's sincere apology was also given with a small note. Initially, my heart was racing thinking that it may be a free flight somewhere. Well, daydreaming keeps us alive.


Sorry for the bad photo quality. I need your help with this one guys. 

For this weekend trip, I'm aiming to travel light. My bag contains just 3 pieces of button downs, 3 pieces of shorts, undies, socks, my travel kit, laptop, Moleskine weekly journal, power bank and my Fujifilm XA-2. Going through NAIA could be one of the most overwhelming experiences as it is too crowded and hopefully now, I'll be able to glide my way through.

For my trip to Singapore, I'd like to post something up here but I'm still thinking of ideas that could be useful to everyone. Making a guide is on the bottom of my list as I'm sure most of you guys have been to this country and I think I should be the one soliciting information.




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