I thought that by dropping in a month later after her initial opening I would have successfully managed to avoid the crowds that the press said were thronging Changi Airport's latest addition JEWEL day by day.
Nope- wasn't the case- wasn't the case at all.
Maybe I should have dropped in on a weekday.
But who has the time?
Best part was that the crowds weren't just within the dome-like structure of JEWEL- they were also at the terminals- and at Terminal 3, from which where I was coming.
Families; families with ambulant elderly, families with non-ambulant elderly, families with children, families with prams and young children, married couples, single couples, individuals, locals, visitors, foreign workers- they all came to explore JEWEL, make an excursion out of it, and basically have a good time.
And why shouldn't they (or we)?
Is not the airport as a transportation hub for everyone, regardless of circumstance or status or purpose? No one said you couldn't hang out in the public areas. No one said you couldn't have a meal or a snack or a coffee at their F&B. And no one said you couldn't go to the waterfall-vortex thing, feel the cool mist, and watch all the water gushing down.
That's what I did.
First stop, in fact- because this fountain (or so I call it) is indeed one of the most charming, and cooling places in the airport. If they had a butterfly garden inside the transit area at one time, now they've brought it out, and it isn't a garden anymore. It's more like a hillside terrace covered with thick shrubs, plants, flowers and trees. The landscaping intrigued me, so much so that I didn't care about getting close to the fountain, but I wanted to observe the vortex of water falling down from a place amidst all the shrubs and trees.
Somehow I managed to get to what I think was the third level (sidestepping and jostling with the selfie-takers along the way) until I found a quieter spot where through the little leaves and skinny branches, I gazed at the fountain, feeling the spray of mist on my face, and slowly, gradually, shut out the chatter of the crowd.
Yes, it is possible to find a quiet spot within the dome and forget where exactly you are. It is possible to be settled amongst green leafy foliage and think of how nature is, and how nature used to be, and how even though we don't really have it as much as we wish these days, we can still seek a respite amidst the leaves for ourselves.
Of course, all that serenity disappears upon entering the shopping areas, and no wonder, for there are really a good many retail stores there, and where there's good shopping, there the crowds will be. It doesn't matter whether the same stores are in their own housing estate ten minutes' walk from home- it is just a different vibe seeing the store in a brand new environment.
In a way, I think that's true.
It's the same with the dining places. The food can be the same, but in the airport, with people coming to and fro, with visitors armed with luggage trolleys, backpacks, bags, coats and the occasional scarf, one realizes that the vibe's completely different.
Unfortunately I can't be absolutely sure, because we didn't go to our regular favorites, but instead chose to try out a brand new place which we had hitherto never even heard before- but my friend is the adventurous sort who is game for delicious-looking cuisines, so we found ourselves at PizzaMaru, which, interestingly, is right in front of the Pokémon Store.
The meal was good.
At another time I would not have given much thought to the crust of a pizza or even its ingredients, but when presented with a handmade chewy crust that has been infused with green tea, or when the pizza comes to you with lots (and lots) of cheese, beef bits, cherry tomatoes and cute little pieces of broccoli, it gets my enthusiastic vote, and a hearty round of applause.
Nope- wasn't the case- wasn't the case at all.
Maybe I should have dropped in on a weekday.
But who has the time?
Best part was that the crowds weren't just within the dome-like structure of JEWEL- they were also at the terminals- and at Terminal 3, from which where I was coming.
Families; families with ambulant elderly, families with non-ambulant elderly, families with children, families with prams and young children, married couples, single couples, individuals, locals, visitors, foreign workers- they all came to explore JEWEL, make an excursion out of it, and basically have a good time.
And why shouldn't they (or we)?
Is not the airport as a transportation hub for everyone, regardless of circumstance or status or purpose? No one said you couldn't hang out in the public areas. No one said you couldn't have a meal or a snack or a coffee at their F&B. And no one said you couldn't go to the waterfall-vortex thing, feel the cool mist, and watch all the water gushing down.
That's what I did.
First stop, in fact- because this fountain (or so I call it) is indeed one of the most charming, and cooling places in the airport. If they had a butterfly garden inside the transit area at one time, now they've brought it out, and it isn't a garden anymore. It's more like a hillside terrace covered with thick shrubs, plants, flowers and trees. The landscaping intrigued me, so much so that I didn't care about getting close to the fountain, but I wanted to observe the vortex of water falling down from a place amidst all the shrubs and trees.
Somehow I managed to get to what I think was the third level (sidestepping and jostling with the selfie-takers along the way) until I found a quieter spot where through the little leaves and skinny branches, I gazed at the fountain, feeling the spray of mist on my face, and slowly, gradually, shut out the chatter of the crowd.
Yes, it is possible to find a quiet spot within the dome and forget where exactly you are. It is possible to be settled amongst green leafy foliage and think of how nature is, and how nature used to be, and how even though we don't really have it as much as we wish these days, we can still seek a respite amidst the leaves for ourselves.
Of course, all that serenity disappears upon entering the shopping areas, and no wonder, for there are really a good many retail stores there, and where there's good shopping, there the crowds will be. It doesn't matter whether the same stores are in their own housing estate ten minutes' walk from home- it is just a different vibe seeing the store in a brand new environment.
In a way, I think that's true.
It's the same with the dining places. The food can be the same, but in the airport, with people coming to and fro, with visitors armed with luggage trolleys, backpacks, bags, coats and the occasional scarf, one realizes that the vibe's completely different.
Unfortunately I can't be absolutely sure, because we didn't go to our regular favorites, but instead chose to try out a brand new place which we had hitherto never even heard before- but my friend is the adventurous sort who is game for delicious-looking cuisines, so we found ourselves at PizzaMaru, which, interestingly, is right in front of the Pokémon Store.
The meal was good.
At another time I would not have given much thought to the crust of a pizza or even its ingredients, but when presented with a handmade chewy crust that has been infused with green tea, or when the pizza comes to you with lots (and lots) of cheese, beef bits, cherry tomatoes and cute little pieces of broccoli, it gets my enthusiastic vote, and a hearty round of applause.