Asia does not disappoint again

My apologies for being under the radar this past week. I was in Singapore and Hong Kong and my schedule was batty, although all my hotels had free WiFi and I should have found the time to update the blog. Nice, nice move on the free WiFi, Shangri La Hotels!

I was in Singapore and Hong Kong to teach a couple of management classes. I won't bore you with a lengthy blog version of watching someone's hideous slide show of their vacation to Great Aunt Esther's house in Wyoming. I will say that I really enjoyed Singapore. It's like the "It's A Small World" at Disneyland - minus the crappy song and cheesy water ride. Very, very clean and people queuing in an orderly fashion all over the place. It's a beautiful place. Plenty hot and humid in July. That made my morning run through the Singapore Botanic Gardens just a bit sluggish. I ran around this gazebo thing:

The orchid garden was pretty amazing as well. I was able to meet up with some friends while there and had dinner at a seafood place on Dempsey Hill. The chili crab was potent and delicious. Singapore reminded me of Hong Kong, just way more orderly, cleaner, and less riotous. I never felt like I was in danger of a caning while I was there.

The Singaporeans know how to do an airport. Changi International is unbelievable. You don't even think you're in an airport. It's beyond comfortable. Event the jetways are air-conditioned. It's loaded with water and green features throughout. It's pretty impressive. See for yourselves:

After Singapore, it was on to Hong Kong. I love, love, love Hong Kong. Riding the Airport Express was like a ride home. I stayed at the Island Shangi-La this time. It did not disappoint. I had a tremendous view of the Harbour. I was able to have dinner with a friend that has relocated there and that was great. We went for Thai and the red duck curry I had should have come with a heat warning. It was amazing though. Speaking of heat, it was just stupid, stupid hot and humid in Hong Kong. Simply standing near a window while inside an air-conditioned meeting room made me sweat. When I went out trampsing through the Mid-Levels on Thursday night after my meetings, my white shirt quickly became transparent with sweat. I looked like a loser from some sad wet t-shirt contest. This leads me to ask a question...why do none of the locals pour sweat like we do? It was the same in Singapore. The Asians...no sweating. The Westerners...we looked like we'd walked out of the deep end of a swimming pool. I don't get it. I really don't. I'll look it up on Wikipedia or Google it. Anyway, I did not let the heat/humidity combo platter stop me from getting a run in though. My hotel was across the street from Hong Kong Park, so that was my route of choice.

It was cool (the location and the atmosphere, let me make that perfectly clear) to run through the park in the early morning as many people were there doing their tai chi exercises. I was sorely tempted to join them, but then figured I'd probably create some kind of international incident by doing so. Instead, I ran down to a bakery and enjoyed a warm egg tart. Nice way to top off a run through the hills of Hong Kong.

This trip did give me the chance to sample Mother United's new International Business and First Class products. Now, I scored big time on this trip as I was able to upgrade all the wicked long segments to First Class (thanks, global economic crisis, for making it easier to clear waitlists!) so I only did one leg in the new Business Class (Singapore-Hong Kong). It gets thumbs up from me. The rear-facing seats are a kick. It's a really good product. As for the First Suites, judge for yourself:

Let's just say sleep came easy in the Suite.

This is a very comfortable product, can I just tell you? The service was nice, the food has improved. Mother United has a winner here. The entertainment system is a huge, huge improvement. Lots of movies, shows, music to choose from so it was difficult to get bored. I have to give a shout out to one of the movies I watched - "Fanboys." Now, let me first say, it was recommended to me by a 17 year old. He told me I'd love it. Turns out I did. I watched three times during the trip. It's clever, funny and in moderate poor taste. You'll never look at uber-fans of "Star Wars" in the same light again.

If you've ever seen the Conan O'Brien clip where Triumph the Comic Insult Dog attends the premier of a Star Wars movie and you died laughing at that spectacle, this movie will make you laugh.

Anyway, it's good to be home. Six days on the other side of the world is enough. I'm a fortunate man to have these opportunities, I know. I also know how lucky I am to be able to come home to a great home and family. I'll say it again, it's good to be home.