Malik Watkins's Bloglines

Usually when I Travel and Blog, I rush to make my posts of thoughts and pictures to share the experience. This time I am posting more from the back end of the experience. Functioning from the mantra that we can learn quite a bit about ourselves and the universe through the experiences of others, I decided to listen a bit more. Because so much of what I am observing I have observed in other parts of the world, I don’t want to simply duplicate self-evident commonalities. Rather, I want to add to the accumulation of previous experiences. Within the context of the political stalemate, social and political fragmentation across the United States it appears obvious that not only is minimal listening taking place, but also a pervasive inability to feel compassion for the plight of others. This could be because of an absence of compassion or an overinflated sense of self-exceptionalism. Certainly this trip provides an opportunity to absorb other cultures in a manner that heightens the ability to listen and to develop humility by recognizing that exceptionalism exists all over the world. Travel with me through South East Asia:

Time:
Leaving Savannah for a two (2) hour flight to Chicago; absorbing a two (2) hour layover in Chicago; then boarding a flight that goes over the north-western minimally populated areas of Canada; flying into Alaska, across the Bering Straits into Siberia; down through Russian Airspace; over Mongolia; into China, brushing by Beijing to land 15 hours later in Hong Kong; after a two (2) hour layover; then flying over Vietnam and mainland Malaysia and five (5) hours later arriving in Singapore. Twenty Six (26) hours, talk about wanting to punch yourself in the face 🙂

Now I am not an airline critic, but just a side note. If you want an authentic Asiatic experience from the time you board your flight until you land in Asia, then go with Singapore Airlines (#1), Korean Airlines (#1.5), or China Airlines (#3). This particular flight was on United Airlines. I would call it the low cost carrier currently to Asia. The best thing is that the arrival was safe. But, if you also want high levels of customer service, an Asian flight experience and safety, well…now you have it!!

This time around, Air B &B was the experience of accommodations to look for…while many cities are grappling with what to do with Air B&B particularly as they challenge the hotel industry, many other areas see it as a viable way to boost competition through allowing homeowners to engage in the free-enterprise system. This place was absolutely awesome. Located in the central city by Gaylon/Guillemard and by Metro Station Paya Lepar…it was ideal:

And, check out this view from the back porch:

When down time is available, or when the day is over and the evening is the context of the moment…they had this wonderful roof top pool where you can see much of Singapore from all angles and feel the flow of the city…not to mention chilling at a very high level 🙂

Time to try to deal with a 12 hour time change…ugh…but, it is worth it…time for a walk and a swim.  More to come…