Picto Diary - 25, 26 December 2023 - Merry Christmas from Singapore

Above: Ritz Carleton Millenia Hotel. Singapore. 25 December 2023.

Christmas AM. Face timing with Koessler family, who were celebrating Christmas Eve on the other side of the world. Spending Christmas real time with family while being a world apart. We boomers and silents would have never thought it possible.

Above: Raffles City Mall. Singapore. 25 December 2022.
Merry Christmas!

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 9:13

Steve and Margaret Taylor

Above: Rain Vortex. Jewel, Changi Airport. Singapore. 25 December 2023.

First image that came to my mind on seeing this fantastic water feature was Travis Swift, and likely his team, the Kansas City Swifts, being sucked into the Taylor Swift vortex with a less than promising outcome.

Above: Business Class Lounge. Qatar Airways. Doha Airport, Doha, Qatar. 26 December 2023.

TIMDT can be seen chilling in the lounge.

Above: Utah. Oquirrh Range, center image. Stansbury Range, beyond. 26 December 2023.

Image, looking northwest, captured from port side window of AA flight from Dallas, TX to Salt Lake City, UT.

Yes, we came the "wrong way." Flying from Singapore east bound would have cut out the seven-hour flight westbound to Doha. It had something to do with long wait times at LA. Anyway, no biggie. Qatar Airlines business class cubicles were private and comfy, enabling a lot of sleep time.

Home sweet home!

Several top-of-mind reflections on this trip:

Climate conference in Dubai. Kabuki

Ancient Christian churches in Abu Dhabi. Where did adherents go?

Busy sea lanes. Suez Canal, or no? Big implications for world commerce. US Navy spent force.

Mumbai. India rising.

Kochi. World class shopping mall? Huh? More India rising.

Sebang. How to differentiate between religion of peace and terrorist proclivities?

Phuket. Big Buddha confirms contemporary commitment to ancient religious traditions.

Langkawi. Doppelmayr rocks!

Singapore. Christmas Crazy.

Travel. Never wrong to understand your own life in the context of seeing the broader world firsthand.
Seabourn. Two weeks of being pampered.

Addendum:

Steve,

This is a great trip and I really like the images. Have a great New Year. Hope to see you and Margret this Summer.

John Galt and Dagney Taggart,
Walla Walla, WA

Thanks for the memories. Pictures and narrative were great. We were in Singapore in the late 80’s and could not believe how clean and orderly the city was. Coming from Chicago where our high-rise public housing was a shambles, I marveled at how well kept the public housing was here. Upon inquiry I found out that if you broke the rules, you were OUT…and perhaps your relatives as well.
While in Singapore there was an election and the long serving (?president/prime minister?) won about 90% of the vote and the news topic was “Why only 90%”.

In one of our shopping experiences at electronics store we purchased a blank VHS tape, and it took 10 minutes of bargaining to achieve the right price. Before leaving the store, we decided we needed a second tape and had to go through the same bargaining session all over again. From Singapore we drove through Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur…. a story for another time.

Mickey,
Chicago, IL

Lots to think about in this diary. Glad you made it home and had a great journey!

Happy New Year!

Rocky,
Miami, FL