Singapore: Changi Airport Is A Home To Me

Where's your most favourite airport in the world?

Changi airport

I often get asked that question because I travel a lot and I've been to many airports around the world. Without hesitation I'd always answer Changi Airport in Singapore. If you ask me the reasons, well I can easily write a long list of it. But what made me fall in love with Changi Airport in the first place was their super clean and spotless washrooms.

"WHAT?!" I could see your confused face while raising your eyebrows.

Yes, one of my biggest pet peeves is dirty public toilet. It's a pretty big deal for me because I usually drink gallons of water before a long haul flight. Naturally I'll visit the washroom often and all I need is a stink-free clean toilet. Thank you.

spotless washroom

Changi Airport is one of the busiest international airports in the world. It's a major air hub in Asia serving more than 100 international airlines flying to more than 300 cities around the world. There are 3 terminals in Changi Airport and all are connected by the Skytrain. Recently between my flight Surabaya-Singapore and Singapore-Bangkok, I had couple of hours to do an airport tour here. If you have ample time before your next flight, I'd also recommend you to explore all the 3 terminals. Each of terminals has it's own uniqueness. Such as Cactus Garden in Terminal 1, Sunflower Garden in Terminal 2 and Butterfly Garden in Terminal 3. It's like finding an oasis in the middle of the hustle bustle of an airport.

Cactus garden 

Sunflower garden

Butterly garden 

There's also a transit hotel in each terminal. In case, all you need is a quiet room to get some quality sleep and a good shower. There are two different rates available depending on whether you choose a standard room or a budget room. To stay in these hotels, you don't need to go through the immigration or custom. In all terminal, Ambassador Transit hotel are located in the level 3, within the departure transit lounge.

The Social Tree

Now let's talk about The Social Tree, a new attraction in Terminal 1 which looks really cool and futuristic. I was excited when I saw this 9 metres tall tree. First I took my picture in one of eight touch screen photo booths around this tree. Next step, I was having fun playing around with this photo booth where I could choose some cute frames and stickers to decorate my photo. When I was done editing and clicked the 'submit' button and then BAM! my picture appeared on the giant screen. I can always retrieve my picture at any time and it will be stored for a hundred years! Amazing, huh? Now I understand why the tag line is "Leave behind a memory at the Social Tree".

Hey! It's meeeee :D

Movie Theatre

watching your favourite movies for free

Hey you know what? You can always choose some favourite movies to watch for free in the Movie Theatre. They are located at Terminal 2 near the Sunflower Garden, level 3 and at Terminal 3 near the Ambassador Transit Lounge, level 3. Beware though, not to get too comfy or you'll miss your next flight.

rooftop swimming pool

Changi Airport is my most visited airport besides the airport in Surabaya and Bali. Thus it feels like home to me. But no matter how often I've been to this airport, there's always something new to discover here. Like this rooftop swimming pool. In between some long haul flights, it must be really great to relax a little bit in this pool while sipping some drinks served from the pool bar. I would have found this pool earlier if I hadn't spent too much time in food court or shopping all this time :p

food glorious food

Last but not least.... Changi Airport is a food heaven! Since I barely eat anything during the flight, I have to make sure to eat something before I board the plane. There are so many food options to choose in Changi Airport. In fact, they have about a million food outlets across Terminal 1, 2 and 3. Okay, I exaggerate. It's actually more than 120 food outlets with a great diversity of cuisine. The recently renovated food court in Terminal 3 is named 'Singapore Food Street'. You might just be transiting and don't have time to explore the city, but you still can sample some of Singapore signature dishes. Isn't that brilliant?

I was lucky to meet Max, the Changi Airport mascot

After all, Changi Airport is like a huge playground for me. Every terminal is unique and has a lot to offer. There's always something new to discover and to do before departing to my next destinations. Airport is a place of "Hello" and "Good Bye".  And in Changi Airport it will surely be a special one. To all my Indonesian friends, do you know that Changi Airport has launched a website in Bahasa Indonesia for us? It's www.id.changiairport.com. Make sure to visit it to get the latest updates or events and some promotions you would not want to miss.

How about you? What's your favourite things to do in Changi Airport?


FREEBIES!

It's Christmas day so I'll throw another freebies! There will be one winner who will get this package of a Changi Airport power bank, a cute 'selfie' T-shirt, chocolates and a luggage tag.

Here's how to join:

1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #GiveAway Power bank, T-shirt and chocolates.  Join on www.debbzie.com | cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter or instagram user ID on the comment box below. 

Closing date: 5 January 2015 (closed)

Winner: @rintadita


* My trip to Bangkok is fully sponsored by Jetstar Asia and Changi Airport. However all opinions are based on my experience and the words are all mine. Special thanks to the ever so friendly and lovely Wei Shan for taking me around Changi Airport.

Thailand: Birthday Trip With Jetstar

I am an aerophobic.

Yes, I have a pretty serious condition of fear of flying.
No, I wasn't born with it. My first air plane ride when I was one year old baby. And because my Dad travels overseas very often for business trip, I've became a frequent flyer too. I loved flying. Airport was my favourite place and I could even memorise most air plane logos. Besides visiting new places, flying was one of my most love things to do.

Then it all has changed 15 years ago when I experienced a super severe turbulence that my plane had to go through an emergency landing. It was really a 'near death' experience for me. Since that day, flying has been a dreadful thing to do. I avoided flying for almost a year. Even the view of air planes in the sky would caused my heartbeat racing and my body shook uncontrollably. Yes, the trauma was that bad. But at one point, I decided to fight my phobia. I won't give up my passion for travelling. One thing that significantly changed, I've became very fussy in choosing airlines. I'd do some research before travelling and would only pick airlines with great safety records. Even if that means sometimes I have to fork out more money for the flight tickets. I've also became fussy in picking my seat on plane. I must must get a window seat otherwise I get panic attack easily during the flight. So much for a person who travels regularly like me. I wish I was as flexible as I used to.

Jetstar Asia in Juanda airport, Surabaya

Anyway, I was happy when recently Jetstar Asia approached me and invited me to experience flying with them. Jetstar is a low-cost airline which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas and Jetstar Asia which is based in Singapore - is one of its sister airlines. I've been flying Jetstar Asia pretty often on Surabaya-Singapore route. Yup, Jetstar is one of some airlines that I feel comfortable and feel safe to fly with. From Singapore, Jetstar Asia operates services to some Asia countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Burma, also Japan and China.

It wasn't easy to choose the destinations, I wanted to visit them all! :p
I originally chose Vietnam but after some consideration (my Dad's health problem and I needed to submit my passport for Schengen visa immediately), I decided to fly to Bangkok instead for 5 days. My journey started off in Surabaya where I catch my first leg of flights to Singapore. Checking in was easy breezy. Though the flight was full, the queue at check in counter moved pretty fast because the staff worked efficiently.

YAY! I also got a KitKat :D

I'm a person who hardly enjoy in-flight meal. The reason is I'm very prone to motion sickness and also I found most in-flight meal are too bland for my Indonesian taste buds. But during Jetstar Asia return flights between Surabaya - Singapore - Bangkok, I was served and got to taste some of their in-flight meals. My favourites were the Chicken Rice and Roti Paratha with chicken, they tasted pretty good. I'd recommend you to pre-purchase and select your preferred meal on their website though or else you can always purchase drinks and snacks on board.

smooth flight in beautiful weather

In Surabaya I was already given my boarding pass for the flight from Singapore to Bangkok. So I had ample time to explore (eat & shop) some great facilities in Changi airport. I'll write the review on separate blog post. My next flight took off on time and arrived in Bangkok ahead of schedule. Hello, Bangkok! Sawadeeka :)

view from my room at Radisson Blu Plaza, Sukhumvit

greeted by hundreds of Snoopy in Central World Plaza

I didn't really have any itinerary for my trip to Bangkok. I only had 'food tour', 'shopping' and 'Thai massage' in my mind. After all it was my birthday trip so I think it's okay to pamper myself once in a while, right? My last visit to Bangkok was 12 years ago so unsurprisingly I hardly recognise it. I went crazy shopping at Platinum where there are too much cute stuff to ignore. Not to mention they are very cheap too. I went "Ouch! Ouch! ohhhh ahhhh... gimme more!" during the Thai massage session. But highlight of my trip would be the Midnight Food Tour by Tuk Tuk that I joined with the local agent. Beside sampled some local food, I also got to enjoy beautiful night illuminations around some temples in Bangkok. To top it off, I laughed my head off while my tuk tuk was speeding and racing with a BMW car on the highway. Thrilling! I'm sure it won't be long until they release the latest movie of Need For Speed: The Tuk Tuk. Lol. Now, I want a Tuk Tuk as a Christmas present, can I?

I met my prince charming :p

Eagle bar with the stunning view of Wat Arun

There was a little hiccup on the end of my journey. I was waken up early morning by an sms from Jetstar saying that my flight from Bangkok to Singapore will be delayed for about 2 hours. That means I would be too late to catch my connection flight from Singapore to Surabaya. Jumped out my bed in panic, I tried to contact Jetstar. And thank goodness, almost immediately they managed to put me on earlier flight to Singapore. Phew! All in all, I had a great time flying with Jetstar and my Bangkok trip was nothing less than awesome. Thanks a bunch, Jetstar for the great and safe journey!



FREEBIES!

I'm giving away this Jetstar Comfort Pack worth SGD17 that I bought from their in flight shopping. It's a package of stuff that's very useful for travelling. Contains of a deluxe blanket, inflatable neck support pillow, toothbrush & toothpaste, earplugs, socks, eye shade and their premium lip balm from Australia's Bloom Cosmetics. All items inside a trifold pouch which can be used as your tablet pouch. Besides this comfort pack, you will also get a Jetstar 2015 desk calendar.

So let's join this freebies!

1. Make sure you have followed my instagram @debbzie_leksono or twitter @twitdebbzie
2. Tweet this sentence >>> #GiveAway a valuable Jetstar Comfort Pack for you, avid travellers!  Join on www.debbzie.com | cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter or instagram user ID on the comment box below.   

All email address will be drawn randomly and 1 (one) winner will be sent this awesome pack.
Closing date: 25 December 2014 (closed)

Winner: @nyonyasepatu



* My trip to Bangkok is fully sponsored by Jetstar Asia and Changi airport. However all opinions are based on my experience and the words are all mine. Special thanks to Tyler who has been so kind and helpful, making sure that my trip was flawless.

Travelling At Home

As you all know, I always do my writings in English. But just for now, I need to write in Bahasa. Why? Karena kali ini saya ingin menulis khusus untuk orang Indonesia. Saya ingin berbagi tentang pengalaman subyektif saya tentang dua hal yang accidentally berhubungan: Pulau Bali dan televisi.

Sekitar seminggu lalu saat baru pulang dari Bali, saya ke mall untuk belanja bulanan. Ketika mampir ke sebuah toko elektronik, saya mendadak ingin kembali lagi ke Bali saat itu juga. Kenapa? Gara-gara saya lihat tayangan tentang Bali di suatu TV display. Entah kenapa saat itu Bali terlihat sangat indah; sawah hijau, sungai jernih, pasir putih, dan sebagainya. Saya terkesima dan sadar bahwa keindahan alam Indonesia sulit ditandingi oleh tempat manapun di dunia. I mean it!

Saya berdiri menonton tayangan Bali itu selama beberapa menit. Barulah kemudian saya sadar bahwa ini bukan cuma tentang Bali, tapi juga tentang barang teknologi di hadapan saya. I realized that the TV I watch is not just an ordinary TV. It’s called Curved UHD TV from Samsung. Karena penasaran, saya pun tanya-tanya ke pramuniaga toko tentang TV ini sampai akhirnya saya tertarik dengan fitur-fiturnya.

Ini benar-benar pengalaman baru nonton TV buat saya: layar besar dengan resolusi Ultra High Definition yang empat kali lebih detail dari Full HD TV, combined with the precise yet sexy curved screen, it feels like inception, as if saya ada di dalam setiap tontonan saya. Fitur Multi-Link Screen juga jadi kelebihan yang menguntungkan banget buat saya, anytime saya lihat tempat keren di tontonan saya, at the same time and the same screen saya bisa browsing untuk cari tahu lokasi persis tempat itu.

Buat saya, pengalaman sederhana ini menarik karena berhubungan dengan hidup saya saat ini. Setelah diingat-ingat, saya memang sejak kecil selalu excited kalau lihat gambar tempat-tempat indah asing yang belum pernah saya kunjungi. In fact, sebagian besar negara yang sudah saya kunjungi hingga hari ini, pernah saya lihat sebelumnya lewat layar TV. Benda inilah yang berjasa memunculkan bakat saya untuk hidup nomaden. Yeah, here I am. I just love to visit new places and meet new people.

Sadar dari melamun, saya pun jadi berpikir, I really wanna buy this exceptional Curved UHD TV! Saya mulai membayangkan, misalnya saya membuka koleksi foto dan video traveling di layar TV ini, maka itu seperti mengaktifkan kembali memori yang saya alami dengan foto atau video itu. Kemudian, saat leisure time saya bisa menonton program traveling favorit sambil tweeting atau multitasking lainnya.

Sebenarnya untuk urusan gadget atau elektronik, saya bukan tipe pecinta merk tertentu, but I would proudly recommend this big thing to you: Samsung Curved UHD TV . My impression about it: pengalaman menonton yang bagus, seolah kita ikut mengalami apa yang terjadi di dalam TV . Bagi saya, TV ini bisa membuat saya serasa traveling meski padahal sebenarnya saya berada di rumah sendiri.

This article is sponsored by Samsung Electronics Indonesia

New Year's Eve

fireworks in Hong Kong Disneyland

It's been 3 weeks since my last blog post which is the longest "absent" in this blog.
No, it's not because I've been too busy eating and traveling.Yes,  I've been so occupied taking care one of my dogs that just had a hernia surgery. But the main reason is my laptop finally decided to die on me after I torture it to work beyond its limit for more than 3 years. So yeah, I deserve this miserable days without my laptop. Here I'm now at one Internet cafe, trying hard to blog while breathing the thick smokes from cigarettes.

Last night after reading an article in LiveOlive about 5 Travel Gems for the New Year, I was trying to review where I had been spending mine every year. For me New Year's Eve equally with fireworks. Though nowadays I'd much prefer watching the fireworks through my hotel window than join the crowd outside.
Yeah, I know I'm old now *ahem*

31 December 2012 in Singapore

 

I didn't plan to say 'hello' to 2013 in Singapore. It supposed to be in Hokkaido but I had to cancel my trip on the last minute because Dad got a stroke. We had to fly to Singapore immediately to admit him to the hospital. I almost forgot about the new year's eve because of the chaos.

Where do I most often spend my new year's eve? It would be Hong Kong! Since I was a child, Hong Kong has been my all time favourite place to spend my Christmas and New Year holiday. This city of lights do make excellent effort every year to decorate the skyscraper buildings with Christmas theme decorations and lights. I would jump and squeal with joy every time Dad said, "Let's watch the Christmas lights!". Because we used to lived in Causeway Bay area, we had to take taxi to Tsim Sha Tsui. Ahhh...those good old days, I really miss it :)

31 December 2013 in Taichung, Taiwan

view from my room

 Last new year's eve I was staying at Hotel One, the tallest building in Taichung. My fully glass window room (and even the bathroom) on the 34th floor undoubtedly gave the best view of fireworks in the whole city. I was sitting in silent next to the window while I heard the loud count down from the crowds that gathered in the park. I turn off all the lights in room and the 'show' began. While the people outside screaming "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!", it was then one by one fireworks lit up the sky from all over the city for about half an hour.. As it those colorful fireworks competed each other to decorate the sky. So spectacular that I got goosebumps all over my body.

So yes, I love watching fireworks but I would also love to spend my new year's eve in a remote place where there's only me, the nature, the sky and stars. I'm thinking somewhere like Iceland, maybe? Let's just put it on my bucket list and see where I will be spending this year.

Any idea? Where's your favourite places to spend new year's eve?

Travel Insurance - Yay Or Nay?

"Travel insurance? Nay, I don't need that! After all, nothing is going to happen during my journey."

That's what I used to say every time I was asked to buy a travel insurance. Every time I travel , I had never bought travel insurance because I think it 's just a waste of money . But my opinion has changed after some unfortunate events such as the loss of my luggage during a flight from Amsterdam to Rome and when Dad was sick so he had to be hospitalised during our trip in Canada . I wish I did buy a travel insurance so I did not have to spend a lot of money to pay the hospital and also I could claim my lost luggage. 

I didn't have clothes and camera charger for days in this beautiful city :(

 

spending a fortune on the hospital bill in Canada :(

Why I was so skeptical about this insurance thingy? Because I didn't really understand about how it works and  I've heard the story from some  friends who had to go through a complicated process when claiming their insurance. But lately I came across to an article in LiveOlive (it's a bilingual website by the way, both in Indonesian and English) about the importance of buying a travel insurance and I found out that the insurance actually will provide many benefits for us even before the departure of our trip. Of course it's not like we are expecting something bad to happen during our trip *knock on woods* but you know, just in case. Because believe me, feeling panic while facing an emergency situation in a place which is foreign to us,  is no fun at all.

Nowadays I'll make sure to get a travel insurance when I buy a flight ticket. I also felt relieved that the price is not as expensive as I thought before. One thing to remember though, that there are several type of travel insurance depends on the location of your destination , length of trip , as well as your health condition . So take some time to learn before deciding which one is the best for you. Choose an insurance company that provides a 24hours emergency hotline.
Because by the end of the day we all want is to enjoy our holiday feeling relax and at ease, right ? 

enjoying the gondola ride in Venice

Montenegro: A Few Hours In Budva

Budva, August 2013

the view of Budva

Before I'm taking you for a city tour in Budva I'd like to share the latest update from KLM. Recently they launched a crowd-sourcing challenge in Asia, in which it asked video creative to communicate the wide variety of mobile and online services it offers. Because as you know, nowadays people are relying on their ultra modern gadget to make their life easier. And for us, travellers it means we don't need to move our lazy bum to get flight tickets and we even can do online check in from our mobile phone to avoid some hassle in the airport.
The contestants of this challenge came out with some creatively funny videos, and all of them deliver the same important messages: with KLM, you can take full control of your trip with your mobile. This "Chopsticks" video is one of them, please do watch this. You might find it amusing like I do.

*this video has been sponsored by KLM

                      


Okay! Now let's move to Budva, shall we? I've seen enough beautiful pictures of Montenegro which convinced me that one day I'd have to visit it. So I was thrilled when last summer during my Balkan trip, I finally had the chance to tick it off my bucket list. I was staying a couple nights in Dubrovnik, Croatia and it's possible to make a day trip to Montenegro. That means I only had half day to explore. Unluckily it was over 33C that day which was too much to handle for a snow girl like me, I was literally melting. The sun was so fierce and scorching that my pale skin turned into sexy golden brown colour and the next half an hour became burnt and crispy. That moment I realised that karma does exist. I love eating crunchy skin of roasted pork and I was turning into one under the unbearable heat.
Pardon me, I digress. What was I talking about before? Right, about Budva!

the alley

Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro with buzzing beaches and sparkling nightlife. Its Old Town which ages 3500 years old is the oldest town in the eastern of Adriatic coast. As I was strolling along the maze of cobbled street, I discover that each corner has it's fascinating history. The Venetian architecture which some of them are covered with green plants and the laid back ambiance made me forget about the heat for a while. Even though Budva Old Town is a very touristy place, it was a bit quiet that day so I could walk with ease without having to jostle with others.

local delicacy

who says tennis must be played between 2 people?

old and new

the museum is closed :(

Too bad the archaeological museum was closed. It would have been interesting to find out what life was like in this part of the world from ancient time until the end of the 19th century. The Old Town is famous for the earthquakes it suffered in 1979, where the whole town had to be rebuilt; it took eight years for it to be finished. But actually outside the old town, I didn't see many historical building. Instead, much of the city consists of new age Mediterranean-style buildings, or private modern houses. So I spend the rest of my afternoon getting lost in the maze and browsing around those cute shops and cafes within the Old Town area, before crossing the border back to Croatia.

having coffee with friends

the church in Old Town

Oh! By the way, I have another freebies for you. It's some stuff that I bought last month during my trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I will draw 5 lucky winners and each person will get a package of T-Shirt + keyring + postcard

How to join? It's easy!

1. Make sure you have already followed my twitter @twitdebbzie and like my FB page My Time Capsule
2. Tweet this sentence or share it on facebook >>> T-Shirt, keyring and postcard from Malaysia for you, let's grab it on www.debbzie.com! cc: @twitdebbzie
3. Don't forget to leave your email address and twitter on the comment box below.

 Closing date will be on Thursday, 12 December 2013. Good luck!!! (closed)

Winner: @@indonesianholic, @suseliasu, @earlynnzzz, @duabadai, @jooeenii

Sponsored Video: Barcelona Awaits You

So you've been dreaming to visit Barcelona and to watch the FC Barcelona match in Camp Nou?
Whether you're a hardcore football fan or just love to admire those handsome football players (like I do), this is a good news for you.

Watch this beautiful video and join the Qatar Airways cabin attendant as she travels through the island meeting FC Barcelona players past and present before reaching her final destination: Camp Nou.

It's to time to stop dreaming and to start planning for your trip to Barcelona, a place with red and blue running through its veins, where people share a love for the game of football. Because recently FC Barcelona has chosen Qatar Airways as the first commercial shirt partner in the club’s 114-year history. And to celebrate this partnership, Qatar Airways offer a match package holiday deal to watch the club play from iconic stadium, Camp Nou. You can choose one of those packages with interesting price which included match tickets, return flights from Doha to Barcelona and 3 nights stay at a 4* hotel plus breakfast.

I'll see you soon at Camp Nou Stadium

While I had been to Barcelona back in 2009 but I only got the chance to take pictures in front of the Camp Nou Stadium. Now as I'm browsing through the match packages deal, I'm so tempted to book one for myself. I've never seen any football match in a stadium before. Oh! and I want to meet Gerard Pique in person. I guess it's going to be an awesome lifetime experience to take part of the partnership Qatar Airways and FC Barcelona. A team that unites the world.

Adiós!  Nos vemos en Barcelona!


This post has been sponsored by Qatar Airways, but all thoughts are my own