6/18-6/24/2018 Traveling to the opposite side of the world is a bit weird. We leave for Singapore Monday night and land Wednesday morning. Like Tuesday never happened. On the way back we take off and land on Sunday, only minutes apart, so I'm not convinced we get Tuesday back, it's more like living Sunday twice instead. Or something like that. On the way to the airport, a nice rainbow at the house.

This trip is for the same job that took me to Paris six months ago, and Neil is along for this ride also. If you have to spend 16 hours on a plane, this is a good way to do it.

The sun catches up with us just as we get off the plane. Just before landing the display shows distance traveled as 9,200 miles - this must be air miles not ground (we've had a strong headwind the whole time and the flight took a bit over 16 hours). It is impressive that a plane can stay in the air this long nonstop. It's a 787 Dreamliner, and this trip completes my realistic bucket list of airliners to travel on (Concorde no longer being an option). 747, 777, A380 and now 787. Happy to say I've managed biz class on all four, which makes it extra nice.

On arrival, a short taxi ride to the hotel. First impressions: - the city is very clean and orderly, a bit of a shock for an Asian metropolis. Lots of apartment buildings and almost no houses. Not a surprise, since there's not much land for the 5 million residents. What is a surprise is the fact that everything is in English - building signage, road signs, everything. I am later told that English was chosen as the 'language of administration' because there are several ethnic groups in the country, and if one of these languages were made official the rest would be made to feel second-class. This way it's neutral to all, and facilitates international business as well. Makes sense. And makes it easy for us.

We are staying at the Shangri La, where Trump stayed just a couple days prior. That would have been a pain, dealing with all the security. But it's all back to normal now.

We are here to work and immediately set up to make modifications to some of the electronics we brought along. The hotel 16th-floor room makes for a nice 'office'.

At night lightning storms are common. One lasted for over half an hour with strikes every 20-30 seconds. Hard to capture with a cellphone, this is the best I managed.

The building with the lit-up top floors is the hotel where Kim stayed for the summit.

After a full work day and some random naps, our hosts took us out on a quick tour and a 'local' dinner. Little India is a district several blocks wide that has been preserved in its authentic form, although it is still very clean.

Majority of the place is modern, well maintained and generally upscale. There are no old cars on the road because it costs $55K for a 10-year permit to own one, and it's not worth renewing for a 10 year old car. So they get scrapped. The government is discouraging car ownership in general, so the taxes on cars are very high too. In all I'm told a Toyota Camry costs a bit over $100K to buy here, and high-end Porsches and BMWs end up north of half a million. As a result traffic is not terrible, although occasionally still pretty busy.

We drive to the Bay and check out the Marina Bay Sands hotel from the outside (we'll go inside the next day). It's a very impressive structure, 57 stories tall with a huge infinity pool on top.

Some of the old buildings have been preserved and restored, it's a cool mix of old and new.

For local food we go to a food court in a shopping mall. Yes, really. Turns out the food courts are very good here and with all the major ethnicities (Malay, Indian, Chinse, Pakistani) being represented, as well as Western style options. So you can get pretty much anything. The mall is pretty cool too, as such things go.

Next day a breakfast at the hotel buffet, some meetings with prospective customers.

Then we head to the Marina Bay Sands for dinner. It's a very impressive architectural achievement. As an engineer I especially appreciate the structure and the various solutions they've implemented. The pool on top is supposedly kept level by some 500 active jacks.

After dinner we walk around the gardens below. It is humid and warm, but luckily we avoid getting rained on.

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It's an impressive city and if all goes well I'll be back a few times and explore it some more. But for now our brief visit is over and we head back home.

Getting back with the whole Sunday still ahead, M and I went for a sail in her boat then just floated next to the house. Exotic destinations are cool but life at home is not bad either.

12/6-12/16/2018 Second Singapore trip. Last one was six months ago, in the middle of summer. Now it's winter at home but still perpetual summer in Singapore. So packing is a bit trickier - I ended up just bringing the clothes for the destination and leaving the winter jacket in the car.

Our flights are departing and arriving at night this time. We are staying at the same hotel again - Shangri-La on Orchard Road.

As before, this is a business trip but we do get to walk around a bit. Most meetings are downtown, also known as CBD (Central Business District).

Late afternoon and evening we check out the same area again - there is busy nightlife and numerous food options, from restaurants to 'hawker centers' (food courts) where lots of small vendors serve various regional dishes.

There are many exotic cars here, which spend their life alternatively stuck in traffic and valet parked in front of various high-end venues. Our hotel is one example.

Most days are taken up by business but the final weekend we get a chance to walk around the areas we previously only drove through - China Town and Little India. Each has its own character and both are a strong contrast to the 'regular' parts of town. The hawker centers are more authentic as well. The food is always excellent, at least the stuff we choose to try.

Along the way we stopped at a small restaurant to grab a bite. Spaghetti straw makes a lot of sense and works well!

To get from China Town to Little India we take the MRT subway. Clean, as expected. The trains are automated with no crew cab, so you can see the track from the first and last car.

Weather has been warm and humid (85F or so), so when the skies opened up with torrential rain it actually felt great - free shower!

Very glad we got to see more of the city this time. The sense one gets here is of managed diversity. All are welcome as long as you're considerate and follow the rules. Which isn't a bad way to be.