Changi Aiport Terminal 3

Sunday. Coming from church, we decided to have lunch at Terminal 3 (T3) of the Changi Airport. We didn’t have much time to go around Singapore’s newest terminal when we arrived from our flight last April so we thought it was a good idea to visit the place. We took the MRT and got to our destination before I could finish a chapter of the book I was reading (a great novel by the way, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts).

It seemed there weren't too many people traveling today. Maybe that's because tomorrow is Vesak Day (Birth of the Buddha), a public holiday here in Singapore.

This shouldn't be a surprise to people who've been here or at least heard about this country but the MRT station was sparkling clean.

The escalators, at least for me, appeared to be very inviting. We went one floor up to basement 2, where the Kopi food court is located. We were feeling a little bit adventurous with what we wanted to eat and we also knew for a fact that food here was a little easier on your budget compared to the other fancier restaurants here in T3.

It was difficult to resist going near the fountain, where we could see excited kids playing with the squirting water. At one time one of the boys gave me quite a scare, I thought he was going to fall into the pool of water.

Starved, we didn't waste any more time and headed off to the food court. Perhaps inspired by the Thailand shirt I was wearing, we chose the only stall that served food from the country formerly known as Siam. We ordered green chicken curry and of course, tom yum talay, the mixed sea food version of the world-famous Thai dish. The watermelon juice did a good job complimenting our meal.

Our tummies fully satisfied, we proceeded one level higher and started our exploration of T3.

The red, rotating windmill-like, thingamajig with a revolving and slightly retractable robotic arm that also resembled a giant electric fan, caught my eye and lured us to come near it. "It's an art thing, I suppose, made from parts of a dilapidated airplane. With an X-ray camera beneath the nozzle that peered into people's clothings and belongings, looking for concealed weapons.", was my reply when asked what it could possibly be. Of course I was only making this up; I had no clue what the thing was or is or what other practical purpose it served expect for aesthetics.


It was impossible not to notice the roof, a neat piece of unique architecture that allows soft natural light into the building. I’ve learned that the reflector panels automatically adjust during different times of the day to allow the optimal amount of light to enter.


Maybe it was the mood for Thai, but we couldn't resist buying stuff from Thann, a store that sells aromatherapy spa products and natural cosmetics. The courteous salesman patiently answered the hundred and one questions we had about their products; another reason for us to buy. The shop beside it (I forgot the name), was equally tempting, with the uniquely designed shirts they offer. Good thing we were able to resist. But I'm sure we'll buy stuff from them soon anyway. ;)


There's a reason why there's a part in T3 that's called the Viewing Mall:


There are other incentives to visit the T3 aside from the shops, even if you're not (yet) flying out of the country -- bars such as Harry's and Brewerkz can also be found in T3.




Finally, we took time to admire the refreshing view of the sunken garden located near the MRT exits before heading home.