Very late last night I touched down in Singapore for a week-long visit to a region of the world that has received much of my attention over the past year. Singapore is an island nation just eight miles north of the equator at the very southeastern tip of Asia. It was a British colony for many years and has developed a distinctly English feel save the population that shows the diversity of the area. And I suspect that like many people in Singapore, I’m here on business and most of my interactions will be with visiting businessmen.
The trip here started off on a bad note. My taxi delivered me to SFO about two hours and fifteen minutes before my flight. I had allowed for the extra time due to my decreased mobility with this boat hull of a cast on my right leg. I very slowly inched my way to the United ticket counter as carrying my bad disallowed the use of my crutches and movement without my crutches is difficult, to say the least. As soon as I made the counter, I realized that I had forgotten my passport at home. At that point my pulse climbed about 10 BPM.
I inched my way back outside to the passenger drop-off area and looked for a cab. I know that it is illegal for taxis to pick up passengers outside of the taxi line but I didn’t have the time, strength, or energy to carry my luggage and hobble downstairs to the taxi line to wait for my turn at the next taxi. The first car I saw was a beautiful black stretch limo so I knocked on the passenger window. I gave the driver the story of my leg, my desperate position, and flashed every last dollar I had in my wallet ($118.) He got me back home to Mountain View and returned me to the same point on that curb in 70 minutes. I had a full hour to make my plane and with the wheelchair assistance that plowed me right through the security lines I was still one of the first people on the plane.
I finally arrived at my hotel at about 2:00 AM this morning (Monday.) Singapore is more muggy than hot. Today the temperature will peak at around 90 degrees which makes me wonder how hot this city ever gets. We’re currently only a few weeks past the equinox and with this city’s proximity to the equator that means the sun doesn’t really ever get any more overhead. I think that 90 degrees sounds manageable, alright, but I know that a block or two of crutching between my hotel and the convention center and I’m going to be sweating through my clothes. I met a guy recently that after months in Vietnam learned that the secret to staying dry in southeast Asia is baby powder. Or maybe adult version of the same. I’m on a mission and will report back.
My plans out here include field training, a handful of customer visits, and presentations on two topics at a VMware conference on Thursday. All of these discussions revolve around my area of expertise, performance. I just finished creating my last presentation on the plane from Tokyo last night so I’ve got little preparation left but a read through or two. And then its just meetings, email, discussions, and hopefully a little fun.
Unlike every other trip I’ve taken to an exotic locale, its going to be difficult for me to find a partner in crime. On previous business trips I’ve been paired with friend coworkers that were hellbent on seeing every seedy bar in the city. Or when backpacking alone I’ve the time and disposition to throw on a t-shirt and step into a local bar and make new friends. But on this trip I’m severely limited by my broken leg and without any friends. Luckily our sales force does appreciate my visits so I’m hoping I can guilt them into taking me around this town for a few nights of fun.