I am totally disappointed that I only took my handycam with me....I should have brought my digital cam or my trusty old Hanimex...but I only had room in my handbag for the handycam, it takes stills as well so I thought it would be okay. I am disappointed because the picture quality is not good....the deep red colors came out orange...what's up with that????

Anyway, this article I want to show you the new terminal at Changi airport built for the massive, humungous, gi-normous A380...which is the most awesome thing I have ever seen. You should see thing thing take off....it gives you goose-bumps..you stand there and think...it's too big to fly....there's no way it's gonna take off....lol....awe-SOME!!!!!

Terminal 3 is even more beautiful than terminal 1 which is the main terminal. You have to take a short trip on the sky train to get there, its a very long terminal and according to a pamphlet I picked up, it takes 32 minutes to walk from one end to the other....that's if you just keep walking and dont stop to look at all the shops, then you need more than two hours to take in everything. I only had 2 hours to spare so I didnt get to see it all but here's a few of the features according to this pamphlet, some of which I didnt get to see.

 1 -- Miles of duty-free shopping, the usual kind of stuff you would expect to find in an airport -- but also shopping of a seriously more upmarket calibre. (Couldnt miss this one...lol)

2 -- Rooftop swimming pool with accompanying bar (of course!).

3 -- Gardens and koi ponds featuring waterfalls,  orchids,cactus, bamboo, ferns, sunflower, and heliconia -- truly beautiful.

And real live palm trees growing inside the terminal...they were everywhere!!!

I am disappointed with the color here...these koi were a deep dark orange and they turned out light here...I think it's the overhead lights or something....shame.

4 -- Sleeping chairs fitted with vibrator alerts to wake you up when your plane leaves.

It was too dark to take pic of these sleeping areas...and there's signs everywhere saying............"shhh...people sleeping"......there were great big clay urns with plants and little fountains so there's this sound of softly running water to lull you to sleep.....not me, it would make me want to go for a pee all the time....lol

5 -- A sports bar with a complicated payment system, which seems to involve the manager having to validate every purchase, and the signing of paperwork. This frequently results in the staff forgetting to give change to customers, and customers getting angry and storming off to find another bar (of which there are many, thankfully!)

6 -- A free movie cinema (that's right, a free cinema in an airport!) with a big screen and cinema-style seats and 24-hour rotation.

The only thing missing is the popcorn. And the only catch is all the movies they play seem to be cheesy B-grade American movies, the sort that might appeal to teenagers (and Singaporeans, no doubt!)

7 -- Countless restaurants offering an international range -- sushi or Indian curries, for example.  and its pretty cheap too."

8 -- Traditional culture shows using live actors.....but this one is not new. Back in August 2003 there was a Chinese magician-cum-martial artist juggling plates and catching knives and so on. At one point his assistant tried to ram a sharp spear through his throat. By some Shaolin magic of mind-over-matter, the martial artist was able to stop the spear from piercing his neck. The assistant pushed and pushed, the spear started to bend almost 180 degrees -- and the only wound the martial artist suffered was a little blood. This little blood was enough to freak out some Scandinavian children in the crowd, who  ran back to their mom almost hysterically.

9 -- An upstairs foodcourt set up in the typical Singapore "hawker's market" style, featuring such delicious dishes as chicken laksa (you need tissues because it sure is spicy!)...the famous Singaporean Chilli Crab...Hinanese Chicken Rice....a hundred or so pork and seafood dishes...noodle bar, sushi bar...you name it, they've got it.

10 -- A science museum and "Timezone Australia" arcade lounge.

11 -- Designated napping areas and specially designed snooze chairs free of charge. Or, for $US23 for three hours, you can sleep in your own chamber at the shower, fitness and lifestyle centre. A room with television and a private bathroom in the Ambassador Transit Hotel - which is within the airport - costs $US44, or a budget room with shared bathroom is $US30.

12 -- If pampering is on your itinerary, the Aromazone massage centre has aromatherapy, reflexology and massage treatments. A one-hour aromatherapeutic massage treatment costs $US58. A traditional foot reflexology session, helpful in relaxing nerves and tracing "qi" imbalances, is $30 per half-hour, as is a head-and-shoulder massage.

13 -- Changi's fitness centre or the gym in the Ambassador Transit Hotel have sessions for between $US8 and $US12 (including hire of sports attire and footwear). At the rooftop swimming pool and jacuzzi complex, a swim and shower costs $US10. You must bring your own swimwear but soap, shampoo, shower gel, moisturising lotion and towels are provided. If you're feeling a bit out of puff after your workout, head to the oxygen bar, where 10 minutes of pure oxygen costs $US12.

14 -- These two are not in the pamphlets but one is my absolute favorite...a butterfly garden complete with a huge waterfall....and the butterflies are stunning.

These gerberas were actually a very deep red and came out orange...disappointing.

This is the waterfall inside the butterfly garden...it was very refreshing because it sprayed this cool mist of water every where.

butterflies feeding on pineapple bottoms.

The second garden I thought was really beautiful...and this is surprising considering Singaporeans are SO anti-smoking....smokers are almost considered second class citizens there....is this garden just for smokers....beautiful plants, trees, flowers....so all you smokers out there, I risked a serious asthma attack (kidding...lol) and went in to take these pics.

And how's this for "Cuteness".....a mobile post office....lol...this little cutie moves around the terminal and parks for an hour or so at each spot so customers wanting postage stamps and other things like cards and gift wraps can buy them while posting their letters and postcards to folks back home.

I tried to capture some pics to show just how big this terminal is..but it was difficult.

oops....not allowing me to post any more pics...will have to do a part 2...as usual....lol

Dont worry, I havent forgotten the pic of those shoes....go to part 2...check it out...I'm wearing them now to break them in....lol