It was "a start."
Let's start with the sarcasm and humor. Brian wins! He was felt up by 8 (yes, 8 different) security guards at DIA. Apparently, his pants had vents that set off the alarms. It lead to the swab testing of his backpack. Ultimately, he had to donate his toothpaste and pride. Plus, on our first leg off the flights, was a woman with a screaming infant, which is fine other then she would just laugh (I didn't expect her to apologize or laugh, super awkward and uncomfortable). Then add the only human on the planet that may not realize it is rude to wear perfume on a plane. Don't worry, by the time she got off the plane I'm sure she was wondering what disease she caught from all my snotting and sneezing. Public Service Announcement, people!
Our first leg took us from Denver to San Francisco in about 4 hours. Then, we had 4+ hours to kill, spanning 10 PM to 2 AM-ish. This is where the trip went from "a start" to "a great start." Much great social research was done, aka people watching. I enjoyed watching people break our culture's courtesies, mainly because I knew from that moment on I was going to look like them for 6 months. Next up, 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. The food was mostly edible, passengers polite, and good movie and TV choices. It was a nice transition to flip flop our mornings and nights. After landing in Hong Kong we had a 45 minute lay over. We disenbarked the plane, went through security (where Brian donated his scissors), to reboard the exact same plane and end up in the exact same seats. Off to Singapore, flight took around 4 hours.
In Singapore, we had a 20 hour lay over. We took a train to Little India. It only cost us a total of $5 ($3.47 USD). We rented space at hostel for $6 ($4.16 USD), as we didn't need to stay the night because we had a very early flight scheduled for the morning. The rental allowed us to store our packs, shower, wifi (better to blog with), and cool place to hang out. Ooh the humidity...and it's just starting.
While in Little India we ventured to the local's market. There were many Indian and Muslim food stands to choose from, as well as, fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. The fresh fish made it smell like a dog food store. Otherwise, the cooked food smelled awesome. We took the safe route, as I was glutenized on the plane and still suffering. We had roasted chicken with rice, it was flavorful despite the bland name. It was satisfying and only cost $3 ($2.08 USD).
We also checked out the local shops and a mosque. The shops were filled with brightly colored trinkets and flowers. Many shops were tucked into tight spaces, so they overflowed onto the sidewalk. The mosque was an inviting place, they seemed to love visitors. The building was yellow and white with ornate green details. The inside was fairly plain with beautiful chandliers. I was asked to cover my arms, which meant a floor length robe. I was quite warm, but wanted to be respectful. Trying to follow cultural courtesies.
Caught the last train for the evening back to the airport. Only one more flight!