CHANGI AIRPORT, Singapore – 3am

I don’t recommend being stuck in an airport for nine hours, particularly when those hours are from 12.30am to 9.30am. However, if you can’t avoid it (because for example, your plane from Sydney doesn’t quite neatly connect with your flight to Kathmandu), then Changi is a good airport to stay in. There are so many new and wonderful experiences available there.

It has a convenient Transit Hotel where you can book a room for a few hours, though not unfortunately it wasn’t my night and there was no room at the inn.

But why would that bother me? I had the whole of Terminal 2 pretty much to myself. I had my own muzak (Bette Midler’s The Rose played by string orchestra), my fabulous private orchid garden, and nice comfortable carpet with a backpack as a pillow. All good practice for trekking in Nepal.

But trekkers’ camps in Nepal probably won’t have the free charging facilities for mobile phones, at least, not at 3am. I plugged my flagging ipod into a charger in a little perspex box marked ‘Apple’, locked it, pocketed the key and left it while I went off to have a foot massage.

‘Power Foot’, they called it – a comfy chair with two rubber footstalls. I took off my shoes and inserted the aching swollen feet. “Revitalise yourself in total relaxation” said the sign. I pressed the button and held for two seconds. Clamp! Agony! The machine had obviously not been designed for my huge size 11 models. My feet were being crushed, every bone in them broken, and there was no off switch. Never again, but at least I can say I did it!

I think the Power Foot people are in league with the free mobile device chargers. After ten minutes of foot cracking, you’re apt to forget where the charging boxes are and they get to keep your device.

So to breakfast – San Francisco muffins, Starbucks or Sin Ming noodles? Then a nice relaxing flight to Kathmandu.

Stay tuned for more…