Freya with her Travel Buddy 'Elmo'

They were strolling along the Terminal 3 @ Changi Airport en-route to the Gate where they were about to board the Incheon-bound Singapore Airlines.

Elmo is lost somewhere at the airport.

Freya was sad....

But the memories they had together will always linger on.

Multi-Faith Prayer Room @ Singapore's Changi Airport. Does Incheon Airport have it?***

The answer to that question would be 'YES' but....
ok, let me start with this first...
Multi-faith prayer room: what an intriguingly interesting, yet so-right a term to call it.

I know that musholla or praying rooms or ARE essential parts of any airport in Southeast Asia. Be it in Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok ( I found out that Hongkong--wait, it is not in SE Asia-- has one, too) and I bet other cities too in Southeast Asia provide at least one praying room for its travelers.

I love the fact that the so-called 'multi-faith prayer room' is provided by the authority of Singapore Airport and other airports as well.

Now let's go to Korea with its Incheon International Airport.

Incheon Airport is dubbed to be the number one airport or world's best airports in the world for 8 consecutive years while Singapore Airport is in number two (until April 11, 2013 when the newest poll stated that Singapore has finally garnered the  1st spot once again).
Ok...let me start again with Incheon....

I think my personal evaluation as the user or traveler....is that....

Incheon International Airport IS 99% the world's best airport...since it DOES NOT (fully show) or fulfill the term what a multi-faith prayer room should be like. Well, the one that Singapore Airport provides is quite different.
As for the one(s) in Incheon Airport.....it is a bit different from what I or others might have expected.
..........

So..So..So..So..

I request that Incheon International Airport would willingly think or consider building or setting up a room (for the meantime, size does not matter, supposed it already has one, I hope that it is spacious enough) where travelers ...

Especially, for Muslims who need to pray 5 times a day. 

Korea has attracted more than 10 millions visitors a year. And a significant number of travelers come from Middle East and Southeast Asian countries.

So...I'd be one of those who'd be more than thankful should the authority of Incheon International Airport would consider setting up multi-faith prayer room where Muslims have also a place here. ....like a wudhu (ablution) section for cleansing before praying....

Please..please...please....

I am sure that this will upgrade the status and the pride o Korea's Incheon Airport as indeed the world's BEST airport. (or now the 2nd world's best one).

Back to Changi Airport, even a so-called Meditation Room is provided. 

so, I guess if a so-called "Multi-Faith Prayer Room is soooo difficult to be realized in Incheon Airport, the authority could --at least--consider establishing 

a so-called Meditation Room, especially an additional one for Muslims?

That would surely be an added value of Incheon International Airport.

*** This is my simple wish.....^^ and since it is a wish...I think I could be wrong if it turned out that Incheon does have it already by the time I wrote this blog.

Because...I also found on the internet that actually Incheon DOES have it.

it is called 기도실  (gidosil) or praying room.

The thing is..first it is not really or YET to be a multi-faith since it is only for Christians, Catholics, and Buddhist, and no space for Muslims (that's what I know of)....so, I do hope that an additional room could be added. 

from other travelers that I learned, Incheon indeed have the so-called 기도실 (gidosil) but it does not yet --once again--fulfill the needed space by Muslims.

Or if not, the present room should be at least widely written on signboard so it will be easily known that Incheon Airport Does provide this prayer room.

I just hope that this simple fact that Incheon indeed has this prayer room is widely known and widely posted on many more sections of the airport so that people who need it might find it easy to go there.

So, my next plea is to have more signboard telling passengers that Incheon Airport DOES indeed provide a prayer room  or 기도실 as it is referred to.

By doing so, Incheon Airport is 100% freshly guaranteed that it is indeed World's Best Airport. ^^

so, there goes the 'real' 1% that I have been looking for.

Travelling with Freya

Freya has been a good girl along the way. She's been nice. Guess...there'll be more and more travels to many other places with you, Freya.^^ 

Yes, sure. Daddy. I love going out on a trip again... 

I know it is tiring but....the fun is way too good to miss.^^ 

Another selca with Freya...:) 

Hey...hey...look at me, Freya. What are you doing?

(GUess she was glued looking into the screen of her phone....*sigh*) 

and..then..she's busy....coloring some 'stuffs' I did not know what...but it's one of those activities provided by the airport management to keep the passengers occupied.^^

Transit (Again) @ Changi Airport

Life must go on, right? We have to go back home to Seoul after almost a week in Jogjakarta. 

Freya loves her Elmo so much that even she turned her back when I was about to take a selca with her....so that...Elmo could face the camera, instead of herself. 

And..that-Freya-style pose agaiiiiiiiin......Oh pls. Freya..do u have to pose like that?^^ 

What about this, Dad? Would it be fine if we take a pic like this?

Sure it's alright. 

Then...again....her pose with Elmo...on our way to our gate...for departure to Seoul. 

Well...it was indeed a timeless 'containment' where one would surely know whether it is broad daylight or dark outside. Inside the terminal would surely look like this allllll timmmeeee... 

and..it was MIDNITE....well, that's what airport would mostly look like...

Bye-Bye Elmo, we'll miss you"

Freya said goodbye to her Elmo....

I guess it is the last picture she'd ever taken with Elmo....

Elmo has found a new friend at the airport...^^

Transit (Again) @ Changi

Let's have some Hoka Hoka Bento at Soetta Airport before departing for Singapore. 

The only place she would definitely remember about Changi: its playground. 

And her wandering around as a wanderer (oh, it reminded me of a leading role in the new movie 'The Host') 

and..her can-not-stop-moving about and climbing around the playground...though it was midnite..... 

her that-kind-of-style pose.....

her I-don't-want-to-take-picture kind of attitude..which explains why she's running away from the camera.....

Going Back again to Seoul

After almost a week of staying in Jogja and Kediri, we finally got to be back to Seoul. 

With SQ we took another connecting flight from Jogja-Jakarta-SIngapore-Seoul.

This is the waiting area at Terminal 3, Changi Airport. 

It was 00.10 and Freya was still playing around while waiting.... 

Yes...she just could not stay still... 

Thanks to Freya for having taken a pic of me.... 

She is always happy whenever she is. So, it's a good thing that she behaved quite well and calm for a toddler like her.. considering....that we had a more than 15 hours of trip. 

Look...and look what she is doing. Elmo has always been her best travel buddy. o

What? I CANNOT use my Facebook UNLESS.....^^

During my stopover at Changi Airport, I felt the urge to keep myself updated or at least tell my wife how the trip was. It was such a relief to find so many available free internet PC almost everywhere within the airport. This is something that I need to salute the Changi management for doing so. ^^

BUt...But ..But...a very very funny thing occurred.. 

I was just about to open my Facebook account when FB kind of questioned or wondered or suspected or put a suspicion on me. I mean...I used to open my FB account in Korea and when I was about to open it via some computers in Changi...the fb account asked me this 'silly' yet 'rather-hard' quizzzzzzzz..... 

I got to be able to match and identify the pictures of my friends randomly selected by Facebook. I forgot how many..but I guess...I got to make 6 correct guesses out of 10 being bombarded onto the screen.

Some of the pictures that showed up: Of course, I know who she is: She's been one of my confidantes back then in Jogja..."Giartina" or Nana, how I affectionately call her.

Thanks, Nana..for showing up on the screen. 

Then....a good-to-be-true quiz...well..well..well..of course I know who she is, well, the funny part was that...the FB Account showed me with lots of faces on one picture so I got to make sure that the names listed below the pictures DO match or correspond to any FACE available.

That's the challenge.

Surely..I know...who she is... 

Min Seonhee...my neighbor and my teammate in HUFS. There is Eunbee, too. But, since Eunbee's name was not on the list, I assumed that it must be Seonhee that Facebook wanted me to acknowledge.

and I did. 

Then...mr. Fahmi Arif Tsani...my colleague back home at Gadjah Mada University. Of course I know who he is...after all he is also in Korea, studying. 

So, well done Facebook...for giving me such an interesting quiz just to make sure that it WAS 'I" who was about to open and use MY OWN account in Singapore from some nowhere computer at Changi Airport.

Transit at Changi Airport, Terminal 2

Yes, this is inside Terminal 2. I think this terminal is nothing compared to the newest Terminal 3. I remember this terminal used to be so huge...well, of course, back in its heyday...Anyway....Still, Changi airport still managed to maintain its attractiveness to anyone visiting or stopping over in Singapore.  

What could be more representative than 'putting' a garden full with tropical plants and orchids as the main 'staple'? And it just worked for lots of passengers who happened to pass by this section of the terminal.

Freya...she's a bit tired but could not just stay still. 

Take a moment before continuing to our connecting flight gate. But, before that..I managed to pray at the multi-faith room since it was already Duhur praying time and since I was a traveler, I was allowed to do some jama' or combining both noon and afternoon (Ashar) prayer at once. (more on this story on my other entry). 

A little snap shot of one facade of Changi terminal 2. 

And......Hoopla...this was where Freya spent her 30-minute in-between flight before departing to Jakarta. She kept insisting me on finding such a place. And she won. 

Kid!!!! I bet Freya would only remember this 'Place' on her mind whenever I would ask her what she would remember of the stop-over trip to Singapore....:) 

and...what is THISSS????? Is this my friend, Giartina aka Nana? What's she doing in this entry?

(more stories about this on other entry)