Best Airport

Singapore Changi Airport was again awarded as the best airport in the world for 2013 at the World Airport Awards in Geneva. Changi was followed by Incheon International Airport, Amsterdan Schiphol, Hong Kong International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport rounding up the top five.

Changi has been a benchmark airport for the world, winning consistently in many airport awards. It is to be noted too that of the top five, only one is European, this is a testament to Asian commitment to world class travel facilities unmatched anywhere else.

I love airports. They are, as they say, the windows upon the country and place in which they are located. Airports offer the traveler a glimpse into the life and culture of the place they are about to visit. They are refuge in the smorgasbord of travelers one meets as journeys are embarked. They provide solace and respite in the chaos of traveling. Most of all, airports themselves make traveling an integral part of the journey.

I dream of one day traveling the world's airports and experiencing the unique flavor each has to offer. I think airports are themselves travel destinations, tourist spots, cultural landmarks, and historical places. They are the living embodiment of the hopes, aspirations, strengths, will and dreams of a people. Transiting through airports one can see in microcosm the social order, legal system, economic status and even the intellectual construct of a people. They really do show more than a picture of life, it is life itself encapsulated in a building pulsating with the idiosyncratic tendencies of a place.

Airports! What a place.