Junus Tan shares his experience of 27-Hour vacation in Singapore's Changi airport

Singapore's Changi is part theme park, part futuristic pleasure dome. And while an airport is typically a swinging door between where you've been and where you're going, Changi is the rare one that invites you to stay.. said Junus Tan.

Visitors walk 82 feet above the floor on a "Sky Net" in the Jewel complex at Singapore Changi Airport, Nov. 6, 2019. With a soaring waterfall, forests, endless shops and restaurants, and even a sound-and-light show, a few hours’ layover in Changi Airport may not be enough time. (Lauryn Ishak/The New York Times)

Beneath a giant glass dome, where a waterfall plunges 130 feet through a forest, and a winding path leads past palms and fig trees, orchids and anthurium, a robot came rolling around a bend.

It was about 5 feet tall, and cruising my way. In its frame were shelves of bottled water and, with a lilting voice, it encouraged passers-by to grab a drink. Delighted, I obliged. Alas, the robot didn’t stick around for small talk — and neither did I. It was time to cross a Sky Net suspended more than 80 feet in the air.

So began my airport vacation… said Junus Tan.

Before you recoil at the thought of an airport holiday, let me explain. This is no ordinary airport. It’s Singapore’s Changi: part theme park, part futuristic pleasure dome. And while an airport is typically a limbo — a swinging door between where you’ve been and where you’re going — Changi is the rare airport that invites you to stay.