Imagine yourself in a rainforest while switching airplanes

Two years ago, I went to Bali and had a stopover at Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia for 6 hours. After walking around and searching for my next flight I still had 5 hours free time. My sister told me that she had it very cold at the airport in China so I was wearing a sweater, but it was more the opposite! I’d tried to sleep at small benches but it didn’t worked out. After a while I got bored and walked along a large window. Behind that window I saw trees and I found a door. When I walked trough that door I came into a kind of tropical rainforest look a like. It was nice to imagine you somewhere else!!

A few weeks ago I found a signal on the internet and immediate I had to think about Kuala Lumpur airport again.

Singaport airport is getting a ‘Bio Dome’, they are building a large indoor park, called/named: ‘Forest Valley’. The air hub is the sixth busiest international airport in the world (architizer.com). Thousands of people have to wait and feel like wasting time before they have their next flight. With Forest valley they ensure that waiting will become a lot more enjoyable.

 The ‘Jewel Changi Airport’ is designed by Moshe Safdie, he is well known for combining nature with architecture and ‘he is still creating innovative large scale urban projects around the world to this day’ (architizer.com).

For the airport, he designed a glass dome, which will encompass a space of 134,000 square meters, and it looks a bit like a science fiction building. In the Forest valley they have different gardens and (walking) trails. In the middle of there is the big eye cather, a 130 – foot – high waterfall called ”Rain Vortex” and at night it is illuminated with light and music is playing.

Behind the glass they will have hotels, shops and restaurants. The dome is connected with the three terminals from the airport. The project will be finished in 2018.

I think this project is a great example for other airports. When you get of an airplaine you really want to get some fresh air and now you can!
It’s for instance way more effective for people that want to work while waiting for their next plane they have to catch. Trough the fresh air they feel more energetic and it makes their journey more pleasant.

 

Sites:

Moshe Safdie’s huge greenhouse for Singapore’s Changi airport gets underway

http://architizer.com/blog/inside-moshe-safdies-real-life-bio-dome/
http://www.madpac.nl/intel/jewel-changi-airport-singapore-adembenemend/

I love Bali!

Hi!

In April and May I went to Bali to volunteer. I lived for 7 weeks in Penestanan, a little village near Ubud. Ubud is a city with a lot of art surrounded by rice fields and nice people!
I teached English in the 3th grade. The kids would only have English for two weeks so we had to learn them a lot of new words in English. We teached them with pictures, games and songs.
The last day, when we had to say goodbye, the girls had been crying. I really miss them!

I met great people from all over the world and lived between the Balinese people. They learned me a lot about Bali and their culture.

We went to loads of great places on the Island in the weekends.

I saw beautiful beaches, clear water and I went snorkeling. During the snorkeling I saw a Manta Ray. The man on the boat told us that they didn’t see the Manta for a few months so we were very lucky. 3 pictures from this collage were made on the Gili Islands (three small islands next to Lombok), and one at Lombok. 

I saw beautiful sunsets
I made the left picture in Lovina, a place at the North of Bali. The right one were made at Gili Trawagan. 

I drank the most expensive coffee (Kopi Loewak), went into the holy water..

I also hiked a vulkano and went rafting.
I hiked at the mount Batur, that’s the second highest vulkano in Bali. 

I spotted dolphins!!
The three little black spots at the picture in the middle are three fishermen.

I’ve been showed a lot of beautiful temples!!

And went to the Island next to Bali, Lombok.
For 4 days I traveled alone at Lombok, the nature on this Island is beautiful but I still prefer the culture of Bali. 

I had a really fantastic time overthere and learned a lot.
It was the first time that I went on my own outside Holland and to Bali.

I would really recommend it to volunteer abroad!

I hope you enjoyed this post!