Many worlds under a glass dome

I am able to wander in Jewel till midnight when the vast complex is hushed, and also at dawn when it is more dreamy than ever. That's possible because Jewel is open 24 hours and I have double staycations at two airport hotels.

I feel extra secure wandering alone at the cascading gardens and crowd-free corridors lining the 280-plus retail and F&B outlets.

The mall is under surveillance, no doubt, even as it feels free-spirited to detour spontaneously in the luminescent Shiseido Forest Valley that sprawls over four levels.

In the late hours, the valley is utopian and resonant, with points of light and a mystical soundscape designed by Japanese creatives. I am walking into an Avatar movie and experiencing a timelessness that is precious in travel.

Spending 48 hours, whether in an exotic new city or a known hyperlocal spot like Jewel Changi Airport, awakens the senses.

In the early morning, the fallen leaves at Canopy Park on the fifth level remind me of autumn trips. But the place is leaf-free moments later when I retrace my steps - the labour of Singapore's unsung heroes of efficiency at all hours.

There are early birds at Terminal 1 to see friends off, like Ms Cate Caisido, 39, a Filipino graphic designer who has worked 12 years in Singapore. These are sombre pandemic times for her community, who perpetually wonder about their employment status. But Jewel is uplifting for her.

She takes time to linger in Jewel, where she is looking at the signage made by her company and also relaxing before work begins at her Singapore Expo office.

Travellers are often open to encounters, and I find a bond with other random strangers I chat with, and also with tour guide Joisse Genevieve Chin, 41, from Tour East.

During a fun tour of Jewel's highlights, she mentions that she missed guiding during the circuit breaker.

Later, she sends a good idea on WhatsApp. We are both Easties and she suggests the Changi Point Coastal Walk and a microbrewery en route. Contact her if I would like a new friend to hang out with, she says. "No charge, I insist."

Her kindness moves me, and I reflect that if we keep a travel mindset even in Singapore, we will likely find more friends.

I think about my emotional journey in Jewel. I had glimpsed it in a sadder light in March, when the pain of the pandemic was sinking in.

The Skytrain skimming the Rain Vortex was empty, like the "ghost planes" still flying around the world before airlines slashed capacity.

Later, I caught the last light and sound show at the Rain Vortex before Changi Airport canned it indefinitely. Jewel felt like a shrouded dream then, and its first anniversary in April would go uncelebrated.

But this time, Jewel feels almost normal. Close to 100 per cent of the shops have reopened and footfall is healthy.

The splendour did not disappear all these months. Just like the Rain Vortex, where the music is ceaseless, the tempo changing throughout the day from calm to uplifting to Disneyland-esque rousing.

And the appeal of Jewel endures, for a surprising mix of visitors. There is something for almost everyone - families, walkers, photo buffs, design enthusiasts, nature lovers, seniors, romantic couples, mugging students and tourists when they return.

I marvel that it is admired by many - though perhaps some Westies may not make the trek here.

Jewel is a Singapore creation, but it is also many worlds. It is Singapore under a glass dome - a place that combines artifice and planning but also beauty and nature. It is an icon that could easily be over-the-top yet it is very intimate.

It also evokes travel without the need to travel.

The truth is, I do not fully grieve the loss of travel. I know we will fly again and journeys do not end with the pandemic. Meanwhile, I have Jewel and other places to explore at home.

For more stories on exploring Singapore, go to the SG Go Where page.