I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Slurpy, soupy, noodley delciousness. It was the only thing consuming my thoughts. Decision making, deschmision making. In the end, it’s all about the noodles.
We were headed back to Asia. Somewhere, anywhere in Asia. That was a given. Probably in the South Eastern part as that’s where we head when we want a cheap and easy few months. We decided on Thailand as our ultimate destination and while I’m trying to make logical decisions and weigh up flights times, durations, budget and airline quality…. all I can think of is this damn bowl of noodle soup!! I ate it in Singapore last year and, at the time, I thought it was one of the most delicious things I’d ever eaten.
Making a Decision
The flights from Brisbane to Kuala Lumpur were the best in terms of price and time. We could hop on the Malaysia Airlines at night in Brisbane, sleep on the plane, wake up in Kuala Lumpur and then hop an early flight to Bangkok. The decision should have been easy.
Then I found a flight on Etihad that would take us from Brisbane to Singapore for only $200 more total. It was a day time flight – eight hours on a plane with a toddler is never ideal but flying overnight is a hell of a lot easier. A few days in Singapore was all we needed. We could fly to Bangkok on Air Asia later allowing me time to get my ultimate bowl of noodle soup.
And I started to ponder. I consulted Lee, my Facebook community and the whole week my thought process went something like this:
“We can save $200 by taking the flight to Kuala Lumpur.”
“But then you don’t get the noodles.”
“Yeah but a night flight is soooo much better with a toddler than a day flight.”
“No noodles though.”
“We won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars more on a hotel in Singapore if we fly to Kuala Lumpur then straight to Bangkok.”
“Think of the noodles woman!!!!”
What did I decide? Yes, you guessed it! The noodles won out in the end. It made perfect (or imperfect) sense to me.
A Lesson in Decision Making – Follow Your Gut (Literally)
If your gut is telling you one thing but you budget, brain and common sense is pulling you in another direction… you should follow your gut. If something feels right it probably is the right decision for you.
If your gut is literally begging you to go to Singapore and give it noodle soup, despite the fact that that bowl of noodles is going to effectively cost you $200 more in flights alone, you should do it.
I’m glad I did.
The Noodles
For the record, the actual bowl of noodles was only about S$8. And it was delicious. Handmade noodles, melt-in-your-mouth pork ribs, shredded cucumber, green onions and strong broth. If you want to eat it too go to Noodle Star in the food court of the Marina Bay Sands. You won’t be disappointed.
Mmmmm noodles! I would have done the SAME thing as I have been known to plan an entire itinerary around one meal. Glad it worked out! 😉
I see absolutely nothing wrong with your reasoning.
Of course, this is coming from someone who has booked flights to New Orleans mostly for dessert and detoured through Pennsylvania for gelato, so, my priorities are not unquestionable.
But I still want those noodles.
Haha this is awesome!! You know there are two Singapore noodle restaurants in Brisbane right?
Right now I’d fly anywhere you like for cheese, preferably with wine. Glad you weren’t disappointed!
A totally legitimate decision-making process! I think more decisions should be made by the stomach 😉
Traveling in the service of a good meal is never the wrong choice! We pretty much added Taiwan onto our RTW itinerary solely because we wanted to go and eat all the things, so you’ll get nothing but approval from me for this decision.
That said, while it might not be the easiest option if you’ve got a toddler with you, it’s really cheap and easy to get from KL down to Singapore overland, so that’s one option you might consider in the future if flights to Malaysia are significantly cheaper than flights to Singapore. You can take the train, or you can take one of the many buses that ply that route. We actually traveled from Singapore into Malaysia using public transport and for less than S$3!
Lol glad it lived up to your memory!!
Haha I love this! The noodles totally look worth it. I’ve heard really good things about the Marina Bay Sands, did you guys stay there?
I’m not loving the food in Cambodia so I’m looking forward to eating my way through Thailand!
i’d go, too- that looks AMAZING.
I have made lots and lots of decisions over meals. That is the most clarity I have for some reason.
Great decisions 🙂
This makes complete and perfect sense to me. But then again, we did decide to fly from Spain to try dondurma (Turkish ice cream). And it was worth it, too! 🙂
Damn it. Now I feel like noodles…..
I would have done the same thing. There’s not a lot I won’t do for a perfect meal….
oh my god – I am now drooling for noodles – after 1.5 years in Latin America I am ACHING for some good authentic noodles. We have since gone veggie though, and planning Asia for the year after next. I am kicking myself for going veg BEFORE we get there!
Happy to see the actual noodles only cost $8. And yeah, I’d have done the same thing. An unforgettable meal? That’s why you travel.
haha. Some days I take trek 40 minutes each way to buy a vegan donut, so yeah I get it!
Some decisions require common sense. When the goal of your decision is that experience (the gut feeling, in effect), then that’s who you should ask.
I’m glad you weren’t disappointed!
Haha, this story is awesome! As someone who very recently ditched all her plans, forfeiting thousands of dollars in hotels and airfare in Southeast Asia … to follow her gut and her heart … all I can say is … right on!
Sometimes the best decisions are the ones that make no logical sense at all 🙂
haha This is fantastic! I’m glad you got your noodles 🙂 I’m going to be in Singapore soon so I’ll definitely try these noodles!!
Drool! That does sound like one delicious bowl of noodles! I’d pay a little more to add another destination for a few days too.
This comes one in a lifetime, you’ve got the right choice. GO NOODLES GO!!