Top things you take for granted (and in many cases, never use) when staying on the executive floor when you're on business that you worship at the end of an 11-month back-packing trip...

-Television

-Free Air-Conditioning

-Elevators

-Clean Sheets

-All-You-Can-Eat breakfasts with the off-menu ordering available in the small print 'could we get three poached eggs each with a side of Belgian waffles?...'

-Free newspapers

-Free mineral waters in your room

-Free happy hour, getting there at 5:25 and not leaving until 7:35, 'could we take these olives back to our room?'

-Free swimming pool

-Unlimited hot showers

-Unlimited coffee at your every whim

-Friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff

After being struck by the futuristic image of the immigration building at the border heading into Singapore, it was straight (being careful not to touch anything on the subway) to the Hilton to cash in those hard-earned Hilton Honors points. We were immediately confronted with the old 'upsell' - and took it without hesitation. They had no idea who they were dealing with - offering us, BACKPACKERS, unlimited use of the Executive Lounge!

We were so out of our element, we had even forgotten some of the first-world perks we had left behind all those months ago. It took Robin a half hour into our first happy hour to remember that she could order red wine, and she loves red wine!

It took everything in us to get our butts out of the Hilton and actually see a few things, but we promptly did so the first morning there. It was off to the impressive Botanical Gardens and the even more impressive Orchid Garden - complete with a hybrid orchid named for every dignitary that's ever visited.

We also took in the incredible shops and cinemas of Orchard Road - window shopping, of course. We did have to constantly remind ourselves we couldn't hork a big loogie on the sidewalk as they do in Nepal, or we'd very likely find ourselves in the slammer! We eventually made it back to the hotel in time for...you guessed it, Happy Hour!

The SARS scare was real and just coming into international consciousness. In some ways it was just as well that we lived such an insular existence on the 28th floor while we were there.

Ever so gradually we had made the move back into the first world. Perhaps Sydney wouldn't be such a shock to the system afterall...