Singapore

Todo... We're not in Kansas Anymore

Singapore! Tiffany and I both found our new favorite airline (sorry JetBlue)- Thai Air. Not only was the plane empty enough we got our own rows, they wined and dined us the whole way to Singapore (via Bangkok). The flight cleared up the misconception that Australia and Asia are close together- at least not the parts we were heading to. Oops.

Our arrival card for Singapore was pretty standard, except for the fact that it said in big bold letters: welcome to Singapore. DRUG SMUGGLING IS PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. We heard chewing gum was also illegal, but hopefully that was perceived as a lesser crime- one can never be too sure. But aside from the slightly sobering welcome, the city was great. We took the MRT- their subway equivalent- from the airport to our downtown stop. When the doors opened and we stepped out was the first time we really realized what we were in for. It was HOT. And it was HUMID. Welcome to Southeast Asia, where you won't stop sweating!

Our hostel was in Little India, a very colorful and slightly chaotic neighborhood. The place was clean and efficient, and like the city as a whole, not as different as we had expected. Though we had to leave our shoes at the door and our bags on the balcony, they did provide free internet and breakfast- always a plus!

After showering but not really getting any drier, we set out armed with our 3x3' map of the city. We got interesting iced drinks down the street at probably the only place in the city where they don't speak English. We pointed at some pictures and wound up with one tea and one coffee drink, both with plenty of condensed milk- pretty standard. Visited our first (of about a million) temples, checked out a food court and started the trend of stuffing our faces that didn't stop for the next month. A local guy came and actually asked what we ordered and got it for himself- score! He clearly had daughters around our age, and sat with us for a while telling us how to be careful and not get into trouble. Can never have too many parent lectures, I suppose!

Over the course of the next few days we saw as much as we could and spent an extraordinary amount of time walking- in a city with great public transportation, 100 degree heat and 90% humidity. There were stops at the famous Raffles Hotel, Clark Quay, the 72nd floor of the Stamford Westin for panoramic views of the city, Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth temple, more food markets as well as the National Museum with an "interactive" exhibit on food, and my favorite, the Night Safari!

The zoos in Singapore are world class, and we checked out the nocturnal park. It is set up brilliantly with amazing animals that are active at night, and they have different walking loops to go by all of the habitats which look pretty natural but designed to give maximum viewing. There is also a tram that runs to the further, bigger exhibits of hyenas, lions, and my favorite, tapirs! They look kind of like a cross between an elephant, a pig, and an Oreo. I had no idea they were so huge! We stayed in the park until it closed around midnight, then were shuttled the hour or so back into town.

A few days is hardly enough time to spend in Singapore, but it was a good introduction to Asia. It is clean, modern, organized, efficient, and so much less foreign than I had imagined. It seemed even less intimidating than wandering into Chinatown- and I think more people spoke English! It certainly set the tone for the rest of the trip.