Travels: Singapore, a Breath of Fresh Everything!

Before visiting, we'd heard mixed reviews about Singapore. On one hand, for a professional with a family it has amazing schools and innovative environment, however the most frequent comment is that it’s “too sterile”. Oh man, was I in need of some “sterile” environment. It was a treat to walk along the sidewalk without worrying about stepping in garbage, spit, urine or poo. I’ve heard it lacks “character”… in comparison to China, it sure does! China is a character machine, however, we found a good deal of culture and character on our visit.

First, we picked the right time to go. We arrived on National Day! (their July 4^th, celebrating independence from Malaysia in 1965). A fairly young independent country, even by US standards, but the people have some serious pride! The streets were packed. There was a full day parade and show followed by fireworks over the bay. Luckily, we were with a new-found SG local, Chris Newman, Lesley’s bf, who picked out the perfect spot for us on the incredibly clean boardwalk! (seriously, we spilled a beer and considered drinking it up off the cement. A little embarrassing?) (On that note, even with all the rules: no gum, no spitting, etc, you can have an open container! I’m liking this place more & more…)

Anyways, while we couldn’t technically see the parade/stage performance, I did read all about it and I was impressed! Unlike any parade I’ve ever heard of, it wasn’t about the celebrities. It was all about the individual stories of the local people. (Read some stories here) 

Now it was time for the fireworks!!!!

I wanted you to feel like you were there. Plus I needed to put these pics to good use! :)

Marina Bay - Singapore

I bet it'll be big for their 50th! Book your August 2015 flights!

After a fabulous evening, we were up the next day for some touristy exploring. First, we had to experience all the hawker markets! Unlike China, this doesn’t mean fake goods, but food food food!!! Here is where “Crazy Rich Asians” came in handy as they described all the best things to try. (Unlike "Hotel K" pre-Bali, this was a great pre-Singapore read!) If you say Singapore doesn’t have culture, I don’t think you’ve been to these. It is a melting pot of all different cultures and cuisines: Singaporean, Malay, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, the list goes on… Representative of the Singapore culture itself.

Lau Pa Sat treats, including Laksa, Indian Curries & Satays!

Quick interlude on Singapore: (wikilink here)

- Island country made up of 63 islands at the south tip of the Malay peninsula

- 1918 Sir Raffles establishes it as a trading post of East India Company 

- 1963 Independence from Britain (in a union with Malaysia)

- 1965 Gained full independence from Malaysia

- 62% of Singaporean residents are citizens; 38% are long-term residents, aka. Expats, like me!

- 4 national languages: English, Malay, Mandarin & Tamil; but the most common language in English: a lucky treat for me!

- Religions of Singapore:

oh, not to mention they have top-notch education system and business meccas.

Singapore Map

After stuffing our faces with all sorts of samples at Lau Pa Sat, we were true tourists!

Asian Civilizations Museum: I’d absolutely recommend. While, I’m somewhat of a museum snob, growing up in the land of the Smithsonians, I was impressed. The exhibits were varied and insightful and touched on a wide range of different cultures and customs, certainly not just Singapore.

Chinatown: yeah, I know we live in the REAL China"town" however, this was fun! Filled with trinkets much like you could find in China, it was cleaner, easier to shop and even had some things I haven’t easily found here!

Hindu Temple, Sri Mariamman Temple at the corner of Chinatown

notice anything weird with this photo? 

Matt had some fun with the mannequin cart...

ahh... feels like home :)

Sunset drinks at the Marina Bay Sands: Remember that fancy 3 pillar building from parade pics above? What a view!!! Naïve me didn’t realize that Singapore was still such a large shipping port, but the ships seemed to go on forever! (I actually have a fascination with shipping ports ever since we got a private tour from a fellow Fuquan in Valparaiso, Chile. It’s fascinating in terms of logistics, speed, etc.) Anyways, in SG we also ran into a friend of Matt’s from KS! We saw him in Lau Pa Sat market earlier and he was kind enough to meet up with us for drinks. Singapore, you continue to surprise me!

the stage from last night's National Day performance

The rooftop also has a pool for hotel guests only: fancy, plus the port in background. Thought it was a nice juxtaposition

Michael Duvall + Matt: "Lancers We Will Always Be" hehe

it's important to take a million sunset photos at regular intervals. you wouldn't want to miss it!

Dinner & Drinks in Dempsey Hill (plus an art gallery!).  Oh man, a happy girl tonight! Tasty foods at Jones the Grocer, then heading over the Margaritas for some, you guessed it, Margaritas! This was a research fail, because Margaritas was suggested for drinks, so I thought it was a bar... Turns out it’s a full-fledged Mexican restaurant. Don’t worry, having finished dinner minutes earlier, didn’t stop me from ordering myself some queso!! Oh heaven, heaven, heaven…  Ooey, gooey, heaven. Perfect way to cap off our trip! … or so you think…

stay tuned for tomorrow's post!