Singapore

Jason and I experienced beautiful Singapore! While our trip was cut a day short due to a last minute flight cancellation, we made the most of it! We packed in all the sightseeing and enjoying all Singapore has to offer in 2 days instead of 3. Like Hong Kong, Singapore was under British rule for many years, so Singapore's national language is English. It has a diverse culture and ,multiple dialects of languages from Malaysia, China and India. We stayed at the Rasa Sentosa Resort on Sentosa island 2 nights and then transfered to the Carlton Hotel in the city 1 night.

Friday, July 4th- We arrived late in the evening. We flew from Okinawa to Taipei and then on to Singapore- which was about a 4 hour flight. Considering our layover in Taiwan, it was a full day of travel.

Saturday July 5th- We woke up early because we knew there was a lot we wanted to see. After breakfast at the resort, we took the metro into the city to make our way to the zoo. The MRT system was really easy to follow. It helps when everything is in English! It is so interesting to see all the brands from the US and how American culture influences the entire world. From KFC to Ben and Jerry's, 7/11's and Long John Silvers! After making our way into the city, we made our first stop at the Singapore Zoo. It is huge and rated one of the top tourist destinations in Singapore. For a mere 5 Singapore dollars, I had my picture taken with a group of Orangutans. After the zoo, we went to a Thai restaurant recommended to us by our cab driver. That afternoon, Jason went off to a World War II sight (Fort Silosa) while I pampered myself for 2 hours at our resort Spa!! It was heaven! Later that evening we went to Clark Quay and had dinner on the water.

Sunday July 6- Woke up early again!! We headed back into the city for a half day city tour. We walked down to see up close the most recognized landmark in Singapore- the Merlion. It's a half lion and half mermaid statue in the downtown city park. It usually shoots water out of it's mouth, but it appeared to be under repair. We visited Chinatown and the "Little India" sections of the city. I bargained with an Indian shopkeeper and bought a hand carved wooden Merlion statue. It was marked $38 and I managed to bargain down to $22. Jason was pretty impressed with my strategy! Jason and I transferred to our city hotel. I sat on the patio by the pool and read a book, while Jason went by foot on the city... except for the brief bicycle ride he accepted from a local who offered to take him around. Later we met up again and went to a night safari tour. The tram passed through the zoo at night while the animals were asleep. It was really cool! Some of the animals were close to the tram, but I never felt in danger. After the safari, we went to the Raffles hotel for drinks. The first Singapore Sling was invented there, so we had to try it! A little pricey, but well worth the experience!

Of course there is so much more I could write about!! While we could have used an extra day there, we definately made the most of our limited time. We were already planning future trips in the airport on the way home. Thailand, China and Austrailia are all on the list. We are spending a weekend in Tokyo next month. I'll be sure to post photos of that trip too!