Singapore, Singapore

I’ve arrived!

After two very long flights from LAX I landed at Changi Airport a little before noon on the 21st. A few minutes later I was through customs and on my way to the hotel where my Uncle Ken is staying for business. He has graciously offered to put me up before I begin travelling around SE Asia.

I dropped my stuff off at the hotel and took a quick walk around the city looking for something to eat. I had hoped to find one of the infamous hawker centers without difficulty, but this was not to be. Instead, I ate at a little Indian restaurant. Good, but ultimately unremarkable. The near equator sun beat down on me, and my exhausted body suggested I return to the hotel to recover and adjust to the jetlag.

A few hours later I woke to my Uncle suggesting drinks down in the lobby before dinner. I met a plethora of my uncle’s coworkers and students before heading out to dinner in Clarke Quay. Clarke Quay is on the river. I would describe it as a dinner/drinking and clubbing area. An outdoors center that’s covered in see through plastic mushrooms. See the pictures to get a better idea. After eating dinner at a Thai restaurant, we returned to the hotel where I passed out almost instantly.

The next morning I acquainted myself with the city a little better. I walked from my hotel nearly to the ocean before it started raining. I’m impressed with just how much natural space Singapore has maintained. It’s a city, don’t get me wrong, but grass and trees proliferate everywhere I’ve been. Some areas have even been left completely natural.

That afternoon I took a cab to the MOE (Ministry of Education – my official bosses) to drop off some paperwork. After running that errand I came back to the hotel and relaxed before dinner.

My uncle is a foodie. A huge foodie, and he took one of his coworkers and me to Iggy’s for dinner. Eight courses, wine, delicious. Everything was incredible. We started with fish and potato amuse-bouche, pate, salad, fish, steak, and two slightly different desserts. Absolutely excellent.

The next morning was Saturday, thus my uncle didn’t have to work. The same co-worker that came with us to dinner took us out to breakfast, traditional Singaporean breakfast. Pig leg, soup, various veggies, rice, and noodles, yum! Afterwards she took us to the local wet market (not as wet as you’d expect) to shop for a BBQ she was having later that weekend.

We loaded up on meat, veggies, fruit, and prawns before going back to her flat. We met her children, mother, and maid before heading to Orchard Rd, one of the shopping capitals of the world (certainly Singapore). We wandered through a seemingly endless maze of shops after eating… dim sum with soup? I don’t remember exactly what it’s called, unfortunately, but imagine a dumpling, like dim sum, that has a soup inside. When you bite into the dumpling the soup comes rushing out. Fantastic! Ice cream, and back to the hotel to relax.

Before dinner, I met with one of my professor’s friend who lives in Singapore. He’s storing a bag for me. I dropped the bag off and he showed me around China Town and Club Street. Undoubtedly I’ll be back.

That night my uncle took me to an all you can eat Japanese restaurant. You pay a fixed price, and order to your heart’s content. More delicious food, I’m going to get fat at this rate.

That night I met a friend from college who grew up and now lives in Singapore. She took me to a small rooftop party with several other expats. We drank beer and chilled overlooking the city. Very enjoyable.

Sunday I continued my walking tour of Singapore. I walked along the river down to Raffles Square, and then back up past Boat Quay. It, of course, is incredibly hot in Singapore. An hour, maybe two in the sun is about all I can stand. But, it’s also beautiful and charming.

Sunday night was the BBQ. Most of my uncle’s coworkers and their families were in attendance. I let some of the kids play with my camera, and I’ve got some interesting pictures. Most people were curious as to what I’m doing in Singapore, so I explained a half dozen times my job placement and everything else.

I’ve also discovered that Singaporean kids aren’t really that different from US kids. Lo and behold the 17-18 year olds had separated from the adults and where playing a drinking game. How novel! I joined them. They played a slightly modified version of Mafia, with drinking. Not long after, the BBQ broke up and everyone headed home.

This morning I’ve continued walking along the city. Wrote this, and am taking care of a variety of different things before I leave for Cambodia tomorrow. I’ll try to keep this updated as best I can. At least one post per country. And keep checking back for more pictures and the like.