Singapore Wrap Up:
Driving into this town we could tell immediately that we had arrived to Singapore. The perfectly manicured highways, beautifully lit streets, and very clean looking sidewalks were all dead giveaways. The stern, punitive Singapore I was expecting was not what we encountered. Instead the country was a bustling metropolis of activity – smiling friendly people, and an ease that I was surprised to find. The most shocking thing was how familiar and Western the country was, seemingly having more American fast food restaurants then we do in the Bay Area. The shopping scene in this town was utterly indescribable with Orchard Road (the main road in town) lined up with miles of shopping malls and plazas. Singapore was a much needed respite for us to recharge our battery, being a somewhat familiar place.
Highs/Best Moments: California Pizza Kitchen dinner our first night; incredibly fast and free internet connection at the Park Plaza Hotel; South Indian meal in little India; having dinner and drinks with John; SHOPPING; easy public transportation; the Night Safari at the zoo; cheap taxi’s; not feeling pressure to see tons of sites; Little India
Lows/Worst Moments: no more days of very cheap prices; down pour walking around Arab Street; lunch on Arab Street at Turkish restaurant; meal at My Choice Chinese Cuisine; getting stuck at a crosswalk and having to wait a solid 5 minutes before it changes; not being able to figure out how to get out of the Orchard subway to the right side of the street; realizing after being stuck in traffic it was a public holiday, which also meant the mall was crawling with people; the very expensive cost of sending out our DHL packages
Sights: palm trees lining the highways; skyscrapers; subway systems; 5 lane roads; malls, shopping plazas and street vendors; very clean streets; tons of fast food restaurants; fabric stores both on Arab Street and in Little India; Indian food restaurants everywhere; Mercedes taxis; lots of cool animals on the Night Safari
Food and Drink: Indian food; fast food restaurants everywhere; our Taco Bell splurge that was gross; California Pizza kitchen bbq chicken salad; overpriced and fried Chinese food at My Choice Cuisine; sushi at Niko; what should have been $23 martinis each at the hotel, which we got for a mere $9 at happy hour;
Favorites:
Towns: Little India neighborhood
Accommodations: Park Plaza Hotel
Food: the little pancake like pizzas at the South Indian restaurant in Little India
Restaurants: Niko Japanese on Orchard
Drink: what should have been a $23 martini, for $9 at the Park Plaza Hotel
Activities: wandering around Little India and Arab Street; shopping; Night Safari
Internet Connections: Absolutely amazing internet connection the 4 days put Jason in a great mood
Least Favorites:
Towns: Arab street only because it was raining
Accommodations: N/A
Food: calamari at My Choice Cuisine
Restaurants: My Choice Cuisine
Drink: the ridiculous size of the martini glass they used at the hotel bar, for what little vodka they put in it – it was just plain laughable, although I think they were trying to be sheik
Activities: eternal search for Jason’s Asic’s tennis shoes, which he still never found!
Internet Connections: N/A
Exchange Rate: $1.52 Singapore Dollar equals $1 USD
