This is how our new-found friend, John, described Singapore. After spending four days there it’s easy to grasp this. The ease of everything in this land is what first comes to mind – effortless access to shopping, efficient public transportation, not an over-abundance of people (relative to most other Asian countries), and food venues for every taste.

With American fast food restaurants on more corners then we have in the Bay Area, a California pizza kitchen (that we ate in our first night craving the familiarity of home), strip mall after strip mall (even more insane than Scottsdale), and most everyone speaking English, I would have thought I was back in good ole CA. Let’s just say this was a great place to recharge our battery without the struggles of trying to figure out a foreign culture.

There were some areas that made the country feel distinct, just not unique to Singapore. Little India and Arab Street were two neighborhoods we walked around and had meals in – lovely food, great atmosphere, but I felt like I was in India or the Middle East. This eclectic feel seems to sum up some of the culture we experienced in the country, being that of a melting pot of many different ethnicities.

The stereotype of Singapore being a very clean country was certainly true, although not to the point where I was scared of a flogging for littering. I was expecting litter police on every corner, or some sort of disciplinary sense to the country, which thank goodness we were far from experiencing. AND, gum chewing we did all we wanted.