Singapore

We were in a bit of sensory overload when we first arrived in Singapore. We have been on small islands for over a month now and we were excited to have a change of scenery. The first buildings we saw in Singapore probably hold more people than we've seen in the last month and are for sure taller than the 2 story building Yap was so proud of. We actually saw fast food restaurants for the first time since leaving home. While we aren’t craving McDonald’s yet, we did cave and stop at a Starbucks for some real coffee. (We have been drinking instant coffee or coffee out of a can.)

Singapore is known for their culture and their food courts, or hawkstands. The hawkstands are outside markets full of food carts of all different food varities for cheap prices, a huge plate for about $4. We started out with some traditional Singapore food and tried the laksa noodles they are famous for. It was a tasty treat, couldn’t really tell you what was in it, but it was good.

Singapore has pockets of ethnic groups all throughout the city and they each have their own little defined areas so we set out to explore them. We hit Little India area first and wandered through the markets and took in the music and strong scents of the region. We had some excellent curry and some strong Indian beer.


                                                

We stopped by a Hindui temple and were taken back by all the details and colors that go into them. The later it got the busier the area was and the stronger the smells of incenses and curry became.

We went over to the Arab District and explored some beautiful Mosques. We tried some food and though we couldn’t read the menu we pointed at things and whatever they were, it was good. We decided it was probably best not to ask too many questions of what things are made out of, sometimes it’s better not to know. The only mistake we made was trying to order a beer, we forgot for a minute that Muslims don’t drink. They just gave us a strange look when we asked.  Oops.

We got in some of the scenes of downtown and the amazing tall buildings that lined the sky.

We went to China Town and took in the markets that had some amazing shopping actually, only we don’t have any room for anything. We watched a big group do some Chinese line dancing..??? Interesting. The area also has an awesome Buddha Tooth Temple,a 5 storied building filled floor to ceiling with Buddha statues of all sizes. We had some great food here as well. We were able to make out some of the dishes with pickled pig, bullfrog, and fish heads from the picture menu and stayed clear of those. We figured we didn’t have time to be sick. Everything had great flavor and though we don't eat Chinese much at home, we really liked it.

(Kelly shaved his hair off, it's not just a bad camera angle. Although appropriate for a Buddhist temple.)

It was a quick couple of days, but we had lot of fun. We got a lot of different cultures and ate way too much good food. Even though we did tons of walking I'm pretty sure we gained a few pounds. We ate with forks, chopsticks, hands and slurped out of bowls all within a couple of days. Needless to say we feel really full now.

We now have a journey of train, bus, plane, subway, and then an overnight train up to our volunteer training in Northern Thailand for a few days before we head into Laos.  Just another day at the office.