SINGAPORE

As the plane touched down into Singapore, we experienced our first run-in with bad weather. Until Singapore (which currently is in rainy season) our weather had been amazing, but we weren’t going to let the weather pull us down too much. I should first add, Singapore’s official language is English, so it was the first time in a long time that we could be understood speaking normal English. Singapore is two words: CLEAN and EXPENSIVE. The roads, sidewalks, parks, restaurants, subways, and just about anything else you can think of in Singapore is extremely clean. This is partly due to the ridiculously expensive fines placed on everything from littering $2000 to eating on the subway $500. On a random note: last year Singapore was the fastest growing economy in the world and once you step foot there, you can completely understand, in every direction you look there is a new skyscraper being built. The cost-of-living in Singapore is extremely high and EVERYTHING, I mean everything, is expensive. For example, one beer in Singapore is about $10. A nice dinner for two? You can expect to pay somewhere around $200 easily.

Wanting to do our SE Asia trip in a budget friendly manner, one could say Singapore wasn’t the best choice but we shed our costs were we could. One place we shed them was our accommodation. We stayed at a backpacker’s hostel. This was a first hostel experience for the both of us. Although it felt a bit like you were back in a college dormitory, we couldn’t complain. The hostel was clean, reception was helpful, it was conveniently located near Little India and most important we saved a load of money. Another area where we saved was eating at food stalls, which in Singapore they call “hawker centers.” Like I said above, Singapore is a clean city so all restaurants, including food stalls get inspected for health regulations. So although you’re eating from a food vendor you know it’s safe!

Singapore is divided into neighborhoods. Little India, Chinatown, and Robertson Quay (riverfront) just to name a few. To get out of the pouring rain, we went to a restaurant called, “The Banana Leaf.” Just as the name suggests, all the food is served on a banana leaf (rather than a plate). Here we ordered lunch and had fish head curry. Oh my goodness, the deliciousness of this fish head curry there are no words for it! It IS the best curry dish I have ever eaten. And it didn’t break the bank either. After lunch, we headed back to the hostel to get out of the rain and just relaxed.

The next day, the weather cleared up and we explored Chinatown as well as the famous Orchard Rd. This is where all the high-priced designer shopping takes place. For lunch, we met up with a friend who is currently living in Singapore named Laura. Just my luck, we went to a Mexican restaurant (yes!) where me & Jeremy both had a delicious kitchen sink burrito. Although, I was happy I got my Mexican we still haven’t got what we came to Singapore for. What’s that you may ask? Answer: Singapore Chili Crab. The wish was granted. For dinner, Laura and her husband Bill took us out to a restaurant that is known for the best Singapore Chili Crab. We were not disappointed. Very messy, but amazingly delicious. A sweet and spicy sauce covering succulent crab. Good food, great company, and nice weather! Finally this was a great day in Singapore.

Our last day in Singapore was a relaxed one. Thanks to Laura & Bill’s hospitality after checking out of the hostel, they let us hang out at their place until it was time for the airport. Bon Voyage Singapore, next on the agenda Thailand.