Singapore Slings and other things!

Laura and I initially stayed in Singapore as a layover city to get to Thailand, and boy was that a mistake! We should of booked a week here! From our quaint hotel at Hotel 1929 almost in Chinatown to the fantastic (but expensive) food at the Chinatown Seafood Restaurant to the amazing gardens next to the Sands Marina Bay Resort, it was all an experience we should have spent more time exploring. The sites, sounds, and culinary experiences were something Laura and I did not expect, which made Singapore that much more special. We arrived at the Singapore airport and took a cab to the Hotel for S$20 or $17CAD. After Bali, the roads were smooth and there were no scooters! This is due to very high car tax and lottery system for vehicles. Only so many vehicles are allowed on the road, so a bidding system was developed. They say that even before you buy a heavily taxed car (to the tune of 100% of the price of the car, depending on the make!!!), you can spend up to $50k USD to buy another permit to buy a car, and the permit only lasts 10 years. Next to Japan, Singapore is the 2nd largest exporter of used cars in the world! Despite this, we saw more than a few lamborghinis, ferraris and rolls royces...

What struck me about Singapore was the architecture of the buildings and their variety. Comparing to New York's concrete jungle and Vancouver's glass structures, Singapore high rise architecture was gorgeous. Incorporating hydroponics and vines up 75 stories makes the skyline pleasing to the eye and the environmentalists won't get as annoyed!

Our timing and hotel location couldn't have been better the Chingay Night Fiesta was on, celebrating the end of chinese New Year. This street festival was on the edge of chinatown incorporating all the ethnic groups that make up Singapore (Chinese, Malay, Indian and Indonesian). Laura and I sorted through the street performers and entertainers, taking pictures of all the dancers and acts, it was a fantastic surprise as we were not expecting it!

After the great first day, we weren't sure we could top it, so we booked tickets on the local hop on hop off tour to get a good view of the entire city. We found that these tours give a great overview of the city for relatively cheap, and allows to get a flavour of the city. For 2 days we rode on the bus, and stopped at all the major sites including little India and the Temple of Mercy where Laura had our fortunes told! Not surprising our fortunes are good, if not a bit cryptic.

One of our favorite places we explored were the gardens next to the Sands Marina Bay Resort. They were are great value (free!) and totally educational (right up Laura's alley). The gardens were large enough to spend the entire day walking around and continue to see new things.

Laura and I especially liked the area where the bushes were shaped in the form of animals and beside the sculptures were the sounds the animals make. The wasp was especially creepy.

Another wonderful thing about Singapore is that you will never go hungry. It was mind-boggling the number of food stalls, food courts, restaurants, etc there were. We never saw the inside of a person's apartment in Singapore, but our theory is they skip having a kitchen to save space, and just eat out every day.

Because land is at a premium, and Singapore is a highly desirable place for a lot of people to live, the cost of home ownership is basically out of the question. The few properties that are privately owned are mostly held by embassies that can afford them. Instead, citizens 25 years and older can apply for a government subsidized housing apartment, to possibly get a 40 year lease on an apartment. Our hop on hop off tour took us by "embassy row", where the bungalows are worth $25 Million USD, even if they are almost falling down!

Overall our stay in Singapore was a great, and surprising treat. We thought it was going to just be another large city, but found it to be one of the most interesting places on our journey so far. Definitely a nice, civilized break from Bali, before heading onto Thailand.