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Published: February 8th 2008
I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching stuff for India, Nepal, and Cambodia, but I kind of forgot about Singapore. Luckily two of my parents’ oldest friends, Sue and Howard, have been living out here for about three years now. They’ve been taking extremely good care of Burt and me and have helped us get a feel for the city. We couldn’t have timed our visit better, as it’s the Chinese New Year.
I arrived the evening before Burt; it was late, but Sue stayed up to greet me. The next morning I awoke to a home-cooked breakfast and fresh coffee. After we ate, Sue helped me get some laundry done and we had a chance to catch up. We went for a late lunch at the American Club and then made our way over to China Town. All the stores were selling New Year’s decorations and food. I loaded up on a bunch of strange candy, including some durian-flavored stuff. I haven’t tried it yet though.
For dinner, we ventured back to the American club for pizza and beer with Howard before going to the airport to meet Burt.
On our second day, Howard and
Sue took us to the Raffles Hotel. It’s an historic hotel that has entertained a broad range of guests, from Ava Gardner to Charlie Chaplin. Rudyard Kipling even mentioned it in one of his stories. The Singapore Sling, an alcoholic concoction made from gin, Cherry Heering brandy, Cointreau, Benedictine, and fruit juice, was invented at this hotel sometime between 1910 and 1915. So of course the four of us had to stop for one!
From the Raffles, we took the subway to Clarke Quay for dinner at a local brewery and restaurant called Brewerkz. Then we walked around the area to check out all the crazy night clubs and bars. There was one called the Clinic that had wheelchair seats and drinks that came in I.V. bags. Another was an Arabian hookah bar! We weren’t really dressed for clubbing though (I was wearing Crocs and shorts), so we didn’t go in. Instead we headed over to the Esplanade to check out the New Year’s festivities. There were food stalls, music, and a crazy number of people. We wandered about and read our Chinese horoscopes. Apparently this year is going to be a bad one for me across the board.
And Dad, or any other rabbit-sign folks, you should be wary of any contracts you sign! Both Burt and I had illness in our futures, so we’ll try to be extra careful in India.
It was a difficult struggle, but we managed to stay up until midnight to see a fireworks display. As soon as it was over though, we raced to get a cab home.
Yesterday, Burt and I headed out on our own to check out Sentosa Island to see a different side of Singapore. Sentosa Island has beautiful beaches, nature walks, and even an aquarium. It was a bit of a mission getting over there - it was a holiday and the weather was gorgeous, so many people had the same idea as us. We decided to take the cable car over so that we got a nice view of the area. Once there, we visited the butterfly park and then headed down to the beach to relax for a few hours.
We went back to Clarke Quay to people-watch for a little bit after that and finally arrived back at Howard and Sue’s around midnight.
So that brings me to today.
Long Bar
Raffles Hotel - Notice the peanut shells on the floor!We’re scheduled to depart for the airport in roughly five hours. I just sprayed all of my clothes with super-strength insect repellent that I picked up from the Travel Clinic in Austin. I think we’re going to make another quick trip to China Town so that I can pick up some lighter-weight pants. It’s supposed to be around 85 degrees in Chennai!
Love to all! Next issue will be from India. Eep!
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Nicole
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Awesome Pics!
The Raffles Hotel is Beautiful! That's awesome that you got to be there for Chinese New Year :-)