Southeast Asia Part VII: Singapore

The last SE Asia post...finally! And as Tobias Funke (no Umlaut over the u, sorry) once said: "Boy gang, what an adventure!" That quote just never gets old and is almost always appropriate.
This time around Clark didn't get sick in Singapore. We only had one full day to explore and see the sites Clark initially missed out on. We actually ended up staying at a hotel in the red light district, and for dinner our first night there we were so tired of Asian cuisine that we bought a bunch of cookies and chips to eat for dinner. We truly are American at heart.

The next morning we decided to walk down to the Singapore Flyer (the world's largest observation wheel) from the hotel, rather than take a cab or the metro. Maybe we were trying to work off some calories from the night before.  It was a fairly long walk of about 3-4 kilometers.  We walked along the river which was beautiful. Singapore has some very nice paths that would be perfect for running. Too bad I was extremely lazy on this trip and literally ran twice the entire time. So much for marathon training, huh?

We debated on whether we should go up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands resort to see the views of the city/sea from the swimming pool area, or whether we should take a ride on the observation wheel.  We opted for the latter, only because we'd never been on an observation wheel before.  And yes, it is different from a Ferris wheel. 

From this view you can see the Botanical Gardens and the Singapore Strait.

Since Clark didn't get to see the Merlion fountain last time, we walked over to that area of the city, passing some very awesome Chinese New Years decorations on the way.  The decorations are just so colorful and vibrant, I love it!

 The mini Merlion Statue.

The real deal.

 We sought shade under a nearby bridge on the concrete ledge of the Kallang River, where Clark took of his shoes to rest his "dogs". After about an hour of allowing Clark to rest his "dogs" we wandered around some parks for a while and read that this bulb becomes the flower below. Amazing!

 We found the World War II monument dedicated to those who had been victims to the ruthless crimes of the Japanese occupation .  Clark had to clue me in because I had absolutely no idea that the Japanese military had murdered thousands of Singapore and Malay civilians. So awful.  

Buildings and restaurants along the Kallang River, which empties into the Singapore Strait, which is just beyond the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands.

I have never seen clams this big. Totally blew my mind.

Back to Chinatown. I know I already posted a different picture of it, but I just can't get enough.. It's the year of the snake; have you read your Chinese horoscope? Mine is--I hate to admit-- fairly accurate. 

We decided to buy some chop sticks because whenever we order take-out Chinese in Philly, we're never given any chopsticks with our order. It bothers me just a little bit. How am I supposed to practice if I never have chopsticks? So, now we each have a pair.

And when I get frustrated I can just revert to using my learning chopsticks. Yes, Clark got me a pair of little kids chopsticks for all of those tantrum inducing moments of noodles sliding through my big girl chopsticks. He's so sweet.

We left Singapore far too early the next morning, flew to Tokyo where our plane was delayed two hours, then flew to Detriot, and finally arrived safely back in the brisk cold Mid-Atlantic weather in Philly. 

We had such a blast on this trip and I honestly can't wait until our next opportunity to explore more of the world.  It may be a while, what with finding a job, Clark trying to go to grad school, saving up money for another trip, paying for a replacement water heater and subsequent damages in our rental house in AZ...but we're looking forward to future opportunities, nevertheless!