Stylish Singapore

Our visit to Singapore was very short.  Mark and I arrived one night and immediately departed for Melaka, Malaysia.  We returned to Singapore 10 days later for three nights.  I had been to Singapore 27 years earlier on my trip around the world.  Mark had been here in 2003 for work.  However, neither of us really remembered much from our brief visits. 

Peranakan Museum: Typical kitchen

As in Malaysia, December is Singapore’s rainy season.  Undaunted and armed with umbrellas, we set out to explore the city.  We took in the Peranakan Museum.  This is a fabulous ethnological museum (named for the ethnic Chinese who had settled in the Straits area and intermarried with the Malay and Indian inhabitants) and walked around the Arab district.   

Amy joined us in Singapore on our second day (around 1:30AM in the morning).  It was great to see her.  Although tired, she was delighted to have finished her exams and escape the 39 degree weather she left in Seattle.

Lovely street off Orchard Road

After sleeping until 1100, the three of us explored Little India, the Muslim quarter, Clarke Quay, and Orchard Road (Singapore’s Fifth Avenue).  We also walked around the spice and butterfly gardens, and Singapore’s historic area.  Like Malaysia, Singapore food is delicious and we found a fabulous restaurant called the Islamic, across from a mosque not far from Arab Street.   

Amy with some friends

Unfortunately we encountered a downpour on our only night together that put a cab bash on our plans to take the night safari at the zoo.  So instead we headed back to our hotel and just hung out.

Before we left for Bali the following day, we explored a bit more of Singapore and then we met up with Jen Marks at the Singapore airport.  Jen was one of Mark’s NROTC students during his tenure as the Marine Officer Instructor (MOI) at MIT back in the early 1990s.  Jen will be accompanying us to Bali.

Catching up with Tock-Ling

For me, one of the highlights of our brief visit to Singapore was having a chance to catch up with a friend from my Northeastern University days.  Tock-Ling Chua was one of the first international students I worked with during my time in the International Placement Office at Northeastern.  Upon graduation, Tock-Ling took a job with Texas Instruments.  We caught up a few years later when I came through Singapore in my earlier Asian travels.  What a delight it was to see him again!  Yes, old friends are special.

Singapore takes it's rules seriously

We are off to Bali seeking sun.  Hopefully we will find it there.