With love from Singapore!

Other blogs do series. Far be it from me to "copy" other blogs but don't we all long for our 20 seconds of fame and at any rate, will do nothing short of prostrating ourselves before our idols (thereby causing them to trip over us and at least yell at us = elation) to get it? Well, consider it another stab at 'stardom'. I know my 'Wordless Wednesday' is falling to bits what with not having access to my photos for the last few weeks and I know that it would be my hubby's worst nightmare for me to have more than 10 followers (we'll have to change our names and wear false mustaches everywhere we go) BUT I have an idea and it is my blog after all. So I'm going to run with that.

So here it is. Drum roll please...

...you can travel vicariously through me -- how's that?

And soon enough, you can find out how it is to travel with children in tow -- although this may just provide some amusement to your otherwise sane day. Adventures...blunders...we have it all right here! So here's to my With Love series! I'll drink a Singapore Sling to that!

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We decided to add Singapore to our 'List of Cities That Can Be Done In A Day'. I've done Singapore before -- about 7 years ago (yikes!) by myself but this was Jason's first time. My objective: to see the Tiger Balm Gardens because its the one place that I didn't get to go last time. Did I accomplish that? No. But we had fun anyway. We're bound to layover there again sometime so one of these days, I will do the Tiger Balm Gardens.

Part of our four day pilgrimmage to the homeland (a.k.a. Australia) was a mammoth 16 hour layover in Singapore. Considering we had just spent about the same amount of time in the Hong Kong airport on the not-so-fun side (before you check in), we were keen to get out for a while. Well, I was keen. Three hours of sleep and a 25 week pregnant belly do crazy things to your brain. Singapore holds a soft spot in my heart -- it was my second trip overseas, my first trip to Asia, my first trip by myself, and my mother had been there when she was a teenager. So I was keen to show Jason my initial stomping grounds of travel.

Here's the thing: we flew Jetstar to Australia. Dirt cheap tickets = strange flying times = no-checked-through-to-the-next-city luggage. Singapore airport might be the best in the world BUT that's only if you're on the inside. After you pick up your bags at 2:30am, there's no where to go and no where to really sleep. Left Baggage is closed so you can't check anything and the sky train to get you to another more comfortable terminal doesn't run for another few hours. So there we were, wondering around Terminal 3 at 4:30 in the morning, fighting other backpackers for small, comfy seats in tiny coffee shops. Only the others weren't pregnant. I guess at 4:30am, you can't even play the pregnancy card.

Not too bad for approximately 3 hours of sleep in the last 24, hey?

Despite that, Singapore is set up fabulously for people that have a "few" extra hours between flights. You can check your bags for the day at the Left Baggage counter and there's a free shuttle into the city. For $6 (Singapore -- almost the same as the USD and AUD) you can take a tour bus around the city that allows you to get on and off at will and they'll give you a time table so you know when you should be back in the airport to check in for your flight. All this is in Terminal 2 which also has a Gloria Jean's and would have been much more comfortable place to spend the night instead of the one we were stuck in. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, right?

So Singapore.

At 25 weeks, this baby's been to three countries (four if you include Hong Kong on it's own) before its even been born!

A really stark comparison between the old and new.

Firstly, lets get a few things straight. Yes, its clean -- probably cleaner than any other Asian city you'll go -- to but the litter-bug police do not follow you everywhere you go, fining you for dropping a tissue or chewing gum. And with the amount of free things you can do, it really isn't that expensive of a city to be in either. It is affluent and high tech and if you didn't come for the shopping then people start to wonder why you're here but I guess I'd compare it to New York City -- busy, focused, but if you need help, someone is more than happy to point you in the right direction. Not quite Chinese, Malay, Indian or Western, it's the perfect introduction to Asia for first-timers and a bit of a reprieve for long-termers. And yes, they celebrate all four New Year's celebrations. Singapore Sling anyone?

Singapore's national languages are Chinese (Mandarin), Malay, and 'Singlish'. Jason had fun messing with the poor tour guide by answering her Singlish in Mandarin. By the time she actually figured out what was going on (you try switching three languages in your head), she was so stoked that she could speak her native tongue with us that she forgot we were just students a few times and didn't understand everything. It's also one of the richest cities in the world. But what I love most is the culture. You can eat Malay food at one of the many food courts, get a henna tatto in Little India, buy computer parts (or camera lenses...) at cheap Chinese prices or shop Louis Vitton and oh, excuse me, Deutscher's are Dooney people, on Orchard Road till your little heart's content. I am happy enough to plant myself in the Botanical Gardens for hours or wonder around the Merlion Statue soaking in the international art culture. I love that while they are Chinese, they're nothing like Mainlanders. Just as driven and over-worked, Singaporeans are much more softly spoken and quick to accept that there are multiple ways of accomplishing life. They are constantly living in a state of transition, continuously upgrading everything but at the same time, living their lives ruled by old customs. After dealing with the in-your-faceness of much of the rest of Asia (China especially), Singapore is a breath of fresh air (literally -- they have 'no smoking' signs and people actually adhere to them)!

Admiring the beautiful orchids at the Botanical Gardens...

Of course Jason found a friend...

So my advice to you is, if you've a few hours in Singapore, make the most of the freebies offered to you and go see the city! And if you can, extend your trip by a few days. Here's what's on my list for 'next time':

* Tiger Balm Gardens

* Try a Singapore Sling (next time, I better not be pregnant)

* Lay on the imported sand at Sentosa Island

* Visit the organic farms in Kranji

* Camping -- I've heard it can be done. Like I said, I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes!