Singapore Is Beautiful.

We packed a lot into the time we spent in Singapore. Thursday evening, I sat down with our friend and we mapped out what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. We even included a list of things we wanted to eat while we were there in Singapore. For the most part we made it through the whole list. 

However, we did not make it to the other side of the water that I had been hoping to see, which is ok. We did not get to try Singaporean chili crab or pepper crab. It just gives me another reason to just visit again. 

I found Singapore to be beautiful. The people were polite, apologizing if they accidentally bumped into you on the sidewalk or on the train. It isn't a common thing here in Hong Kong to apologize, so it was a refreshing change, and a reminder to be polite even when it isn't popular in society.

For the majority of our time in Singapore, I was covered in sweat because of the humidity and the heat. It reminded me of going back to the Philippines for a visit after having lived in North America, when I sweated nonstop for a week straight. It was lovely.

All the architecture was beautiful to take in. The architecture varied from the different places we visited, but it was all lovely to look at.  

The last day we spent in Singapore, we ordered a variety of foods from different hawkers, sampling curry puffs, noodles, and kaya toast. We finished it all off with a not so cultural dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme! The "hot now" sign was on and my husband was a happy camper.

Thank you, Singapore for a lovely visit. We hope to see you again at some point. 

Singapore - Cloud Forest.

After we visited the Supertree Grove, we walked over to check out the two massive domes next to the water. We opted to just walk through the Cloud Forest and skip out on the Flower Dome. As soon as we entered in to the Cloud Forest and we were met with a gust of cool air, we all agreed we had chosen the right dome to visit. It features the world's tallest indoor waterfall, which provided a lovely mist to walk through.

The dome is built to mimic the temperature of the cool conditions in a moist tropical mountain region.

We walked along the different levels of the Cloud Mountain, making our way to its base. The vegetation was beautiful to look at. There were so many varieties of orchards, ferns, and other tropical plants to appreciate as we meandered our way through.

Singapore - Little India.

On our way to see the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, we walked through Little India. There is so much color on all of the different shop houses. You can physically feel yourself stepping from one culture into another culture.

Little India has a wonderful bohemian feel to it. We encountered many men riding their bicycle along the sidewalks. They would ring their bell behind us so we knew to move to the side so they could easily pass.

It was Sunday morning when we walked through Little India, and most of the shops were just starting to open. We saw men sweeping their front stoops off, and leis of flowers hung by the front door. I also saw some dried herbs or type of leaf bouquet hung upside down as though it was drying on the side of the front door. I'm sure it has some sort of religious or superstitious meaning behind it, but as of yet, I haven't found out what it is.

Singapore - Chendol.

We had a whole list of things we wanted to do while we were in Singapore, as well as a whole list of foods we wanted to eat while we were there. Things like chicken rice, chili crab, pepper crab, carrot cake {that isn't made out of carrots and is not cake}. Chendol was part of that list. My husband and I were both hooked when we read that the description included shaved ice and coconut milk. We are both avid fans of the dessert known as halo-halo in the Philippines which is similar.

Chendol is a dessert in Singapore that is made of shaved ice, red beans, coconut milk, pandan flavored noodles, and palm sugar.

It was delicious. Our kids are not fans of either halo-halo or chendol, but we found it to be refreshing especially with the hot humid climate in Singapore!

Singapore - The Zoo & Night Safari.

While we were in Singapore, I broke my "no zoo" rule. I have that rule, because I think as humans, we need to take care of the animals and it bothers me when we don't do a good job of it. I feel as a Christian, God wants us to take care of what He has given us as well. Zoos can be a place where humans do not properly care for animals {as seen at the sad Waccatee Zoo in Myrtle Beach.

In Singapore, both the zoo as well as the night safari has a strong commitment to conservation research and protecting our environment with efforts to protect wildlife.

One thing I appreciated about this zoo were the open exhibits used for the animals. In some areas, we were able to get up close and personal with some of the animals.

My two kids had the most fun at the splash pad that is a small part of the Singapore zoo.We did not have a change of clothing with us, but that didn't stop my kids from making the most use out of the splash pad. The weather was so hot and humid, that by the time we went on a tour with the Night Safari, they had dried out.

When my husband got off from work, he met us at the zoo so we could all experience the Night Safari together. By that time, the kids were exhausted and we had seen a lot of animals. We were all moving slow and enjoyed the fire show at the entrance to the Night Safari. We took in the Creatures Of The Night show - with the otter's who recycled being our favorite act of the evening. Then we proceeded to the tram, where we saw many other animals out and active in the evening.

Singapore - Supertree Grove.

Visiting the Supertree Grove in Singapore was on my radar of things I wanted to do while in the country. They are part of the Gardens By The Bay park, and can be easily seen from any part of the park. These tree like scructures stand over 60 feet tall which means just being near them is awe inspiring. 

One thing I find so impressive about the supertrees is that they are not only beautiful to look at, but are also used for solar energy. There are 200 different types of orchids, ferns, vines, and other tropical plants growing on the trunks of the supertrees.  

We did not get to see the supertrees lit up at night, simply because we visited during the day. At some point I'd like to go back to Singapore and see them glowing in the dark. My son and one of my husband's coworkers enjoyed a walk along the OCBC Skyway, which is an elevated walkway between two of the trees, while the adults took a rest in the shade of the supertrees and my daughter found a live lizard that entertained her.

Singapore - Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.

On our final day in Singapore, we walked over to have a look at the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple in the heart of Little India. The architecture on this Hindu temple is gorgeous. There is so much ornate and intricate detail to the entrance of the temple. The temple was built to honor the Hindu goddess and destroyer of evil.

When we walked up, there was a service going on, so we stayed outside to watch for a little bit. The colors are so vibrant. Women were coming out in their traditional sarees. Shoes were taken off and left at the front entrance of the temple. There was a sign posted that shoes were not to be worn over the threshold of the place of worship.

Singapore - Sentosa.

There was one day that we spent in Singapore that we tried to fit in as much as possible. We managed to make it down to the southern most point of continental Asia and take a group photo in front of the sign.

Sentosa was different from what I was expecting. I had no clue we would be walking into such an intense island resort environment. We mainly stayed on the Palawan beach, walking out over the suspension bridge to see the southern most point of continental Asia landmark. This is the closest I have been to the equator!

Sentosa offers theme parks, hotels, golf, spas, and casinos. We played around with the idea of renting a cable car, but instead just headed down to the beach. 

Our kids really wanted to go into the water. We told them no, even though it did look inviting. Walking around Singapore one can really work up a sweat, but kids and water with no extra change of clothing does not work very well. So our two kids stayed up on the shore and ran around while we fed them snacks!

Singapore - Emerald Hill Road.

Emerald Hill Road could easily be mistaken for a street in Charleston, South Carolina. The colorful row houses with their brightly painted shutters and the brick street are all indicative of Charleston. However, there are a few giveaways that you are still in a foreign country, like the Chinese Baroque architecture.

When we first walked up the street, there were plenty of restaurants to eat at on the street. We passed a school on our left, and then the street became more residential.  

Singapore - The Singapore Flyer.

My husband had to go to Singapore for his job so the rest of us tagged along for the week. One of the items on our to do list was to take a ride on the Singapore Flyer. This makes the third country we have ridden the large wheel in. We have one here in Hong Kong {I need to write a post about going around on that wheel} as well as one in Myrtle Beach that we have ridden.

The compartment for the wheel was large. There was plenty of space to walk around the compartment and to stand up in. 

The ride was slow, taking thirty minutes to go around one time. We had amazing views of Singapore, especially the Gardens By The Bay and the Marina Bay.