Singapore

This year for Chinese New Year, we decided to join the millions of other Chinese travelers and "get out of Dodge", meaning, get out of Beijing.  We left a few days before everyone else so we didn't face horrible lines, etc.  I know there were tons of Chinese people leaving Beijing by plane, train, and bus to go to their hometowns to be with family.  Due to work schedules, most people leave around the same time and travel back to the major cities in China around the same time.  Needless to say, when we return to the Beijing airport this Friday, we are expecting large crowds and long lines for taxis.  But, until then, we are enjoying our vacation!!

Our first destination was Singapore.  What a great well kept secret from the western world.  I think because it is so far away from the U.S., we really didn't know much about Singapore before moving here.  But it is gorgeous, clean, hot, English speaking, convenient, expensive (for western food and products), and I have to say clean and gorgeous one more time.  Before I begin telling you details and showing you pictures, I want to tell you how we were able to go on our vacation.  Remember when my husband was traveling back and forth from the U.S. to China before we actually moved here?  Well, he acquired a LOT of hotel points and frequent flyer miles!!  That's how we were able to go on this vacation. 

Singapore and Malaysia are a blend of cultures:  Chinese, Malay, Indian, etc.

Our hotel balcony

It rained everyday, but only briefly, and we still had hot swimming weather.

Singapore is known for it's Night Safari and Zoo.  They were fantastic!!  This was the "Creature of the Night" show.

This zoo has animals in their natural habitats, up close and personal, sometimes with just a big ditch in between you and the animals.

There is also a water park in the zoo.

We came across a Hershey's store in the mall

 

This is so true of Grace

We wanted to eat at a Hawker (I hope I spelled that correctly) Center while we were in Singapore.  Basically, it's a food quart with all kinds of food from Indian, to Chinese, to Japanese, to Malaysian, to "Western".  Everything has a little mixture of all cultures.  Very good and very cheap.  Our taxi driver gave us this recommendation in the "little India" part of the city.

I had Pad Thai from this couple's shop

 

Neither of us braved the turtle soup

Jeff is excited to try a Malaysia favorite called Laksa

Singapore was fantastic.  There was many more things that we did while we were there, but these are a few tidbits.  Next on the agenda.....Penang, Malaysia!!  More pictures and stories to come folks!