A Short and Sweet Layover

I  guess my short commercial break was longer than I planned! My intention was to have posted all I was going to post about "the trip" by now...but alas, best laid plans...get sidetracked by the arrival of springtime and golf.  So, before I am staring summer in the face let me begin to close the loop on "the trip".

When we left Japan, we said goodbye to winter and hello to summer in Singapore, the land of perennial summer!  Allow me one more brief commercial break here...we flew via Thai Airlines from Tokyo to Bangkok to Singapore and they are the winners of the best flight experience of the trip!  First, I had no idea how far Singapore was from Tokyo, but it was about a 7 hour flight to Bangkok and then another 2 or 3 to Singapore.  Long day!  We did fly business class, and it was luxurious!  The food was amazing, especially for airplane food, the flight attendants were as gorgeous as their uniforms and so nice, the seat was comfortable and the entire experience was positive.  It took us all day to get to Singapore and by the time we landed and got a ride to our hotel it was past 8 p.m. and we were done for the day, even after all that pampering.  We got lucky here and used two free nights in a nice hotel. All thanks to TJ whose retirement job is finding ways to get free stuff using credit cards and taking advantage of the "status" he gained during all those years traveling for work.  

Lobster salad appetizer?! 
Yes, please!

Don't even ask me what flavors this was...
but dessert was lovely and tasty!

We only had one full day in Singapore and wanted to make the most of it and see as much as possible. How do you do that?  Our "go to" answer...bike tour!  We managed to survive the heat and humidity for four hours while we enjoyed seeing the many varied and interesting sights in Singapore.  For such a large city it seemed relatively accessible.  It is a place where old and new live side by side as do several different cultures and languages.  I found that I really liked Singapore, aside from the oppressive humidity.  The food was all delicious!  The shopping is never ending, a person could spend a solid week shopping here easily.  The mass transit was unbelievably efficient, clean and safe.  I was continuing to appreciate traveling in safe countries!  I also appreciated the pride the local people had when sharing about Singapore.  Made me want to love it too!

Victoria Theater and Memorial Hall

I love these moss covered trees!

Buddhist Temple

Red light district and shopping street.

Making it green!

India town, feel the vibe!

No cyclists were injured in the touring of the city!

We splurged while we were here and booked dinner at Spago at the top of the Marina Bay Sands.  It was lovely!  In addition to some delicious food and incredible views from the top, we were treated to an outside table and chairs to watch the light show below us in the Gardens by the Bay.  I gotta say, the Gardens by the Bay are not much to look at during the day, but at night during the light show they are so cool!  With the accompanying soundtrack, I was thoroughly entertained.  After the show, we went back inside and I indulged in the most delicious salted caramel souffle for dessert.  After dinner, due to our random but excellent timing, we got to walk through the Gardens and witness the second light show from the ground.  Even better!

One train ride back to our hotel and our full day in Singapore was over.  It was an excellent "layover"!

The Gardens by the Bay by day.

Marina Bay Sands by day.

Marina Bay Sands by night!

The Gardens by the Bay from above.

And from below!

Next stop New Zealand, it can't get here fast enough.  That is how I felt when we left Singapore on our hop and stop trip to get there.  The adventure continues.