Singapore

Ed. Note: this post was written by Jim even though Chrissy was logged in.

Our last stop in Southeast Asia was Singapore.  It's an island situated just south of Malaysia, and only 85 miles north of the equator.  It was a British colony and then briefly part of Malaysia in the 60's, but it was voted out because the local Malay people thought the large Chinese population would be a threat to the Malay way of life.  So, it became its own city/country.  Basically, it's one of the only places to gain its independence against its will.  It seems to have worked out though because it is a very modern, clean, and enjoyable place to spend time.  After the noise and craziness of Ho Chi Minh City, downtown Singapore was downright quiet.  Also, you can drink the tap water, which is a luxury after you've spent three months with bottled water.

The subway system in Singapore is efficient and the cars are large and comfortable.  Plus, they have these entertaining signs.  In addition to GiveWayGlenda, there were a few others such as MoveInMartin and StandUpStacey.

The famous drink the Singapore Sling was invented around 1915 at the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.  The bar has been moved around the hotel a few times since then.  The current iteration was built in 1991 during a renovation of the entire hotel, but it still has that old time charm.  There are free bags of peanuts that you can shell and throw on the floor while you enjoy your beverage.  Not ones to miss a chance for some historic drinking we enjoyed a sling (OK, maybe two) and lots of peanuts.  It was a really fun bar experience.

We visited the Night Safari which is a zoo that is dedicated to nocturnal and crepuscular (vocab alert: it means active at night) animals.  It's open from 7:30 to midnight so you actually get to see the animals when they are out and about.  We stood very, very close to bats and giant flying squirrels and spotted hyenas (which are super creepy).  It's a very well laid out place and was a highlight, but unfortunately, nocturnal animals are very sensitive to bright lights and no flash on the camera means no good pictures.  You can enjoy Chrissy playing bongos though.

Behind me is the Marina Bay Sands which is an absolutely massive resort hotel and casino built by a Las Vegas hotel magnate.  It looks like it has an aircraft carrier on the roof.  There is an infinity pool on the roof that is supposed to be incredible, but that place is way out of our price range.  Still, it's cool to look at.

Across the bay is the symbol of Singapore, the merlion, shooting water out of its mouth.

This local specialty is chili crab which we enjoyed with Tiger, the local lager.  You pick out your live crab and they cook it up for you in a chili tomato sauce.  It was absolutely delicious...

but incredibly messy and hard to eat.