Singapore

In addition to Japan, we recently went to Singapore. We stayed on the nearby island of Sentosa in the Shangri-La resort. Normally, we don't do resorts, but it was nice to relax by the pool for a few days. That said, within two hours of arriving at the resort, Erik was eager to leave and explore downtown Singapore. Each evening, we went downtown to have dinner and explore the city. It was great not to be trapped at the resort. One night, we had a lovely dinner with our former Gore colleague and his wife who are also expats. Thanks Facebook for reconnecting us--it's a small world. Singapore is a melting pot of different races and cultures resulting in amazing food.

The resort:
Dinner in the hawker center: Erik had the famous chicken and rice. (I'm still waiting for my food in the picture.)Chinatown:Singapore is known for having very strict rules. Chewing gum is a finable offence. There were signs all over, like this one in the subway station, eliminating durian fruit which is incredibly stinky. Durian is everywhere in Hong Kong, and I gag when entering the grocery store when they have it.The river along which we had dinner with our friends:The famous Raffles Hotel where the Singapore Sling was invented. The drink was too sweet for me, but the hotel was exquisite.Luckily, we had lovely weather except for the heat and humidity; it is the equator after all. The only exception was an intense thunderstorm one morning which was beautiful to watch. Excellent shells in the tidal pools:The next trip is likely to be back to the US to visit the families. See you soon.