Singapore

Fun/interesting/shocking facts:

• NO CHEWING GUM - they don’t even sell it!
• People here finish high school at 16 and then go to Junior College
• They wash tractors/ cranes before they go on the road
• When it rains, they dry up the streets with a huge machine
• When boys turn 18, they are drafted in the military - no exceptions
• No eating/drinking on public transport
• 24 hour Starbucks
• MCDONALDS DELIVERS 24/7!!! ****

Anyways, on that note: Singapore is really cool; apparently the must things to do are shop and eat! On the first day i went to all the malls ( i didn’t buy anything) but i just looked around; it was very expensive compared to Florida and ALOT of their restaurants are 24 hours (i’m not sure if thats a good thing lol). The food is yummy but i rather not see how their food is made... i’m used to just ordering at a restaurant and the chefs do their business behind the scenes and then it’s presented to you, but not in Singapore. They make everything in front of you, which is good in a way since you know exactly what’s in it, but seeing it being prepared, sometimes you rather not know.!

I came at the right time to these Asian countries because its the Chinese New Year on the 23rd of Jan! People go crazy decorating everything, and it’s really big - year of the dragon! Chinatown was decked out in decorations, and people were selling gifts, cookies, fruit, other traditional items for the new year. I went to China town twice: the day I arrived and a few days before new years. There was a huge difference! IT was soooo busy towards new years - literally chocoblock! If you’re claustrophobic, i suggest that you go earlier in the year haha!
But anyways, I met my friend, Cathleen, from GYLS camp, in Singapore and stayed with her for a few days! It had been 2 years since i last saw her so there was so much to catch up on and talk about. We hung out, went to the Night Safari, dinners, shopping etc. The Night Safari was SOO cool - I’ve only been to the zoo during the day but this was on a whole new level. It was a separate park thats only open during the night - you got to be so close to the animals, walk the trails, be attacked by squirrels, & ride the tram. Our tour guide person who provided commentary on on the tram was from the Philippines and he said the funniest things ever, i think it was his accent.!
OH, and I can officially live in Singapore and be considered a “local” because i tried DURIAN. It is by far the most disgusting fruit I’ve tasted in my life... no joke. I’ve been told that it smells so bad and tastes so bad, but i was like nahh it can’t be that bad, BOY I WAS WRONG. This was just to a whole new level, seriously. The smell lingers, and the taste is unbearable. But since i tried it, I’m considered to be a brave soldier. Never again, i learned my lesson. 

When you go to these Asian countries, you just have to visit the local zoo - its just a necessity. No matter how many zoo’s you’ve visited in your life, nothing beats the asian zoo’s. I got to feed an elephant... it was so cool! I watched the rainforest show, took pictures with the animals, and watched the white tigers swim in the water. After a couple of hours, I got to the giraffes. I took a picture and all of a sudden it started POURING down with rain... random as ever! There was no shelter around so i found a tree and went underneath. A couple minutes go by and I decided to just walk in the rain but then this guy came up to me and gave me his umbrella and told me that i could have it - it was the nicest thing ever. I still have the umbrella (great way to block the sun). The rain continued for a few hours but i made my way back to my hotel where I then went to the gym and ate dinner. 

SENTOSA ISLAND :D it was kinda lonely going alone to an island/beach but there was nothing I could do. It was absolutely stunning! There was so much to do there: explore the gardens, luge riding, gondola rides, universal studios, underwater world, butterfly exhibits, indoor sky diving, walking etc. I swear I walked for miles and miles, my feet hurt so bad by the end of the day. It was funny seeing so many ‘American’ things; There was a TGIF, Chili’s, and Universal Studios - I felt like i was back home again!

I took loads of pictures of the flowers; shaped hedges; the marine life; and the merlion. Thank god it rained towards the end of my visit there otherwise it wouldn’t of been enjoyable; the humidity level sky rockets here as soon as it rains and it just makes everything unpleasant.

I remember that night coming home was a mission and a half. I had decided to go to the local bar to eat and watch the tennis match, the Australian Open. I didn’t even look at the time or anything, and once I was done it was already 10PM... which meant that I had missed the last shuttle bus that took me to my hotel. So instead i took a train back, but i didn’t have enough money on my travel card so i had to top up, since i was only there for one more day i knew i wasn’t going to need an extra $10 so i topped up $5, but there was no $5 top up, $10 it was. Then i took a train back to the closest station (orchard) to my hotel, and was just going to take a taxi from there instead of walking late at night alone. Then I realized that i had no cash on me since i just topped up, and taxi’s don’t take credit card, so i went searching for an ATM machine. I found one but they only had $50 and $100 bills left, and they only gave me an option to take out $100, so i was like oh this is just great. I got out some money, and before i went into the taxi, i asked if he had change for a 50, and he said no. So i walked to the closest service area (7-11) to get change but they said they couldn’t open the til. At that point i swear i was going to punch someone haha, but she said if i buy something then it’ll be okay. So i bought some candy and she broke my 50... i got into the taxi and arrived at my hotel. Keep in mind, that i’m walking back and forth from the station to the taxi stand in the rain! That was my adventure for the night.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay in Singapore, i tried new foods that i wouldn’t of even imagined eating back in Florida. Cathleen, my friend from GYLS was absolutely amazing, it was really great seeing her again after a few years and she took care of me for the first few days of my stay! Also, coming during Chinese New Year was cooool! Besides the overcrowded streets, it was really nice to see all the decorations and see how other cultures celebrate events.