Singapore!

It's been 12 years since I first went to Singapore, and a lot has changed. I had always planned to go back, one day. United Airlines started flying a direct route from LAX in 2017, so we jumped on a $515 RT fare sale (Joe's friend Van got an even better $385 RT deal last Thanksgiving). I didn't look at the flight duration until shortly before leaving... 16 hrs and 44 minutes??

The Sunflower Garden at Singapore Changi Airport, with Delia

Delia and I both love to eat. We met in 2001 at work. It's no surprise to me that Changi airport is #1 in the world. I love this sunflower garden on the roof of the airport, which exists solely there to bring joy to travelers. After our overnight flight, we were able to take showers in the Ambassador transit lounge before checking in at the Sheraton Towers.

Let the Feasting begin!

One of Singapore's most famous dishes is Chilli Crab, and our friend Jason had given us extra long gloves for the occasion. We showed up at the fully booked Long Beach Seafood restaurant on a Wednesday night. The maitre' D saw that we had no intention of leaving, and set up this table in the corridor for us. This chilli crab was one of the most delicious things I've eaten in my life, at once both sweet and savory. We also had the salt and pepper crab, and shrimp noodles which were also very tasty.

Michelin-rated Chicken and Rice

For about $5 per meal, we found both Michelin-starred chicken and rice places, the Tian Tian stall at the Maxwell Center, and Hawker Chan's in Chinatown. The rice is cooked in chicken stock, and was bursting with flavor. Each stall had it's own recipe for the red Sambal sauce, which started off sweet, sour, salty and then spicy. Although Singapore is a very wealthy country, it is easy to get delicious, cheap eats. The chicken and rice at the ION food center was also top notch.

High Tea by Violet Oon at the National Gallery - A local friend recommended this "East Meets West" high tea, which featured local spices. The restaurant was hidden away in the National Gallery and was very Zen.

A few other favorite sights and observations...

These fancy ladies at the taxi stand...

…remind me of the line from Hamilton: “Your perfume smells like your Daddy’s got money”. Seriously, those shoes cost more than my plane ticket and Delia’s, combined!

Even Ferraris...

….get scratched. Here I am, pointing it out. Mike’s reply: “…he must have loaned it to his wife.”

Christina Dior Parfums

…at the ION Orchard Mall. An oasis of calm.

Look! It has my name on it! Mike’s reply… “Is your name Christian Dior?”

Portrait of Delia at the Cloud Forest.

Kaya Toast

…a breakfast staple - two pieces of toast with a generous slice of butter and a slather of kaya jam. Delish! A new food for me in 2018.

90+ degrees and humid

…this is what my face looked like the entire time we were there.

BBQ pork square

…from Lim Chee Guan. At Chinese New Year, the line to this place is hours long.

Obligatory silly photo at the Merlion.

Bengawon Solo cookies

I still remember these from my trip 12 years ago.

At 5AM

We had the park to ourselves. Deserted, but safe, and still 92 degree. Delia’s phone took great photos in the dark.

Tulipmania!

At the Flower dome.

Sadly, my trip was cut short when UNITED CANCELLED MY FLIGHT HOME and I had to re-book to leave a day earlier. Still worth it though. Delia stayed on and continued to Penang. I hope to come back again with Mike. Singapore is the model of efficiency, safety, technology and deliciousness. Can't wait for SpaceX to start their rocketship travel so the 17 hour flight will be reduced to 40 minutes. 2025?