Our transit to and through the airport in Penang went smoothly, despite our slight worry that our bags might get weighed again (I put on two pairs of pants and five shirts for nothing!). Our arrival in Singapore was equally smooth, but we’re beginning to have anxiety flashbacks knowing that Japan Air (our carrier to the US tomorrow) was not present at the time we were there. But we were reassured that they’ll be there starting three hours before our flight tomorrow evening.

We took an Uber from the airport to our hotel and got a really lovely driver who told us about himself (“Made in Singapore!”) and an overview of the city-state that he clearly loved: It’s a democracy, but with a figurehead president, it’s primarily Chinese and Muslim/Malay, and there’s lots of good food. On his recommendation, after checking into our hotel, we walked down to a Chinese place to try “Chicken Rice” which we couldn’t find on the menu, so ordered some rice and chicken and pretended we knew what we were doing.

We then took another Uber into the heart of the city. Our driver – who also had an apparent love for Singapore – told us we were staying in the wrong area as it was not within walking distance of the sights. We told him the hotels were too expensive there 🙂

Ray and I have been noticing how we unintentionally made our way, throughout this trip, from the least developed and least expensive countries to the most developed and most expensive. Our driver remarked that Singapore was a mini-America, and I have to say he’s not wrong. Although, despite the high-rise buildings and luxury hotels, there’s also a kitchy playful vibe that is distinctly Singapore.

Classical architecture, skyscrapers, and kitschy lit-up giant flowers encapsulate the multiple identities in Singapore

We walked around Clark Quay, a very touristy and active area, stopping for a flight of Singapore-made beers on the Singapore River.

We noodled around the area for a while and made our way to a bus station to pick up a 24 hour transportation card, but were told that that particular station didn’t have it and to make our way to the Chinatown station.

The crowd in Chinatown with giant lit up dogs (this year is “Year of the Dog”)

Approaching the station there was suddenly a crowd of people. Ray asked a bystander (English is everyone’s first or second language in Singapore) what was going on. This was a kickoff celebration event for Chinese New Year which happens in about two weeks. We proceeded through the crowd to the station, but couldn’t help stopping to watch some dancers, acrobats, and children dancing before a huge amount of firecrackers went off and a Chinese dragon passed us by.

Realizing the event was over and we still needed to get our tickets, we tried to leave before the majority of the crowds, but were a little too late. No worries – we got to see an aerial fireworks display through the roof of the bus terminal!

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With our newly acquired tickets in-hand, we jumped on the train (I may have gotten smushed in the doors) back to our hotel. Picking up some ice creams and beverages on the way, we are now safely back in our hotel, looking forward to one last day squeezing the most out of our short time here before a looooong (but welcome) journey home.