On Wednesday, December 16, Kevin and I began our journey to Singapore. We left Colorado Springs around 1pm and got to JFK around 9pm. By the time we got our luggage and caught the shuttle to the hotel, it was 10pm, so we quickly dropped off our bags, put on our warm jackets, and went into the city. We took a taxi to the subway station and made it to Rockefeller Center around 11:30pm. We met Ryan and Kat at the tree and then met Nick and went to grab a bite in Times Square. We left the city around 1am and got back to the hotel at about 2. It was a quick journey, but well worth it!
The Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. SO beautiful!
We left JFK on Thursday morning and flew 13 hours to Dubai. What a cool city, well airport! I look forward to actually spending some time in Dubai one day…they have a ship that is based out of there next year, so hopefully we will get our chance to visit! We had about an hour layover and then flew another 7 hours to Singapore. With the time change, we got to Singapore around 9pm on Friday evening, so we lost almost 2 days during the process. It was a very long 2 days!
On Saturday we began at Merlion Park. The Merlion is a cross between a lion and a mermaid and is the logo of Singapore Tourism. The park was extremely small, so we didn’t spend much time there, but it was very cool to see.
The Merlion with the CBD in the background.
Mandatory self-portrait
Being goofy! I love this picture. Kevin is a very clever guy!
When we finished at Merlion Park we decided to wander through the Central Business District (CBD). It started to rain, and we just happened to be near the Raffles Hotel, so we found a seat in the famous Long Bar and sipped on a Singapore Sling and a Tiger Beer. It was a great way to wait for the rain to pass, or not pass. It continued to rain, so we took a taxi back to the hotel and rested for a while.
The Raffles Hotel - decorated nicely for Christmas
YUM! The Singapore Sling is to Singapore as the Hurricane is to New Orleans.
On Saturday night we wanted to go see the Singapore Night Safari so we set the alarm to wake up around 7pm and finally got out of the hotel around 8:30pm (waking up was not an easy task). We took the subway and a city bus and reached our destination about an hour later. The Night Safari is like a zoo that features nocturnal animals. Usually when you go to the zoo the animals are sleeping during the day, so the Night Safari allows you to see the animals when they are awake and active. We went to see the Creatures of the Night show and then took the tram around to the different exhibits. The tram was the only way to see certain animals, so we decided to go for a ride instead of walking through the park (it was also a much faster way to see everything in the park) They kicked us out of the park at midnight and we took the last city bus of the night back to the train station. When we got to the train station, we realized we had missed the last train into the city (by an hour!) so we hopped into a taxi and went back to the hotel. We had a great first day!
Sitting on the tram
Mandatory tourist photo :)
On Sunday morning we started out in Little India. There was a grocery store that Kevin was hoping to buy some new cooking ingredients at, but they had gone out of business, or moved locations, so we were slightly disappointed. It turned out that most shops were closed in that area on Sunday morning, so we didn’t stay long. Instead, we started our journey to Suntec City for the massive book fair! I looked online to see what events were happening and stumbled across a gigantic book fair, with many English books, so I had to check it out. On our way, we stumbled across a huge outdoor market with fresh food, clothes, gifts, and junk. We meandered through there for a while and found a durian stand. If you remember from the last time we were in Singapore, Kevin and I chickened out and didn’t try the durian. This huge stand seemed like our calling, so we cashed in 5 Singapore Dollars and hunkered down! The flavor was fairly bland, with a stringy, custard-like texture. It was not the worst thing I have ever tasted, but it is definitely something I do not feel the need to ever try again! Kevin felt the same way.
The durian stand
This is how they are packaged.
Tasting the durian for the first (and only) time!
We finally made it to Suntec City for the book fair and I was in heaven! The book fair covered 4 ballrooms and at least half of the books were in English. Kevin gave me a time limit and I walked away a very happy lady, with 3 new books for my library! We had delicious Pho Bowls in the food court for lunch and then went to see the Fountain of Wealth – The World’s Largest Fountain. We saw the fountain the last time we were in Singapore, but since we were right there anyway, we decided to go take one more peak.
The incredible book fair!
The Fountain of Weath
Self-explanitory.
We went back to the hotel for another rest, and woke up around 9pm to go see Orchard Road. Orchard Road is a street full of shopping malls – many, many gigantic malls! Every year at Christmas time, Orchard Road is decorated with lights, trees, and Christmas statues. They also have special performances every night leading up to Christmas. It was very neat to see how other countries celebrate Christmas – especially Singapore since their Christian population is only about 13%. We didn’t stay too long because there were people everywhere! It was insane, but it was a great experience.
Christmas All Decked Out was the theme this year.
One of the many decorations on the sidewalk.
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.
On Monday morning we went to the ship. We worked for a few hours and then went back to the hotel around 1pm. We were leaving Singapore around midnight, so instead of checking out of the hotel early, going out and getting sweaty, and then going to the airport, we decided to reserve one more night at the hotel, so we could take our time checking out. This was so nice to be able to enjoy the day and go to the airport feeling clean and fresh before our 13 hour flight to Europe.
Before we went to the airport, we went into Chinatown to do some last minute shopping and have some lunch. Singapore is well known for Chili Crab, and we left last year without ever trying any. So this year Kevin was determined to eat some. We found a restaurant in China Town that served Chili Crab so Kevin jumped on the opportunity. He was very pleasantly surprised – as was I! After lunch, Kevin decided to get a massage so that he could be more comfortable during the flight later. While he did that, I shopped! What a great way to spend the day!
Before we went to the airport, we went into Chinatown to do some last minute shopping and have some lunch. Singapore is well known for Chili Crab, and we left last year without ever trying any. So this year Kevin was determined to eat some. We found a restaurant in China Town that served Chili Crab so Kevin jumped on the opportunity. He was very pleasantly surprised – as was I! After lunch, Kevin decided to get a massage so that he could be more comfortable during the flight later. While he did that, I shopped! What a great way to spend the day!
The whole Chili Crab.
Delicious lunch in Chinatown.
Overlooking some of the shopping booths in Chinatown. It was a great shopping day!
That night we flew from Singapore to Frankfurt, and then Frankfurt to Barcelona. It was another long flight. When we got to Barcelona, late might I add, Kevin was missing a bag. We dealt with that and then went to the hotel and slept for about 8 hours. We woke up and went out for dinner and then went back to the hotel and tried to sleep through the night. We woke up bright and early, packed our bags again and went to the ship. We spent a total 26 hours in Barcelona, and then began our journey back home. We flew from Barcelona to Munich, Munich to Chicago (with a complimentary upgrade to business class!), and Chicago to the Springs. We got into Chicago late because of weather, and then our flight leaving was delayed (thank goodness it wasn’t cancelled). On December 23, we finally made it home and only about 2 hours late.
It was a whirlwind of a trip, but we had a great time! We have been home now for almost a week and we are finally going to the airport to pick up Kevin’s bag! I am so glad it wasn’t mine! No big trips planned in the near future, but I will keep you all posted on what is happening in our lives! Thanks for checking up on us and sorry this post turned into a novel!
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