Singapore by night
Day 95: November 2, 2009
As soon as we got off the plane, I knew that I had entered a different world! No smell of burning kerosene or tar, no clouds of smoke and soot. Instead, we were greeted by marble floors, modern facilities, and bright purple orchids potted throughout the airport. I am not usually one to pay attention to airports, but this one was off the charts! By the time we made it to the baggage claim, our luggage was already there! When does that ever happen? Bags in tow, we stepped outside and stepped into our Mercedes taxis! What? Where was I? The whole way to our hotel, I stared out the window with my mouth agape. The streets were immaculate! Flowers, vines, and trees grew everywhere. Hundreds of towering buildings loomed over us, but they were clean and pretty. I could actually see the blue of the sky for the first time in days! What a far cry from India. Singapore is by far the most beautiful, cleanest, and organized city that I have ever seen, and four and a half million people live here – but you would never know it! No graffiti, no trash, no homeless. It is positively amazing!
After we arrived at our apartment hotel, we freshened up and left to meet a former co-worker of Dannie’s. They had worked together long ago at a bank, and they had not seen each other in fourteen years! We went up to their highrise condo and had drinks and hor d’oeuvres. The views from their two patios were breathtaking (see one of them above). Next we hailed a taxi and went to an Asian restaurant for dinner. The food was fantastic, although I didn’t eat much because I had filled up with fresh fruit and cheese and crackers back at Paul and Robert’s apartment. All in all, it made for a lovely introduction to this city/country. And I am so thankful for that, because we will be here for a good ten days! No problem!
