Hong Kong, Far East, and Global Adventures!: Singapore

Singapore's skyline is oddly unimpressive, but I still enjoyed it. They have a cute marina area where you can watch boats and look at buildings and sweat your bum off. See above. They also are expanding the skyline and public space to have "iconic attractions," including this bizarre UFO building.

It does make the skyline a bit more unique among the glass box carbon copies.

While we were at the marina, they were practicing for their "Singapore day" celebrations. Yes, they have had about 4 rehearsals leading up to their Independence Day and will have several more prior to August 9. Gotta make sure it goes off without a hitch and is perfect. So anal, those Singaporeans. Their practice included an apache flyover and fighter jet tour de force. Overkill or thorough prep? You decide.

Our favorite thing about Singapore is that you can just relax. We did this between eating.

And then there is the food. Singapore is renowned for its dish called chili crab. Basically the largest crab you will ever see drenched in a tomato sauce with egg. It sounds questionable, but is simply divine, and I would pay large sums of money to eat it (and we did).

Yup, that's a crab. Of course, we needed bibs.

We actually over ordered. Didn't think that was possible.

After that, it is only logical that we would go out to the bars. Singapore actually has gay nightlife! Unlike our larger home away from home city. Here is the street where it is obvious that the gays abound, and are not scared of their government, which qualifies sodomy as a crime. (Taking a page out of the Vatican's book - Not illegal to be gay, but illegal to act on it.)

Lucky for us, one of my good friends from eons ago, Lynn, lives in Singapore! She and her girlfriend Xiu were gracious enough to chauffeur us around and show us the best that Singapore has to offer. They are such a cute couple! The trip simply would not have been the same without them, their hospitality, and their Singlish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish).

I resent that I like Singapore. It is the Los Angeles of SE Asia - just too pleasant (see Jordan's favorite part of our luxurious hotel room) and devoid of character. But that is its thing. It wants to be bland (to attract rich westerns, perhaps?). What a lovely weekend. The best part of the trip was my reunion with Lynn. The second best was geeves, whom I have renamed igor.