Part 3: Singapore - A truly wonderful surprise!

Kevin & I arrived Singapore late Sunday night. To be honest, I knew precious little about the place before cramming on the plane with the guide book (thanks domad!). Kevin's conference began Monday morning so we made plans to meet for dinner Monday evening. I loved many things about Singapore - it is a tropical island, essentially, with a sophisticated metropolis that has been shaped by many people groups who have been through the city as it's a major trade route. There are influences from the British, French, Chinese, Malay and Indian people to name a few. This appears in the eateries, the shopping, and the architecture. All set on an island with palm trees, orchids and birds of paradise growing along the sidewalks. Such a fascinating place!Monday morning I wandered a bit around the 'Colonial area' and just fell in love with the Raffles Hotel which is plantation white with archways and gardens within its grounds. Wonderfully, the downtown area is only a short cab ride from the 'East Coast' shoreline and it was a great treat to walk barefoot along the beach and in the waves! So refreshing to see God's beauty in creation, the sky and the sea. In the afternoon I walked through the shopping district and was surprised by many malls. Many many malls. Kevin and I met and went to the Chijmes area - it was a convent in the 1800s and, when the sisters moved, it became an area with many restaurants. We had a good dinner of middle Eastern food and then went for ice cream at Raffles Creamery. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was walking by a hotel that was having a Durian Festival. Now, a certain brother is somewhat expert and has spoken on the subject of exotic fruits. Durian, aka 'stinky fruit', falls into this category. You can imagine how excited we were to take photos with the gi-normous plaster durian! And then, a lovely woman eating durian with friends at an outdoor table saw us taking photos and offered us a piece of durian! What a moment! I'd never had it so I tried only a small bite. Sort of like the texture of mango and the flavor of onion. Kevin offered me a second bite. "I'm good, thanks though." It was a fun day, and Singapore a happy surprise of a city!