Like a Virgin...

…propositioned for the very first time. That’s right, I’ve been in Singapore for about 36 hours and a prostitute and two pimps have already propositioned me. The first one said “I’ve got your Russians, Europeans, Chinese, everything” and the second just asked me “You need a lady”. The actual prostitute actually looked quite respectable, someone I could even take home to see mom (clearly taking here all the way to Nashville would cost a lot more than a single night of sexy time). The best part is all this happened within about 200 yards of my apartment. This sort of gives you an ego boost, then you realize they want your wallet, not you… Oh well.

I really hesitate to start this blog with the above paragraph because I would hate to give this place a bad rap based on a total of 30 seconds worth of experiences, especially when the rest has been so good. My first impression after we landed Saturday was the HEAT. It is HOT, any holy crap the humidity is insane. It then came as no surprise when the cab driver told me on the way to the hotel that it is the wet season. Wet season here has a different meaning in Asia. I think wet season I think April showers, not the rainfall that woke me up from a deep jetlagged sleep later on Saturday. This was the type of rain you look at through a window, then you look at your shirt and its soaked from just seeing so much water, yea, that much rain. It turned out good that it woke me up, good reason to get off my ass and go do something.

So I got up, and discovered that my apartment is a 3 minute walk from Orchard Road, which is sort of like Michigan Avenue mixed with the Vegas strip. They say it is the shopping capital of Singapore, and from what I have seen I certainly will not argue against that. The street is several miles long and has shop, after shop, after shop. The most notable thing at the moment is the Christmas decorations. They are everywhere and quite beautiful. It is strange seeing traditional wreaths and garland strung across the road with very Asian looking gold banners and tropical birds hanging from them. Christmas is a very big deal here, but it is apparently a very big deal with a decidedly Asian flair.

As I was walking amongst all this shops I found a place called the “Food Republic”. Imagine a place made up of independent and culturally diverse countries united to a common goal, sort of like the Allied forces in WWII. The only difference is that instead of a united effort to dislodge fascism the countries of the Food Republic are united in a great effort to fill my belly. So far I have done battle with only one, the Koreans, and it was good. I had a large hot plate of spicy chicken, made in front of me, and for about 2.50 US dollars. This is my kind of place. By the time I leave, I will have concurred all of the independent states of the Republic one, or maybe two, at a time. I did go out for a beer that night, but it was uneventful besides the solicitations discussed above and the $8.00 beer (damn it that’s expensive!).



- This is a picture of one of the many arches that span Orchard Road. It really is a cool effect as you walk around, there are lights absolutely everywhere

Sunday I woke up and went for a walk, a long walk. I figured I would check out the historical district of Singapore because everyone that has lived here for a while has probably been there and probably isn’t excited to go back. There is a lot to see that is probably best talked about in pictures; lets just get started on that.

From First Week in...

- This picture was taken from right outside the subway station. The large building is the former City Hall. It would look right at home next to any large European government building. I just like the palm trees out front and the skyscrapers in the background, there is definitely no mistaking that you aren't in Europe.

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- This statue is of Sir Raffle’s statue, the guy who founded Singapore in the early 1800s. This spot is apparently where he landed and is now home to Boat Quay, which includes all sorts of riverside restaurants and bars. I happened to be there for the start of a big dragon boat regatta, as seen below.

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- These are the dragon boats, which are sort of like huge canoes. All of the 3 story buildings on the other side of the river are the restaurants that make up Boat Quay.

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- Who ever paddles into the lobby of the black building first wins.

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- Keeping up with the Ausies must be hard, they build a bad ass opera house, so Singapore has to as well. Apparently this was designed by the same guy that did the Sidney Opera House.

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- This is a famous fountain that “protects” the harbor. The lion fish is the symbol for Singapore, and you would think that this is some old design that dates back 10,000 years. If you thought that like me, you're wrong; it’s the product of the tourism board of the 1970’s. Still looks freaking sweet though.

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- The Raffle's Hotel where more famous people than I care to count have stayed.

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- This is an tree that grew up over an old fort. If everyone left the city the whole island would look like this in 20 years, kinda crazy.

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-This translates to "Don't dance like a robot, or we will kill you!"

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- The city built in the middle of a rainforest.

If you click on any of these photos there are more on my Picassa site.

From First Week in...