Singapore Swing

Our Thailand visa required us to exit the country within two months of arriving and then re-enter.  We considered a number of "border run" options and decided to spend a long weekend in Singapore, just a ninety minute flight from Phuket.

Phuket has been described to me as where "east meets west," as you can find evidence of both cultures in abundance.  In comparison, Singapore is where "west moved east," as it has the appearance and feel of a western city, but with better weather.  I remember being disappointed with Singapore the first time I visited there in the 1980s because it didn't really feel like Asia.  Now that is one of its appeals.

We didn't actually do all that much while we were in Singapore.  We were a bit overwhelmed by all the shopping malls on Orchard Road.  We found places for Alex to play and took turns venturing into the shops to find books and other items that we will need for Uzbekistan.  In the afternoon we would return to our hotel room so that Alex could nap and Thipp and I and my credit card could rest and recover.

Everything was so clean and orderly.  The metro system is awesome and it was nice to have sidewalks and pedestrian crossing lights.  However, after three days we were all content to return to our home in Phuket.