"Onward Singapore"

John and I ventured to Singapore for a 5 day R&R holiday. I enjoyed the amazing orchid botanical garden; John enjoyed dodging the million of wobbly Singaporean rollerbladers while riding a tandem bicycle down the promenade. We both enjoyed the good eats—and Singapore brought 4 days of gorging goodness. One must quench her thirst on this small and humid island; thankfully, Singapore is the home of Tiger beer, and while we never quite made it to the factory, we definitely did our fair share of keeping Tiger in business during this recession. We also enjoyed the infamous Singapore Sling invented at the infamous Long’s Bar inside the infamous Raffles Hotel. Gin is not my comrade—but the drinks were amazing, and we loved the Asian CCR cover band!

Off to Chinatown for more noodles and Tigers. Singapore has an Indian, Chinese, and Arab quarters—alluding to its highly mixed culture and language. The concierge informed us that “if we got up really early, we could go hear the call to prayer in the Muslim quarter.” Needless to say—we felt that we had already experienced this (daily) in its truest (loudest) form and therefore skipped it (to go have more Tigers—kidding).

I’m all about eating like a local, and when I saw the word dessert and a packed Asian house I don't turn my back. Enter two huge mounds of yellow and brown…ICE CREAM?

Actually, shaved ice with milk is more correct. We begged the waitress for the secret to this magic creation of icy goodness—but alas it remains all in the family. However, she did tell us that we could find the magic machine in Taiwan—right before she posed for a smiley picture.

Finally, with bibs snug under our chins, and a “no napkins until the end” rule, John and I tackled the Chili Crab. Multiple of them. This Singapore staple consists of very large fresh crabs dowsed in a sweet chili sauce and served with corn bread. The mess they create is half the fun of eating them. You know a good chili crab when: your fingertips are burned from not waiting for the crab to cool and the staff brings you multiple water-bowls to clean yourself.

All in all, Singapore cracked the door to the fascinating destination that is Asia.

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” - Paul Theroux