2 People, 2 Continents: Singapore: First Impressions

Yesterday evening we arrived in Singapore. We immediately noticed a few differences between Singapore and the rest of the Asian countries that we've been to. The streets are clean, the people are friendly and courteous, and has a diverse population. Our hostel for the first couple nights is in "Little India." We checked into our hostel and headed out to explore the area. We stumbled upon a street that had all kinds of markets, stalls, and food stands. We decided that this was probably the place that we should grab dinner. We stopped at a small Chinese restaurant, where we enjoyed some steamed duck and dumplings. After dinner, we explored the area a bit more then headed back to our room.

Chinese food stall (no idea what it's called)

This morning we woke up, ate breakfast, then headed out to see the sites of Singapore. The city is relatively small, so we decided it was best to explore on foot. We walked around for about an hour looking at the architecture and unique features of the city. It was really refreshing to see so much creativity after two years of cookie-cutter buildings. We stopped for lunch in the basement food courts of one of the numerous malls in the area. We had wanton noodle soup and some interesting "carrot cake", which resembled bland, sticky mashed potatoes. After lunch, we relaxed and played cards in a park to escape the unbearable Singapore heat. For dinner, we stopped at "Glutton's Bay." It was a small street near the marina, lined with hawkers selling various international dishes. We decided to get the chicken rice and some chicken curry. Now, we are back at the hostel after a long and tiring day. Tomorrow we are planning on visiting the Singapore Zoo. Thursday is the first day of the World Food Festival in Singapore. It looks like we will have plenty to do before our Friday morning train to Kuala Lumpur!