Asia, Best of the Blog, Destinations, Personal Ramblings, Singapore

Singapore: A Modern City in the Old World

I am now 2 1/2 weeks into my trip and this will be the first time I’ve sat down to write. Not that this is a problem, after all I’ve been spending my time in proper vacation mode, with long lazy mornings cuddling, afternoons spent exploring, and evenings filled with sunsets, swims, and the occasional piña colada. However, I’ve been flirting with actually putting in the effort to become a decent travel writer and have this blog read by more people than just my mom so from here on out the posts will be more frequent. I don’t want this blog to lose its soul so most of the posts will stay the same, with my personal ramblings taking center stage, but more useful general travel posts might start popping up as well. We shall see how it goes. Anyway on to what I’ve been up to for past couple weeks, starting with Singapore.

When I arrived in Singapore I was exhausted, smelled like plane, and excited as I would be seeing Kane just as soon as I could make it through customs, which were amazingly quick, thanks to the Singaporean love of efficiency. Customs and immigration were so fast in fact that I didn’t realize I had made it through until I saw Kane through the glass as I was waiting for my bag. All I wanted to do was run over and leap into his arms, but I couldn’t pass through the doors until my bag crawled its way off the plane so instead I waved and smiled like an idiot while dancing around impatiently waiting for my bag. You’d think that after 5 1/2 months and almost 24 hours on a plane that 10 more minutes would be nothing, but that would be rational thinking and the thoughts you are thinking right before a long distance reunion are anything but rational.

When my bag finally rounded the corner, I grabbed it and practically ran through the doors, almost missing the last bag scan in the process. The bag scan guy laughed at me, helped me send it through the scanner, and then I was finally there in the moment I had been waiting so long for, I was finally with Kane. If this was a romance novel, we would kiss with a kiss that stopped time, our lips fitting perfectly into each other’s, then we would walk hand in hand back to the hotel, easily clicking again with no bumps along the way. However, this is not a romance novel, so we kissed, bumped noses, laughed, and struggled to find the words to express what this moment meant. We walked hand in hand to the taxi stand and I almost fell asleep on his lap as we drove to the hotel. We didn’t have the words yet, but all we needed was to be touching, to finally hold the person that had, for so long, been on the other side of a screen, there but not quite there. It was more perfect than any romance novel.

We spent that week in Singapore relearning each other’s quirks and needs, like my need to eat every 3 to 4 hours and Kane’s need for quiet, recharging time. We ate at a lovely local Indian food stall almost everyday, learned how to properly order black tea without sugar (teh o’ kosang for anyone wondering), and spent our free time exploring the vibrant neighborhoods of Singapore. We had no agenda so I could beat the jet lag and it worked wonderfully. We stumbled upon a food stall that claimed to be the World’s Only Michelin Starred Food Stall and had the most succulent chicken I have ever eaten. We spent New Year’s Eve at Marina Bay, attempting to see the fireworks until I remembered I hate crowds and we left at 11pm to avoid the stampede of a million people trying to get to one metro station. Instead we watched the fireworks from the window of our hotel room, swaying together and laughing while Kane played Auld Lang Syne on his phone. I know it seems silly, but it was the best New Year’s Eve I’ve ever had.

Singapore really surprised me with how much I liked it. Maybe this is because I had no expectations, maybe this is because the country/city is actually just lovely, maybe I just really missed Kane and this is the first place we got to explore together post-long distance. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. Singapore is a tiny country at the tip of Malaysia occupying the title of southern most point of Asia. It’s known internationally for its prosperous financial sector, its clean streets, and the plethora of cultures that call this tiny patch of land home. You can walk through Little India, Arab Street, Chinatown, and the Marina Bay skyscrapers in just a few hours. People in mini skirts mix with women in hijab with no qualms and everyone seems at ease. The world should take note of the cultural tolerance and acceptance that goes on everyday in Singapore, the mosques, temples, and churches that sit side by side, daring the world to be a better place.

Happy New Year’s Eve from Singapore!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *