Singapore…meh…

Following my surprisingly wonderful 6 days in Vietnam, we set sail for two days before arriving in Singapore for the weekend. I was very excited to visit Singapore, as I’d heard good reviews from friends who had previously visited, but in the end I think one weekend in Singapore is enough for me. It wasn’t my favorite city but regardless, I’ll tell you how I spent the weekend.

We arrived in Singapore on a Saturday morning. I was very busy working that morning because one of the field labs I’d planned fell apart the afternoon prior so it was a hectic few hours as I tried to find something different for these students to do. I confirmed the new field lab itinerary one hour before the student’s departed-talk about cutting it close! I continued working into the late morning, making sure everyone got off the ship, and my co-worker Andrew and I were treated to a wonderful dim-sum lunch in Singapore’s Chinatown by Semester at Sea’s tour operator! It was a-mazing – so much food and the tour operator was very nice and generous. This is the first time the tour operator has provided my field office co-workers and I with any kind of meal or gift, so it was a welcome surprise!

Raffles Hotel in Singapore

After lunch, the tour operator brought Andrew and I back to the ship and I went out into the city on my own. First I made my way to Raffles Hotel, a hotel named after Singapore’s founder Stamford Raffles. It is a beautiful hotel and rumor has it that the “Singapore Sling” drink was created at this hotel. The hotel has capitalized on this and the Slings were far too expensive for my taste!

I then walked about the city and made my way to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel area. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is a futuristic hotel with an infinity pool on the top floor offering amazing views of the city. Many students reserved rooms in the Hotel and rumor has it that an evening of shenanigans occurred. I kept my distance, not wanting to see my students completely wasted, and just took some pictures from afar.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

I then made my way back to Chinatown for dinner with 3 friends from the ship. Singapore boasts a number of “hawker stands” which are basically like cheap, but clean and safe, outdoor food courts. I loved it! I got a whopping portion of chicken rice and a berry smoothie for $4. My friends and I went out for a few drinks, visited some markets and made our way back to the ship for the evening.

I worked again on Sunday morning and had the remaining day free. The cruise terminal was connected to two malls, so I looked around for a bit, spent the rest of my Singapore dollars and made my way back to the ship shortly after lunch. I worked on my capstone paper for the rest of the day.

I’ll admit I didn’t take full advantage of all the things to do in Singapore (for example Singapore boasts a world-renowned zoo and botanical garden, neither of which I visited). Regardless, I enjoyed my weekend in Singapore but also enjoyed the chance to get some homework done. It was a good balance and I felt like I had accomplished more than just spending money as we pulled out of Singapore on Sunday evening. Adios Singapore. Maybe I’ll see you again.

Lanterns in Chinatown, Singapore.

Mix of old and new in Singapore.
This is at the oldest temple in Singapore, now featuring a background of modern skyscrapers.

Funky architecture goes throughout the city.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel area in Singapore.

5 things that have happened since I last blogged

I know – I’ve been slacking on the blogging. I never have been very good at keeping journals and such so I’m not surprised by my performance as a blogger. However, I have to say that a crazy work schedule, dicey internet connections and several weeks of travel have delayed my blog posts. But enough with the excuses – you are probably wondering what I’ve been up to lately! Here are 5 things that have happened since I last blogged in February:

1.  I have visited 3 countries including Singapore, Myanmar and India and taken 1,308 pictures. Thanks Mom and Dad for getting me a new camera for Christmas. I’d say it was a good investment!
2. Myanmar has entered my list of “favorite places in the world.” I had no idea what to expect but loved visiting Myanmar. I went to Bagan, which I’ll blog about and post some pictures because it was a really great trip and so beautiful. There's a little preview at the bottom of this post...
3. March 5 marked the halfway point in the voyage. It’s hard to believe that we are over halfway done already. The time has flown by so quickly and we’ve visited most of our ports of call already. I can feel the pace of the voyage changing as we slow down and prepare once again for long stretches at sea.
4. Remember that I’m still in grad school while working on the ship? Yea, sometimes I forget too but I did manage to submit the first draft of my capstone paper last night! Although it’s not the final draft, I feel good knowing that I’ve submitted something and will continue working through early April to complete this final paper. I’m inching slowly towards graduation at the end of May.
5. I treated myself to a pedicure on the ship! While getting a pedicure might seem like an everyday event, it’s hard to schedule time for yourself when you’re working 12 hour days and also doing homework until the wee hours of the morning. However, before we arrived in India I decided it was time for a little TLC so I splurged on a pedicure on the ship’s spa.

Over the next couple days, I’ll be updating my blog with information about my travels in Vietnam up to India and I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts.

Beautiful Bagan, Myanmar.