Finally, jet lag has given me this rare moment to commune with writing. I just got back from Southeast Asia, after a month-long break. I said SEA because we have been, not only to the Philippines, but have covered Singapore and Malaysia in this trip.
Six months back, we just thought of stopping over Singapore (so as not to waste trips and plane tickets), and then one of our couple friends wanted to join us. So we thought, why not include Malaysia, and later they would join us to Philippines. And so we proceeded with the preparations. Funny that I am talking about how it began as our journey just ended.
We spent three fast days in Singapore, which I figured is just enough to experience what it means to stay in a 'clean' and 'orderly' city. Apart from that, it's all the same developments everywhere. Shopping malls. Clubs (ok, save for the famous Singapore sling. It's uhmn..slingy?). As I have become accustomed to the really upbeat Bollywood music, Singapore's taste at Ministry of Sound was too techno, thus 'rigid' for us. Food (Chili crab, yes. But we fell in love instead with Buffalo shrimps.) But we were a bit disappointed with vegetarian options. Even if Singapore has this huge Indian community, we didn't find the same variety as we have in Dubai. Most Indian settlers in Singapore came from the Tamil community and they have acquired an accent that somehow sounds like Chinese.
But it was, yes, I would qualify as an experience, which means it is beyond postcard poses. I have finally 'baptised' the Canon SLR we bought recently. And it has been really a feast for my lens these past 28 days or so. I have taken so many shots in Singapore's nature parks, like the Jurong Bird Park. The variety of birds were just amazing. Any city slicker will easily fall in love with such colors. I'll feature more bird shots later in a separate run down.
The night safari was another treat, except that I cannot help but wonder how they have maintained such 'tamed' wildebeasts to ensure safety of its tourists. A tram took us around the 'open' zoo, with deers and lions just meters away from each other.
Sentosa Island was nice, as a huge entertainment park, but the sea creatures in the underwater world park has really captured all of us beacause even in the so many times I have snorkled, I have not seen such species in such manner. When you actually see the face of a sting ray, it's a smiling one!
On the third day, we went around the city minus the tour driver we hired for two days. We tried the 160m-flyer wheel, which did not help in any way for me to overcome my fear of heights. I felt my ankles were being pulled by gravity the whole time, I ended up seating on the floor. We took the metro, walked the streets of Singapore on a Sunday and the myth of spic and span side streets was shattered. We saw trashes! And we caught one middle-aged Chinese spitting, right in front of us. Maybe we didn't look like tourists for him at all. I was expecting sirens after that but no police cars came nor traffic officer issuing fine.
Next: Moving to Malacca via Johor Bahru
This one's almost caught in the act.
And this one's really caught, in the act. 
But he is too shy about what he just witnessed.
Her take has been that of understanding, and wisdom. 
Or perhaps, not. 
