Day 1: Singapore

So, I figure, I might as well make use of the easily available Internet access in my hostel to provide as frequent updates as possible. I think that this will make it easier to document the small details of my trip that would otherwise be easily forgotten when trying to share the highlights... That being said... we covered a lot of ground on our first full day in Singapore. Seriously, I don't think I've have been on my feet that much in the last 6 months!

The day started with a walk from our hostel, G4 Station, to the National Museum of Singapore (which was recommended by my friend and world traveler, Amy Collins). On the walk over, I became very aware of just how accustomed I had become to my life in Cebu as Maria had to hold me back numerous times as I would start to cross the street by sprinting head first into traffic, in front of moving vehicles. Apparently, people use crosswalks in Singapore and actually wait until their turn to cross the street. Strange. Once arriving at the National Museum, we were greeted by a wonderful sign that said "Open House Today: Free admission into all galleries"... Bonus! The museum was absolutely incredible. We started by looking at the Living Galleries which were sections of the museum devoted to things like Food, Movies, Fashion, etc. After breaking for lunch, we came back for round two in which we covered the History Museum, which walked you through over 400 years of Singaporean history covering everything from when the island was first discovered to present day with an incredibly detailed audio guide. The museum also had an exhibit on Pompeii, which was a Roman city near modern day Naples which was covered by a volcanic eruption in the 1st century. Although buried, the lava and ash that covered the city had almost perfectly preserved the life there. Excavations began in 1700s. Casts have been made to document individual people and the specific positions they were in when covered in the ash. It was really incredible.

Side note: Maria's presence has also made me aware of just how Filipino I have become as I eat everything with a spoon, point to something with pursed lips, raise my eyebrows to answer a question affirmatively, and open my mouth when I didn't hear what she said. Love it! :)

After the museum, Maria and I navigated the Singapore MRT (Mass Rail Transit) to get near the Night Safari Park near the Singapore Zoo. Here, we watched fire breathers, saw a "Creatures of the Night" show, went on a 40 minute tram ride through the park, and then an hour walk where we got an even closer view of some of the animals in the park. As many animals are nocturnal, this is the best time to see them in action. Many of the animals seen on the tram ride were "free range" which resulted in some animals being within 5 feet of the tram as we drove through. Really cool.

After such a full day of walking, I was definitely ready for bed.

Click here for pictures from Singapore.