We were able to catch a military hop (flight) to beautiful, tropical Singapore this week. This was the amazing view we had of Mt. Fuji from the airplane window.
We ended up staying at the Navy Lodge, which was further out of the city but we liked having an apartment, rather than just a hotel room.
This is a sample of the base housing on this navy base. Beautiful colonial style homes. I loved them, as well as, the great tropical vegetation surrounding them.
After a 7.5 hour flight, we were ready to do some sightseeing. We decided to go to the Night Safari the first night.
Since most animals are nocturnal, it was fun to see them all very active. They had lights strategically placed to mimic moonlight. We really enjoyed this activity.
On the agenda for Day 2, was Chinatown, Little India and the Raffles Hotel. Singapore has 4 different influences to their culture. The Malay people, the Chinese, Indians and the British. It was nice for us because it is a heavily English speaking country. First, we had to get some local currency, then head to the train station for Chinatown.
I LOVED the colonial architecture in Chinatown.
For lunch, we found a very good restaurant for dim sum. The egg tarts got two thumbs up from everyone!
The durian fruit is very popular here. It is VERY stinky, kind of like rotten onions. Matt had to try a durian waffle (a waffle sandwich with different kinds of fillings you can choose from) from a street vendor. I don’t even think he finished one bite! Well, we tried.
Then we came across the big Buddha Tooth Relic Chinese Temple.
The interior was unbelievably ornate! 
The ceiling was beautiful too!
There was also a lovely rooftop garden.
An important Hindu temple is also in Chinatown, Sri Mariamman. The colors used on this building were so incredible and vibrant!
There was a service going on when we got there. Lots of chanting and music.
The outside courtyard.
An odd elephant man.
The sculptures had so much detail.
Not sure what the “guard cows” were all about, but they lined the entire perimeter.
These statues were decorated with fresh flowers.
A family pic in the courtyard.
This temple was a good introduction to Little India neighborhood. We went to a large market first. They had everything you could ever need, and then some! Shark… 
eggs…. 
meat….. 
the stinky durian fruit (this man let us try a piece and the fruit itself was surprisingly mild and good)…. 
freshly ground coconut….
racks and racks of colorful sari ( I loved these!)….. 
and lots and lots of gold jewelry!! 
Next, we headed on to the beautiful and historic Raffles Hotel. We felt that we should try the famous Singapore Sling cocktail at the hotel where it originated. 
We sat in this lovely courtyard for our $27 cocktail! (good thing there was nice scenery!)
We’re on vacation, can’t you tell?
Yum!
The girls had some very pricey gelato!
We stopped at a street market for noodles on the way home.
A very fun, but exhausting first day in Singapore! More to come!
Wow, you were busy! Looks great! Love all the colors! Looks like it was quite warm too!
I had to research Singapore. It's nearly at the equator, at the tip of the Malay peninsula, and the average temp year round is about 86 degrees F. Matt & Jamie hit the "rainy season" in December which has a bit more rain than other months. Singapore is an independent city state, with its own military, and is a regional center for trade and finance. A former British colony, they drive on the left, and English is one of their official languages. It was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, as a highly strategic choke point in the Singapore strait between Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Just wanted you to know that inflation has hit the Long Bar at Raffles. Our Orig SS today was $31. ☺️