Singapore!

We're here! After nearly 23 hours of flying and two quick layovers in LA and Tokyo, we arrived in Singapore last Thursday at 1:30 a.m. and made it to our apartment by 3 a.m. After a quick (and rather overwhelming) explanation on how to operate everything in the apartment, we made it to bed by 4:30 a.m. and were up at 8 a.m. to start our new life in Singapore! Though we've only been here for a week, I already feel like I could write an endless amount of information on the things we've seen and done. I think we'll have PLENTY of activities to keep us busy over the next year...and if activities don't keep us busy, than the insane amount of walking we have to do will surely help pass the time quickly. Our apartment is located in an area called Robertson Quay (Quay is pronounced like "key") and directly overlooks the Singapore River. If you follow the path along the river about 10 minutes east of our apartment, you come to an area called Clarke Quay, home to one of Singapore's most popular, night time hot spots. Clarke Quay hosts dozens of restaurants (after a quick survey of the crowds, I'm guessing Clarke Quay attracts tourists, expats and even locals) and plenty of great shopping malls. Speaking of shopping malls, I have never in my life seen so many malls. They are everywhere you turn and often several stories high (or as I've noticed its spelled here...storeys). I have a feeling I'll be frequenting the malls pretty often, if not for shopping then just to escape from the heat for a few minutes! Oh, the heat! I keep telling myself I'll adjust to it and gosh, do I hope that's true. If I don't adjust to the heat, I suppose I'll have to adjust to taking 2-3 showers a day :-) Another thing we're getting used to is the cars being on the "wrong" side of the road! A very close friend of mine, Karis, moved to Australia with her husband back in September. I remember her telling me how hard it was to look right than left when crossing the street instead of left than right like we do in the USA. She was definitely right! It doesn't come natural to me at all and I really have to work hard on training myself to look right first. It's funny how little things like that make living in a foreign country seem so different. In any case, no matter what adjustments we have to make, we are still so thankful for the opportunity to be out here!

M & K on board Singapore Airlines and ready to start our newest adventure!

My very first morning in Singapore. We ate breakfast at a precious cafe called eM that sits right along the river.

Our complex has three towers. This is our building -- we're on the 23rd floor!

We can't get over how HUGE the pool is at our apartment. This is just one side of it. It wraps around almost the entire complex!

The view from our balcony -- I don't think I'll ever get sick of looking out there. Even a non-city lover like me can appreciate this view!

Looking down from our balcony, we have a wonderful view of the Singapore River. It's so pretty when it's all lit up at night!

This gorgeous, tree-lined path leads the way to the Great World Mall which is where we do our grocery shopping. Since we have to walk there, we're thankful that we have a pretty path to stroll along!

This is Clarke Quay. If you look closely, you can see several restaurants lining the river. The atmosphere is and fun and casual -- a great place to have dinner on a Friday night!

The "Art Bridge" by Clarke Quay

All of the streets are lined with lush greenery -- it's so beautiful!

Chinatown

There is a campaign going on called "The Singapore Kindness Act" and these cute little things are all over the place. The one in the back says "offer your seat to someone who needs it more."

I was thrilled when we found an Auntie Anne's in the mall right by our house. Unfortunately, these flavors didn't thrill me quite as much. Thankfully, they have all the regular flavors too!

This trashcan gives you an idea of how clean things truly are in Singapore. I've noticed countless people cleaning the streets (not just with brooms, but with power washers!) no matter where I go in the city!

I'm not going to take my chances with trespassing in protected places here! (Look closely at the picture on the sign)

Dragon fruit is really common here. I haven't tried one yet, but I think they look really cool!

When I get too hot from all the walking, at least I have these delicious ice cream flavors to turn to...durian, sweet corn, and yam.

This sign was in the public bathroom. It's always nice to have a reminder on how to use the toilet!