The Singapore Skyline

There is one thing that I never get tired of in this city. Well, I guess there is probably more than one. But the main thing that remains impressive is the city's skyline. Singapore has a downtown area, also known as the Central Business District. It's your typical American-Style downtown district with tall skyscrapers and business people galore. The weird part about it, however, is that the towering buildings and modern feel extend in every direction from the CBD. So much so, that if you have a view from high above, the buildings never seem to end. Most of them that are beyond the CBD are huge housing complexes, as most people in Singapore live in large condo-type complexes.

The nice thing about the CBD is that part of it is bordered by the river. Our office borders the CPD, and it's about a 10 minute walk through the skyscrapers to the river. A few of us in the office have started running after work a couple times a week and it couldn't be a better place for it. The riverfront itself is full of shops, restaurants and the like, but it's also a great place to run as it's an endless trail in either direction. The following pictures are what we see from our normal running route (although they weren't actually taken while I was running).



And these are just some pics of other skyline views I have seen.



Across the river/bay area from the CBD is a brand new complex called Marina Bay. The three huge towers are connected at the top by an impressive platform that looks like a long, flat boat. The entire complex houses a casino on the bottom that is free for foreigners, but Singaporeans have to pay $100 to enter. It's the governments way of making a lot of money off of everyone they can't control. The large platform at the top just opened last week and anyone can go to the top for $20. It apparently has a huge pool, bars, trees, and I'm sure the best view in town. I'll let you know what it's like when I go!



One day after work, we went out for some drinks at a bar around the corner from our office. They had an amazing rooftop bar that apparently ranks in the top 20 in the world!



Finally, Singapore is home to the largest observation wheel in the world. Combine a huge ferris wheel and the space needle and this is what you get. Similar to the London Eye, it moves very slowly and takes about 45 minutes to get all the way around. During your journey, you're in a climate controlled glass capsule that holds around 20 people. The best part is the constant view you have in every direction.

Life so far

So let's talk a little bit about Singapore. It's located on the Southern tip of mainland Malaysia, right about here...


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It's the perfect place to travel all over Southeast Asia and beyond due to its central location. If you want to know more about the history, then look it up on Wickipedia. I'm here to tell you the interesting things! Like the fact that it's pretty much right on the equator, well 80 miles north of it. That means that the weather is just about the same every day all year long. It also means that the sunrise and sunset fluctuate very little throughout the year. You just come to understand that it's going to be hot and it's going to be humid. And to be honest, the hot isn't too bad...it's the humid that gets you. But it also means that you come to appreciate the rain and clouds because it noticeably makes things a bit more pleasant. It's amazing how well your body starts to adjust to it after a few weeks. I used to be drenched after a 15 minute leisurely walk around town, but now I can walk around for 15 minutes, and then take a seat outside to enjoy some dinner without being miserable! When it rains, it generally pours. It also only seems to last for an hour or two and then it goes away. It doesn't rain every day, but so far it has a couple days a week; although the real rainy season is December through February.

So now let's talk a bit about the real reason I'm here. Food and Travel...oh, I mean work. Our office is located on Telok Ayer street, which apparently means something like "on the water." Our street, which is on the border between a quaint area of Chinatown and the CBD, used to be the waterfront! Over time the island has been expanded and now we're in the middle of it all. We are a shop office, which means we are above a row of shops. We are also directly across the street from one of the oldest temples in Singapore. The views from the windows range from green trees, temple rooftops, and skyscrapers that sometimes reach the clouds. The office itself reminds me a little of a small tech company in the movies. It's one big open room, high ceilings, hardwood floors, and modern furniture. It really is a great place and things have come together very nicely in the last two weeks. We even have phones now, after the Chinese men ran around the office making all kinds of noise for two days.





The living situation has been a little complicated. Chris, my co-worker from Boulder, and I will finally move into our condo on July 2nd. That means that we haven't had a place to call home yet, which has got quite old. It does mean that we have had the chance to see the city as we've stayed in three different places! The first place was a hotel provided by work. It was called Hotel Re, and it was decked out with everything retro. Each room had a theme, completed with a tacky color scheme and lighted silhouettes of retro-celebrities. I had Elvis, Chris had Marilyn Monroe. At least my room was green and not hot pink!

The next place I stayed was arranged by a co-worker through a friend of my boss. It's located in Holland Village, which is a popular area for expats. It's an old artist community turned trendy and offers a little bit of everything. The house is owned and occupied by an artist that uses the house not only to live in, but also as her studio and showroom. The art is nothing like I have ever seen before. I actually like a lot of it, and the artist must be pretty famous because there are magazine articles and books all over the place with her in it.



Finally, I'm currently staying in the same condo complex as our agent. She has been helping us find a condo to rent, and was able to arrange this as she knew someone who was going to be out of town for a few weeks. It's a great place because of it's location near downtown and right on the river. It's also the primary area in the city for the swanky restaurants, bars and nightlife. So although there is always a lot going on, it's an enormously expensive area compared to what you can get elsewhere in Singapore. For example, if you go to a Hawker center for dinner, you can spend between $3 and $5 and have plenty of food (that's Singapore dollars, so between $2 and $3.50 US). If you go to a restaurant here, you spend $15+ just for food, let alone the $15 pint a beer. Alcohol is very expensive everywhere.

Once we get a bit more settled in the new place then I'll post some pics of that!

Whoa, three weeks!

So here's the deal. It's been three long weeks since I've posted any blogs. I'm disappointed in myself, especially because I really do have so much to share on here! So I have written some stuff below, but throughout the next week my goal is to post a number of blogs with pictures so you can see everything in more detail...

All of a sudden it's been three weeks in Singapore. Where has the time gone?! I've spent the last three weeks leaving the house (and I use that term loosely since I've stayed in three places so far) before 7am and not getting home until after 10pm. Not even work is consistent since I'm leaving to do things like look for places to live or get my employment pass and visa sorted out. The good news is that we have found a place to live and move in around July 1st!

I'm a bit bummed I haven't written very much. I've had so much to write about and each day has been an adventure on it's own. There are so many times I think of ways to describe what I see, or describe Singapore in general, but I know that most of them will escape me now. Overall, there is no better way to describe Singapore than unique. Every corner brings something unexpected, but at the same time you're somehow not surprised by it.

It's things like food courts. In America, if you go to a food court in a mall, for example, you don't really think great things about it. But here, it's where everyone eats. You are lucky to find a table at any time of day and you get good food for near pocket change.

It's things like going to East Coast Park, a long stretch of paths along the beach east of downtown. At first glance it looks incredible, but then you realize the hundreds of ships just off shore waiting to dock at the world's largest port. The constant line of airplanes that fly above. And the annoyingly strong smell of pollution from all of the above.

It's things like walking into endless amounts of air conditioned malls. The smells of every kind of food constantly filling the air of every street corner. Towering sky scrapers and condos that seem to never end. A growing land mass every year due to man extending the island. Yet at the same time, the little parks and temples amidst the quiet nooks of Chinatown. The ability to take a bus to a nature preserve and trail run with turtles and monkeys. The long promenade along the river with endless views of the skyline. You even see people saving their table by putting their wallet on the table top while they go get their food.

It's a place where convenience is king. Taxi rides are cheap. Maids are common and affordable. You always leave all of your plates and trays on the table where you eat and they clean it for you. Trains are impeccable and pristine compared to any other city. There are more swimming pools per capita than any other place in the world. There are free facilities and showers at parks where exercise is common. There are even plastic carrier bags for take-away drinks. Everything is just easy here. And everything is clean and pleasant as well.

To be honest, I didn't have the highest expectations for Singapore itself. I thought it was going to a good place to have as a base for traveling other places; and I'm sure it will be. But I'm having the time of my life here. Part of it is the friends I am lucky enough to have here already, and part of it is that the city provides a place for us to have an amazing time. Every night we're running along the riverfront with extensive views of the CBD and the spitting merlion. We're exploring a new part of town by foot or riding meters high on the tallest observation wheel in the world. We're sitting by the pool surrounded by palm trees at a condo or viewing the skyline from a rooftop bar. All, of course, while eating food. A lot of food. And a lot of different kinds of food.

Come back soon...

Day 2

My day started with a quick walk to the nearest MRT station to meet Grace, one of my co-workers in the Singapore office. We were also meeting up with our other co-worker Siew Yee, a native Singaporean. We wasted some time in Chinatown while we waited for Siew Yee, and then she took us to a food court to get some traditional Singapore breakfast.

Despite what many of you probably think, apparently the traditional breakfast here is not noodles...although I'm sure you can get that too. The breakfast consists of toast sandwiched with butter and coconut jam and then a bowl of two very runny eggs. It's all served with tea or coffee, and I got the tea which was sweetened and had condensed milk. All very tasty! For dessert, yes dessert, I got a tub of bean curd, which I think is soy and mixed with a sweet syrup all served warm. It was good but I couldn't finish the gigantic tub!

After that, Siew Yee took us to a small museum about Chinatown. It didn't take too long to go through, but it was interesting seeing and reading about how people came to Singapore and how Chinatown came to be. Singapore was originally an area of banishment when the Chinese were driven out of Malaysia. Life was rough and very different from the way it is in Singapore now. After the museum, we eventually made our way to the office where they let me in so I could check it out! It was nice to have a break with some air conditioning and the office itself is really nice. We're still in the process of getting it decorated but I'll get some pictures up as soon as it's all set up.

When we left the office, Grace and I decided to head out to Orchard Road, which is the main shopping district in Singapore. I had heard that it was definitely a place to see. We started by taking a bus to the far end of Orchard Road which is where the Singapore Botanical Gardens are. It's a huge park, free to enter, full of many different kinds of plant life, ponds and open areas. We explored the entire park by foot, which meant I was covered in sweat the whole time. Eventually we got back to the main gates and made our way down Orchard Road. I thought I had seen some fancy malls the day before, but Orchard Road is full of even fancier malls. I was amazed at the sheer number of malls, one after another constantly for a long stretch. It was also very busy, which I assumed were mostly tourists, but apparently it's what the locals do too. Like I said yesterday, Singaporeans like their malls (and their food).

Eventually, we hit the other end of Orchard Road and needed to take a break to get something cold to drink. After hours in the heat, I gulped my ice tea in about 3 seconds. We then decided to see if Siew Yee was available for dinner and took the MRT to meet her. She had a Japanese place in mind and recommended trying a Ramen Bowl, which was full of noodles, pork, greens and half a boiled egg, all in a creamy broth. It was very nice! With all of the eating, especially today, I am learning the art of chopstix more and more each day. You don't have to use them as they always have spoons and forks around, but I like to. And finally, you can't have dinner without dessert, so we found a popular Chinese dessert restaurant where I didn't recognize or know one thing on the menu. I chose Mango Sago & Pomelo. Unfortunately, since everything is so different, I never have any idea what I'm actually eating. Apparently, this is some kind of mango flavored cream with chunks of mango and pomelo, which is similar to grapefruit. It also had small chunks of ice in it along with jelly balls (which might have been the sago?). Regardless, it was very tasty although I wasn't a big fan of the pomelo.

It was definitely another long day, but it was really nice to be able to spend it with some people instead of by myself. Especially with some people who know the city (and the food) so well. I'm really having a great time so far.

You can take a look at the pics HERE

I guess now it's time to work...

Day 1

The pictures say more than the words! Check them out

I woke up this morning to what sounded like a building being bombed and falling to the ground. In reality, it was some thunder. But due to the jet lag and the morning hour, it took me a few minutes to put two and two together...the pouring rain tipped me off. I took my time getting ready and planning my mode of attack. I had heard that about 10 minutes was long enough to be walking around outside due to the humidity, but my close proximity to the Chinatown and Downtown areas made me think I should take advantage of it. I walked through the park directly behind my hotel which spit me into Chinatown. My goal was to find the office, so I weaved my way through the streets of Chinatown finding a number of markets, malls and food centers...which just about sums Singapore up. Of course the architecture was very cool and there were a few temples along the way.

So like I said...markets, malls and food centers....

Markets: Chinatown had a very interesting market in the basement of an open air mall. I saw everything from fresh fruits and veggies, to all kinds of fresh fish, to live eels and frogs. Yes, frogs.

Malls: Singaporeans love their malls. They range from tacky(ish) crowded malls with small stalls and open walls with no a/c to extravagant, better-than-anything-else, humongous, large, everything-you-could-ever-want malls. They have all the main American and British stores. Oh, and are VERY air conditioned.

Food: Basically, it seems like Singaporeans always eat. Everywhere you go there is food. All of the malls seem like they have more food options than department stores. Every street is lined with places to eat with both indoor and outdoor seating. Then the city is filled with Hawker Centers, which are large, open air food courts filled with everything imaginable. If you're hungry, you probably don't have to go more than 1 minute away to have about 50 options. And that's not much of an exaggeration.

I walked many hours today. And in reality, I didn't think it was too bad. It's hot, but not crazy hot. It's just the humidity that's the problem...and the sun is pretty intense. But even if you're sitting outside in the shade, with a slight breeze, it's not too bad. With that said, I was pretty much soaked all day long. I walked through Chinatown and into the Central Business District (downtown for us Americans), and then figured out the MRT (subway transportation system) to the Promenade along the river back towards the CBD (Central Business District).

My impressions of Singapore based on the limited sites I have seen so far is that it is very clean, very modern, and very nice. Everything seems well run and very efficient. I want to start learning Chinese for a couple reasons. Everything is in English, but it's also in Chinese. Also, if two people know Chinese, they will generally speak Chinese, so it would be nice to know what everyone is always saying. With that said, knowing English is definitely good enough. However, being Caucasian definitely makes you stick out. In some ways it's good...I'm taller than pretty much everyone else. It'll be good for concerts! But it also makes me look like an automatic tourist...or at least that's how I feel. I was walking through one of the malls with my new SLR camera around my neck. One of the shop owners immediately targeted me, brought me in his shop, and before I knew it I had a different lens on my camera. I didn't buy it, but Singapore is definitely a great place for cheap electronics so I'm sure I will eventually.

I eventually made my way back to my hotel to cool down before heading back out to grab some dinner and find a grocery store. The grocery store was nice and had far more American items than stores in London did...but I'm getting the idea that it's much much cheaper to eat out than it is to buy food to cook. You can buy a box of cereal for $4-7, but you could eat two meals for that at a hawker center (roughly 2.50pounds or 3.75USD). Speaking of cereals, I'm pretty happy. You can get: Cocoa Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Pebbles, Honey Bunches of Oats, Kashi, and many many more. You can also get Jif Peanut Butter, Graham Crackers, RoldGold Pretzels, Root Beer, and the list goes on. You can also find McDonalds, Burger King, Carls Junior, Dairy Queen, Auntie Annes Pretzels, KFC, Pizza Hut, Nandos, 7-Eleven and probably a lot more I haven't noticed yet.

When I got back to my room after a 15 minute walk carrying a small bag of groceries, I was completely soaked. Probably because the breeze seemed to go away, but regardless it was pretty miserable. I think I'll be taking showers at night for sure.

Ok, that's enough for now. The pictures to this post will show you a lot more than what I described above with descriptions. Click Here!

Singapore Eve

It's funny how everything seems to sneak up on you. I've spent the last few months dreaming about the day I leave, knowing that it was going to happen and wanting it to happen faster. But then the day came and I got a little scared. A lot of things have changed since the first time I moved to a different country. I feel like I have traveled enough now to the point where it's almost taken for granted. There is one big difference between going on holiday and moving, and that is the good-byes. I'm not good at good-byes and I generally try to avoid them all together. But that wasn't going to happen this time around. I found myself saying goodbye to everyone at work, then all of my friends, and then finally my girlfriend. It all makes everything hit a bit harder when you start realizing that not only are you not going to see these people for a long time (or ever again), but that you are going to miss them and they are going to miss you (or pretend well). I felt like I had been looking forward to a great holiday and suddenly it's now become a permanent one.

The last day in London was bittersweet. I knew I was leaving and I was certainly looking forward to the new adventure. I also had the day off work! The sad part was that I knew it was the last day I was going to spend with Nat for a while. It was also quite stressful because I spent the entire morning packing and much of the afternoon taking care of many last minute things that I should have done days earlier. But everything got taken care of, Nat got me to the airport with plenty of time, and before I knew it I was on a plane to Singapore via Dubai.

I enjoy long flights because it's one place where you are guaranteed to be uninterrupted by email, phones or people. I watched 5 movies, listened to some music, and even got a little sleep. Emirates airlines is very nice and I was impressed how much of a difference all the small things they do make. However, I couldn't help but have a pit in my stomach the entire time. I knew I was going to Singapore, I knew the hotel I was going to once I got there, and I knew the address of my workplace. But other than that, I didn't really know anything at all. I guess some of my preliminary reading gives me a bit more knowledge than most of you, but it's not much when you're moving there. So I got nervous, and before I knew it I was nervous because I was nervous, and then I went to the bathroom and found a large hive on my neck. I'm sure it was a bug bite, but I'd like to think it was a nervous hive. I made myself listen to some music and get some sleep and the nervous hive went away.

Arriving in Singapore was easy; too easy. I got off the plane, went directly to Passport Control where they let me in with no questions, and got to baggage claim where my bags were the first to come out. I then walked out of the gates to find two of my co-workers waiting for me much to my surprise! One of them is a local Singaporean and the other is from Taiwan and has been in Singapore for about a month. They took me to get some food and then hopped on a taxi with me to my hotel to help with my bags and such. It was great to have some people to talk to when I arrived and I enjoyed both of their company very much.

It was late in Singapore so the taxi ride to the hotel was dark. I got back to the hotel, caught up with some people on the internet, and went to bed. And that was my first few hours in Singapore.

Introduction to Singapore

So I have realized over the past few weeks that not very many people know anything about Singapore. I have heard concerns from needing to learn Chinese to not being able to drink the tap water to wondering if it's a safe place to be. Well, believe it or not, Singapore is entirely English, isn't a third world country, and is one of the cleanest and safest cities in the world. It's also not anywhere near China...well relatively.

Welcome to my new blog about Singapore. I'm going to change the format a bit to make them a bit more enjoyable and a bit less long. You'll have to bare with me until I find the perfect formula, but we'll get there. You all also know about my extreme love and addiction for food so I plan to create a separate blog dedicated entirely to food. Stay tuned for that.

To keep you busy in the meantime, you can take a look at a video of our new Active Network office in Singapore HERE.

I do want to document my first few days in Singapore in detail, so expect a burst of posts within the next few days. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy seeing and reading about my journeys in a new place.

And so it begins...