November 12, 2008 - Singapore

And thus, the blog.

Like any other stop, when we arrived in Singapore, there were a few housekeeping matters to attend to. After doing laundry so that Sten had some clean boxers to wear, the next item on the list was a haircut for Sten. We found this kiosk in the basement of the Vivo Center where they cut your hair and vacuum you off afterwards for 7 USD.

And then it was time for a little medical tourism. Assuming that health care here had to be less expensive than in the US, I booked an appointment with a Gyn. After the office visit, she sent me off to the radiology center to get a mammogram and ultrasound. Well, I don't know if it was less expensive than in the US (it was about 3 times the price as our dental care in Bali), but it sure was fast and convenient. 2 hours later, Sten and I were in the basement of the Ngee Ann Shopping Center, slurping down a bowl of udon soup and digging into a plate of yaki udon (kind of like Japanese comfort food).

Old shophouses huddle under new skyscrapers
on the banks of the Singapore River

After a fairly traumatic morning, it was time to lose ourselves in a museum. We headed over to the Asian Civilizations Museum, which is housed in an old colonial building on the banks of the Singapore River. The museum's collection, covering the the civilizations and religions of the Asian Continent, is completely overwhelming, but it was an excellent place to while away a rainy afternoon.

In Singapore it always seems like it is about to rain, is raining, or has just rained. The city is either veiled in a thin gray shroud or hovering under an ominous black cloud, or it is in the midst of a torrential downpour, or the sidewalks are steaming from the last rain. We've noticed that we are often the only ones wearing sunglasses - it is usually too overcast to need them. And almost nobody wears a hat. The whole city seems to be covered with a warren of airconditioned underground passages and awnings sheltering the sidewalks. This is the first place we've been in the tropics where a hat isn't necessary.