After spending a couple of days at the pool with the ladies, did some shopping, went to a Chinese New Year parade, we were anxious to meet up with our guys! We had such a great time watching the ship come in. What an experience! One thing I learned about Singapore that day (non-ship related) was the pace of life there. I had to leave the hotel at 7:45am, and conveniently there was a Starbucks across the street, so I planned a little stop there before we had to leave. Let's take a step back, now. In the US, Starbucks opens at, what, 5am? 6am at the latest? I show up at 7:15. Starbucks is NOT open. At the risk of sounding like a caffeine addict, what's the point of a coffee shop if it's not open early in the morning? Verdict: Singaporeans apparently do not wake up before 7. And in case you were wondering, Starbucks opened at 7:30. I mean, I started junior high at 7:30 in the morning, and they can't serve coffee that early?...
Anyway...we got to the dock/port (I'm no good at naval terms) in time to see the ship drive (float? drift?) up. Then we got to watch the boat for several hours before our guys were let off. Correction: Zac and his guys were let off, they just had to do a mandatory RUN before they were released! Imagine my impatience of sitting FEET away from Zac after spending a month apart! And then watch them run away! AHHHH!
This is a picture I took before the run. I didn't want to look like a crazy paparazzi wife, so it's not the most detailed, but Zac is in the back, just to the left of the pole.
If nothing, the Marine Corps will teach me patience. And surrender. Nothing I say, do, or act upon will change reality, and there's really nothing to do but deal with it.
No worries. They DID come back.
And then the grand reunion!
It's quite a phenomenon that things just fall back in place, right where they left off, when you reunite with a loved one.
And we lived happily ever after...
Just kidding. I mean we did, but there's more to the Singapore story.
After hours of waiting and sweating, first thing on the agenda was some dinner...and what better than some good ole Mexican food. Errr...Sing-Mex food, at least.
Forget a bowl of wonderful melted cheese. This is Sing-Mex "chili con queso" Or what we Texans call "nachos." Oh, and our Mexican restaurant happened to be next door to Hooters (the only one in SE Asia?) where we saw the other 1,999 marines off the ship. I'm so glad they got the most of their cultural experience.
We determined to see as much of Singapore as we could while still squeezing in plenty of pool time. Our first full day we stopped by Little India and Chinatown. Unfortunately, we went a little early (remember, Singapore doesn't wake up until late) and so not a whole lot was open. But we did some exploring and saw a few markets. Silly me didn't take many pictures of this leg of the trip, though.
One pic from Little India. We should have come back here for lunch!
After exploring the many cultures that make Singapore, we headed to the Merlion. I don't really know much about it...but wikipedia does: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlion.
In front of the Merlion
View of the Singapore Flier from the Merlion park
A big casino being built (it looks like there's a ship on top). Apparently, when it's done, there is a $1000 entry fee for locals, but free for tourists.
The Esplanade. I believe there's a few concert halls/theaters, and is connected to a lot of shopping (like the rest of Singapore)
We moseyed back along the river, and decided to eat some lunch at the Boat Quay. Along the river was a neat area with a ton of restaurants and other neat things to see.
There were these little statues all around the Singapore River. If you can't tell, this one is some kids jumping off to play in the river. Apparently the big guy behind them wants to play too! Also notice that the bottom kid is attached by the next kids foot! Amazing!
Our lunch...before...and alive. The story: Our waitress brought us a fake crab first to show the size. The first one was going to be over $50, so we asked for a smaller one, so she brought this REAL one to check out. I took a picure of it, and then she asked if I wanted to hold it!! No thanks!
Lunch at the Boat Quay.
Appetizers: Chicken Satay (a common Malay treat) and the local Tiger beer. Fitting also because it is the year of the Tiger!! I think Pei Wei carries this kind of beer.
The crab...after. The common dish Chile Crab. It was pretty good, although neither of us really knew how to eat crab from the shell.
I thought I'd be able to fit our trip in one post, but just got through the first 24 hours! More to come soon!
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