First Stop:Singapore

Annalisa and I hoped our transit to Singapore would be a pleasant one, we were not disappointed.  Our on fight Singapore Airline had two classes, business and premium economy.  We opted for premium economy and had really nice seats. Picture business class seats shrunk a few inches smaller with seat backs that recline to approximately 60 degrees and fairly nice leg and foot rests. I'd give their personal entertainment quantity an A+ but a C- on quality. Service was excellent with two fairly tasty meals and multiple snacks offered.

         Beautiful day in Manhattan Beach 1/28

    January 29th at LAX awaiting Departure!

                          Welcome Aboard

                              Nearly there
Every hour water or orange juice was offered and encouraged. 17.5 hours is a very long time to spend in any one place but, even though we were essentially captives, in a steel capsule flying through space, time passed easily and we survived!

                              Finally!!

                             Busy Seaport

                           First City view
Singapore is an island off of Malaysia. There are 4 Million residents and 1 million non-residents. It was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles as a British colony in 1819. Everyone still drives on the left. According to the 2019 statistics, Singapore has one of the most stable economies in the world with no foreign debt and high government revenue. The economy is mostly driven by electronic manufacturing, tourism, and the world's busiest cargo seaport. Education is highly regarded with substantial Government support. The "Lion" city (long story, look it up) is clean with many tall buildings. Seemingly just a concrete jungle but there manages to be an abundance of green vegetation covering over 1/2 of the area of this marvelous place.

                       2020 Year of the Rat!!

                              Cloud Forest

                        Insect eating plant

                         Marina Bay Hotel

After a decent 8 hours of sleep and fortified by a fantastic buffet breakfast at our hotel, we headed for Gardens by the Bay for a look at some of the most beautiful and diverse gardens I've seen in one place. Even with using the amazing underground rapid transit trains we logged 13k steps by 3pm. Our plan is to return to the gardens again to take in the sights lit up at night and have a meal at one of the famous "Hawker" centers that have multiple booths serving a variety of Asian dishes enough

to satisfy any palate.

We took our tired feet out this evening and walked an added 5k steps, a total of over 7 miles. Believe me, my feet are definitely not happy!! But it was worth the effort. Food was delicious!!  Colorful buildings and highly decorated streets in honor of the new year.  Time for bed...

                    Friday Night in Chinatown

                     Maxwell Hawker Center

             Duck and pork BBQ fabulous!

Asia: Who said you can't return again?

 In 2008-09 Michael and I enjoyed a very thorough six month examination of SE Asia and yet, when I returned years later (2015-16) with my Baja friends I saw everything so differently and enjoyed it even more. I left satisfied that I didn't need to return again.

What changed?  Like the pain of child birth time has a way of helping to erase the discomfort that comes from long flights, carting suitcases through airports, custom lines, TSA security, and jet lag. Pleasant memories are stronger and longing to revisit old haunts beckon.  Add that Annalisa (2015-16 Asia traveler) twisted my arm, added Myanmar to the list of adventures, and said she'd do most of the planning.... How could I refuse?

Tomorrow at 9 am our flight on Singapore Airline begins. Seventeen hours of non-stop "fun" in premium economy (a bit more leg room and a foot rest are promised) sounds crazy but we are armed with snacks, books, and movies downloaded.  We are ready to endure!

Next stop Singapore.  Using the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" as a reference we will dine at Maxwell's a famous Hawker Center, walk the Gardens by the Bay at night, travel to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and take in the view from the observation deck.  My favorite place in Singapore was their zoo. So I've  arranged to see the "redheads" again when they join us for a special breakfast.

From Singapore, continue with us on our adventure as we spend nine days exploring Myanmar, travel to one of the world's top ten beaches for some R&R and then return to Bangkok, Siem Reap, Luong Prabong and Hanoi. Memories of night markets over flowing with treasures, favorite restaurants serving delicious food,  and smiles from the children of Sambor Village school warm my heart and beg me to return. Once again I am traversing the same "river" knowing my experience will be exciting and new.