The Cleanest City in the World

Hello Family and Friends,

We are currently sitting in the airport in Jakarta, Indonesia waiting five more hours for our flight to Yogyakarta. We spent last week in the very clean, very law abiding city of Singapore. We knew we had made it to a new country when people actually waited for the green man signal to cross the street. We haven't had to wait to cross a street in many months. This was strange, but somewhat comforting. I'm not saying that we haven't enjoyed dodging cars in countries like Egypt, India, and now Indonesia, but crossing the street during our turn was quite refreshing. When we first arrived, we ate dinner with a local Singaporean. He was a very nice guy and gave us great information on the culture and the sites. However, while he was eating and talking, little chunks of rice were flying all over the table and our food. I slyly moved my plate away after a few minutes of watching this. At the same time, I saw Mila edging her plate away from the splash zone. Lets just say we didn't finish all of our meal. I saw chunks of his meal in mine which was a bit off putting.

Other than that, we had a great stay in Singapore. The sites were beautiful, everyone spoke English, and getting around was simple. Please enjoy the following pictures from our week visit in one of the smaller countries in the world.

Marina Bay area- this was a very beautiful part of the country. We spent two days in the general vicinity




The helix bridge with Marina Bay Sands in the background




The Skyline













Writing our New Years wishes on a giant balloon that will go into Marina Bay




Merlion at night







The light and water show







Ritz Carlton on a budget- so we can't exactly squeeze a nights stay at the Ritz into our world travels, but we did get to visit the magnificent artwork... for free







Mila between Warhols




And one of our favorite artists in the collection




Christmas at the Ritz- next time we will stay a night :-)




We went to the botanical gardens on our second day, but got rained out with no ponchos. We tried to wait it out, but the storm went on and on and on. So...we went home for a coffee. The picture below was taken in the healing garden. All plants in the area served a medicinal purpose.




Haw Par Villa- strange place we visited in Singapore. It's a bit off the tourist path. They have one section called the ten courts of hell that shows (in explicit detail by the way) what will happen to you during judgement if you commit certain crimes. The detailed sculptures have been omitted, but here are two placards describing some of the crimes and their consequences... You have been warned







Other parts of the park




This next picture is epic. Please click for a closer look at the facial expression. That is commitment










We spent our five year anniversary on the Singaporean getaway island of Sentosa. It is basically an island turned into an amusement park. Here is what we look like, as happy as ever, five years after the moment we met.













Even the beaches on this island are man made




China town




Buddha Tooth Relic- this is a temple where the tooth of Buddha is said to be housed. It is surrounded by solid gold in a very beautiful closed off area of the temple. Monk's were leading a chant during our visit










Little India for some dinner




Orchard Road- we went on a Saturday night. The two KM walk was lined with malls and shoppers. The best part however is that Christmas was everywhere in every direction













Clarke Quay- upscale eateries and vibrant colors along the river













Miscellaneous- we wonder who sits around and says, "yep that's what the sign should say."







We saved the highlight of our trip for the last day (Garden by the Bay)- a glimpse into the world of Avatar. We could have gone here every night and it was a wonderful goodbye to the city.



















We will spend the next month in Indonesia and are very much looking forward to this leg of our journey. See everyone next time from Yogyakarta

-Mila and Scott


- Posted around the world from our iPad

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Location:Jalan Purwodiningratan,Ngampilan,Indonesia