We arrived in Singapore at 1 am. Took a very fast driving cab to our hotel, the speed limit was 90 KM and he was going 120 KM, I guess the faster he goes the more runs he makes and that equals money.
It was 3:30 am before we hit the bed and I must say it was a very comfortable bed at the Swissotel. After 2 1/2 hours of sleep we were up and moving and ready to meet our guide. Asia Welcome is a company that is helping us relocate, today we had a car tour of the city to view the different neighborhoods. This took us 4 hours and was a bit overwhelming.
Second impressions: it is hot, we knew this but it REALLY is hot. The city is clean, like really clean, no litter, things are neat and organized and of course there is no gum on the streets. People are very friendly and are eager to have you come into their store or restaurant.
After walking in the heat for about 30 minutes we did go into the Coffee Bean and enjoyed some blended iced coffee, mmmmmm it was so refreshing, nothing like cold caffeine when you are hot and short on sleep.
I was really pleased to find some organic items in the city but we may have to "sell the farm" to make even one organic meal! And beef.... well there is a butcher in Holland Village so we popped in just to see what they offered, it was beautiful beef, not organic or anything but it looked great. A Rib eye steak cost about 24 Sing dollars for 100 grams. Uh, that is 1/4 pound!!! So we are talking 100 sing dollars for a 16 oz Rib eye! That is $75.00 U. S. dollars for one steak that you have to cook yourself.
We met with a family from WI today, they have been here since April and have been a great help to us, she commented that they eat out almost every meal because it is cheaper to eat out than it is to cook yourself. We found this to definitely be the case when it comes to beef. Scott and I walked along the river tonight and found an Indian restaurant that was serving steak so we checked it out. My steak dinner with the fries, salad and steamed veggies was about $20.00 U.S., it was delicious, cooked perfectly and I did not have to cook it or do the clean up afterwards. So where's the beef, it is at the restaurants.
Randi - I'm pretty sure that the speeding has more to do with the idea that speed limits (and lane markers for that matter) seem to be a "suggestion" in Asia....we've had some TRULY adventurous rides over there! Glad you got your beef!
ReplyDeleteAre you sure it was beef? Indians don't usually use beef. =\
ReplyDeleteVetta, there are many different nationalities in Singapore, yes, they do have beef and pork too, it is just expensive if you are going to buy it to cook.
ReplyDeleteSarah, you are right, driving over here will be an experience.