Singapore

Because of Heath's recent promotion at work, we had the opportunity to go to Singapore. Thankfully, my mom was willing to fly down to watch the boys for a week. I love going to new places, and I can't wait until the boys are a little bigger, so that traveling is a little easier with them. Putting them on a plane for 24 hours was just not going to happen. ugh. 

We left early on a Friday morning.. like 2am. Our first flight left Sao Paulo, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean and Africa for our first connection in Doha. That flight was 14 hours. WOW. While in some ways it was like a vacation, I read a lot, and watched a lot of movies, it was a LONG time to be on a plane. We were happy to be on the ground, even for a short time. Doha, by the way, was the cleanest, nicest airport I've ever been in. The next flight to Singapore was only a short 8 hours. 

Once we arrived, one of the first things I noticed was that everyone spoke English. It is so nice to be able to communicate, seriously. Those who haven't traveled abroad - you just can't know the appreciation I have for the ability to communicate in foreign countries. 

Singapore is humid. HUMID. But I'll get to that later. 

It's a small city/country. It's easy to get around, and you can get to most places quickly. Our drive from the airport to the hotel was 20 minutes. 

We stayed at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It was really nice. It was attached to a gigantic mall (I don't know that I've ever been so excited to see a Banana Republic), and across from the Gardens by the Bay.

Unfortunately, a few hundred miles away on the island of Sumatra, they were conducting their yearly vegetation burns. The winds carried the smoke and haze right to Singapore, so for most of our trip it was hazy and visibility was pretty low.

On top of the hotel is the worlds longest elevated swimming pool, which also features an infinity edge. The pool was always packed. And I've never seen so many selfie sticks in a pool. But, I guess I can't blame them. The views were pretty amazing.

The spouses/guests were really lucky. While Heath was in meetings and break out sessions, I got to explore the city a little. The first day we took a short river boat ride.

The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore. They are everywhere and are featured on most souvenirs.

This is our hotel from the river - can you see it through the haze?

The same day we took a trip to Little India and Chinatown. I loved Little India, and really could have bought a whole bunch of stuff. As it was I ended up with two pashminas, and a black elephant to put with our collection of animals from different countries.

There is always some type of holiday/festival happening. The amazing part is that each year, they come up with a new design for each one, and designs are never duplicated or repeated.

Chinatown was interesting. I really just found each stall to be the same stuff. A lot of touristy items.

The next day we took at trip to the Gardens by the Bay.

They featured two different green house type domes filled with lots of plants, flowers, and water features. And it was really cool in there - so a nice break from the humidity.

I know some of you Arkansans are thinking that you KNOW humidity. No, you don't. Seriously. I stepped outside and immediately broke out in a sweat - and not because it was hot.

Each night the firm had a cocktail hour, or dinner. The last night was the sit down dinner where we all got to dress up. They had a great band and we may or may not have done a bit of dancing. It probably would have been nice if I thought to take a picture of the two of us. But we looked spectacular (in our attire, not just on the dance floor), trust me.

I loved Singapore. We got to hear some really great speakers during some of Heath's meetings. We got to learn a lot about how Singapore got to where it is now, in such a short period of time - 50 years!

It's a clean city, where you feel safe walking around, and it's easy to go to where you are going. Everyone speaks English, so that makes it easier too. There are tons of things to do. Go to the beach,  Universal Studios, a zoo that is one of the top in the world - lots to do! And as I always consider - would my kids have fun? Is it a place I would want to take them? Yes and Yes - minus one small - but kind of big detail - FLIGHT TIMES. If you know my kids, or really any kids. 24 hours on a plane is a deal breaker, and frankly you would be crazy.