An Early Singapore Impression

This week has been a myriad of shock in how "light" Singapore is, trying to adjust to the time and climate, and beginning our apartment hunt.

We landed about 6am Monday, and were quickly surprised to find a 7-Eleven or Starbucks on every corner, as if we had been dropped in any American city.  The shocking thing is how many American restaurants seem to be more popular here than in the U.S.  Other than Cathy, who actually eats at Long John Silvers?  You would expect McDonalds and Burger King, but is our next best burger export really Carl's Jr.?  And seriously, you would be hard pressed to find a Slurpee in New York, but in the fine city of "Sweatapore" they are on every block.

We spent our first day on the HiPPO double decker bus tour--now mandatory for all of you on the Curtiss-Singapore vacation package.  It gave us a decent sense of the major areas of downtown Singapore, and allowed us to be jet-lagged and productive at the same time. There is a thriving Chinatown and Little India, both with their share of fascinating street markets, hawker stands, small restaurants and shops.  We spent the other day wandering around Little India and left with clothes smelling of curry, and some cheap new hangers to supplement our meager supply in Corporate Housing.

As you can see from Erin's pictures (more to come, not to worry) the city is beautiful, clean, almost sterile.  Our temporary housing leaves a lot to desire, but sleeping on a mattress that resembles a brick wall has its perks: we are both up around dawn every morning without a problem.  If only I could put that skill to use at the casinos...

A little piece of America right down the street from our corporate housing....