First port of call in Asia, Singapore. There’s been quite a lot going on here and I’m not really sure where to start! I still don’t think I’ve got that “traveller mentality” yet though, the first time I’d ever experienced it was last year when I spent about a month travelling in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. I hadn’t spent quite that long abroad as an adult before and I think it was the people around me that brought it on more than anything but eventually it got to the point where it felt like the only thing I knew was travelling, it sounds ridiculous, but I couldn’t really remember my life before. It’ll probably take a while for that to kick in again though because right now, it still feel like I’m going back home in a couple of weeks. It’s strange being in a place so different and ridiculously hot (my god, it’s so hot here!) and still doing normal stuff like sitting at a computer, e-mailing and Facebook stalking.

Singapore is everything I was expecting it to be and more; clean, modern, HOT, HUMID, fast moving, well connected, HOT, multi-cultural and seafoody (thanks Jill, I never would have typed a terrible word like that if I hadn’t met you!) It has also surprised me though because I wasn’t expecting quite as many English speakers as there are and it reminds me a lot of Hong Kong. It’s smaller than Hong Kong but it feels like there’s a lot more to this place; it’s got more layers. Similarly to Hong Kong, the temperatures are very similar month-on-month, but this place though takes it to the next level because apparently (according to this English expat I was talking to), the highs and lows here (as well as the humidity), stay pretty much constant all year round. I’ve been sweating buckets everywhere I go and it’s even worse today because my bum’s taken a pounding,  more on that later (it’s probably not what you you’re thinking).

After getting in too early on my first day, the hostel guys started me off with a few cool suggestions to tide me over until check-in time. On the first day I ended up checking out Chinatown, which definitely lived up to its name. It was unexpectedly similar to a few different cities I’ve seen in China and there was a lot of hustle and bustle, apparently, a lot of stuff goes down in Chinatown. I also spent a while on Orchard Street, Singapore’s answer to 5th Avenue in New York or Bond Street in London, and Little India, again, very reminiscent of actual India. These Singapore people have this stuff down! After that first day just settling in and finding my bearings, I rode the cable car to Sentosa Island (very cool) and saw a giant monument to Singapore’s national symbol, the Merlion. The Merlion is a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, it’s kind of cool looking and there’s a story behind it which involves the founder of ancient Singapore, Sang Nila Utama but it’s too long to include now so you can read it here if you want: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sang_Nila_Utama. The Merlion on Sentosa was huge and I took a lift up 10 stories so I could walk around in the mouth and on the head. Sentosa is the location of Universal Studios, Singapore too, I didn’t go inside but got the obligatory shots next to the massive spinning globe. The beaches on Sentosa were cool too, as was the Tiger Sky Tower, the highest viewing platform in Singapore, at 131 metres above sea level. Earlier, I specified that the Merlion on Sentosa is huge, I did that because there are a bunch of others but the only other one worth seeing is the pretty big one near the financial district. Before making it there though, my nerdy, internet meme recognising self gave me a little chuckle upon realising that I’d been rick-rolled. While chilling with my lunch in Subway, I thought I heard Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up playing in the background but wasn’t sure; turns out the radio DJ thought it was funny and actually commented afterwards that he set out to get as many people as he could that day.

Now, back to my comment about my bum. I headed out to an island called Pulau Ubin off the north-east coast of Singapore, it’s basically all rainforest but it’s too big to walk around so people tend to rent bikes to see it all (you people should get your minds out of the gutter, I told you it probably wasn’t what you were thinking!) The ferry to get there was a ridiculously cheap 2.5 Singapore dollars one-way and the bike rental was a very reasonable 12 Singapore dollars for the whole day. The island was amazing, there were all sorts of cool snakes and things like monitor lizards, strange birds, monkeys that I didn’t recognise and warthogs, but it was the forest itself that stole the show. Riding through it was absolutely brilliant and there were a few really picturesque quarries with loads of well maintained bike trails of varying difficulty. I did a few of the tougher ones but mainly stuck to the medium difficulty routes. Some were pretty steep, rocky and extreme though, I’d have thought twice about walking down them, let alone riding down. I was there for about 4 1/2 hours and I think I rode at least 40-50km. It was tough going uphill for such long stretches and like I said, it was bloody hot! I was absolutely drenched and my body was sore all over (seriously, get your minds out of the gutter, people!) I’m sure I smelled great on the MRT Metro ride back to the hostel too. Even with all that though, it was brilliant day, I saw so many amazing things and experiencing them while riding a bike was fantastic. I’d definitely recommend checking that place out if you’re ever in Singapore, there are some really nice walking routes near the Chek Jawa Wetlands part of the island too.

Wednesday, the day after Pulau Ubin, I checked out the National Museum of Singapore and the Bukit Timah nature reserve. The museum was very good and definitely something I would recommend to others. There weren’t that many different galleries or sections to it but what they did have I was very impressed by. Because my grandfather served in the Singapore army many years ago, it was emotional seeing a video about the creation of the army and the discussions about the people that signed up at the very beginning. I was unexpectedly moved watching a video of the independence day celebrations too. The nature reserve was everything I wanted it to be, it’s basically a rainforest in the middle of the city and I saw all sorts of animals while I was hiking in there for a few hours. One group of animals I was not happy to see though was the monkeys. After having had a wild monkey jump on my head in India and almost being attacked by a pack of baboons in Zambia I think it’s fair to say I’ve developed somewhat of a dislike for them. On Thursday, I headed to the Singapore Botanic Gardens which, with its lakes and very cool large areas of exotic trees and plants, was definitely a great way to spend a few hours. Also on Thursday I checked out Fort Canning, an old military fort. It was very picturesque and two separate couples were actually having what looked like engagement photos taken while I was there.

With my bus ticket to the ferry port for Langkawi booked, it’s almost time for me say goodbye to this fantastic country. I’ve loved my time here and I think I’ll have to visit again with Jill in the future. Singapore has been everything it could have been for me and I’m sad to be leaving. It’s also annoying that after finally getting used to the weird tasting bread, butter and milk here that I’m going to have to get used to completely different stuff in Malaysia now! C’est la vie!

Leaving home was tough, but the unofficial start of my trip has been a good one! Chilling with Jill was excellent even though Detroit is as much of a hole as it was last time! Karla’s definitely making me see the light in realising that Chicago is the way to go. Speaking of which, meeting Karla, Jill’s best friend, was as great as I’d hoped it would be. She brought her main dude, Matt down from the city with her and the two of them spent a few nights with Jill and I. It was brilliant spending time with them, Jill’s taste in friends is just as excellent as her taste in boyfriends! It was good finally being able to thank Karla in person for the secret missions she’s helped me with too. I loved seeing Jill’s parents again and even got to meet her brother, sisters, nephews and nieces this time around. The days relaxing with Jill’s parents at the lake side house were definitely a highlight. We got a surprising amount done there and good times riding on the pontoon and barbequing were had by all. Libby and Mocha (Jill’s parents’ dogs) had an especially good time and were slobbering all over everybody. Playing with the dogs (and seeing how good Matt was with them) really made me want a pet someday, I know that my brother and at least one of my sisters share my disappointment in not having had a real pet when we were growing up. After being told (repeatedly) by Jill, I’ve come to agree with her in thinking that a goldfish was not a real pet.

During the week, seeing some of Jill’s best buds, Marcie, Adam and Amanda was just as much fun as last time but I’m kinda bummed I didn’t have more time to hang out with them. I’m even more bummed because it’s mainly my fault! I was sick when I headed out to see Jill (that’s the last bloody time I go to a music festival right before I’m supposed to go on holiday!) and I ended up making her sick too. I’m glad we were well enough to do something with them but the whole thing still sucks ass. The sickness thing meant we ended up missing out on meeting Jill’s grandma too.

Even with all that, like I was saying before, the trip out to Detroit was excellent. Seeing Jill’s dad again was great and his partner Carol was lovely. That night was brilliant for another reason too, I finally got to eat my favourite dish that isn’t cooked by my mum again, Jill’s chicken pot pie! I was joking a few days ago that this pie is the real reason I love Jill so much but when I thought about it later I wasn’t sure how much I was actually joking! The world would be a better place if everyone had access to Jill’s chicken pot pie!

The trip also included the first anniversary of the day Jill and I started dating. It was a day to remember. We went apple picking in an unfortunately wet, muddy orchard with Jill’s mum and step-dad. The orchard was really nice and the rain ended up reminding me of home so I was happy, though I’m not so sure everyone else was! Everybody agreed that the cider was good though! The restaurant Jill picked for our dinner that evening was an unexpected delight. Never having had fondue before I wasn’t really sure what to expect but The Melting Pot in Troy was fantastic! The food was incredible and our waiter really helped make the night special, nice work Mike Payne!

All in all, a great trip then. I’m even more excited for Singapore than I was when I left home, I’m expecting very good things, I’ll let you know all about it.

Top: The chicken pot pie; Above: At The Melting Pot