FollowTheLeBarons: Singapore

Hi, it's us! Where are the LeBaron's, you ask?! Well, we are currently spending our last night in Ubud (Bali), Indonesia, but let's go back to a little over a week ago when we were in Singapore!

We really liked Singapore and definitely could have spent a few more days there. Heck, Kiel said he could probably see himself living there (don't worry, we're not moving!). It was very clean, easy to get around, and highly advanced and developed. It was also nice to walk on actual side walks for a change, instead of trying to dodge on coming traffic. I'd say the downsides is that it gets humid and can be quite expensive in certain areas (like $20 for a burger).

We stayed in Singapore's Chinatown district which was a perfect location and recommended to us by Debbie, a woman we met at the elephant park in Thailand. Nestled beside the modern central business district, Chinatown's streets were lined with paper lanterns and filled with temples, shops, hawker stalls and restaurants. Kiel really enjoyed his meal at Hawker Chan, the cheapest Michelin Star rated restaurant.

We spent our first full day wandering around the beautiful Botanic and Orchid Gardens which wass a botanist and nature photographers dream.

The second day it poured rain in the morning but we eventually made our way downtown to do a little window shopping (and I got a pedicure while Kiel went to the bookstore), and to get my phone fixed (after I dropped it for about the 10th time, it finally decided to die). Sadly I admit I had never been happier to see an Apple store, but it was also kind of nice to (learn how to) disconnect for two days. Later that afternoon we walked to the National Museum of Singapore where we had a lovely free tour and learned about Singapore's unique history.

We also met up with one of Kiel's former co-workers, Kat, and his girlfriend Christine for dinner one night. Kiel and I both agreed that it was nice to have a comfortable and full conversation with someone other than ourselves!

A few Singapore Fun Facts we learned:

Singapore was called Singapura, which means "Lion City" in Sanskrit, by a Prince after he thought he saw a lion on the island. However, no lions reside in Singapore!
In attempts to curb pollution and traffic, car buyers must pay a fee that is one and a half times the car's market value and it can only run on the road for 10 years.
Chewing gum is banned in Singapore and one can be fined if caught.