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This I would say would be a classic icon of Singapore - the Merlion.
Stepping off the plane, I came across a sign that I was finally in Singapore - cars and vans emblazoned with the Singapore Airlines logo:
One of the first stops was to Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Chinatown was fairly quiet in the afternoon, I'm guessing because of the humidity and the time of day. Not much was stirring, but given the amount of seating, you can easily imagine it to be quite bustling later on.
We saw a fruit stand that was selling many variaties of durian, although keep in mind that once bought, it looked like you couldn't bring it with you on the MRT though!
One thing that was strange - given the reputation of Singapore - was the lack of public garbage cans. Occasionally you would see one that sported the following sign, but they didn't seem quite common in Chinatown, Arab Street, or anywhere along the way.
We were too underdressed to enter Sultan Mosque. They actually had a sign in front that spelled out certain rules including the prohibition against "shorts, mini skirts, low neckline or exposed back, especially female visitor [sic]" from entering.
We didn't get a chance to go in to the Masjid Abdul Gaffoor (a mosque in Little India), but the roof was quite ornate and interesting that I had to take a picture.
The sunset was quite interesting, with a great dark blue hue. I'm not sure this photo does it any justice:
Inside the above tent was a number of items for sale in connection with the Hindu celebration Deepavali (Festival of Lights). The streets were also lined with decorations, which made for quite a festive atmosphere.
Of course one of the star attractions for Singapore is the food, primarily at the Hawker Centres. Lots of good food, some of which have previously been shown here!
I should have posted this earlier, now that it is about a week and a half stale. Funny how there's a promotion for Obama, but just a bipartisan greeting on McCain.
A night shot of the Fullerton Hotel and the Merlion (as referenced above). The "effect" you see is what happens when you walk out of a perfectly good air conditioned restaurant into the humid night air.
Sentosa Island keeps growing - here you see the construction of a new phase of the resort. There is also a much taller version of the Merlion.
At the far end of the island is Fort Siloso, which has been turned into a museum detailing the history of Singapore and World War II. What I thought interesting and it's something I never heard about (good ol' American education) was that after the Japanese captured Singapore (on bikes no less), they renamed it 昭南島 (Syonan-to), or "Light of the South". Admission to the fort was 8 SGD.
Two popular night-life areas in Singapore are Clarke Quey and Boat Quey, respectively.
Underneath the bridge for Fullerton Road and Esplanade Drive is a pathway that leads to the Merlion from the photo near the very beginning of this post. Just thought the pillars for the bridge made for an interesting photo.
M pointed out something that appears to be uniquely Singapore - note the pole in the middle of the subway blossoms out into three separate poles allowing more people to grab on during peak hours.
Another interesting part of Singapore is the fact that they have multiple official languages. Thus, most signs need to list Chinese (Mandarin), English, Malay, and Tamil.
Lastly, I thought this was fairly clever and useful. Some airports I've seen offer recharging services for travelers. Here, they let you recharge your phone, but also provide you a key in case you want to leave your phone and do other things.
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