Singapore... Sorry It took so long!

Wow... sorry it took awhile, but SINGAPORE! What an incredible city! It is very clean and very strict. if you didn't already know, canings are a common form of police action and no jay walking or gum chewing! Luckily I avoided getting caned and did not chew any gum. It is a very westernized country so in some ways it was very similar to an American city, except for the cleanliness and the rules. We only had two days and I had a field lab the second day so I was determined not to spend too much money there. A friend and I walked around China Town and Little India, did a little shopping. The highlight of the day was getting a fish pedicure. Yes, a fish pedicure. The first 5 minutes we were just screaming as these tiny fish just attacked our feet! You can feel them biting you lightly, it doesn't hurt at all but man does it tickle! We did our hands and feet for 30 minutes for $13! One of the guys who worked there was talking to us, he said he was 60 some (I guessed he was 30, they don't age ha) and told us he was married at 17, had kids by 19... then he promptly asked us how old we were. When we said 20, his eyes got big and he asked you are single?! And then when are we getting married? Too great.
That night we went out for a while and walked along the river where the night life is. It was pretty touristy, we heard good things about the Little Arabia night life but I had to be back on the ship before 12am for my field lab the next day so my night was cut pretty short.

My field lab was for my History of WWII in Asia and Africa, we went to the university in Singapore (NUS) and listened to two experts on the Fall of Singapore and then drove to the beaches where the Japanese attacked, standing where the British and Australian Forces stood during the attack. It was pretty incredible. They pointed out specific points across the river in Malaysia where the Japanese forces were stationed, how they attacked. We ended at a Cemetery from the soldiers of WWII which was a fitting way to sum up the day. It was a beautifully manicured cemetery and was very reflective of the age it was constructed as the "white boys" were in the front and the Indians and Asians in the back. The youngest I saw was a 17 year old Indian killed at some point during the Fall of Singapore. The whole experience had me thinking about my Grandpa Jack (Dad Dad to me) and his service in Iwo Jima and how young he was. All in all it was a very reflective experience for me, and I walked away with a much more detailed knowledge of the Fall of Singapore.

While I really enjoyed Singapore, but it definitely hasn't been my favorite country because it was SO western. There is also a very wide financial gap between the Millionaires (1 out of 6 in Singapore) and the Singaporean people who can't afford to move out of their parent's homes. The government is also very interesting and maybe a little controversial in my mind, however I cannot deny how successfully Singapore has risen to the top in such a short time period.

As always thank you for following, sorry for the inconsistency, and thanks for dealing with my musings :D All my love!