First Shopping Trip

I arrived in Singapore early Tuesday morning and had the whole day to get settled into my hotel, recuperate from the 24 hour trip and adjust to the new time zone.  I began unpacking and immediately realized I had forgotten my black belt and would need to go shopping.  After using the hotel hair dryer, I decided that just wasn't going to work for me so I'd need to get one of those too.  So, off I went to the shopping district of Orchard Road.

After just three hours of walking around Orchard Road, I am convinced you can get absolutely anything you could want.  Now, the price may be double what you pay somewhere else, but you can certainly get it. There are almost all the brand name stores one would see in the US, from Cartier and Coach to Payless, Forever 21, and Gap.  What I found so interesting about the shopping here is that its like an iceberg.  You see a couple stories of stores from the outside but when you get inside the shopping malls, there are half a dozen levels below ground.  At the bottom level of many of the malls is the food court which I intended to try but chickened out.  It was a bit overwhelming and I didn't see anything I wanted to try so I continued on shopping.

One of the multi-level shopping areas.

Derek will be happy to know I exercised restraint
and did notgo into Tory Burch.  It's only a matter
of time though. 

Food court vendor.  Yes those are cooked chickens with the
heads still on. 

More meat just hanging in the food court

I read online that you could get excellent macarons so I was happy to stumble upon Canele and pick up a couple.  They did not disappoint!  I can't wait to go back and get more!

I did manage to find a department store to buy my belt and hair dryer.  The belt was reasonably priced at $39SGD but the hair dryer was kind of ridiculous at $49SGD (1 SGD = .8 USD).  I wouldn't complain if it was a really nice hair dryer but this one was pretty basic.  

I wandered around all the shops looking at prices to determine just how much things cost compared to what they cost in the US and I have to say at times it was shocking.  As an overall generalization, I would say clothing costs are 33-75% higher than the US.  For instance, a pair of Levi's jeans is well over $100.  I saw you could buy three pairs of Calvin Klein underwear for $69 or a Van Heusen men's dress shirt for $129.  Now I understand why everyone I know from the US who lives here tries to buy all their clothes when they visit back home.

Trip to Singapore

I found out a couple weeks ago that I would have the opportunity to go on a business trip to Singapore and was ecstatic.  I had never been to Asia and was excited to get the chance to visit.  I quickly booked my trip and yesterday (Sunday night in the US) set out on my journey.  

All my luggage!  It's a lot of bags but I had to pack enough
for three weeks.  I also packed some supplies for friends
that are living in Singapore.

Waiting for my flight in Houston

Great way to start the flight.  Glass of champagne
and The Hunger Games.  It was the only movie
on the plane I wanted to watch.

The flight was a full 24 hours with a stop in Moscow.  I have to say that the Moscow airport is one of the busiest I have ever seen.  It's surprisingly small with almost no seating.  When we stopped we had to get off the plane, go through a modified customs check, and go back through security.  All this so we could just return to the gate we came from and get back on the same plane.  A little annoying but at least I got to see a little bit of Russia.

I arrived safe and sound in Singapore on Tuesday morning and took a short cab ride to my hotel.  My first impression of Singapore is that it is very lush and green.  Singapore intends to be a city in a garden and I think they have definitely achieved that.  All the streets are lined with trees and there are tons of parks and gardens throughout.

View from my hotel

I cannot wait to explore this amazing city (when I'm not at work) and see what all it has to offer!

Torchy's and Anvil

The last few weekends have been busy with saying goodbye to some of our dearest friends and spending time with my parents who made a quick trip down to visit.  I haven't been taking as many pictures as I should but at least remembered to when Derek and I went on a date Saturday night.

I read about a taco place in Houston that I was anxious to try.  Torchy's Tacos is a taco joint that started as a food trailer in Austin.  They were a smash hit and expanded rapidly with one of the new establishments being in Houston.  Our only regret about the meal was that we hadn't had it sooner.  Torchy's was awesome and we hope to make it back again soon.  We definitely recommend it!

Derek's tacos - The Republican (grilled
jalapeno sausage) and the American (fried chicken).
It's like they were made to be eaten together.

My tacos - Green Chili Pork and
Mr. Pink (seared Ahi tuna)

After dinner we headed over to one of the most highly acclaimed cocktail bars in Houston, Anvil. What we love about Anvil is that they make cocktails the way they are supposed to be made - with real, fresh ingredients and homemade syrups.  I could sit for hours and just watch them shake and stir drinks because when you make them that well, it really is an artform.  The menu this summer featured cocktails from the south so we were excited to try a few.

This is the map they had on the menu to show just what is Deep South. Love it!

Our first two cocktails: Chatham Artillery Punch and the Gatling Barrel.
My next cocktail was my favorite, the Dewberry Swizzle!

Cheers! To more delicious nights out!