Saturday in Singapore

We ended up going to Tapas on Friday night instead of Muchos.  Our daughter insisted on going to Tapas because she wanted to see the band.  Turned out to be a good choice.  The wait staff remembered us, so did the band, and our daughter danced for half of their set!  I got some great video that I'll post when we return to Jakarta (I neglected to bring the upload cable on this trip).

This morning we awoke earlier and skipped breakfast as my wife's medical procedures required her to fast.  We went to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for her Executive Wellness Exam.  My daughter left early so we could make it to my eye appointment on time.  We met back up at our hotel. 

I spent the rest of the day without glasses for the first time in several months.  These are the best contacts I've had since a keratoconus diagnosis ten years ago.  The technology has come a long way.

After our medical procedures, we planned to go to Great World City to eat lunch at Subway, see a movie, and do some grocery shopping.  On our way to the MRT, we had to pass through the mall next to the Ritz.  Turns out, it had a Subway and a theater showing "How to Train your Dragon", so we stayed there.  This is a great movie that I recommend to everyone.  One of the best animated films I've seen in years.  Something I would see again without my daughter in tow.

After the movie, we returned to the hotel for a brief rest and so our daughter could change her shoes.  By this time, we were ready for dinner.  Walking from the Ritz to the nearest MRT station (City Hall), I came to the conclusion that Singapore, at least the downtown area, is nothing but one large retail mall.  From the Ritz to the MRT, we walked for 2 miles, up and down three levels, and never once left a mall.  When we exited the MRT at the Dhoby Ghaut exchange, it was another mall.  When we arrived at Clarke Quay, that station was another mall. 


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Singapore has huge, subterreanean malls connected by trains and tunnels.  By my estimation, their are 3 levels below ground, and 3 levels above ground, all connected, for 40 square miles....all mall.  After the first three stories, it's banks, insurance and other offices (my company has one), but the bottom 6 floors in the entire city is retail.  If you took every mall in Phoenix, put them end to end, and then multiplied them by 100...you'd have Singapore.  It's crazy.

We did finally have dinner at Muchos.  I was not that impressed.  To be fair, we didn't order an entree.  The appetizer menu had Chips and Salsa, Guacamole, Chile con Queso, Vegetable Quesadillas and Stuffed Jalapenos.  After eating all of those, we were no longer hungry for an entree.

After dinner we finally took a boat tour of the Singapore River.  If you are going to do this, do it at night.  Singapore at night is quite beautiful.  Also, do it when it is not raining, or take a boat that is fully covered, not half covered.  We chose the Hippo Tours.

Tomorrow we'll have just enough time for brunch before leaving for the airport. 

Singapore is a great city:  it's clean, safe, beautiful, friendly and prosperous. For some reason, though, I always feel like I've entered Cowslip's Warren in Watership Down everytime I am here.  My wife says she could live here.  I'm not sure I could.