Next Stop Singapore
Will had to work until early Saturday evening on March 1, so the six of us met at our house afterward. We piled in the Ford Excursion that Derek and Melissa rented in SLO, and drove to San Francisco. We dropped Derek and Melissa off at DoubleTree and then I dropped off our family at Aloft. I then turned in the car and paid a whopping $30 for an Uber ride back to our hotel.
On Sunday morning, we all met up at SFO. Singapore Airlines Flight SQ31 made an on-time departure at 10:10 a.m.
Melissa and Derek sporting matching loungewear for the epic 17-plus-hours-long flight to Singapore. 😭 Our Airbus A350-900 is being serviced behind them.
Seat backs and tray tables in their full upright position, seat belts securely fastened, and all carry-on luggage stowed—only 9,000 miles to Singapore!
How bad could Economy be for nearly 18 hours? By the time we arrived in Singapore, Amanda, Melissa, and Derek were absolutely knackered and checked into a transit hotel inside the airport.
As it was only 7 p.m., Will, Karina, and I hopped on the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train and headed into city center. This sign was on board the MRT. The durian is the edible fruit with an aroma that many find overpowering and unpleasant. The persistence of its strong odor, which may linger for several days, has led some hotels and public transportation services to ban the fruit.
Outside the famous Lau Pa Sat food market. Once a fish market on the waterfront, the cast iron Victorian building was moved to this location where it now houses a dizzying array of food vendors.
Tiger Crystal is a Singaporean brand of beer first launched in 1932 that is currently produced by Heineken.
Singapore’s colorful night skyline.
The Marina Bay Sands Singapore dominates the skyline.
The ArtScience Museum (left) is said to be a form reminiscent of a lotus flower.
The Merlion is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.
The lovely Jubilee Bridge.
Esplanade Concert Hall
Outside the iconic facade of Raffles Hotel. We arrived moments after last call and were not able to get a Singapore Sling. Though we were disappointed, it ended up being a good thing because we caught that last MRT back to the airport and a taxi ride would have been quite expensive. Time to catch a few hours of sleep before our flight to Phuket.
