We spent four days on one of the wealthiest islands in the world. Singapore is a country set in Southeast Asia but has the atmosphere as that of the West and reminded us a lot of America, but mostly New York City because of the unbelievable diversity. However, all of the streets are clean, they have fines for everything, great transportation, amazing food and everyone speaks English! Everyone we talked to said they were “Singaporean.” But, what does that mean, exactly? It’s like saying I’m just American, yet I am Vietnamese-American. People from Singapore come from all over Asia, mostly the Middle East, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and China. These cultures are so different and Singaporeans do a good job at keeping them alive.

I have never been to India, but Little India in Singapore seems like a perfect first world India including all of the smells and colors of such a culture. Randy actually bought a lot of cooking ingredients from stores there.

Like any other China Town, shopping is their staple, for me anyway. It never fails that China Town has the best cheap souvenirs and sometimes clothing. You can’t go wrong with the food, either. The hot milk tea reminded me of a cold winter in Japan, yet it was nice and warm but raining in Singapore.

It’s a city filled with temples, mosques and churches that share the same block, the most modern architecture, dozens of shopping centers, museums, casinos and even nature. Sometimes it felt as if we were visiting an artificial country, where everything is almost perfect. The beach was nice, but the sand was imported. The shopping malls were huge with the lowest and highest-end designers. Transportation was always reliable and clean (but they don’t have lockers!). People were so nice and weren’t afraid to share their stories.

Our time was limited, but I think Kristi and I got a good taste of Singapore and unfortunately, Randy had to leave a day earlier. Here are some things not to miss out on!

• Crab from East Coast Seafood

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