Second Time's a Charm...Singapore Take 2

A little passport fiasco back in September didn't keep these two travelers down for long. Following our unfortunate little mishap (see previous entry if you want the story), we were able to secure a new passport for Chip and reschedule our trip to Singapore for the weekend of November 13th. Our primary purpose in going? Eiji Sugisaki.

Chip became good friends with Eiji several years ago at the U of I while Eiji was a visiting scholar there. After graduating, he returned to his native Japan for a short time and eventually settled in Singapore to pursue his Ph.D. Visiting Eiji in Singapore was an easy decision for us. After all, he traveled all the way to Illinois from Japan for a brief 48-hour stay two years ago in order to be an usher at our wedding. He's just that kind of friend...

So here's a glimpse into our trip for you to enjoy:


Above: Chip and Eiji (who loves nothing more than posing for the camera) on our river tour.


Above: With Eiji at his university campus where he's a researcher (get this--he researches hair animation techniques, as used in anime cartoons, and presents papers all over the world on it!) and Ph.D student.


Above: Eiji and Chels enjoying the river tour



Above: Chip has likened the Taiwanese foot massage to things like childbirth and torture on more than one occassion, claiming that his one experience getting a Taiwanese foot massage was the single most excruciatingly painful thing he's ever done. Needless to say, he opted to forego the Singaporian foot massage (which in essence, is exactly like a Taiwanese foot massage--maybe even just as cheap). From a safe distance Chip was easily able to capture the experience on camera as Eiji and I slept right through the whole thing. It's true. When it comes to pain tolerance of the feet, we've got Chip beat by a long shot. :)

Okay, but really. What Chip lacks in brute strength, he sure makes up for in knowledge of the animal kingdom:) If you know Chip at all, you know that we were not going to be leaving Singapore without having stopped in to some of the country's most renowned places for all things wild kingdom. Since we were only there for 2 full days and time was of the essence we had to make some tough decisions. It was a toss up between the reptile zoo and the bird house. In the end, Chip and the bird house won out...and I'm certainly glad they did. The Singapore Bird Park was fascinating.


Above: This friendly Rhea tried to eat my wedding ring just before Chip captured this great photo.



The Queen Pigeon (Papua New Guinea) wears one sassy crown.




Above: It was a good day, but alas, Eiji ran into some trouble.

And of course seeing hundreds of species of exotic birds didn't quite satiate Chip's desire to interact with all things wild, so we rounded out the evening with the Singapore Night Safari. Not that he had to twist our arms much--we'd all heard great things about the night safari. And lo and behold, the rumors were accurate. If you ever get a chance to go to Singapore, do the night safari. Incredible.

And of course, since it was night, picture quality was very poor...so this is all we've got. Use your imaginations though...it's probably that good.



We also had the chance to hang out with some professional soccer players (Japanese players currently playing for Singapore's team) while we were in Singapore. Eiji (who played semi-pro in Japan) coaches a children's league and plays with these guys weekly. We're still waiting to hear if Haruki (between Chip and me) is going to play for New York or Germany next season. We're pulling for NY.



In Taiwan we're accustomed to seeing Buddhist and Taoist temples on every street. And because we've lived here for over a year, we're familiar with a lot of the gods they worship. Interestingly enough, and not surprisingly, Buddhism and Taoism take on a new form in Singapore. Because Singapore is so diverse, religions seem to mix a bit. For example, we saw a lot of Hindu influence at the Buddhist temple we visited.



Above: Guanyin. In Taiwan she's the goddess of compassion and mercy, which is essentially what she is in Singapore. The difference is that in Taiwan she doesn't have 14 arms. This would be where the Hindu influence comes in.



The architecture in Singapore is fascinating. In addition to the city skyline, the side streets are lined with colorful buildings that combine Malaysian and Chinese styles. Talk about flavor!




And we couldn't leave Singapore without enjoying their most famous beverage: the Singapore Sling. We even got to keep the glasses (thanks to Eiji).


Chalk it all up to another great getaway in Asia. We had a fantastic time in Singapore spending time with Eiji and getting to know his world a little better. We feel truly blessed to be able to travel here in Asia. It certainly broadens our perspectives and makes this world seem just a little smaller.