A pleasant Sunday in paradise...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the globe after another GREAT DAY in the Lion City. Team Taylor comes to you VERY relaxed this evening, as it was a TERRIFIC day, and just one more reminder of why we're so glad we moved to the Sing.

We woke up around noon(ish!) and were out the door by 12:30. We'd contemplated lots of food options, but in the end we decided to go back to the Chijmes complex to find a nice brunch. And whilst, like Communism, this idea was GREAT on paper, it was less than stellar in practice when we arrived to find ALL RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. Consequently, we began a wander, intent on finding some guuuuuuud grub.

We didn't have to wait long, as a brief wander around Raffles Blvd allowed us to locate this CUTE street (Purvis), where we found "The best Thai in town for the lightest hit on your wallet." I couldn't even tell you the name of this joint, but I can confirm two things: a) it was cheeeeeeeeeap, and b) it was SO GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD (peppy peanut filled cheekies). Throw in some iced coffee (we're rapidly becoming HUGE fans of this) and some lime juice, and you've got a recipe for success and full tummy jackets.

We then walked around the area, stopping at the famous Raffles Hotel to walk through their arcade and see the outer facade. This hotel, once THE DESTINATION for opulence and luxury in the Far East, is still VERY iconic, and you can tell that it would be a pretty EXTRA AWESOME spot to spend a few days. We didn't hit the Long Bar (site of the Singapore Sling's creation), but fret not - it's on the long term plan.

On a side note, we walked down by the Merlion, which is still under renovation (SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT - WHEN WILL YOU BRING BACK MY MERLION!?!?!? I'M DYING HERE! COME ON, MAN!!!!), where I had a simply FASCINATING conversation. Now as I always say, this blog is not a political platform. However, one of the questions I hear most often is "how can American kids compete with other nations?" I won't pretend to answer that here (although I do have my own ideas, obviously), but I will say that, whilst we were staring at the BOX surrounding the Merlion, a little kid came up to me who could NOT HAVE BEEN A DAY OLDER THAN 10. Jenny was present for this, and this is the conversation:

BLOODY BRILLIANT CHINESE PRODIGY (BBCP): "Hello, are you German?"

Four Leaf Taylor (FLT): "Nope, we're American."

BBCP: "Ah, American. Traveling the world or working here now?" (Seriously? He understands my accent?"

FLT: "We're working here now. Are you here on vacation?" (smug grin on Sammy's face)

BBCP: "No, I am studying here." (STUDYING HERE? You're like 5 years old! Shouldn't you be doing finger painting or something?)

FLT: "Ah, did you just arrive?"

BBCP: "No, I've been here 4 years actually."

FLT: "Oh, wow. You like it."

BBCP: (without missing a beat) "Oh, I love it. I get a chance to interact with people from all over the world. It helps with my hobby of collecting currencies. I have over 70 currencies."

FLT: "Um, really? Wow. We just got back from Vietnam. If I had any left, I could have given you some of theirs. They use..."

BBCP: "The Dong, yes, I know. ("they use the Dong" - huh, huh...). I have the 20,000. I have American money as well. The $1, $5, and $20. $20 is my favorite - Andrew Jackson on the bill."

FLT: "That's right." (because seriously, WTF ELSE DO YOU SAY TO THIS? I mean, I sure as HELL don't know who the dude is on the Sing money, which is pretty pathetic when you consider IT'S THE SAME DUDE ON ALL THE BILLS!") "What's your favorite design?"

BBCP: "I would say Ethiopia, but Chile's currency is very neat. I would really like to visit Santiago. Have you been to Santiago?"

FLT: "Nope, never been. (HE'S 10 YEARS OLD!!! HOW THE @#$# DOES HE KNOW THE CAPITAL OF CHILE! Shouldn't he be playing Hungry Hippo or something?)

The conversation went on for another 5 minutes, and I was flat AMAZED. Let's just say that they should NEVER allow this kid onto the set of "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?", as he would kick EVERYONE'S ass.

After that, we rolled over to Fort Canning Park, where we soaked up the greenery whilst wandering around the old ruins of the fort. It was a steep walk, but the scenery was pleasant.

We made it home in time for a quick dip in the pool (and a trip to the steam room, for the record) before wandering back up to Skype with the Aussies. Unfortunately it didn't work out, but we did have a GREAT turn of events in that we got to Skype with YAZZ!!!!!! It was SO GREAT catching up, bashing Elvis, contemplating ways to firebomb Memphis, and cackling for just over an hour before signing off and heading up to Dempsey Hill for din din. The featured spot was Red Dot, a microbrewery that has officially passed Brewerkz as the best Brewpub in the Sing.

This place was GREAT, complete with 6 different kinds of brews and GREAT food. The feature beer was (T-Rowe, OSC - you'll love this): "The Green Monster Lager." And no, it wasn't a tribute to Fenway - it was instead a cream lager infused with garden veggies. Granted, I know it sounds DISGUSTING (Ladies Man style), but it was actually REALLY good (but not as good as the English Ale I tried later, for the record). All in all, it was a GREAT spot, and we'll DEFINITELY be back.

We're now back at the flat, where Muffin Puffin's looking up travel options and I'm about to Skype with Mom. It was a GREAT ending to a PERFECT weekend in the tropics, and all is right with the world.

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny