A Touristy Day

Sunday was a lot of fun, and filled with touristy activities. In the morning we explored the Botanic Gardens, which is a pretty famous Singapore landmark. It is a lush, tropical environment, in contrast with the urban buildings and asphalt right across the street. We took a bus from right outside our apartment and within half an hour arrived in this paradise...

The main attraction of the Gardens is the Orchid Garden. There are many rare breeds and hybrids of the orchid flower. Many new varieties are bred and dedicated to various heads of state. There was one dedicated to Laura Bush! It wasn't very pretty though, so I didn't take a picture of it. Others, however, were absolutely gorgeous.

I love the colors of this flower below! I got to try out the macro settings on my camera, which aren't too shabby.

I took so many photos because I know my mom will appreciate them! She loves flowers, and if she ever visits Singapore she should come to this place.

Unfortunately it was so hot and humid that we couldn't stay in the Gardens for too long. For lunch we went to this restaurant in one of the malls called Bugis Junction. I got this set, in which I got a bowl full of steaming soup and lots of little ingredients to throw into it. The waitress told me to first put in the eggs and the fish so they would cook properly. Other ingredients included noodles, preserved vegetables, and mushrooms.

At nighttime we went to the Marina Bay Sands, which is a combination of resort, hotel, casino, shops, and a museum. There are three enormous towers, 55 stories high, with a ship straddled on top. Here's a view from below...

And inside the lobby...

We got to go onto the rooftop infinity swimming pool. The views were absolutely breathtaking. The pool is on top of the boat balanced on top of the 3 towers. It overlooks the entire cityscape.

The water was perfectly cool and refreshing because the day was so hot and humid.

Then we found out that there was a nice changing room with a sauna, steamroom, and hot tub that overlooked the other side of the city! The room was completely empty as well, so it felt like a private suite. There was a nice view as well.

A great relaxing day before the work week begins! It's been a great first week here in Singapore, and I'm excited for the next two months. On Friday, we leave for Bangkok for the weekend, so I'm sure we will have lots of exciting adventures there! To be continued...