Admittedly, I didn't have high expectations for Singapore, partly because our stay in port was much shorter than other locations (only one night and two days before sailing to Myanmar, one of the more exciting destinations), and partly for the likely unjustified and assumed reason that I thought the city, although international, diverse, and modern, would lack uniqueness and character. Also, we were suddenly off the ship more than we were on the ship, by a significant margin. After a long Pacific Ocean crossing we were in Japan, China, Vietnam, and now Singapore, leaving us off the ship for 21 days, and on the ship for 6 days. The pace was rapid, often with 2 days on the ship in between 6 days in different countries. My body was tired. I walked a tremendous amount of miles during the past three weeks, and my legs, especially my knees, felt the distance. However, in keeping with a voyage of endless surprises and adventure, Singapore offered uniqueness, culture, and peacefulness, all opposite of my expectations. In fact, the uniqueness, culture, and peacefulness all emerged the first morning, starting with the popular and local breakfast item of kaya toast, which is a coconut jam on toast that you dip into a soft-boiled egg and soy sauce, and continued as Kyle, Aeriel, Annie, Marty, and I, explored the quiet, artsy, and mostly residential neighborhood of Tiong Bahru. We spent a lot of time slowly wandering through a bookstore, admiring the unique books and publications from local writers. Afterward we went to a third-wave coffee shop across the street where I had a second breakfast of banana-bacon-brioche French toast and coffee. We then walked through the quiet streets of the neighborhood, admiring the little scenes of bikes against a wall, potted plants outside homes, and laundry hanging from balconies. We found our way back into the busier part of the city and into the Little India neighborhood, where we ate paratha from one of the endless food stalls and wandered the streets as the men on the sidewalks stared quite blatantly at the women in our group. We moved on for them to be more comfortable and found some local kopi coffee, which tasted similar and arguably just as good as my all-time favorite Vietnamese coffee. A large group of about 20 was outside a cultural center practicing for a concert the next night, which provided a perfect background for finishing our coffee. Kyle, Aeriel, and I ended the night visiting some of the more iconic sights of Singapore, like the Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens by the Bay. While the first day brought far more unique culture than I expected, the next day brought far more unique peacefulness than I expected. For most of the day, Jess, Kyle, Marty and I hiked along the Southern Ridges, which is hiking path that connects several parks around the southern ridge of the city. In between parks, the trail often changes along the way, offering panoramic views of the city, a bridge designed in a slanted shape of waves, a ground-level forest walk, and a canopy walk along the tops of the trees. As all good hikes do, the trail gave us a chance to slow down, talk, laugh, get to know one another better, share stories and past experiences, and take a break from the frenetic pace of the voyage. Singapore pleasantly surprised me and defiantly brought an abundance of culture, uniqueness, and peacefulness to oppose my expectations. Perhaps my urban expectations for Singapore were not completely unfounded though, as later that night, the MV Explorer left Singapore, passing alongside a stunning amount of cargo ships and container ports, as Singapore is the second busiest port in the world (Shanghai is the busiest).
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