Singapore Sweet Singapore

Silly me, I forgot to mention that we sent my parents and Giovanni home on the 8th. I have since learned that they have arrived safely with our treasures in tow. It sounds like there were piles of mail to go through and no food in the fridge but all else is well.

We've returned to Singapore after moving back to the US almost exactly three years ago. In typical fashion, it began storming ferociously as we checked into our hotel. Matt seems very excited to be back and I have to admit, it was fun reminiscing on the cab ride into the city from the airport. It definitely feels familiar after five weeks in China and it is really nice to see and hear English everywhere - like on the street signs, the taxi drivers, etc. We even listened to some Rob Thomas in the cab - woohoo! It's also nice not to stick out so much...there are lots of foreigners in Singapore. This is a big improvement over China, where Matt and I were oddities (even in the cities!). We gots lots of giggles, stares and finger pointings and we were even asked to pose for pictures with the locals several times. Maybe they thought we were movie stars? Haha.

We really enjoyed China but it is good to be moving on. It was time. Last night we took one last walk through Tiannamen Square, past the Forbidden City and down Wanfujing. We had our last Chinese meal in China for the foreseeable future. We got a much better sense on this trip of what China is really like compared to our business travel in China. We were able to see the progress in the big cities and also the simplicity of life in the countryside. We were thrilled to visit Yangshuo, the Pandas, Shanghai and Lijiang. We were disappointed to see all the pollution...and it expect that it will get worse before it gets better. We've learned a lot and as always, we are so glad we are able to do what we are doing.