After a few weeks of rest in Chennai with Shruti's parents, our adventures resume in Singapore!

If you've been through Singapore's airport, you know how we felt. It was like a little utopian vision of nature and urban life co-mingling happily. But Big Brother quickly asserted himself with an all-knowing surveillance system that allowed us to sail through customs with little more than a face scan.

Throughout this trip, we were surprised by how digital everything was in Singapore.

In a lot of the restaurants, you had to order by scanning a QR code on your table, and pay on your phone.

Most malls and MRT stations had cleaning machines – anthropomorphized robots on wheels with smiley face screens.

We took the MRT and arrived at our Airbnb in Little India, a loft-style unit with a surprisingly cozy little bed cave up top. First order of business was dinner, where we had what immediately became Nate's highlight meal of the trip. If you're ever in the area, make your pilgrimage to Swee Choon for some great sweet & sour pork.

Shruti lived in Singapore between the ages of 8 and 12, so our first stop was memory lane - aka Leonie Hill Road. We found our way to her family's old apartment building, taking a moment to imagine young Shruti's path as she walked to school each morning.

Later, we met Shruti's close friend and former co-worker Nadia (who we'll see again in Indonesia). Shruti and Nadia spent a full day catching up and walking through the city, while Nate explored the neighbourhoods close to Little India – Bugis and Kampong Glam.

Nadia was also visiting from out of town, so we wasted no time chasing down more foodie spots. We had a memorable time ordering Sichuan food at a restaurant where the server kindly but firmly adjusted our sizes:
"...we'll have a medium..."
"No, you'll have a large :)"
(She was right)

We’ve been lucky to get lots of friends’ recommendations for food here. Shruti's family friend Shantanu and his wife Faith took us out for local craft beers at Orhgao/Pehgao. We had a great time learning about their lives in the city while indulging in very addictive xiao long bao (soup dumplings) from Din Tai Fung. We even got some chocolate dimsum to ring in Nate’s birthday!

We spent Nate’s birthday (May 11, mark it in your calendars for next year!) doing what he loves best – spending hours at a coffee shop. We went to CSHH and had delicious coffee while listening to the thunderstorm outside. We’ve been getting used to these sudden bouts of showers that give the city a brief respite from the heat.

You can't throw a rock without hitting a fantastic restaurant in Singapore. But don't throw any rocks. Or litter. Or eat food on the train. At least that's what they say. While there is a social etiquette in Singapore, it's not nearly as rigid as Nate expected.

Pro tip: Carry your own napkins, or buy them at the hawker centers!

Our days in Singapore have flown by with Shruti dragging Nate to familiar spots from her childhood – the Takashimaya food court for hot food and cold fruits, the lush Botanic Gardens for a packed outdoor concert, Mustafa Center for everything from sandals to speakers, and East Coast Park for an evening stroll by the water.

We also did the more touristy things – walked through the Gardens by the Bay (where we took the photo at the top of this newsletter), got a Kaya Toast Set at Yah Kun Kaya (confusing our kopi-C and kopi-O), and marveled at the vortex waterfall inside the Jewel at the airport.

Singapore has been a mix of familiar memories and new moments, sticky heat and air-conditioned malls.

After 6 days of exploring the old and the new, we hopped on a flight out of Singapore. But only after hours of roaming around the airport shops, food courts and indoor gardens – you can truly spend a whole day at the airport here!

We’ll sign off now as they do in the MRT announcements, in Singapore’s 4 official languages:

தயவுசெய்து இடைவெளியைக் கவனிக்கவும்
请注意缝隙
sila ambil perhatian tentang jurang itu
please, mind the gap

See you next week, where we’ll be writing to you from another country that’s a 3 hour flight from Singapore!