Living in Singapore: Alyssa's Visit

We had our first visitor from October 30th to November 5th. My niece, Alyssa, came to visit on her way to a two-month backpacking trip through Thailand. Yes, she's got moxy, for sure! The first order of business was getting over her jet lag. She managed it pretty well during the short amount of time she spent with us. Our third bedroom will forever be referred to as "Alyssa's room". We hope she is just the first of many visitors from the USA.

Her first night in town we took her to the Banana Leaf restaurant in Little India. She had her first Tiger Beer and ate with her fingers. The streets were all decorated for the Deepavali, or "rows of lights" holiday.

Deepavali Decorations in Little India

Dinner at the Banana Leaf in Little India

I took Alyssa to the Singapore Zoo. She took quite a few pictures and realized just how hot and humid it is here. She was happy to stop at Ben and Jerry's inside the zoo to take a break.

White Tigers

Alyssa near the zoo entrance

Since we knew Alyssa wouldn't be here very long, we tried to hit some of the highlights. I took her to lunch at Marina Bay Sands' Sky 57 Restaurant. It's located at, surprise, the 57th floor of Tower 1 at one of the nicest hotels in the world.

Lunch Menu at Sky 57

Alyssa's First Course

Here are are a couple of pictures from the outside plaza at the hotel.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Floating Stadium Across From MBS

No trip to Singapore would be complete without a day trip to Sentosa. The locals say it is an acronym for "So Expensive Nothing TO See Anyway." Yes, it is, basically, a tourist trap, but it is also where many of the most expensive homes in Singapore are located, and there are many "touristy" activities, along with a casino, Hard Rock Hotel, and Universal Studios.

Here are a few pictures from Sentosa. The luge was fun, and the sky ride has some nice views.