Day 3

Today went from relaxing to ridiculous in no time but I'll get to that... First, I skipped my morning swim and washed my hair for the first time since I've been here. Yesterday I rocked a ponytail which I rarely do in the states but I'm alone and so far from home I'm trying to call as little attention to myself as possible. For breakfast I traded the hawker center for a high end breakfast buffet at the hotel. With wet hair I showed up just in time to eat before the buffet closed at 10:30. It was more of a lunch than breakfast but it was mostly Indian food so I was happy. I went back upstairs to finish getting ready thinking I had an hour before my shuttle left for the airport. I finished blow drying my hair and was about to brush my teeth when I remembered the shuttle leaves at 11, not 11:30. It was 10:59... I grabbed my phone and giant unfolded map and left without brushing my teeth... I ran out of the elevator and there was my ride, just about to take off, I barely made it. I was thankful and now Hoping I could find toothpaste and a toothbrush at the airport. Sure enough... There's a reason Changi airport is frequently voted the number one airport in the world. Five minutes after I arrived at the airport I was back in business with minty fresh breath.

 By now I felt I had mastered the transit system and felt way more at ease than I did 3 days ago. I got on the train headed for the Botanic Gardens like a champ. I saw a guy on the train who spoke no English wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and Jordan's and I had to restrain myself from giving him an all American high five. Another Asian man got on the train wearing a Carmelo Anthony t-shirt and Knicks hat, and being 9/11 I couldn't take it anymore. My love for America and all things NBA got the best of me. As I got off the train I said, "I like your shirt." Confused, he mumbled "thank you" as I walked away.

 Side Note- I've decided the people here are much like New Yorkers. They don't go out of their way to talk to you and they Don't have time for idiocracy, but given the right time and place they can be very warm and open.

I arrived at the Botanic Gardens and was immediately wowed at the majestic beauty of the flowers and foliage. The garden was silent except for birds, crickets and thunder, although it never rained the entire time I toured the gardens. There were different sections such as Swan Lake, Healing Gardens and others. One section is even a rainforest and finding myself touring the winding trail I felt so liberated. I took a walk through the Evolution Garden Path and refreshed my knowledge on the earth's history. I walked near a man who was equally enamored by the majesty of it all. He would stop and meditate for a moment before moving on so I took other routes so to avoid disturbing him. After all that walking I felt dehydrated and made my way to the food court for water and a beloved Tiger beer and took it all in. The same guy walked up as I was drinking my beer and he flashed me the peace sign as if we go way back.

I must say that Singapore is not for those who cannot take the heat and humidity. My friends and I often joke that I live like a lizard because I can tolerate any and all heat. As sweat percolated on my forehead and dripped down my back, I felt right at home.

 I left the park after about 3 1/2 hours and decided to walk to a shopping center not too far away as suggested by my guidebook. I left the gardens from the opposite exit and walked allllll the way around trying to find my intersection for the main road where all the shopping is. Much like day 1, I ended up on back roads with tons of unexpected construction going on all around me. As soon as I found the street I was looking for, it started pouring down rain. Monsoon like, if you will. I turned left into the closest place I could find shelter, a tiny little roofed map... Back inside the Botanic Gardens... that I had just attempted to leave 30 minutes prior. I was hovered under this little roof with three Malay women and a Chilean man in a poncho waiting out the storm. After a few minutes of complaining and trying to figure something out, the Chilean and I just started laughing. He said, "I don't know what's funnier, the fact that it's really raining this hard or the fact that I'm in this poncho." We were both so far from home and had found ourselves in quite the predicament. Everyone else eventually caught a bus or a taxi but I had no clue where the buses would run and I wasn't trying to hail a cab since I had already dried out some. I just waited out the rain, did some stretching... It finally did let up and I left the Gardens. Leaving was a two hour ordeal. I got on the train and headed to Holland Village, where the shops and restaurants are. I attempted to go shopping but the rain started up again so I posted up in a Hawker center, and had a vegetable combo that the woman who worked there sloppily got some chicken on. Oh well. I survived the day so I rewarded myself with another tiger beer before heading back to the hotel.