After 30 days in Thailand, which rounded out 60 in Southeast Asia, we were ready for a little R&R. We already had plans to meet a friend from Denver in the Philippines the following week, so we had six days to spend. We chose to go to Singapore, and it ended up being exactly the change of pace we needed. 

Right away, we were struck by the order, infrastructure and modern architecture. It was a far cry from the hectic, congested commotion of cities in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Compared to other cities, Singapore really has its act together. The public transportation is easy to navigate, plentiful restaurants represent all of the world's cuisines, and everything is oh-so-clean. (You could probably eat off the sidewalks, although you may get arrested for doing it!)

The only downside is that nearly all of Singapore's splendors come with a hefty price tag. Fortunately, a friend of a friend hooked us up with a place to stay on the NUS campus, which meant we didn't have to drop hundreds on a hotel room. And, by riding the public buses and underground trains, we were able to spend less in Singapore by day than nearly any other place.

Clearly, Mike was able to stretch his architecture photography muscles and later found that many of the photos are even more striking in black and white.

Cloudy skies and a few particularly lackadaisical days meant that we left the camera at home (and by home, we mean dorm room) as we wandered around the "Red Dot" in search of art to admire (we loved the public installations peppered around the Bayfront area), quirky streets to explore (go straight to the Arab Quarter) and ethnic food to chow (thank you, Little India). 

Our trip also coincided with Chinese New Year, which was in full celebratory swing when we arrived. While we can't take credit for the timing (we only realized the overlap one week before), we took full advantage of waived admission fees to museums in honor of the public holiday.

CNY also meant that we were able to see a side of Singapore that many visitors do not. Before arriving there, we had heard it had a sterile vibe, full of workaholics and few people actually enjoying the city. But we were able to see Singaporeans out and about with their families, since many people had a long weekend (with Monday and Tuesday off). In exchange, we dealt with crowds at a few museums and Gardens by the Bay. A small price to pay. 

The city was decorated with thousands of red lanterns, banners and envelopes. Some more elaborate installations, particularly in and around Chinatown, were blooming trees and playful monkeys, all designed to look like they were made from paper, lining major avenues and lighting up at night to enhance their festive magic. (So sorry we didn't get any photos of these!)

Oh, and I almost forgot! On our first full day, we woke up at 6 a.m. to cheer on our hometown team, the Broncos, as they won the Super Bowl! It was the first time either of us ever drank coffee instead of beer during the game. 

Feeling recharged after six relatively low-key days, we arrived at Singapore's ridiculously nice airport just before midnight to catch our red eye flight to Manila.

Next stop: paradise!