Okay, we've been off-line a little while traveling through Myanmar on bikes and have been exhausted every evening. On top of that, we've pretty much been off-line for 7 days. The Internet in Myanmar is pretty much dial-up speed but we have some amazing adventures to share and will be posting these soon. In the meantime, we've like to share a bit more about Singapore, our last port of entry.

Where to start? A lot of our friends have been to Singapore and have told us a lot about the country, places to go, things to do, and food to eat. Of course, there is never enough time to do everything. Happily, our amazing hosts and friends who live in Singapore were happy (or at least we think they were) to show us around to all of their local favorites.

Before we share the highlights of our Singapore trip, we'd like to share a few tidbits we learned about Singapore because, quite frankly, it's a fascinating island.

Singapore is a city state meaning the city itself is the country and its capital.
Singapore is 277.6 square miles in size. By comparison, NYC (with the 5 boroughs) is 304.6 square miles. Yes, Singapore is smaller than New York City. And our friend, Tim Kelsall, rides his bike around the island for triathlon training.
Singapore has little to no natural resources (including water which it recycles now), so it has to import almost everything it needs. In spite of this, it has a GDP of $308,000 (millions of US$), ranks 4th out of all Southeastern Asian countries, and has the 3rd highest GDP per capita in the world. GDP per capita in 1960 was S$1,130. GDP per capita in 2014 was S$71,318.

The size of Singapore and its lack of resources clearly has not held back this tiny island state. They are a very industrious country. By virtue of the fact that the country is strategically located with respect to shipping routes and trade (they have the second busiest port in the world), the country has become a huge trade intermediary by purchasing raw goods (such as oil) and refining them for re-export. Refining capacity for Singapore is 1.3 million barrels per day.
They also have a huge financial services sector with 126 banks of which 121 are foreign banks. It is Asia's largest foreign exchange hub where over US$291 billion worth of foreign currency is traded every day. The financial services sector accounts for 12% of Singapore's GDP. Other big industries include biotechnology, chemical refining, technology, and of course tourism. There are over 7,000 multi-national corporations in Singapore.
Mosquito control in Singapore is taken very seriously. In an effort to combat dengue fever and the rise of zika, the government can do random checks on households to ensure that there is no standing water in the house. Any household where standing water is found can be fined S$200.
The public transportation system in Singapore is amazing, clean, orderly, relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and completely coordinated, meaning that you can use the same pass for all modes of transportation including buses, subways, toll roads, and parking lots. It is amazingly efficient!
If you want to buy a car in Singapore, you must first purchase a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) which gives the right to drive a car on the streets. Clearly, this helps control the number of cars on this island state which is evident by the relative ease of getting around free from traffic jams. According to our friends, the COE can cost up to $60,000 or $70,000 on auction depending on the size of the vehicle and the demand at that time. On top of that, it has to be renewed every 10 years. Can you say, "congestion pricing?"
Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Street crime is virtually non-existent. The city is super clean, the population is well-educated, and living conditions are very good. If you like rules and live a pretty 'pure' lifestyle, Singapore is an awesome place to live.
Singapore used to be a part of the Federation of Malaysian states and was expelled on 9 August 1965 at which point it became its own city state.
The name Singapore comes from Singa Pura or lion city; however, there are no lions in Singapore. It is only named this because a Srivijayan Prince from Palembang saw a creature he thought was a lion and named the island Singapura.

So here's a very short synopsis of our visit to Singapore. While this is short, we cannot emphasize enough how fascinating and fun we found this country to be.

Our Filipino feast at Tim and Jess's place served by Joanabelle.
A visit to the National Museum of Singapore where we learned a ton about the history, culture and development of Singapore.

A walk through Gardens by the Bay which included the Tree Walk through the Supertree Grove and a cooling walk through the Cloud Forest.

Tim in the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay

Nick in the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay

An amazing dinner of local foods with Tim and Jess at the Newton Hawker Market.

Dinner with Jess and Tim at the Newton Hawker Market

A sweat-inducing 15K run with Tim in the Botanic Gardens with all of the locals.

Breakfast at Mr. Prata with Daphne Wee, our tri friend from NYC who is now living in Singapore.

Our historical tour of Singapore with Charmaine and Dean which included a local dinner of Hokkien chicken, durian-tasting, lots of walking through all of the local neighborhoods and drinking in Little India.