The Last Hoorah in Asia!Our first day in Singapore happened to be the start of the “Christmas in the Tropics” celebration. 
In mid-November, entire streets were lit-up, parks displayed larger-than-life nutcrackers, and the decorated super mall kicked off its daily “Dream Time” trapeze holiday show. This city-state favors going over-the-top, and does the same with their uber-clean streets, beautiful night quarters, and firm laws (No selling gum, No spitting, and Drugs=death penalty; to name a few.) Alongside Singapore’s determination, the city never fails to emit its welcoming charm. Speaking of which, our cab driver from the airport had us practically convinced to move there. Now which part did we like best...was it the on-top-of-their-game economy in a classy yet homey atmosphere? Or more the safe yet big city feel with a year-round tropical climate? Tough choices, but we resisted the move and instead soaked up our three nights there.
New experiences included high-rise views, trendy dance clubs, and late-night dishes. Our friend Theo lives in the city (also worked for Southwestern) and was more than generous in taking us out on the town. After experiencing the chic yet energetic nightlife, Theo introduced us to late night snacks in the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market. We couldn't pass up trying stingray, "carrot cake" made from rice & egg, and fruity snow cones sprinkled with beans and corn. To our surprise, our taste buds enjoyed them all. Is that a sign we've been in Asia too long?!
TIME TO FLY HOME...OR we can miss our flight and spend the day in Malaysia!
Scheduled Plan to get home:
6:45AM Fly to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.
9:00AM Fly to Tokyo.
Following day, fly from Tokyo to USA.
Our "Whoops, we need a new plan" Plan:
6:40AM: Wake up and realize our flight leaves in 5 minutes.
6:41: Come to the conclusion we're not going to make it.
6:50: Cab ride to airport, get flight changed.
10:00 AM Arrive in Kuala Lumpur and realize we've landed in "THE BEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD." They market it that way, so we'll believe it!
We then enjoyed 4 hours of free Internet (standing computers only) and decided the legs could use a break. We still had until 10:00 that evening for our flight to leave for Tokyo. What better than to pass the time by checking out a nearby hotel for their swimming pool! We took the airport golf-cart transit to the nearest hotel and realized our swimming suits were on their way to Tokyo with our bags. But, we happened to have our "other" suits (we couldn't pass up tailor-made suits for cheap in Thailand) to help us blend in in this classy place. We reserved a spot to play, somehow for free, (did our dressing up help?) with the staff at this hotel's 5 star fitness spa. Needless to say, we had incomparable barefoot fun as we matched up against two British guests in the tennis court. Before we knew it we were headed to Tokyo and were glad to have experienced a "not-your-average layover" in the Kuala Lumpur airport!You may be wondering what became of our rather pale travel companion: the whiteboard. She did make her way to Tokyo with us, but got confiscated at border control. Apparently, she's been around too much... Just kidding, but we did lose it at immigration. Ironically, it was the last day of our backpacking adventure; how fitting that the whiteboard was left where the journey began.
