Short posts
- what you say when youโre on a very long trip. -S๐ธ๐ฌ
A few shots from Gardens by the Bay in Singapore -S๐ธ๐ฌ
Night scenes from Singapore -S๐ธ๐ฌ
โThis is my last day for these clothes.โ
When your beer comes withโฆice and a straw?? ๐ง๐คจ
(it is an excellent cherry/raspberry/apricot smoothie sour from a Latvian brewery) -S๐ธ๐ฌ

A random Singaporean street scene -S ๐ธ๐ฌ
Sunset over Singapore, from our hotelโs rooftop pool. -S ๐ธ๐ฌ
Other random shots from Singaporeโs Chinatown. -J ๐ธ๐ฌ










Street art scenes in Singaporeโs Chinatown -S ๐ธ๐ฌ
Random shots from our walk around Singapore. We specifically visited Merlion Park, home of Singaporeโs iconic half-lion, half-fish statue/fountain. -J ๐ธ๐ฌ









Hit an Irish Pub in our 19th country today -Singapore! (19/32) -J ๐ธ๐ฌ



A bit more history on this place, the first Irish pub to open in Singapore (back in 1995):
A quintessential Irish pub Molly Maloneโs was the first Irish pub to open in Singapore, way back in 1995. More than a quarter-century on, she still maintains that unrivalled jovial atmosphere intrinsic to any classic Irish Pub.
Molly Maloneโs Irish Pub was actually born in Ireland and transported piece by piece to Singapore, where she was reconstructed in 1995 on the corner of Circular Road and Canton Street. There she remained for just over 9 years, before packing up house and moving across the street to the helm of Circular Road on Christmas Eve of 2004.
Colombo National Museum and Independence Square
Sri Lanka has a National Museum that was built and opened in 1877. It focuses on the various Sri Lankan Kingdoms that existed before the Dutch took over in 1658, and the subsequent British rule (1796-1948). Interestingly, the museum now holds 6 artifacts that the Dutch took in approximately 1765, that were only returned to Sri Lanka in 2023. -J ๐ฑ๐ฐ

Wow-look at those feet!








We also visited Independence Square, dedicated to the independence gained from the British in 1948 (the museum there was closed when we went).


We havenโt seen much of Singapore yet, but I can confirm that the airport kicks ass. You see that instantly upon arriving at immigration, which took 20 whole seconds. Baggage claim ainโt too shabby either. And of course, the Jewel waterfall is pretty damn cool. Thereโs so much more too! -S๐ธ๐ฌ
Weโve been hunkered down in Singapore since Monday, after we both started to feel sick the night before our flight to the Maldives. We pulled an audible, deciding that it was better to skip our Maldives visit entirely and head directly to Singapore, where weโd have an entire week to get better. -S๐ธ๐ฌ
Itโs always interesting seeing what American fast food companies sell overseas. -S ๐ฑ๐ฐ

The highlight of Yala Natl Parkโperhaps the top wildlife experience of our whole tripโwas seeing a Sri Lankan leopard! We followed it for a long time, tracking it thru four areas of dense vegetation.
But this last portion was the best: we watched it (unsuccessfully) go after a spotted deer! -S๐ฑ๐ฐ
Monkeys just never follow the rules. -S ๐ฑ๐ฐ

Today was all about Sri Lankan history and culture. Over the course of a 16-hour private day tour, we visited 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites: the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the Dambulla Cave Temple, and Sigiriya (the Lion Rock Fortress). More photos of each coming this weekend -S ๐ฑ๐ฐ
Speaking of elephants, we saw several along the road as we drove thru Minneriya National Parkโour first in Asia. -S ๐ฑ๐ฐ

Donโt be a douchenozzle and pay to ride an elephant. Just donโt. -S ๐ฑ๐ฐ

Iโve noticed some of these โforeigners onlyโ toilet facilities here in Sri Lanka.
They seem to be around touristy areas, where foreigners pay a higher fee. The (controversial) idea is that Western visitors might have higher expectations of hygiene than what is often found in public toilets. -S ๐ฑ๐ฐ
