Slide into Singapore

Our first day in Singapore, we eased into our trip in the city called "Asia for Beginners." Arriving at our friends, the Kays after 2 a.m., we slept in quite late and after Sri Lanken tea fixed expertly by the Kays housekeeper Mem, we headed to The American Club. The city is pristine, clean and perfectly planted with tropical greenery everywhere you look. The Kays live in a fancy district in a marble high rise. It has an infinity pool, koi pond and tropical gardens at the entrance, private "lifts" to each residence--step into your own apartment. Theirs is four bedroom, five bath with spectacular 270 degree views of the city in every direction. They also look down on One Tree Hill, a pretty neighborhood of two story homes and gardens, surrounded by high rises.

Aside from the armed guard at the lush tropical entrance, we could have been at any fancy, private club in a big U.S. city. The guard is not typical of buildings in Sing, apparently the American Club could be a target of terrorism anywhere. The American Club here has even more facilities than your usual big city club. A lovely outdoor pool with the Sunday blow up slide ten feet high at one end and families having lunch around the pool. A breakfast buffet of which we partook that had full Western breakfast, made to order omelets, made to order crepes as well as Chinese and Indian buffets. The boys went bowling while the girls, Abby, Hilly and I had pedicures. Actually, don't tell anyone but the hubby joined us at the spa Sen for a little reflexology. There are squash courts, fitness facility, children's rooms, libraries, video game rooms, and more and more and more.

After our afternoon at the Club, we took a driving tour of Singapore. Little China, Little India, Raffles, the Fullerton, the wharf area with boats and shop houses lining the waterway, Orchard Road shopping district. Lovely. Clean. Everyone speaks English. The Garden City it is called. Beginning to see why. Off to bed.