And, what's next?

We are sitting at 'Kuala Lumpur International Airport' and our flight is not even appearing on the departure board. That probably won't happen anytime soon... The 'KL International Airport' is, as the name suggests, quite international. From Swiss watches to German chocolate and American fast food chains to Malaysian souvenirs, you can find everything here. In front of me, on an extremely pixelated television screen, something like the Malaysian version of 'Candid Camera' is running...

Time to take a look back. After all, we have learned a lot about Singapore, its residents, and traveling in general (also, the internet is great right now, thanks to the Malaysians who kindly provided it without login or password).

But first, a summary of yesterday's day: After sleeping 'until the cows come home,' we decided to take it easy. We had originally planned to spend a relaxing day on the entertainment island 'Sentosa', but since it was pouring rain and thunderstorming (the weather forecast didn't give us much hope either), we needed a plan B. After a relaxed burger breakfast at our favorite burger joint (well, we had discovered it out of necessity the day before), we headed to the 'Tiong Bahru' district, where there was supposedly a great market. However, this turned out to be a clear disappointment! At least we met an incredibly nice woman who approached us on the bus and asked if she could help us (apparently we looked very helpless and lost, which we actually were). She even took us to the right MRT station herself! That's what I call courage... We also ate an incredibly delicious cupcake at a hipster café (similar to 'Brotklappe' in Weimar). Mine was called 'Black Sesame and Miso Caramel' (which sums up our current eating habits quite well...).

When the weather cleared up a bit, we finally went to 'Sentosa Island'. We made a pathetic attempt to build a sandcastle and watched the ships from the southernmost point of continental Asia against the backdrop of the setting sun.

Our Summary

About Singapore:

1. Singapore is green. The streets are lined with trees, and there is at least one plant on every balcony. This makes the city beautiful and also does something good for the environment. That's the really nice thing there, glass, concrete, and plants live in harmony.

2. Singapore is diverse. From 'Chinatown' to 'Little India', from Buddhist temples to the 'Church of Singapore', the city-state is a place for many cultures. And although cultural groups sometimes live in their own neighborhoods, they seem to get along pretty well (at least that's how we felt). Subway announcements are made in four languages. The official language is English.

3. Singapore is clean. And it's really noticeable. You could eat off the floor in the subway (well, maybe not exactly). Everything is constantly being cleaned (although signs are kindly placed next to freshly polished floors to make you aware of them). In the less affluent areas, there might be something on the ground.

4. Singapore is 'tourist-friendly'. It's very easy to find your way around here. Everything is explained and well signposted. If you still can't find your way, just ask. English will get you a long way here, and tourists are treated with a lot of friendliness.

5. Singapore is 'western' (please read that with a lot of quotation marks, I just couldn't think of a better word). This is not a judgment or glorification of the West. What I mean is that we sometimes didn't even realize that we were in a completely different part of the world. Familiar things were everywhere.

6. Singapore is not as strict as you might think. Of course, there are many warning signs, but they are often presented in the form of funny comics. Some bans are also a bit unusual, like the chewing gum ban (allowed for medical purposes, by the way) and the ban on opening the smelly fruit 'durian' in public transport (I would love to know what has happened there).

About Singaporeans:

1. Singaporeans are stylish. We have never seen so many good-looking people in one place before. And that doesn't just happen by chance. Of course, there are the good Asian genes, but a lot of value is also placed on appearance here. This is also noticeable in public. Healthy juices are sold everywhere, tips for losing weight hang on the walls in large format (60kg is apparently an XL size here), and often the calorie count is indicated with the food. People are also jogging like crazy. When we strolled along the Marina Bay promenade, we saw at least 200 pairs of well-toned legs passing us by (well, if I had the opportunity to see the sunset at Marina Bay every day, I would probably start jogging too...)

2. Singaporeans are super friendly. See the nice woman from yesterday (among others).

3. Singaporeans take care of their elderly and vulnerable. It was really incredible. As soon as an older person entered the bus or train, at least three people stood up simultaneously to make room for them. There were also specially reserved seats for the elderly, pregnant women, injured people, etc. Elderly people sometimes pay less than children and receive discounts at supermarkets on some days.

About traveling:

Just go for it! Traveling is not difficult if you dare to ask or just 'do'. Planning is good and important, but sometimes it's also nice not to know what to expect...

And, what's next?

It's only 'just' four more hours until our flight finally leaves 'Kuala Lumpur International Airport'. But we'll manage to pass the time. After all, there is plenty to eat here and free WIFI. What more could you want?

After that, we will board a plane that will take us straight to Auckland. Let's see what awaits us there...

We hope you like our blog and don't just look at the pictures (like I would do with so much text).

Greetings from Kuala Lumpur, Richard and Maggi, October 28, 2016, 7:51 PM local time