Down on the Equator...

It was hard saying farewell to Australia!  It’s one of those horrible times when you reminisce and end up depressing yourself.  But it was a wonderful trip, and we are very blessed to have been able to go there!  The weather, atmosphere, buildings, people, and animals – all have been very special and unique here and I’ll miss it!

To sum up our trip in Australia, we took the time to really explore the shopping areas of Melbourne.  That would cover a lot of ground!  Malls and shopping centers are a major part of the city, as I’ve mentioned the people here are very sharply dressed.   The prices were extravagant, so window shopping was our main hobby.  It was fascinating to see the malls in large numbers, and each one had around six levels of shops.  Talk about exercising while shopping! 

For our last night in Australia we wandered the streets of Melbourne looking for a place to eat.  At night, the streets are lively and lit up and filled with excitement.  We searched until we picked a restaurant that had a variety of food, and were ‘serenaded’ as we ate – next to the restaurant was a campfire (yes, in a city!) where the public could go and sing with this little band there.  It was a cute, quaint little atmosphere, and a great way to end our evening.

Melbourne by night

In the morning, to see us off, some lovely hot air balloons were in the air!  Seven, to be exact, and they glided through the sky as the sun rose.  I had always looked forward to Australian sunsets – but the sunrises are just as breathtaking I’ve learned!  The airport was a frustrating experience because they are so strict and a little disorganized.  The line to check in baggage to Singapore was the longest line in the airport, and had a small, slow workforce working the luggage.  But it’s an experience. 

A hot air balloon over Melbourne!

Singapore is amazing!  Again I was struck by how lush and vividly green it is here!  And the humidity, of course, is something to get used to.  It feels like when you've just taken a shower and the bathroom is steamed.  But I like the heat; it’s such a contrast to the freezing Melbourne air. 

Singapore: isn't it beautiful?

Sunday we headed off to church.  The church here is very unique and nice.  It’s a large building four stories high, and we went to the English ward.   For a change, the Asian population didn’t dominate during Sacrament meeting.   The ward there is full of people who live temporarily in Singapore.  In our Sunday school class we went through everyone’s names, and how long they’ve been there.  More than half of the class was “One week.”  “Two months.”  In Young Women’s, they asked who was leaving this week, and around half raised their hands.  I don’t feel so odd to be staying here so shortly!  Church was nice and the leaders extremely welcoming and filled with personality. 

Like Melbourne, Singapore has a great deal of shops and things to do.  Just arriving, it’s a little too much to absorb.  Where do you start?  To begin, we took a bus to Orchard Road, a road famous for their many shops.   We had fun browsing the low class, inexpensive malls, and then moved on to the high class, exclusive, costly malls.  In the inexpensive mall, we found that the people there are more likely to trap you in their shop and bargain with you.  If you show the slightest interest in something they are over your shoulders, asking you what your price range is and lowering the price saying, “Final price!  Final price!”  I think their tactic is to pester you enough so you’ll buy something to get rid of them.  That has been amusing!

A hotel with with what appears to be a boat on top

We haven’t even gotten deep into our exploring of Singapore yet, and there are so many things to do!  I’m excited to see China Town and Little India and the building that looks like it has a boat on it.  Hope all is going well there, and I miss English!

~Kristen