After further discussion, we decided 3 days was not enough time in Singapore so we booked another 2 free nights at the Holiday Inn, but this time we booked the Holiday Inn Parkview on Orchard Road (it hadn't been available the previous few days). The Holiday Inn Atrium was OK, but the Holiday Inn Parkview was very nice and to make things even better we were upgraded to the junior suite and even got free beer coupons on arrival. We liked our room so much that we immediately went out and booked a third night.

Orchard Road is the main shopping area in Singapore (a city made for shopping) and it's covered with huge malls selling all kinds of stuff. We thought about buying a laptop or a camera but we didn't buy anything because a) we did not notice things being much cheaper than at home, and b) it felt like buying stuff on 42nd street in NYC (a little sleezy) so we just walked around a bit and then sat on a bench and started people watching, as well as watching the constant ads on this huge TV screen. That night we went to Little India where I had the best meal of this whole trip at a Nepalese/Indian restaurant called Amber. The staff there were so friendly and even brought us Nepalese tea to warm us up when it started to rain just as we were leaving (we had to sit there for another 30 minutes until it stopped). We were looking forward to going to sleep just to enjoy the comfy bed in our new room.

The next day, we were transported back to World War II and the capture of Singapore by the Japanese in 1942 when we went to Fort Canning. We went to the Battle Box and did a tour of the bunker where the Allied HQ was based. The Battle Box was good but paled in comparison to Fort Siloso where we observed the guns protecting the harbor and spent a few hours touring the fort and learning about WWII in Asia. I even got to play soldier on the kiddie obstacle course so it was everything a grown man could wish for. There were a lot of interactive displays that were fantastic. Fort Siloso is a Singaporean Must See for any history buffs out there.

The fort is on Sentosa Island, which is connected to Singapore by a bridge and also by cable car, which is the route we opted to take. The cable car gave us a great view over the entire harbor and we got to share our journey on the way over with 3 monks from Myanmar (Burma). Sentosa Island is a little like Disney World with amusement parks and lots of activities for kids and adults. Tons of sand have been imported and now they also have a nice beach and OK swimming right next to one of the busiest harbors in the world. There is also a small island on the southern side which is apparently “the southernmost point of mainland southeast Asia” since it's connected to Sentosa Island by a rope bridge, and the island is connected to Singapore Island by a bridge, and Singapore is connected to the Malaysian peninsula by another bridge. There is also an aquarium on Sentosa which we checked out and it's nice but not worth the $12 US as it was pretty small. The admission also included a dolphin show but we spent so much time at the fort that we missed the last show.

One of our favorite memories of Singapore has to be swimming in the rooftop pool at the HI Parkview and relaxing after a hard day's work. The only other thing that came close in the relaxing department was when Amie insisted I have a few beers during happy hour at the hotel while she sat back and enjoyed a Singapore Sling (cheers Tamara!).

Overall, we did enjoy Singapore and even though it's expensive by SEA standards, I do recommend going there if your budget can handle it. Even to leave Singapore, the bus prices were double what they were coming in from Malaysia so we took a shuttle bus back to the border and hopped on a bus from Johor Bahru (Malaysia) to Mersing (east coast of Malaysia).

Here's our best/worst list for Singapore:

Best hotel: Well, since we only stayed in two places it’s pretty easy. Holiday Inn Parkview was pretty fabulous. Beautiful lobby, gorgeous suites, probably the best pool we’ve seen, and excellent staff.

Worst hotel: The Holiday Inn Atrium (formerly the Concorde Hotel) was just OK.

Favorite meal: The food at the Amber Restaurant was a great combination of familiar Indian dishes with a Nepalese twist. Best Indian food we’ve had in SEA (since 2001).

Least favorite meal: McDonalds (Amie).

Top 5 experiences: Strolling the harborfront; hanging out at the HI Parkview swimming pool after a hard day, watching the thunderstorms roll in; Happy hour at the Parkview; the Night Safari; Sentosa Island.

Least favorite experience: The cost of everything (P)/Listening to Pearse whine about the cost of everything (A).

Cheapest day: $20.87 (free hotel, $7.5 museum admission and internet fees, $13.37 food).

Most expensive day: $151.56 (free hotel, $55.37 museum admission and buying a subway card, $44.06 for Pearse’s Indonesian visa, $24.38 for souvenirs; $27.75 food).