Singapore - Day 1 - 3: Flight and Arrival

WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!  I am officially overseas and sitting on Patrice's couch in Singapore.  It is really neat to be here.

We got to the airport in Houston around 3pm on Tuesday and boarded our flight around 5pm.

So excited to get on the plane!!

Flying 11,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, and Asia is an interesting experience.  When we first got to our seats we made friends with this Russian guy, Igor. He seemed to be close to our age and very inquisitive about us and our life in America. We chatted it up with him for most of the flight.

Our plane from Houston to Singapore.

The flight took off and, once in the air, we were handed a hot towel by the stewardess. Jenna and I were not quite sure what to do with it, so we looked around and saw that people were wiping their hands and faces.  (The russian got a kick out of us not knowing what to do!)  Here is a pic of us and the hot towel...

What do we do with this??

After being in the air for a couple hours, we were served dinner.  We had a choice of a couple of things which was nice.

Dinner and a movie.

They fed us a lot.  Dinner, snacks, breakfast.  It was decent for airplane food.  Breakfast was the best part and we were super excited to see that yogurt was on the menu.  There were plenty of movies/tv shows to watch so it was easy to pass the time on the 12 hour flight.  I read some of my book on my iPad, watched a movie, ate, talked with our new friend Igor, and slept a couple of hours.

Our flight path from Houston to Moscow.

Before we knew it we landed in Moscow, Russia for our layover.  We had to walk through these hallways to go through security again.  The Moscow airport was very hot and crowded and smelled kinda funny.  We had to wait a little bit before we could get back on the plane....we could not wait to get out of there!!

The second flight from Moscow to Singapore was more difficult for me.  My body started to ache and I started to feel bloated form flying for almost 24 hours straight.

Sleepy from being on the plane for 24 hours!

Almost to Singapore!!

I watched a movie, ate dinner (not so good this round), read a little bit, and managed to get about 4 hours of sleep before breakfast was served again.  Breakfast was yummy!! We had this apricot yogurt, which was so good, I scraped the cup.  There was also delicious cherry jam to go with the roll.  I don't think I have ever eaten so much in a 24-hour period.

Best meal on the plane.

The best yogurt I have EVER had!

We got to Singapore on time (5:30am) and made it through customs.  I was so excited to have my first stamp on my passport!

So pumped!!

The airport here is very, very nice.  Jenna and I stopped off to go to the bathroom and were super impressed with the cleanliness! (A big shift from the airport in Moscow.) They have these "let-us-know-how-we're-doing" signs in all the bathrooms!! Lol.

As you exit the bathroom...

We saw Patrice as soon as we got to baggage claim and were so excited.  We got a cab to her house in the "Woodlands," which is located on the far north side of Singapore.  It's very different here.  LOTS of high rise apartment buildings...not to mention the fact they drive on the wrong side of the road!! :)   After unloading at Patrice's and snacking a little bit (it was close to 9pm Houston time), we showered and got ready to have an easy day.

We took the MRT (train) to the "Orchards," an area where there are lots of shopping malls and restaurants.  Even McDonalds to go is popular here....

Orchards shopping area.

McDonalds on the go....

Everything here is SUPER expensive. When we walked around the mall we saw dresses for $900!! We even saw this sign for underwear....

Really??

We ate lunch at this delicious chinese place and were stuffed by the time we were done eating.  It was so good!!

Delicious lunch.

After lunch, we came back to the house and talked with Patrice's son, Elliot, for a little bit.  Patrice, Jenna, and I walked down to the local "Fair Place" store to pick up a few things for dinner tonight.  Even food here is expensive!!

$13 for ice cream? And I thought Blue Bell was expensive!

But at least there is a little bit of home at the grocery store......

Yay for American brands!

It has been a VERY long three days.  It is Thursday evening here in Singapore and since Tuesday in the state I have slept about 6 hours.  I know that when night comes tonight, I am going to crash.  We have lots of activities and adventures planned for the next week so keep reading and seeing what I am up to!!

Love to you all!! :)