First night out in singapore.

Check out that hotel in the background. It has an infinity pool on the roof deck.

Last night, AJ, Linna and I went out for dinner with AJ's co-worker Dolly (the woman he is replacing at the Singapore office when she goes on maternity leave next week) and her husband Brian. This couple is so much fun and we could have hung out with them much later into the evening! Dolly is Chinese and from Singapore, and Brian is from Ireland. They actually met through working together. They're expecting their first child (a little girl) in the next couple weeks, so it was so interesting talking to Dolly about her expectations, plans, and pregnancy stories.

Dolly and Brian.

Our first beers in Singapore.

Dolly and Brian took us to a restaurant called IndoChine on the Singapore River, and the food was outstanding! Dolly described it as an Asian-fusion restaurant, and I think it was the perfect place to take an American couple, trying to ease their way into traditional Asian cuisine. We had the Cha Gio (Crispy Vietnamese Vegetarian Spring Rolls) and the Chao Tom (Prawn Quenelles on Sugarcane) as starters, and both were amazing! I would eat them both again, anytime, anywhere. We also had our first beers in Singapore, which were much needed:) I ordered the Singha beer from Thailand, and AJ had some kind of Belgium beer. I tasted both and they were superb! Beer here has a little bit of a sweeter taste than beer at home. I am a fan, except for the price! Alcohol here is VERY expensive.

A view from the river.

For dinner, I ordered the Mee Khmer, which is basically a thin noodle dish with chicken, tofu and vegetables. It's probably the closest thing to a Pad Thai, and was delicious! AJ ordered that Crispy Sea Khmer Style, and I can't say I was too big of a fan of this dish. It tasted too "fishy" for me, but AJ seemed to love it.

There were were so many expensive, foreign cars
parked in this hotel. I should have taken a photo - unreal.

Linna all dressed up for her first night out in Singapore.

Dolly and Brian also showed AJ, Linna and I the views of the hotels and buildings along the water. The views were spectacular, and are the best I've seen so far. The entire city was lit up, and since it was a Friday night, there were a lot of people heading out to clubs and bars. The photos we took don't do this city justice, as it was a little hazy out last night. AJ and I agreed that this part of Singapore reminded us of Chicago, as there are restaurants and bars all along the river. It was truly amazing!

Linna was an excellent little guest! She actually had her first ride in the car on the car without being in a car seat. This made me a little nervous, but there's no way we were going to drag her car seat and stroller around with us. Once we got her in her stroller and gave her a bottle, she had no problem just falling asleep on her own while we enjoyed our dinner and great company. When we got home around 10pm, we put her in her pajamas, and she laid right down and went to sleep in her pack n' play! Last night was actually the first night she didn't wake up crying, and I didn't have to bring her in bed with me (praise Jesus). Since she has been sleeping so poorly in her pack n' play, my friend Arleigh actually told me to try putting a soft blanket under her sheet, so I put a smaller down comforter under it. I don't know if that's the reason for her staying in her pack n' play and sleeping until 6am (she's been getting up at 5am since we arrived in Singapore), but we'll try it again tonight!

Our good little dinner guest.

It was so wonderful being in the company of two wonderful people last night, giving AJ and I an opportunity to have some "adult time". Linna was so well behaved, so I think we'll bring her out again another time!