Chinese New Year … wow. 15 days of celebration. HUGE parades, fireworks, lots of food and festivities.
When mom & dad were here, we walked by the stands and decorations in the process of being built. It was neat to return to the grassy area outside the courthouse and see it covered in tents, lights and PEOPLE. Man, can asian countries draw a crowd. After “going with the flow” for quite some time, passed the mini-fair with rides that sounded like they came straight from Coney Island … through the bean bag toss and cotton candy … we found the more unique offerings … starting with hand twisted candy creations — made into intricate shapes of fish or birds and carefully attached to a long stick … we found the “stinky tofu” (man, a picture just can’t articulate the accuracy of that name!) and on to the full array of foods. We got a small sampling and dined in the grass, surrounded by illuminated shapes of the 12 Chinese astrological symbols.
We also read our fortunes. Mine was … pretty good. Conrad’s however … well … It was worthy of a photograph, but suffice it to say, we started looking for the goodluck talisman immediately 
Somehow we managed to meet up with Mark & Sarah just before the fireworks. Then we headed up to Arab Street for a little vino (the irony of heading to a bar around the corner of a mosque wasn’t lost on many). Instead of a pub, we found a hookah bar … oriental rugs lining the floor, low tables, lots of pillows and dim lighting .. the room was small and on the second floor, perched above a little cafe with windows overlooking the street below — we felt like we were in Morocco or India.
A fantastic last big hooray in Singapore, a reminder to just how amazingly diverse the culture in Singapore can be … and a great send off for Thailand.
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