Singapore & Thailand 2009

I could sit here with Craig all day and never get tired of the view.

Khai Nai Island.

The long tail boats are what I think of when I think Thailand. Of course I wanted my own picture.

Awww, the most beautiful place in the world (at least that I've ever seen). This is Maya Bay, made famous by "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio. I, like Richard in the movie, was the American tourist trying to find paradise. I believe I did find it on this beach.

Monkey Beach. The name says it all. When Sunny (like the sky), our tour guide, told us that he had seen one too many people get attacked by the monkey's, I took that as a sign to stay on the boat. Good thing for long camera lenses. Check out how this guy just hangs on by his toes.

This is the scenery that my dreams are made of. I've never seen anything so breathtaking in all of my life. This is Viking Cave. The locals travel here to collect the swift's nests used to make Bird's Nest Soup, yes it is what it sounds like, and no I didn't try it.

Patong Beach, Thailand. You can't just sit on the beach and relax, you've got vendors stopping by every two minutes trying to sell you something. It is definatley an experience sitting on this beach.

Another temple in Thailand. The artwork is so intricate and stunning. My picture doesn't do it justice.

You can't go to Asia and not have a dragon. I just loved this dragon on the beach.

Phuket, Thailand. This is one of the observation points on the island overlooking the three biggest beaches, Patong, Karon and Kata.

Not the best picture in the world, but some things are universal. Can you guess what these are?

The Singapore Flyer is the world's tallest observation wheel in the world, taller than the one in London (they are proud of that fact). It takes about 37 minutes to make one rotation. You get views of the entire country (Singapore is only about as long as a marathon 26.2 miles), as well as Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Merlion of Singapore is the most well know icon of Singapore. So, of course I had to take it's picture.

The plumeria's were so pretty and smelled so sweet. This has got to be my favorite flower of all time.

The National Orchid Garden in Singapore had the prettiest flowers. Purple being my favorite color made this one of my favorite flowers.

This is Omar, the male white tiger. He's just beautiful.

My favorite part of the Singapore Zoo was breakfast with the orangutans. They have it made in that zoo and are loved by the entire country. Ah Meng, who passed in away in 2008, was the only non-human ambassador to Singapore and was able to have tea with The Queen. This is one of her kids, Ah Meng Jr. And, I don't know if it was the heat or what, but if you are ever there I'd recommend stopping by the Ah Meng Restaurant for some iced lemon tea, it was amazing.

I'm so grateful that Craig and I had the opportunity to visit Singapore and Thailand in October. It was a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget. Being that close to the equator, it was probably the hottest trip I have ever taken. Singapore has so many wonderful places to visit and explore. And, if you like shopping, this is the place to go. I've never seen so many malls in my life. They put Rodeo Drive to shame. With the mix of different cultures, the temples were a great place to visit. My personal favorite was the pagoda on Pagoda Street in Chinatown. I'd like to thank the Travel Channel for filling my head with things to do while on vacation. Just like Samantha Brown, we went to the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel to have a Singapore Sling. Dhani Jones tackled the globe and made a stop in Singapore. He gave us the idea to go to the fish spa. Bridget's Sexiest Beaches gave the idea of Phuket, Thailand. In Thailand, we rode elephants, rode in a tuk tuk, watched a Muay Thai fight and of course visited some of the prettiest beaches in the world. Phi Phi Island was ranked by the Travel Channel as one of the top five beaches in the world, and after visiting, it has my vote. Also, thank you to the Godina's for making this all possible.