Monday, November 9, 2009

Duckboats and spicy octopus

Kelly:

After a few hours of sleep we began day 1 of our adventure today (some as early as 5am depending on our ability to defy time zones and sleeping patterns). Our first official meeting isn't until 6:15 tonight when we have a welcome dinner and training session on interviewing world leaders,so we spent the day exploring Singapore. The city/country has been completely taken over by APEC (meaning roads are blockade, welcome signs cover every inch of the city, etc). Our favorite part of the day: almost everything we would want to do is free for us as APEC delegates. All transportation is taken care of for example. Even better, we went on a duck boat tour (vehicle that travels on land and in the water) which is valued at $30, but was free for us. Also free is the $20 ferris wheel ride(think the London Eye but 30 meters bigger) and 12 other activities and museums.

When we told the organizing committee we were wandering around today they sent two Singaporeans with us as guides, and besides the tour we went on,we also explored markets, went to two temples, and sampled some local cuisine (Hannah ate the "Spicy Octopus Hot Plate"... she almost died).

Essentially, I (and we) love Singapore. If I could figure out a way to stay longer I would, and the meetings haven't even begun yet. The architecture here is amazing (seriously), the food is delicious and the people are incredibly accommodating. I am really excited for dinner tonight when we get to meet all the other delegates...

1 comment:

  1. I expect a full report on the "Spicy Octopus Hot Plate" - sounds delicious. Glad you're having a great time! N. Cook

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