Easter in Singapore

Here comes Peter Cottontail hopping down…Orchard Road?

While the stores here have not jumped on the commercialism of the Easter holiday like the U.S., Easter is still celebrated in Singapore as there are a significant number of Christians in the country. (Good Friday is a national holiday.)

We celebrated Easter with an early mass at St. Ignatius Church. We found out it wasn’t our favorite church we’ve been to here, we chose it because it had an early mass. Early or evening masses are something you want to consider as many of the churches don’t have air conditioning. Luckily this was an ‘expat’ church therefore it had A/C but also lots of families, helpers and crying babies. (For those who care, our favorite church so far is St. Peter & Paul which is the exact opposite of the expat church.)

After a hour train ride each way (which was longer than we were actually in church) we joined our new friends from our building for brunch at one of our favorite places, P.S. Café- Ann Siang Hill. After a big brunch with bottomless champagne we finished off our day with a little Formula 1 Racing.

Wishing you all a Happy Belated Easter! The next public holiday on the official Singapore calendar is May 1^st which is Labour Day to celebrate the start of spring. 

Happy Trails, 

Amy & Raegen

The sticker shock phase

When we meet fellow expats the conversation always leads to “How long have you lived in Singapore?” We've been here two months now so we’re no longer the newest additions to the island but the common response from those who have been here longer is “Oh you’re still in the sticker shock phase.” Darn right we are!

Coming from the U.S. we have the upper hand in the sense that the conversion is about USD $1 to $1.27 SGD but that still doesn't make up the difference. We were prepared for the alcohol sticker shock but everything is more expensive than we thought with the exception of public transportation and taxis.

Below is a little quiz so you can be as shocked as we were on some of the price. (Prices are in SGD.) 

Coffee-mate French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

A.      $6.99

B.      $14.65

C.      $19.78

That morning cup of coffee just became more expensive...correct answer is B! 

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A brand new Toyota Camary

A.      $98,999

B.      $158,988

C.      125,999

D.      $1 Bob. (for all my Price is Right fans out there)

If you guessed B, you’re right!_________________________________________________________________

A 750 mL bottle of Barefoot Wine

A.      $19.99

B.      $23.97

C.      $26

That's right...the answer is C! And yes this wine is $5.98 in the U.S. and $26 is the sale price in S'pore!_________________________________________________________________

6-pack of Corona

A.      $22.05

B.      $28.05

C.      $34.05

If you guessed A, you’re right.

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Qwell brand, 3 burner gas grill (This is the price from the Singapore equivalent of a Wal-Mart, Giant.)

A.      $225

B.      $852

C.      $1499

The correct answer is...C! 

Welcome to the world! The sticker shock phase is a bit painful but we are on an island that imports everything (including power and water) so we are learning to live with it. We're looking forward to our first trip home where a $60 steak from Morton's is a smoking deal.

Happy Trails,

Amy & Raegen