In November, I kicked off my marathon trip to Asia, with Singapore as my first stop. I have been looking forward to visiting many countries in Asia but was especially excited to explore Singapore after hearing rave reviews from friends who visited. I took the red-eye flight on China Airlines‘ Boeing 777 aircraft, featuring the carrier’s redesigned business class, and arrived in Singapore on a Sunday afternoon. I checked into Pan Pacific Singapore and was pleasantly surprised to have a perfect view of the Marina Bay Sands building from my room. I was absolutely blown away by this architectural beauty the entire trip! How did they build this with a ship on top of the building?! It is just incredible. After getting settled in the hotel room and prepping for the busy week ahead, I had some time to explore the city. I wandered over to Marina Bay Sands and went to the SkyDeck to enjoy sweeping views of the city. The Gardens By The Bay were exquisite; Singapore is known for creating new hybrids of orchids, commonly naming them after certain famous people as an honor. Everyone told me I had to eat spicy chili crab while in Singapore, so I ventured out into one of the most popular local spots in Geylang — No SignBoard Seafood. As a side note, there are so many moments while traveling solo I wished someone was there to witness the hilarity of certain situations. The hostess sat me at an eight-person table, but I was clearly there by myself, and the chef came out with two huge crabs to choose from. After telling him (playing charades) I can’t eat that much crab, he came back with and served a baby crab. I had never tasted spicy chili crab, and it was definitely one of the highlights on my culinary adventure through Asia. I used Uber to visit Little India, where the streets were packed! The locals were preparing for Deepavali, a festival Hindus celebrate to commemorate Lord Rama. The whole city was decorated beautifully in celebration of this holiday. Everywhere I went, hotels and every business had a Deepavali decoration or display. After Little India, I walked around the area known as Clarke Quay, located on the Singapore River, featuring many bars, restaurants and shops; I loved all the colorful buildings! I loved Singapore for a number of reasons and was blown away by the architecture and the cleanliness of the city, only 50 years old. This is a country full of culture, with four distinct ethnic groups living harmoniously as one. Happy 50^th Anniversary, Singapore! You are beautiful. Shiok! #SG50 — Rafie Iannello, account director, Pacific Rim