Out to Dinner

I (Betsy) think last Friday was the first time I have ever exited one country, entered another country, went to dinner, and came back.

Yes, Singapore is a tiny country. We enjoy this wonderful country so very much. However, every once in a while we get a "hankering" for something American. Several of the staff at ICS were craving an American restaurant called TGI Fridays. Singapore doesn't have one. Malaysia does. And it is located right across the causeway (bridge linking Singapore with Malaysia across the Straits of Johor). So, we gathered our passports, green cards and Ringit (Malaysian money) and went on an adventure.

There is a bus that goes from Singapore to Malaysia. Of course we had to go through customs on both sides of the border. That was a small price to pay for a great American meal. Oh, then there were the cab drivers who wanted way more money for driving us to TGI Fridays than we were willing to pay. So we ended up "hoofing" it about 4 blocks to the restaurant.

Boy was that terrific food!! I had a great hamburger, fries, and non-sweet iced tea. Many of the others in our group also had desserts. I finished off a tasty sundae that Valerie couldn't finish.

After dinner, we called cabs and went back to customs. Over the causeway, an MRT ride, and another bus ride and viola! Home by 11.

Does any other Americans find this as amazing as I do? I mean, I spent about 3 or 4 hours in another country for food. I guess coming from such a huge country makes me forget how packed the countries are here in Asia. What fun! I loved it!!