Day 12: 11/30/23 - It's not called Singa-dry and sunny

The rain from the previous night had not stopped, and I was ready for a down day. After breakfast at the hotel, Kaia and Karen braved the rain to check out Chinatown markets, and I decided to be lazy and read. 

We reconvened for the afternoon history tour of the hotel, which included fun stories about Michael Jackson having breakfast with a gorilla and chimpanzee at the hotel, how Noel Coward composed the grandfather clock chime song, and less fun stories about how the Japanese Imperial Army took over the hotel during WWII and how a circus tiger got loose and was shot in the basement of the bar. 

We returned to Chinatown for dinner, where Kaia and Karen gave me the condensed version of what they had done earlier that day: outdoor market, large temples, pretty walk. After drinks at the historic Long bar with it's peanut strewn floor ("the only place in Singapore where you can litter!"), we packed for our impending departure. 

Back at the hawker center from before, Isaac watches a tense game of checkers. Kaia said this group had been playing since before noon!