When we first arrived, the humidity hit us like a punch in the face - it was incredibly moist and sticky, being at the height of the wet season - from which point we knew we would struggle with the climate for a few days at least.
Thankfully, Steve's brother's friend, Suresh, was waiting to collect us in his little red VW Beetle. I remember being a bit nervous about arriving there but as soon as he welcomed us and put us in the car I felt very relaxed and comfortable, which is how things stayed for the rest of our week in Singapore.Arriving at the house, we were ecstatic to see an electric gate and a rather plush looking house. Not that we had expected less, just that we had assumed we would be staying in an apartment like the majority of Singaporeans.
As Suresh's family was Sri Lankan, we were treated to a Sri Lankan dish (the name escapes me) which was had been toned down especially for us. I remember thinking that if that was toned down I might be in trouble for the rest of our time there! We also found a little strange having a live-in maid, also Sri Lankan, who waited on us and the family hand and foot. This was set off by the normality of it for the family, adding to our confusion.
We were on our best behaviour but couldn't help feeling a tad awkward having flown for 13 hours straight trying to be polite to a family whom we had never met before or had any real connection. It was fun all the same, with a couple of awkward silences at the table to boot!
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