Singapore

Well, I've done it! 

I have sipped a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel as the sun set over the yard arm.  It was a real Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn moment........Well OF1 may be a good Audrey but I don't cut the mustard.  I am also in Singapore not Casablanca but it the right era; "Play it again Sam".  However, the most expensive drink I have ever bought did not disappoint and we ate a great bag of peanuts to ensure we had the whole experience.  The idea of throwing the shells onto the floor to create that authentic ambience was great until I got up to leave and could not get any traction as they were like marbles on the polished tiles!!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our two day stop off here in this fascinating city.  Yesterday the two OFs were out of the airport bright eyed and bushy tailed despite significant sleep deprivation.  We dropped off the bags at our hotel and used the spotless underground to visit Marina Sands. We zoomed up to the 56th floor to the observation platform.  The marina bay hotel is built in the form of a ship on top of three skyscrapers (odd, perhaps, but very striking).  Most of the complex is a 2500 room top-of-the-range hotel, designer shopping mall, etc but the pointy end of the ship is a public observation platform (the rest is for the hotel residents including a restaurant and infinity pool).  There were great views over the city and port; many photos were taken. 

The extensive gardens (back on terra ferma now) were superb with the flora of different countries in each section.  In the middle are 'super trees' which are steel structures with plants growing up them - as featured on the last episode of Planet Earth.  There is a high level walkway between them. There are two massive ecosystem domes (a la Eden Project).  One is a flower dome which is self explanatory and had flowers from different biomes, such as desert, Mediterranean, etc.  However, the cloud forest one was the real gem. It is a 35m 'mountain' down which the world's biggest indoor waterfall flows and surrounded by great clouds of mist.  Lush planting reflects the change of ecosystems up a mountain.  However, the amazing thing is that you are whisked up to the top by lift then walk down via arial walkways to see the planting from afar (very scary for those of us (ie me) who are not keen on heights) and near. There are inside the mountain bits as well (not often you get elevators down a mountain!) to look out behind the waterfall.

In the evening we looked around Little India which has near our hotel.  It was like......well, a little piece of India!!  It had a real buzz with many locals and a few tourists.  We visited one of the original temples and had a meal in one of the recommended curry houses - delicious food eaten on banana leaves washed down with ice-cold Tiger beer.

We slept like logs for 12 hours then we were ready for the next round but we were slowed down by a thunderstorm outside! (you don't get many inside!!) . A leisurely brekky and we set off in anoraks (most locals opt for small umbrellas) to the highly rated National Museum.  This was excellent and the story of Singapore fascinating.  We enjoyed learning about the growth of the city - from Raffles to now.  I did not realise that Brexit is nothing new.  Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation briefly after independence but exited the organisation as it prevented Singapore being  a multicultural state.  Well not quite why some voted for Brexit but you can see a parallel.

The afternoon weather was dry and was spent wandering around the Colonial area and having a bumboat ride (as opposed to a bum boat ride) on the river which gave great views of the city.  After our Raffles experience we ended up eating al fresco on the river bank (under cover as the rain had returned) this time at a Tapas joint.  The fish and lamb were superb.  That concluded our Singapore experience and left us with things to do - the storm washed out our projected trip to the Botanical Gardens.

One small negative was discovered at the end of our stay.  I have my glasses case but mysteriously they do not contain any glasses.  They possibly fell out in transit or very probably they are at home.  OF1 is looking forward to driving 2.5k but where there is a problem there is an answer (I hope).  Afterall, I did pass the minibus driving eyesight test without my glasses a few weeks ago.

It is always difficult to sleep soundly as you lie in bed waiting for the alarm to get you up in time for an early morning taxi to the airport.  The problem was solved when my Mum's care home rang at 03.42 to ask if I could take her to a hospital appointment!!!  A few messages to sister Sue soon sorted the problem ("no") and I can only hope the updated contact information I gave the home before we left has now been actioned.

Pictures will follow when we have computer access as I did not take my phone on the trips - schoolboy error.

On to New Zealand...