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Hello from Clarke Quay,
Today is my final day in Singapore before I move on to Malaysia and my first stop Tioman Island. I am currently sat waiting for the Riverboat Cruise so that I can sail up and down the river with a commentary to tell me a little bit about this place.
After breakfast this morning I got on the bus to Orchard Road. A very long road with over 30 malls along it. The road is lined with the most amazing trees that are very tall yet only have leaves at the top. They provide a great shade so walking down the street was a good start to the day.
I have just arrived at Clarke Quay after another bus ride and this place certainly looks like it will come to life in the evening! It reminds me of what the Malia strip looked like as we finished our nights out at 7am! Time for the boat... I'll be back soon :)
Good evening...
It's now 7:35pm and I'm off for an evening of Singapore Slings and Nuts, it's the thing to do so I believe.
The boat ride around the Singapore River was lovely and a great way to have a final look around what is a beautiful city! I enjoyed learning a little history about the place on the way around and took my final selfies with the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
I then worked my way over to China town to join a free walking tour, again another 'gem' if you're a traveller. It was good to learn about how Mr Raffles himself designed Singapore as a city stop on the India - China trade route. I then enjoyed Sweet and Sour Chicken on Hawker Street before returning to the hostel after buying a magnet and some Tiger Balm for my bites.
When I got back to the hostel I was ready to have a shower, sort my pictures out and then go to bed. Tomorrow I have to leave the hostel at 5:30am to get my 6:15am bus into Malaysia.
I got the chance to speak to Tara too which was lovely, she was sat by the pool in Koh Samui! I am reading her blogs of her travels which she sends me. It's funny that we both like exploring and record it in the same way. I cannot wait until we have to take it in turns to write! I've been thinking a lot today about how much she means to me and it's great to turn my wifi on, when I can get it, to find messages from her!!
It is quite fitting I am on my to Mr Raffles hotel on my last night and as I sit on the top deck of bus 133 I am glad I changed my mind and decided to explore rather than staying in! After learning all about the man himself today I look forward to chucking my nut shells all over the floor. I'll let you know what I think in a while. Tra for now :)
Well hello... I'm surrounded by nuts and I'm slowly, very slowly, savouring every last drop of this very expensive girls drink.
I'm in the Long Bar in The Raffles Hotel thinking up possible dips or sauces that could go with my very bland meal of nuts. A Chinese waiter called Jim, which I don't believe is his name for one minute, has just explained to me how the nuts are grown. I tried my best to be as interested as possible!
Apparently it is 100 years since the original recipe for the Singapore Sling was thought up and I dread to think how much money it has made in that time! I estimate, going off an average of selling 700 a day for $35 (as advised by Jim), that in 100 years the Singapore Sling has made $891,800,000!! Allowing for inflation and changing the cost to $20 to allow for this, my final estimate is $509,600,000 which is equivalent to £285,318,233!!!
An awful lot for a glass of ice, juice and a few spirits here and there!
Anyway, as the bar men shake their money tree, sorry mixers, for another £19..... Wait a minute! The bill has just come tax has been added!!!
Anyway... Time to locate some cheap food and head back to the hostel.
Hi again... 9:17pm, have a gone home to bed? Of course I haven't...
The bug of travelling and the need to see everything on offer has led me to the Marina Bay for the very last time once again. I am sat on the steps by the water directly opposite the Marina Bay Sands Hotel which stands majestically in a very impressive, but not huge skyline.
In 11 minutes the evening light show should start which I will enjoy drinking my $2 bottle of Fanta! The view is incredible! The city lights are reflecting of the water and it's very very peaceful. There is only one person missing, I'm sure you all know who I mean....
So as I sit here... Watching the beautiful Singapore skyline come alive with fountains, Lasers and Lights there is now firmly one man on my mind. As though I requested it 'What a Wonderful World', my Grandad's song, has just started to echo around the Marina as I sit here watching with tears rolling down my face. A coincidence it may be, but a very comforting one it is. It sure is a 'wonderful world' and I aim to see as much as it as possible. Singapore is the 33rd country I have visited and since Grandad Dennis, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Frank died I have thought about them all on every single trip. Usually it is a long boring bus ride that gives me the time to reflect and no doubt that time will come on this trip. I really am ready for bed now after what was a perfect end to my time here. Sorry if this made you cry Grandma... In your words...'I just can't believe it!'
I'm off to find the metro, a walk should stop me blubbering!
Night all x
I'm not done yet.... 10:16pm...
As I use the Singapore Bus service once again my thoughts turn to Dubai. A serious flaw of Dubai is the lack of public transport. I have loved getting around using the metro and buses over the last few days and it is has been a very efficient and pleasant way to travel anywhere and everywhere in the city.
All the services are on time, not over crowded and are all clean, unlike the similar London Underground!
My conclusion is that Singapore as a city would be a great place to live! There is literally everything going on from modern areas to historic areas, business areas to cultural areas. It has the nightlife at Clarke Quay if you want it, the beach on Sentosa for the weekend, the shops in the malls for the girls and even a number of sports stadiums for the boys! The people are all very welcoming, they live life at a good speed and life seems good. In 3 days I haven't seen any trouble, heard a siren or felt in the least bit threatened or in any danger. It's almost like what I imagine Dubai to be like when it's finished... I guess that's the difference a couple of hundred years history makes!
I wonder if there are any international schools in Singapore??!
I promise that's it for today... Time for bed...
Night all x
#hugesigh
- comments
Grandma Tom that is an amazing Blog ! Loved every bit of it . And yes I did cry !! I'm sure all grandparents are looking after you on your travels . And like me very proud of you !! all sounds amazing x
FG Lovely to read your reflections and to remember that those we love never leave us. x
FG On another note - I am going to take issue with your stereotypical view that girls are only interested in shopping and boys only in sport! Mind you, if I ever again have to watch football as bad as that played by England last week I may take up shopping as an interest, in which case I will head to Singapore. have fun, stay safe.x
Mags Aww-I welled up reading the last bit...I'm very glad you're having lots of fun and meeting up with people from all over. The world isn't so big a place after all! Safe travels xx
Jules Told you Singapore was my favourite place in this "wonderful world"
Martyn Glad you like Singapore Tom. One of my favourite places in the world