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A long flight and a great sense of expectation as I arrived. 32'C - hot and humid..the flight in was really amazing with huge cloud castles. It was very hard to see where the land ends and the sea begins. Too zonked to pay much attention to the journey to the hotel. Went out for a wander along by the river and came back to the hotel at about 12.30 am having spotted somewhere that Joey and I could have supper the following night.
I sat outside the hotel having supper..my time clock is really mixed up but I slept surprisingly well..so much so that I didn't wake until 8.30 and I had to be at the airport to meet Joey at 10.00! I got there just the right time..it was lovely to see her again! Back to the hotel so she could dump her stuff then we set off exploring.
We walked along the river and then up to orchard road..full of shopping malls that seem to go as far underground as they do above. We went to the top of Orchard mall to look at the city. Fantastic views all around and we spotted the little row of chinese shop houses that Joey had found before.
On the way back down much to joey's delight we spotted a dean and delucca, so of course we had to stop for a coffee.
The chinese shop houses, Emerald Hill were a little paradise in amongst the the sky scrapers, with curving roofs, carved doors and shutters and beautiful colours. Some had been turned into bars but quite a few were lived in.
We then took the MRT to little India. We wanted to find a beautifully decorated temple..but we managed to walk right past it as it was all boarded up.
Little india was a blow to the senses with people, sounds and scents, brightly coloured buildings and shops where you could buy anything! Had lunch in an indian restaurant as the smell in the market was just too overpowering!
Time was getting on and we had to be back for the night safari and we were hoping to swim in the pool at the hotel..on the 5th floor.. we were planning to walk back from clarkes quay along the river but the torrential rain put a stop to that! Back to the hotel for a quick shower and then off to the night safari.
The night safari was a great experience. .. a tram ride round half the zoo with so many animals to see...lions and tigers and bears oh my!! Then you have the opportunity to walk around the various trails..Joey and I got so involved we missed the coach home..bit of a mission to get back, involving a public bus, the MRT and a walk along Clarkes quay back to the hotel, stopping for a late supper at EM. Finally got to bed by 1.15..and we had to be up and out by 8.30 the next morning.
Surprisingly little effect from the jet lag...yet!
Joey was very excited about the prospect of real bacon for breakfast at the hotel, one of the things she has been missing in Jakarta. The city tour was next on our agenda, a quick way to look around. First stop was the Merlion, half lion, half fish and Singapore's welcoming symbol..then a beautiful temple in little china, a gem factory with some very tacky exhibits, the botanic gardens to see the orchids and then on to tekka market - a great place to eat if you can stand the pressure.. and the smells. Next stop was the Singapore flyer, bigger than the London eye it gives a fantastic view of the city.
We were hoping it was going to be tall enough to see the top of the marina sands hotel...but it wasn't. There is a 50 metre swimming pool,trees, a restaurant and a viewing platform at the top of the hotel. From the flyer we had fantastic views of the city and clever beautifully designed art and science museum in the shape of a giant water lily.
We walked the giant helix from the flyer to he shoppes at marina bay and had lunch at a toast box..nothing special but ridiculously cheap.
Then Raffles and a Singapore sling...it had to be done. Very atmospheric and not too crowded. Joey and I sat at the bar, cracked monkey nuts and dropped the shells on the floor and toasted each other, Singapore and life in general!
The afternoon was getting on but we still had enough time to finish off our trip to Singapore with a boat trip around the bay. Another perspective of the merlion and a view of the quays, redeveloped into restaurants and bars, surrounded by towering sky scrapers!
Back to the hotel and off to the airport..sad to say goodbye to Joey. It had been a lovely if busy weekend..and I'm looking forward to our Indonesian adventure together..
All the photos are on my facebook page
Australia, here I come
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