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Day One
We arrived at Changi airport in the early evening after the 13 hour flight from Heathrow. We slept through most of the flight and watched a couple of films so it didn't feel so long.
When we got to the airport we were greeted by a scary looking man, who waved his hands extravigantly whilst stamping our passports. Once we had got our bags we found our hotel suyprisingly easily. The tubes are easy to navigate and to our relief air-conditioned.
The hotel was very nice and Sion was particularly impressed by a piano playing itself in the lobby. We were on the 14th floor, and our room had a lovely view of the city below.
Day Two
Breakfast was an American buffet, Singapore style, as it included noodles and some very strange chicken sausages.
Our first day of exploring took us eventually (as Sion got us lost) to the Botanica gardens. We took lots of pictures here and visited the Orchid Gardens. It was extremely hot and humid, even in the shade. So we drank lots of water and put on sun tan lotion, so you can stop worrying mums. Just as we were leaving the Botanical Gardens it started to rain, which at first was a welcome relief from the heat. But it soon became clear this was big rain! And with the big rain came big thunder! So we ran for shelter in a little hut. The thunder and lightning echoed around us getting louder and louder and was quite scary. We sheltered for about an hour, until the rain had turned to a drizzle, then we ventured out again.
The temperature during the evening was a lot cooler, so we went to explore China town. Our first priority was to find something to eat. So we headed towards the food quarter on Smith Street. We were greeted by 50 or so small stalls, each offering a strange selection of concoctions. We decided to give the pig organ soup and the fish head soup a miss. Instead we went for a more familiar option of Satay Chicken, Pork and Mutton. Having enjoyed the Satay, we plucked up the courage to try something more adventerous. The pig organ soup was still a step too far, so we opted for the seaweed and meatball soup. This was very tasty, although Rachel didn't like the meatballs and Sion didn't like the seaweed. We are still unsure what type of meat it was. Having had enough culinary adventures for one evening we looked around the market stalls, before heading back to the hotel.
Day Three
The next day we headed to Little India. It was completely different to other areas of Singapore. As the name suggests, it is how we imagine India to be. The streets were narrow, cars everywhere tooting at each other, and paying little attention to the rules of the road. Shops were squashed together and spilling out on to the pavement.
We escaped to a slightly calmer Kampong Glam, the Muslim quarter of Singapore. It was a nice area with several highly decorated temples. We were getting very hot and decided to head back to the hotel. On our way we stopped for lunch at a food market, very similar to that of China town. This time we were prepared and knew what to do. Rachel opted for crispy noodles, and Sion had Pork, Ginger, Onion and Rice. They were delicious, each costing $3 (less than 1.5GBP). We were still in need of refreshment so bought two fruit milkshakes we had seen the locals drinking the night before. They were indeed refreshing and cooled us down ready for the final stint to the hotel.
We changed into more suitable attire ready for our next destination. Raffles. On our arrival we discovered our best efforts at looking posh were dismal. Never the less we entered the centre court yard and ordered two Singapore slings. We took our seats and waited for our drinks, expectations were high. As were the prices, $24 each (12GBP) plus service charge on top. Total of $56! We were not dissapointed. The red drink arrived in a tall glass, with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
By now we only had time for one last attraction, the night safari. We were both looking forward to this. We caught a bus from outside our hotel and it was just starting to get dark when we arrived. We got a tram, which took us on a 40 minute guided tour. We really enjoyed the safari, the animals were a lot more lively at night. They were really close to the tram, some within touching distance. After the tour there was an animal show, which was also good. There was just enough time to get something to eat before getting back on the bus to the hotel.
Overall we really enjoyed Singapore and would have liked to spend more time there. We were supprised at how little we spent and how hot and humid it was.
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