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Thank goodness we still had a few days in Singapore to help with the depressive state from leaving Bali. Having not spent much time in Singapore at the start of our trip, we were really able to tire ourselves out with all the site seeing we had to cram in which helped us feel ready to come home for some rest!
We arrived before midday and as we weren't able to check in to our hotel till 1pm we headed straight out for a wander. We hadn't intended it and clearly didn't read the location description properly, but we actually ended up staying just around the corner from our first accommodation, so thankfully we knew the neighbourhood. We found a quirky street with lots of cafes and shops where we stopped for a cool drink and to hide from the heat. We then decided it may be our only chance to go back to a delicious Indian restaurant and have their amazing butter chicken curry again, so we headed there for lunch. It was then time to check in to our room, and after a very late night and early start we felt we had earned an afternoon nap!
Feeling more refreshed, we headed out for some dinner in a lovely Thai restaurant we'd spotted at the start of our trip, and shared a delicious pad Thai and red Thai curry. After that we headed to the night safari which was really fun. The safari bus drove us around to see elephants, hyenas, rhinos, hippos, howling wolves, white lions and so much more. It was nice to see how much space the animals had and how open the enclosures seemed. On the way home we had a very helpful taxi driver who gave us lots of tips on where to visit. There was a Blue Jazz bar just by our hotel that he recommended so we headed there for a G&T and listened to some live jazz before nearly falling asleep at the table and deciding to call it a night.
We went to check out the water park the next day on Sentosa Island, with quite high expectations having visited the thrilling Siam Park in Tenerife last December. Unfortunately, the slides in Adventure Cove seemed no more thrilling than those at our local leisure centres in the UK in comparison to Siam Park, so we didn't end up spending the whole day here as expected. There were about 5 water slides excluding the tiny kiddie slides, so we left about 2:30pm to go and spend an hour at our hotel pool away from the hundreds of screaming children.
After a quick shower and change we grabbed a taxi over to Gardens by the Bay before sunset as we wanted to see them in daylight and all lit up at night. They even did a light show on the trees at 7:45pm which we were able to catch. We then wandered over to Marina Bay Sands; the most spectacular hotel in Singapore with a boat going along the top of the 3 towers. There was a water show here at 9:30pm we just about managed to catch after getting the times wrong and being stuck in a restaurant when it started. What we did manage to catch was incredible though.
We decided to check out the nightlife of Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, but we weren't too impressed with Clarke Quay so didn't end up staying there. We had a good time in one of the busy bars in Boat Quay though, and had a little dance.
After a late night we still made it up bright and early for the main event of Singapore... Universal Studios!! We'd been really looking forward to this day and ending our trip on a major high. We got there roughly for when the park opened and managed to do every every adult ride before the park closed at 6pm. Towards the end of the day a lot of the rides only had a few minutes waiting time, so managed to do all of our favourites a few times and ended up being some of the last to leave! It really was the perfect day, with lots of thrill-seeking excitement.
We got a taxi from Sentosa Island straight to Little India as the helpful taxi driver from the night before had recommended an Indian restaurant to us that we couldn't actually find until after we'd eaten somewhere else. But we couldn't regret our delicious meal of chicken tikka, dhal and garlic naan. We popped into the Mustapha Centre which is a big shopping mall selling practically everything and was very busy, with very few women so we didn't spend too long here as it was a little uncomfortable. But it wasn't a fruitless trip as I managed to get a neck pillow that I was very grateful for during our long trip home to the UK. We then walked along the main road to admire all the beautiful street lights that were up in celebration of Deepavali - a Hindu light festival. We then hopped on the bus to get back to our hotel and get packed and ready for our early flight home.
It really has been the best 38 days we could have asked for. We left the UK with a list of things we wanted to do, and managed to do everything on it and so much more, and it's truly exceeded our expectations. I also couldn't have asked for a better travel buddy, and would like to thank Gaby for such amazing experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. I am also truly grateful for each individual I have met during every adventure that have contributed to such great memories and experiences that I can look back on in this blog, and to my incredible family that consistently encourage and support me on my quests. I love you all.
It's now time for us to settle down in our new nursing careers which sadly do not allow too much time off for such long adventures, so although my wanderlust will never cease, I am bringing The Travel Journal to a close for now.
"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
"Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul." - Jamie Lyn Beatty
"Take only memories, leave only footprints." - Chief Seattle
"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." - Ibn Battuta
"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer"
"Collect Moments, Not Things."
"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
"Let's find some beautiful place to get lost"
- comments
wendy aw Jess I've loved reading your travel stories. if you don't enjoy nursing I'm sure you could have a career in journalism! Loved the quotes at the end of this too. All the best with your job. Pips xx
Gaby The last 38 days sure have been amazing and I couldn’t of wished to experience my first backpacking trip with anyone else. The memories we’ve made have been amazing and are memories I will never forget. Thank you for being a great travel buddy. Lots of love xxx