Singapore Sojourn

Well this is it. 3 days in Singapore to finish off our big adventure for the year. We arrived in the evening after a full night of flying. With the time change we lost a day, as you do, but after unpacking and venturing out into the warm rain, all we wanted to do was find some dinner and then sleep. We woke the next morning reasonably well rested and decided to get out and stay busy to ward off any jet lag that might show itself and interfere with our adventures.

We jumped on a hop on, hop off bus to get a feel for the place. This turned out to be a great idea and with the one ticket we could do 5 tours over 2 days. We started with the City Tour and saw a lot of the new buildings, attractions & estates. The Merlion, Singapore River, The Singapore Flyer, Pit Lane from the first night Grand Prix race just run the week before. We passed the new Grandstand overlooking the floating sports stadium where the World Cup soccer is soon to be played. Still not sure what happens if the ball is kicked out of bounds and into the river. And of course, a ride down Orchard Rd. Once back at the beginning at Suntec City - an amazing five building complex, with the Fountain of Wealth in the centre - we took some time out for coffee and then jumped on another bus for the Heritage tour.

As the name suggests this trip took us through all the older parts of the city and we drove through the Colonial Heart of Singapore where most of the lovely old buildings now house Museums and History of the Colonial past. We passed through Clarke Quay, Bugis St, Little India and the Arab Quarter, not forgetting the jewel in Singapore's crown, The Raffles.

After lunch we jumped on the big Rhino bus to Sentosa Island. The trip to Sentosa took us over the bridge where you get a great view of all the new development that has and is still taking place in Singapore. (One huge area of construction is going to be a Casino development - The Integrated Resort, they called it). Once there we made our way to the Butterfly Park and spent some time with the delicate creatures and were also entertained by a colourful bird show. A walk down to see the Merlion and then it was time to catch the bus back to Suntec city. All this made for a great days sightseeing but enough was enough was for one day, it was time to hit the streets. We wandered for a while until caught in a tropical downpour when we decided it was time to call it a day. We had a date that night with some wild animals.

The Night Safari is an excellent way to see the animals. In the Zoo you are lucky if you see them dozing in the sun or hiding behind rocks. Here they become active at night and you get driven past them in a Safari tram. All lights are off with just some gentle flares along the way. We saw most of the animals active during this ride and after sitting in on wildlife show we then were able to wander the many (dark) pathways to see more of the animals close up. A great place to visit when you are there next.

The following day we stayed with the animal theme and went along to see The Jurong Bird park. It was great and we spent most of the day there. We sat in on two shows and while the birds are not fully trained they are very entertaining and do some amazing stunts. The fully enclosed bird aviary with a huge waterfall was one of the highlights of the park. We had a great day.

Once back in the City we jumped on board the Singapore Flyer for a birds eye look at the city. The wheel at 165 metres is 30 metres higher than the London Eye. The breathtaking, panoramic views of the Marina Bay, the island city and beyond is great though the rain & the humidity does make it fuzzier around the edges. A great way to see the whole area though not so historic as London. Just does not have the same WOW factor. Still worth the experience though.

That night we took our last bus ride of the tour from yesterday and jumped on the Red Lantern Tour for a look at the 'Real Singapore', The Red Lantern District and Little India at night. The trip started out in suburban Singapore at one of the Highrise Complexes where we could wander around with the locals. We had dinner in the local markets, yummy, and a look at where the locals lived, shopped, socialised and dined. From there we drove on through Little India, all lit up and decorated for the coming Deepvali Festival. Half an hour later saw us getting off the bus for a walk through the Gayland district. This is the Red Light district covering about 8 blocks. All legal here and supposedly licensed but only in this district. We all got back on the bus just amazed at the sheer numbers of young girls we had seen 'working'. A sight you must see to believe. Orchard Rd shops at night brought us back to a Singapore we all knew much better. At this it was time to call it a night and head home to bed again.

The next morning we donned the 'Glad Rags' and walked to Raffles where we had breakfast. It is just as grand on the inside and the service was impeccable. A real treat. We then spent a couple hours checking out the shops on Orchard Rd before we went back to the Hotel to pack. A delay saw us spend a little longer in the airport than we had planned but if you have to spend time anywhere then Changi Airport is not the worst place you could be stuck.

One more flight and we arrived home safely in the early hours of the next morning finishing off what had been a great 3 weeks. We had had the best time and seen some wonderful places. But it was good to crawl into our own bed again and wonder what tomorrow would bring.

Until next time...........