Monday morning we rode the bus again.
We did the brown line through different parts of the city and then the green line down to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is like being in Disney…..there are theme parks, lots of activities, beaches, free local buses, segways combined with Universal Studios etc. All very fake and we didn’t venture into any of the parks – we took the little tram ride and stopped off for a beer at a beach restaurant overlooking the huge ships anchored off. Again, even the beach we think was man-made…..
Back to the City we took the red line bus again to explore China Town. We wandered around and found another Michelin-recommended food court and ate one of Singapore’s signature dishes – Hainanese Chicken Rice. Was pretty tasty but not sure we’d repeat the experience LOL. After another late lunch we returned to the hotel for a couple of hours.
In the evening we walked the river to Boat Quay which is a popular destination for both fresh seafood and pubs / restaurants lining the river. We enjoyed a few beers and got chatting to some new friends from London LOL. After a good night we walked back to the hotel and didn’t actually get to bed until 2am. Phew was a long day!!!
Tuesday morning – after a restorative breakfast and coffee in the local mall – we headed off on the MTR to the Marina Bay Sands area. We visited the Art and Science Museum – which is inside the iconic lotus flower building surrounded by lily pads – and then wandered the mall. This is absolutely huge and very high end with the usual array of Gucci, Prada, Versace etc with many floors and amazing laser light chandeliers.
Shopping not really our scene we took a lift up to the Ce La Vi bar on the 58th floor of Tower 3 of the hotel and enjoyed a few glasses of bubbles whilst admiring the most amazing scenery from the port, to the Gardens and across to the City. Plus, of course, our hotel. This was a tip from our airport taxi driver – use the bar and pay S$20 each to access which is then offset against any food or drink ordered. Going up to the observation deck restricts you to just a small part of the hotel roof with no amenities. Great tip!!!
We then crossed the road to the Gardens by the Bay and thoroughly enjoyed the huge Supertree Grove (which is lit at night) and the Skyway. Stunning structures made even more amazing by the natural foliage climbing and flowering up their bases. We did take a selfie but not our best efforts as we are both hot, bothered and squinting at the sun.
Oh yes as well as lots of flowers there were some art installations. Check out this baby boy LOL.
After this we felt a bit jaded so returned again to our hotel.
Later on – our last night in Singapore – we headed off to another recommended food court which sits on the waterfront. More up-market with its proper cutlery and corporate branding on the plates whichever stall you used. My mission was to find some roasted duck – another Singaporean speciality – and Richard decided to have Thai. Really enjoyed it. After dinner we had a beer at a local hostelry and then returned to our hotel.
We enjoyed Singapore a lot and can only marvel at its empty roads, it’s amazing cheap transport systems and its cleanliness. The sights are wonderful, the food is amazing and the people are lovely. It was a fantastic experience.
Wednesday morning we were up bright and early and packed our bags. We put the minimum stuff in our hand luggage cases as, although they were within the size limit, our next flight with Jetstar only allowed 7kg each.. This includes hand bags and computer bags so more restricted than we had realised.. So we packed / unpacked / packed / weighed / unpacked / packed until we had just about achieved it….but only by putting some important things in our checked baggage with some trepidation. Oh well…..we finally checked in our bags which with all the mucking around had risen to 28kgs each….phew!
We then wandered off to find our lounge but only to be told they didn’t supply food at this venue. We headed off in search of food and managed to get some western fare but the time it took was quite something. Never mind….. We then wandered back towards our lounge to see that our gate had opened and we were being told to go straight there. So no lounge for us LOL. We got to the gate and boarded along with lots of Russians, Germans, Japanese and Australians.
The flight was uneventful and we landed into Phuket, Thailand, on time. We got a cab straight to the hotel, checked in and was pleasantly surprised by our refurbished room and went to the Manager’s cocktail party which we had been invited to upon our arrival.
Today – Wednesday – we are lazing by the pool recharging our batteries and are meeting the Govatos family this evening for dinner. This family lost their boat on a reef in Huahine, French Polynesia and we haven’t seen them since. What a coincidence that we are here at the same time. Really looking forward to catching up.
Bye for now
Jan