Singapore

Having been moving on every other day, endlessly packing and unpacking, it was a great feeling to arrive in Singapore and have a 'home from home' location for a week. It was also an opportunity to fix broken zips, holes in trousers and the chance to have a 'proper' glass of red wine which I had so long been craving! Cass has family in Singapore who kindly let me stay there for the week, using the pool and showing us the sights, it felt like a summer holiday in the middle of my travels!

Cass, her Uncle Gordon and very hospitable family.

The city was still buzzing from the night time F1 race and I was lucky enough to get to go on the track, all be it in a 'duck and dive' tour vehicle!

The city was much more than I imagined, despite not being keen on shopping (there must have been at least 15 big shopping malls I went to), I really would make a return trip.
Cass had talked about it previously, but the efficiency and cleanliness of the country was definitely noted straight away. It seems that Singapore likes to do everything in the best way possible, thus making a great impression; everything seems to have been thought of, chewing gum isn't sold to reduce litter on the street and their transport system runs like clockwork. I get the impression that they like having the best of everything, even their tourist wheel is higher than the one in London (soon to be outdone by China, however!) and if you thought that Singapore had no beaches, fear not as they have made an artificial one for you!

You can spend a whole weekend wondering around without venturing out into the humidity or if you so wish you can leave the city and venture over to the island of Sentosa which was specifically built as a holiday destination for both tourists and locals. They even have a separate island just over from the city itself, which has their oil depots on in case of any explosions.

Sentosa Island has numerous attractions for all ages. The luge being a favorite of mine, not that I'm competitive!

It's a city full of modern buildings, anything deemed old or slightly tarnished is knocked down and a new form of architecture takes its place. The main hustle and bustle of the city lies along the riverside and at night it seems like a different world. The bridges light up, the bottles of wine come out and fresh seafood is eaten in great quantities alfresco style, overlooking the water. The majority of those who are working in the city are British ex-pats and at times I did think that I was wondering around Canary Wharf and not Central Singapore.

Just one of the shopping malls

The Fullerton hotel is a 5* wonder that has it's own Chocolate buffet on certain nights!

You can even have a drink at the local clinic!

To get a good view of the city the top of the Swiss tower was an ideal location (Level 72). For a $25 fee at night we could go up to the top and that price included a complimentary standard drink. I joked that the standard drink would include Champagne and low and behold it did!

Live bands are aplenty in the city but watch out for the older men who are there to find the younger woman it's a little disturbing to say the least. Cass and I were kindly offered a few drinks by men of the tender age of mid 50, however we quickly declined and they moved on to the girls next to us and then continued to circulate the room, amusing to watch it must be said!

So really not knowing what to expect from Singapore I was pleasantly surprised. There is a great atmosphere in the city, it's clean and it feels like the city is constantly trying to make a good impression. It was great to feel safe again, I mean even jaywalking you get fined!