Australia Part 4: Singapore

This is starting to get a little silly with the post names, but after a night in Sydney we returned to London via a night in Singapore with Claud and Greg. It was the first time Stephen had spent any time longer than a couple of hours in Singapore, and we had a great time - great food, great company, and some fascinating sights.

We arrived late in the evening for G&T on their balcony overlooking Singapore, which is about the best way to begin a visit (especially if you've been fortunate enough to be upgraded to Business Class on the way in).

The view from Claudia and Greg's Condo - I'd no idea that there was this much green still in Singapore

The following morning we had a quick breakfast Yum Cha, then headed off to the botanical gardens which were fantastic - one of the more impressive legacies of the colonial era. We followed this up with a bus trip down Orchard Road (stopping off to see the shop-houses at Emerald Hill - a fascinating slice of old Singapore in the midst of new Singapore).

You can't visit Singapore without having a Singapore Sling, and where else to do this but Raffles Hotel, an institution. It is a bit touristy, but at the same time is like a slice of the colonial era.

A Sling (and a beer) at Raffles

After lunch at one of the many street hawker markets, we split up - the boys to check out the tourist sights including a brand new Buddhist temple (it is really weird to think that this is the sort of thing that is still being built, rather than something that is hundreds of years old - the aircon and the fact that you can pay your contribution by credit card give it away a bit) and the girls to go shopping (fortunately we got upgraded for the flight to London as well - we were already over our weight limit so five more pairs of shoes were going to be too much otherwise).

The main hall of the temple - each one of the mini-statues lining the wall is individually sponsored at $600/year

A tranquil rooftop garden

We rounded the day by taking a sunset cruise on the harbour, and seeing Singapore the way it was originally meant to be seen - from the water. It was a fascinating mix of brand new construction and colonial architecture...

Claud and Greg loving the soundtrack (which must have said a dozen times that we should go out and go shopping)

Shophouses line the water while skyscrapers tower above

There is construction everywhere you look - the skyline must be constantly changing