Singapore......Friends, Food and The Flyer

I am going to try and add this update about our time in Singapore without comparing too much to Hong Kong, as it would be very difficult not to end up with a rather negative view of the latter.

I can without doubt say Singapore is most definitely my favorite of the two, great food, a clean and spacious city and surprisingly more of an international feel (this is probably due to the changes over the last couple of years due to the growing Chinese influence in Hong Kong) and I cannot leave out the fact that although the taxi drivers still don’t always know where they are going, at least they know how to smile and the seats do not have the stuffing poking out!

That’s enough of my comparisons, now let’s focus on lovely, lovely Singapore.

We have had a fabulous week here, with hardly any rain (oh that’s another thing, no rain for 6 days) not sure that’s possible in HK!

Anyway it’s our last day and we leave early tomorrow, but have been far too busy to update our blog. Today has actually started with a storm but looks like that’s moving on now and the sun is back.  It’s been pretty hot but we have managed to walk around and avoid the hottest part of the day most of the time.

We have been typical tourists! 

Starting with purchasing our Explorer Ticket, about SGD 79 each, yes Patrick really parted with that much money at once.  This allowed us unlimited rides on the open top buses, 3 routes from Heritage, City & Red, plus a river cruise and ticket for the Singapore Flyer, similar to the London Eye for those not familiar.

I think Patrick’s favorite was the bus rides as long as he could get the front seat of course, otherwise he caused a scene until those sitting there felt obliged to move, ha! 

 We did have great fun and were able to use this to see much more of the city, stopped to walk around Little India, although more of an Asian feel here, there were a number of historic houses, which were very pretty where they had been cleaned up, all sorts of cheap clothing and an assault on your senses with smells from food, spices and nonalcoholic potions!

The only dodgy part we noticed was the fact one or two hotels situated here had hourly rates?

                                          Little India

                                          

Anyway moving on to China Town, this was very reminiscent of Hong Kong with the potions and smelly Chinese medicines being sold everywhere, as well as very cute children’s clothes made of silk and some very pretty typical Chinese wraps for ladies and gentlemen.

                                                    Chinatown

We also spent a day over on Sentosa, a reclaimed man made island just 15/20 mins away.

Although this is probably aimed at family fun and similar to a theme park in the UK, it was obviously very popular with Indian families, we had good fun here, but probably not somewhere we would rush back to. 

Took the cable car ride across the river and the city, something which I would have enjoyed 20 years ago and probably joined Patrick standing up taking photos and generally making a nuisance of himself wobbling the car about, but now I find myself sitting prone and immobile, like someone has superglued me to the seat. Worried that if I looked down I’m sure the vertigo would have set in and I’m certain if I had moved one inch the bottom would have opened up, like someone had triggered the eject button and I would have been left dangling a mile above land, only held by the superglue as my M&S pants gradually gave way to the force of gravity.

Well at least that’s what kept going through my head, so annoying that age and a general wish to safe guard what good bits I do have left intact.

                                         View from the cable car going through the office blocks.....you could see the                                          workers at their desks!

That said I loved the Luge, a creation taking the principles from the Olympic Games event, but you sit up as opposed to lay down, great fun!  Although I’m not sure the poor Indian man in all his finery would have agreed, as he had obviously lost the knack of how to get it to move and was stuck near the end with an ever growing backlog of tourists trying to get past him, we didn't laugh though, honestly.

Chair lift back to the top, yes superglue episode once again, but worth it for another go of the Luge.

Also enjoyed the Segway’s, it was our second time on these so we were able to scoot off and have some fun, basically I think I’m ok as long as it’s near to the ground.

Then we had a sedate walk through the Butterfly Garden, which surprisingly Patrick actually enjoyed, I think this was due to his interaction with a lovely white Cockatoo which seemed to take to him very quickly and started up quite a conversation, well he said ‘hello’ and one or two other words which we could not make out (the parrot not Patrick!).

In between all of this excitement we have really enjoyed the time with our friends, I met with Sally, which was quite funny as we realized we had not actually met in person before, but only spoke on the camera phone at work, but we managed to find each other and had a great catch up at a Mexican restaurant in the city! 

We also met with Vikas and his lovely wife Preena, who took us to one of their favorite restaurants, a Pakistani Buffet which was very tasty and we really enjoyed their company, interesting to find out more about life in Singapore.

On Friday we met and enjoyed a great lunch with Vandana, a nice Mediterranean restaurant near Capital Tower, again nice to try somewhere more local and of course good to have a laugh with Vandana.

On Saturday we visited the Gardens by the Bay, which was interesting in that it was probably similar to the Eden Project, a Cloud and Flower Dome, as well as more walkways in the sky.

Personally we preferred the Botanical Gardens for the peace and tranquility as well as a more natural environment, but it was a very innovative idea and obviously brings in the tourists.

Finally on Sunday we met another friend Hong who is now based here in Singapore, we had a lovely brunch at Robinson Quay and it was great to catch up.  On Hong’s suggestion we went on to the forest area 15mins outside of the city and had a great walk in the forest including the Tree Top Trail, monkeys and all.

Now back at the hotel to pack for our next adventure in Brisbane, where I think the temperature will drop to a cool 22 degrees, which will probably take some getting used to.    

More to come, but we do want to say thanks to all of the friends we met up with here, as it really made our time in Singapore special.

Also......Patrick found a replacement for the Jag!!!.......and more in line with the budget....

Terry"s Pong Pong Tree

Just wanted to mark this date, July 17th, as the first anniversary of Terry"s passing  (Nina's brother) and whilst this past year has had its challenges in coming to terms with our loss, it seemed fitting to leave a memorial in Thailand, being Terry's favourite destination during the last few years
We have planted a local indigenous tree in the garden of the Outrigger, it's called a "Pong Pong Tree"!!

The operation in progress:

And the final result with ribbon, so we can ensure that the thoughts and memories of Terry will remain and continue to grow stronger just like his "Pong Pong".

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Moving on....Palace of the Elephants (FantaSea) & Moped No.2
We went to see a local Thai extravaganza on Wednesday, this included a look around the Carnival Village, which is really a place to ensure the tourists part with some additional money on entertainment such as Elephant rides, bespoke T-shirts and some local hand made crafts, we restrained ourselves and only indulged in some very nice popcorn, presented in a bucket size pot, needing to be fully consumed before entering the show, luckily I was fully prepared to do this, as this is one thing Patrick is not so keen to gobble up, yeah!

That aside the show was very entertaining and we were quite impressed by the pyrotechnics and the trapeze artists were brilliant. However the inclusion of live animals did not sit comfortably with either of us and I do not think it added any value, although I think certain cultures may feel differently, to us they seemed more like very out of date circus tricks and I'm not sure the elephants or tiger wanted to be there.
All in all a surprising and different evenings entertainment.

Funky Moped No.2 has been delivered and Patrick thinks this is more powerful than No. 1!!
I'm still to be convinced, but after a quick jaunt on his own yesterday he did come back with much shorter hair, so either he took a chance and went to a local barbers or the speed of his journey caused a lot of friction under that helmet.
No he is very chuffed with himself as managed to get a 100bht (2quid - cannot find the pound sign)   haircut.

We will be leaving Phuket on Monday and travelling via Silkair to Singapore for the week before we head "downunder" to Brisbane for August. Thailand has been amazing and is a beautiful and relaxing place, it will be a shame to leave but who knows......we could be back (close eyes and think Arnie......or maybe not!!.....Hasta la vista baby!!)

Funky Moped & Pool Champion!

We've hired a funky red moped for a couple of days and have been touring Phuket. We make a fantastic cameo as bikers on our "125cc Honda!" as you can see below!

However, we did get to the Old Town of Phuket and when you are on a bike it's easier to stop and park.  The buildings are very decorative and where they have been refurbished look lovely, although there are many still requiring a tidy up and lick of paint.
We stopped to walk around and managed to find a great place for coffee and had an interesting conversation with the owner, who happened to know Bournemouth quite well, which was quite strange.
Once back walking around we realised although the buildings look small they are like Aladdin's cave and what you see at the front is just a small part of the businesses contained within them, which are massive, very clean and varied. You could get anything....legal!....We had to dodge the rain which came down in buckets....but we were prepared with our rain jackets which resemble a similar item distributed by the Family Planning Association!....

We also visited the Kathu Waterfall or rather that should be renamed "water trickle"which was surprising after the rain!

Another pastime whilst relaxing at the Outrigger has been the discovery of the pool table and after a disastrous start, but with some excellent coaching! Nina is currently the Champ......but it won't be for long!!

Last night, we had dinner out at the local Indian which was excellent, but Patrick couldn't resist being a piggy and waddled out feeling slightly uncomfortable! (Typical)
Fortunately or unfortunately it didn't last long and by the next morning he is looking at his watch waiting for breakfast, lets hope the full fry up is off the menu today, otherwise that poor moped will struggle getting us up the hills.

                                                         (View of Kamala Beach)

Our onward plans are coming together and we will be going to Singapore on the 21st July for a week and then onto Brisbane on the 28th....Singapore will give us a chance to catch up with some friends from work and we hope to hit Brisbane at a time when the weather is mild but not too hot.
After Brisbane we will probably hit Sydney and the Blue Mountains before heading for Perth......biggest pain is trying to pack 6 mths cloths etc every time we move on... such a stress!

Lagoon challenge & Pigs do fly!

Our 1.25K Lagoon Swimming Challenge! (Tick)
Well at last, after nearly 4 weeks of practice I have managed to swim the entire Lagoon without stopping, it may not have been accomplished with too much finesse and I probably won't win any points for  technique, but never the less I made it not once but twice, just to make sure it was not a fluke the first time.  Never have my arm muscles been punished in the way before, but Sharon Davis eat your heart out!

Why is this such a big deal you may ask, well considering that I could just about do one length in a swimming pool and then struggled not to make a sound like a whimpering dog during most of it, this is an achievement!

I guess I must also add that Patrick who used to also swim like a brick, has now been quite amazing in not only swimming around once without stopping many times during the last 3 weeks, but has also now managed to go round twice, without stopping at the same time, so 2.5k swim!
For those that know him well you will be aware that he was not going to walk away without making sure he had done it twice on the last day, to ensure he beat me in this challenge !!!!

More to come!


6th July 
We have now moved from Hua Hin to Phuket
On Monday we drove in our trustee hot rod....the Nissan Almera....which was the vehicle of choice....well budget really! The journey was great and really easy...just followed the main road. However, whilst we were maxing out the Almera......we did witness the 'flying pigs' below as they overtook us at approximately, 130 KPH....hence confirmation that "Pigs do Fly"!!
Poor things were rather cramped and not looking to happy, but they had made a good decision in laying down, which I thought was a good call considering the speed they were travelling at and the obligatory pot holes which occur in all Thai roads.

The journey took about 9 hours, but our destination in Phuket certainly made it well worth while.
We are on the beach and have an amazing room overlooking the lagoon. In fact, it is so nice here we have decided to stay another week before we head on to our next location....which we will update on once we've booked it!
At the moment, it is too stressful to contemplate booking our travel as our days consist of breakfast, lunch, beach and dinner....if the weather changes then we will seize the moment and think about it....

Otherwise all is good and we are enjoying the sunshine, walks on the beautiful beach, free cocktails in the club lounge every evening and ...oh yes the visit to the gym most mornings, see all those of you that were thinking we were just sitting around, think again as this is a busy time.
our new challenge is 30mins on the treadmill or cycle and for Patrick a few weights!

Every day they bring a baby elephant to the hotel to do his little jig and say hello to the tourists for an apple or two, he is very cute and although its really for the kids, you do find most adults making an excuse to walk around the pool at this time or grabbing the hand of any child in the vicinity to take along and pretend its all for them.

Went along to a Thai buffet last night, very nice, lots of fresh fruits, salads and usual thai specialties including my favourite which was the whole seabass and Patrick's being the spicy fried fish, not sure what fish but it was good!

Well that's it for today as hoping to catch up with family later on Skype

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