Newton Circus, Orchard Scott and Orchard Road

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With the end of our dream trip fast approaching, we wanted to go back to some of the places we had been on our previous trip. First on the list was Newton Circus, a food court just around the corner from where we were living in 2008. Arriving fairly early in the morning, most of the hawker stalls were closed but there were just enough open to get a feeling for how it must be during the busy evenings. Due to the distance from our hotel we do not intend eating an evening meal at Newton Circus.

Tracing our old route back to Anthony Road just a few minutes away, we entered Orchard Scott luxury gated community. I told the uniformed guard at the gate that we used to live here and had come back on a nostalgic trip. He was happy to let us in provided we gave him our surname. The trees have grown a bit, the fish in the ornamental ponds have grown a bit but the surrounding buildings have sprouted up and have made Orchard Scott look a little dated and time-worn.

Heading along Scott Road towards Orchard Road, we passed the Goodwood Hotel and then stopped at the Far Eastern Plaza. It's not changed much and we explored the six levels of shops and businesses with interest. It was here at a watch store that we encountered our only negative experience. Hazel's old Seiko watch was still not running properly (despite Mr Tan's best efforts) so we decided to see if there was a watch repair workshop in FE Plaza or Lucky Plaza. We did find a Seiko sales outlet and got chatting to the lady owner, Doris Pee. She asked if we would be prepared to leave the watch with her for a service but as we are leaving on Monday and the watch is solid gold with 6 diamonds, we declined the offer. She then offered to check the watch and we agreed to let her look, advising that it already had a new battery. Five minutes later she said that the wrong size of battery had been fitted and that she had fixed the watch. She then demanded $110 -yes, one hundred and ten dollars = UK£55 !!! I told her that this was a totally unacceptable price to ask and that we were most unhappy with this level of overcharging. She did offer a 10% reduction as a goodwill gesture and gave the watch a good clean but would not shift further on the price. When asked for a warranty on the work she offered 24 hours and suggested that we bring the watch back if it did not work. I suggested that we waited for 15 minutes to see if the watch would work and amazingly, it kept going. I'm not sure that it will still be ticking in the morning..... Somewhat damaged and ruffled by this rather sharp practice, we left Far Eastern Plaza hoping that we would not have to return for a confrontation. However I will be posting an advisory notice on TripAdvisor so that others are not caught out this way.

By way of solace, we stopped at the little bistro right on the corner of Orchard and Scott and ordered a tiger and a cub. It was great sitting and watching the world go by but we were nervously watching the Seiko to see if it had expired.

Tang's department store was next port of call. It's very glitzy, very chic and very expensive so we just passed through, soaking up the exotic perfumes en passant en route to Lucky Plaza.

Lucky Plaza has moved a bit more up-market from how we last remembered it but there is still a persistent harassment from stall-holders wishing to sell bespoke suits, cameras and digital equipment. The banter and conversation with most was enjoyable and fun. I did have to tell one over-zealous guy to back off because he would not take 'no' for an answer.

Final port of call was the Paragon Centre where again the shops are the sort that hide the prices and only tell you when they have the defibrillator standing by. If you need to ask the price, you can probably not afford the item! We did buy some patisserie from the bakery department on the basement level for afternoon coffee on return to Wangz Hotel.

Orchard Road was getting really busy by mid afternoon and the MTR (underground) was packed with shoppers heading home with 'bargains'. Travel on the MTR has always offered better observational entertainment than taking a taxi yet has been only marginally cheaper than a taxi fare. For this reason we have tried to use the MTR as much as possible.

In the evening we decided to visit Tiong Bahru food court for a second time. Our plans did not go entirely to plan. As we stepped out of the hotel for the 7 minute walk, the heavens opened and poured down a torrent of warn rainwater so heavy that we had to take sanctuary in a shop doorway some metres up the street. Traffic slowed up and nobody ventured out into the deluge on food. After waiting for over 15 minutes, the shop door opened and the shopkeeper handed us an umbrella telling us not to bother returning it. As the intensity of the rain began to ease, pedestrians began to venture out and we followed under our battered, old but gratefully received brolly. This kind gesture is typical of what we have experienced throughout our trip. (I returned on Sunday afternoon to give the umbrella back as well as a large bottle of beer by way of thanks).

The famous golden pork kitchen was again closed so we scanned all of the other stalls to see what would appeal. One hawker kitchen caught our attention. It was tucked into a corner and could easily have been missed. 'Thai-Viet food' was the title and we were welcomed warmly by the owner and his wife who helped us choose from their extensive illustrated menu. I chose a beef and rice dish, Hazel selected a Thai dish with seafood and noodles. Total cost of the meal including a large glass of iced fresh cane sugar juice was less than $10 (£5). It was by far the most enjoyable meal that we've had since arriving in Singapore. It was also the cheapest by a very long shot.

We intend to return on Sunday - our last night.

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