Sinagpore hasn't seen the last of me.

---

Singapore is the best country I have ever visited. As soon as we disembarked our plane, bleary eyed and exhausted, I immediately loved the place. The airport was run like clockwork and their systems for getting passengers through was different to anywhere I have flown to but so logical. We took the SMRT from Changi airport to our hotel in Little India. Imagine the London tube without graffiti, litter, the smell, tramps and on time trains and you still don't come close to the quality of this service. Every single detail has been analysed and thought about logically. Instead of a paper ticket, you recieve and plastic card to move from station to station which you deposit after every trip for $1. Therefore, cutting down on paper use and litter.

I flew to Singapore with worry. I was sure I would struggle with the rules and regulations that were infamous. Chewing gum is illegal, $500 fine if you eat or drink on the tube and the signs of warning were frequent. However, it all made so much sense, I didn't see a single piece of litter the whole time I spent on the tube system. It all sounds so boring to you at home but you have to see it to believe it. London could learn so much from this small country. That's the initial impressions over!

We found our hostel with relative ease. It was right in the middle of Little India, and as the name suggests it was an Indian enclave within the city. These small pockets of nationalities were everywhere and the cultural diversity was staggering. Zach and I were later informed that 73% of the population is Chinese and the Malayan's are nearly a minority. All of this and I did not hear or see a hint of racial tension.

Once at our hostel, we realised we hadn't eaten for a considerable amount of time after sleeping at Phuket airport. We felt exhausted but knew if we slept we would go on without eating for another 5 hours which was not a good idea. We managed to find an Indian restaurant that seemed both clean and affordable, an impossible balance in Thailand. The owner was extremely freindly, as you would be when four starved Westerners walk in! We ordered and it was a wonderful surprise to see the Sinagaporean's hadn't adopted Britains ridiculous minimalist servings. Our plates were heaped and it was all gone within minutes. We were immediately recharged and I felt alive again. That night we decided to sample the city's skyline, I was stunned. The wealth of this small Asian nation is phenomenal and it was beautiful at night time. We were treated to a laser show courtesy of an exclusive hotel projecting lasers from their roof onto the harbour water. We walked around the lake in the city centre and took masses of photos in amazement at the scale of the building and the sports cars that roared past us. By that time we decided we needed sleep and had the pleasure of riding the amazing tube system back to the hostel.

I woke up early with the dissapointment that this was our last day in Singapore and was determined to see as much as possible in the day before another nights sleep on an airport floor. We had been told about an island called Sentosa and immediately took the SMRT to the appropriate station. I had not expected such a place. An island accessible only by its own monorail system. The was a haven for big entertainment businesses such as Universial Studios and the Hard Rock Cafe. It was so exclusively and had the most amazing man made beaches and tourist attractions. Alex and Oli were looking to relax on the beautiful beaches whilst myself and Zach went to explore the rest of the city. We took the tube to Chinatown in search of a reasonably priced meal. We soon found a small restaurant and got talking to a local with perfect English (a common thing in Singapore). We explained our situation of limited time and how desperate we were to see more of the city. This lead to him taking us on a 2 hour tour of the city, happily spending his own tube credit and going out of his way. He explained to us the history of the city and the reasons behind the British influences and multi-culturalism. It was a valuable experience that taught us a lot about Sinagpore and Asia in general.

No trip to Singapore is complete without a visit to Raffles Hotel. The world famous hotel was always high on my list of places to visit and I even put a polo shirt on with my shorts for the occassion! We went to the Long Bar, a place were peasantry are allowed to mingle with their social superiors! I was surprised to find the floor was covered in peanut shells, I soon realised that tradition dictates you must through your peanut shells on the floor once you have eaten the nut. However, I was not surprised to pay 8 Pounds for a pint of Tiger beer. Steep I know, but when you know your about to spend another night sleeping at the airport you are desperate for luxury. After taking the longest I have ever taken to consume a pint, we made our way to the airport picking up our bags on the way. I'm not going to put a downer on my amazing time in Singapore by boring you with the detalis of an uncomfortable sleep.

I will return to Singapore one day and if anyone is heading to Australia with a stop in Asia, please go to Singapore. You won't be dissapointed. I can be hypercritical of places as my family will tell you, but Singapore really has charmed me.

Love Jonathon

---