Shopping, shopping, shopping!

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SINGAPORE

Well we had a nice comfortable flight to Singapore, with nice food and a few bottles of wine! We even managed to exchange the big pillows we were carrying around of a couple of smaller airline ones! Yeah! We brought our EZLink card for the underground metro system and jumped on the train to Chinatown. Walking along the road in Chinatown we spot the bar that is below the hostel and check in. Our room is three buildings along on the first floor next to the kitchen.

It is above a shophouse so nice and quiet. But the room is small, enough room for the bed, a tiny wardrobe, dressing table and room for the door to open! I don’t know why they don’t take out the furniture, so we have room for our backpack! It had a window with closed shutters that had a plastic sheet over it! Strange! Guess that is so we can use the Air con! The free WIFI kept dropping out to, but it was very central and we loved the hustle bustle of Chinatown. We dropped our bag’s and went back to the bar where we checked in for a couple of drinks to unwind after all of that travelling! It turns out that it was a Chinese Karaoke bar, so listened to them murder a few songs, before heading back for a good nights sleep!

We got up and enjoyed our free breakfast at a restaurant a couple of doors along. Scrambled eggs or Sausage with toast and coffee or juice, excellent! We wandered off for a walk and headed out of Chinatown to the famous Hawker stalls at Lau Pa Sat, but as we had just had breakfast it was too early for us, so we had a walk around to see what was on offer, then headed over to the esplanade via the city. We walked around a very nice riverfront hotel with some great artwork in the gardens, then over to the Merlion. This is a national symbol for Singapore created in the 60’s for tourism. Even so it is quite a statue with water spurting out of it!

We walked over to the festival hall and had a wander around but not a lot was going on. There was a shopping mall, but none of it inspired us. We headed up the road looking the tourist information, but ended up in lots of shopping malls, partly because it was cooler and also because that is all that is in Singapore! We did not find the tourist information in the end, though we did go through three or four different shopping malls looking for it! All that window shopping does take it out of you! We went to walk around the lucky fountain of good fortune, but they had closed it! No luck for us today then! When we finished shopping and decided to head back to the Metro, we found that we had to go via an underground walk way, full of, yes you have guessed it, shop’s! You can’t get away from them in this town! They have built them like the casino's in Las Vegas, you can never see a way out!

We decided to go and get the train tickets today from the train station as we were sitting around having breakfast. When we got up to leave the table collapses on us and all over the street! We were going to go for compensation, but as it was a free breakfast, there was nothing much to gain! We just ran away!

The train is a Malaysian train office and the trains only go via Malaysia through to Bangkok! It was drizzling a little on the way there, we got a metro and then there was a long walk! Not the best way to go with bags we thought! We got the ticket to Kuala Lumpa and as it stated the prices were double! They do some weird calculation that turns the Malay price into Singapore then back into Malay, but you pay the Malay in Singapore dollars! It is an old train station that even the locals love and see as part of there heritage.

As we were leaving the heavens opened, when it eased off we started off on the way back to the station. As it was still drizzling we walked to a local bus stop and found one that took us to the metro station. We then went to Clarke Quay which is a weird Dr Sueiss type area that is full of the trendy local nightlife. Of course we were there during the day, so it was not really kicking! So we jumped on a boat tour of the city, we went from the mad Clarke Quay, via the most auspicious area (Feng shui) of town boat quay. The land is the most expensive in town an most of the banks have their offices here. Two of them are built so closely together there is only one foot between them. We went past the old post office, now a swanky hotel ( The Fullerton) with a great statue outside of a set of bronze children jumping into the river, as they used to in the old days.

We saw the Merlion again from water and found out that the big construction that was going on, on the other side of the water is a Casino by Sands (from Las Vegas) that is massive. It will provide over 5000 jobs for local people, with beautiful staff quarters behind. They even have their own man made beach! The Piece de resistance is the huge swimming pool that runs the whole of the top of the roof (over all three towers) with a nightclub at the end! I think it will have the best views of the city. Opposite was a colourful set of seats ready for the Gran Prix, due at the end of March.

After the boat cruise we went to Little India and grabbed some lunch at the Hawkers stalls, great curry’s, with not too much (but nearly!) heat for Charlotte! After some more shopping we went to Raffles for the obligatory Singapore Sling, this is where the drink was invented don’t you know! Charlotte was a little unsure as she does not really like Gin, but Liam reminded her that the whole reason that cocktails were invented was so you did not have to taste the god awful stuff (weapons grade, me thinks!) during prohibition in the US they put in it!

With the cocktails we enjoyed the monkey nuts and throwing the shells on the floor was a great release! We were glad there was no smoking in there! We got chatting to an older couple in there who were retired and on there first long trip (a couple of months) away from home as she has been caring for her mother who in now in a home. Mum would panic if they were away for more than two weeks. He is off to see friends in Oz and they were stopping in Singapore en route! More shopping and eating on the way home, what a nice way to be distracted!

Sentosa Island today! Woo hoo! Unfortunately the cable car is closed for repairs and an upgrade I think, but not to worry, much cheaper on the not so free bus! (the guide books said it was free!). We ended up going to the Aquarium (we could spend hours (and have!) looking at fish.) The most amazing thing there was both the touch pools, where you get to touch Stingrays, fish and blue starfish. Also the Jellyfish with the coloured lights behind them. We went through the Shark Perspex viewing tunnel. This one had a moving walkway, great fun jumping on and off.

We also got tickets included for both the Seal show and Pink Dolphin show, it was great fun, although we miss most of the shots as they jump so fast! Back in to do the other half of the tour, we rented a couple of audio tours at a couple of dollars each, bargain!

We headed back into town, grabbed a lovely Japanese meal in one of the shopping mall walkways, then head off to the first day of the Singapore IT show. It was huge and we got to play with loads of phones and computers, TV’s and projectors. Liam managed to get a show bargain on the new Creative (MP4) and Charlotte got a half price(plus some free gifts), newer version of the camera that she damaged in New Zealand, a good day all around.

Up and out the next morning and as we are going to catch the train to Kuala Lumpur about 1.30 we grab some breakfast, the last of the stay and go to find some supply’s, such as a Subway , crisps and water for the journey, then head off with our bags for the Train station and the next part of our journey to Malaysia.

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