Singapore

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Panorama: View From Balcony At Novotel, Clarke Quay

It was a bittersweet moment when we arrived at the Wicked depot in Cairns to drop off the van. 007 Shaken was washed and vacuumed (as much as is possible without actually hoovering up the holey bits of carpet that remain in the cab).

And the woman in reception didn't even check the van, just gave us our bond back no question, with an element of surprise in her voice that 007 Shaken had actually made it all the way up the coast. She didn't think Wicked have any vans over 10 years old - 007 Shaken is 20!

So, in this light, perhaps this was 007's final walkabout?? For a moment, it felt like we were taking faithful old Neddy to the knacker's yard for the chop... But we reckon there's still a few thousand kilometers left in 007 Neddy yet, and if they can squeeze another few rentals out of her, I'm sure they will...

We had a good flight on Jet Star from Cairns to Singapore, with a transit stop at Darwin. Arriving at Changi Airport, we were hit by this incredible heat and humidity as we stepped outside, having experienced air-con for several hours on the plane and in the airports.

We made our way via the MRT train system to a cute 'boutique' hostel at One Florence Close in Kovan, where we'd booked our first night's accommodation. It took us about an hour to get there by train, but in hindsight it probably would have taken us about 15 minutes by bus. However, the MRT train cost us $2.10 each with $1.00 of that being a refundable deposit when you put the ticket back in the ticket machine! And the MRT train system is incredibly efficient and clean - puts the UK rail and underground systems well in the shade.

The hostel is in the Guardian Top 10, so we felt reassured that it would be OK. And it turned out to be just fine, a little on the compact size in terms of room space, but positively an upgrade for us from the space in 007 Shaken. And the owners are very friendly and helpful.

Wandering around Kovan, there's a distinct smell of what turned out to be durian, an asian fruit that's sold on the street markets here. The smell is fetid, almost like gone off cheese and rubbish bags. Having said that, we bought a few pieces of durian flesh to try. After a few mouthfuls of the creamy goo, the bin smell subsides and it actually tastes really fruity and quite palatable. But it's afterwards, when it repeats and the bin smell belches forth, that it's not so pleasant. Definitely not a competitor for the Best Tropical Fruit award, which currently goes to custard apples.

We got chatting to a very friendly young woman in the market square who told us all about her crusade to save the Kovan cats that are gradually been massacred by a local man who goes round bashing them with a hammer. We've found Singapore people to be very friendly; several people stopped to help us in the train stations when we were trying to work out which train to get on.

Having booked a weekend City Break at the Novotel Clarke Quay, we made our way from Kovan to Clarke Quay the following day. After wangling a free upgrade to a superior room with a river view and a balcony, and having breakfast included, we were delighted with our choice of hotel. And after living in a van for 7 months, we really appreciated having a comfy bed (2 comfy queen beds, one each!) and a private bath and shower.

From the vantage point of the balcony we could get a really good feel for the city; the Clarke Quay area comes alive at night with its array of eateries and bars. One restaurant in particular caught our eye, called The Clinic, having gold coloured wheelchairs as seating and drinks served in drips by waiters dressed in hospital uniforms. Taking Damien Hurst's old Pharmacy idea a bit too far??!

But we were well sorted when we found Shiraz Mazzeh, a posh persian kebab kiosk, and Nectarie, a lush patisserie, both within spitting distance of the hotel. What with 3 trips to the breakfast buffet, delicious kebabs, cakes and rice bowls we felt like we'd landed in heaven. And there's no better time to try a Singapore Sling than when in Singapore, by the hotel pool after a quick dip to cool off... Lovely jubbly!

Prizing ourselves away from the hotel to see a bit of Singapore, we took the MRT train to Orchard and walked the length of Orchard Rd, famous for it's shopping centres. (Well actually, we missed the stop for Orchard and ended up about 6 stops away before we realised... savvy travelers that we are!). Orchard Rd is a bit like London's Oxford St, and after about 4 shops we got fed up of looking and just kept popping in for a cool down in the air-con.

The plan to go to Singapore Zoo and perhaps to Sentosa Island didn't come off - we've found that we need a few days in a place to get our heads together before we actually do anything touristy. However, we did go on a bumboat River Cruise on the last night, from Riverside Point to Marina Bay via Boat Quay.

Short and very sweet was our stay in Singapore, and we loved every minute of it. Definitely worth a stop-over when traveling via asia. Onto Koh Samui next, and our rustic beach bungalow equipped with a fan! Who needs air-con when it's 30 degrees anyway?

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Photos

Very Pikey Pants
...spot the Pikey pants drying on the balcony!

Posh Building, River Cruise
... spot the bronze statue of boys jumping in river.