Singapore

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Having not been overseas for 14 years, the excitement levels were sky high. When the 21st June 2009 finally arrived the family gathered to Melbourne Airport to farewell my mum and I.
First stop - Singapore.
The flight took approximately six hours and was trouble free. Upon arriving in Singapore, we gathered our luggage and by the time we reached the hotel it was close to midnight. Knowing that we only had one full day to explore Singapore, we went straight to bed in anticipation of an early wake up.
I woke up before 7:00 and went for a short walk in order to find some light breakfast. Once that was consumed back in the hotel, we set off to the Royal Botanical Gardens which were a short (complimentary) bus ride from the hotel. We explored the wonderful gardens and were in awe of the variety of different fauna and scenery.
After a nice morning stroll through the gardens we set off for Orchard Road with a light drizzle making the already warm weather even more sticky!
The locals were very friendly and helped us master the local bus service in a number of minutes (it helped that most speak English as well).
Upon arriving at Orchard Road, we did some shopping (mostly browsing) and walked down the road to explore some of the newer architecture and take in the local culture by watching the everyday people of Singapore in the hustle and bustle of this busy strip.
We then got lunch inside a larger convenience store as well as a few other bits and pieces.
Due to our limited time schedule we had to choose between Little India or Chinatown. Our choice was Little India only due to it's location being closest.
We did not spend too much time here, but walked past some of the markets,shops and residences most resembling the slums of this clean and well maintained city. At this point we had regretted not going to Chinatown instead, but wanting to go on the 'Singapore Flyer' (scenic wheel) we would not be able to fit it into our schedule.
We saw some fascinating views atop the Singapore Flyer and once our ride had passed, we were off to the hotel in order to get ready for our 23:40 departure. Being a bit early we had some drinks at the hotel then dinner at the airport. Next stop... PARIS!

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Photos

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Botanical Gardens

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Amphitheatre at Botanical Gardens

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Armani Building, Orchard Road.

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Aboard the 'Singapore Flyer'

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Drinks at the hotel.