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Published: September 14th 2010
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Wow!!! I have finally begun my trip around the world. It has been a long time coming.
First stop Singapore, where I arrived on the red eye, getting only a couple of hours sleep. I headed straight for the apartment where I was to spend at least my first two nights. I only just got there in time to meet my host, Shekhar, before he left for work.
My plan for the first day was to visit the Singapore Zoo, which I had heard lots of good things about. I think it would have been great, but unfortunately, just when I got there it started pouring with rain. I got absolutely soaked and most of the animals were in hiding. I did at least get a good view of some of the animals, including elephants, giant tortoises and white tigers.
I spent the rest of the day walking along the famous Orchard Rd, shopping mecca. I have never seen so many or such huge shopping malls, but as I didn’t have any intention of shopping, they didn’t hold much interest to me. As soon as Shekhar finished work we headed back to the apartment, where I went almost
straight to sleep.
I filled the next two days with lots of walking. On my second day I made my way at a leisurely pace from Little India down to Clarke Quay. Along the way I stopped at the Chinese Goddess of Mercy Temple and the Hindu Sri Krishnan Temple. The former was very busy, with lots of people praying, while the latter was quiet and peaceful. It was nice to see the two very different temples so close together and all sorts of people making prayers at each.
When I reached Clarke Quay it was to find the riverbank and sidewalks decorated with big scenes and figures of Chinese horoscopes, all of which shone bright after the sun had set. The decorations were erected for the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival.
On the third day, after farewelling my hosts, Shekhar and Anket, I made my way to the hostel in which I was booked for my remaining three nights in Singapore, just at the edge of Little India. From there I headed on foot to the Singapore Flyer, the huge Ferris wheel, and then along the Esplanade to Merlion Park. There are certainly some amazing structures in
Shopping mall
7 storeys of shops and not even the biggest I saw. this area, including the Helix Bridge and Sands Skypark.
Then I returned to the hostel, where I met my roommates, three Australian girls travelling together through Southeast Asia. JT, Jazz and Kylie became my companions for my last two days there. They were nice girls and it was definitely good to have some company as I headed around the city.
On the Saturday we went over to Sentosa Island for a short while. We rode the cable car there and back, rode the chairlift, rode the luge and had a bit of a wander before heading towards the hostel for a bit of a rest.
Later that evening we made our way down to Chinatown for the Mid Autumn Festival celebrations. There we had some dinner and saw some fireworks, but we missed most of the entertainment. It was fun though, wandering around through the streets and streets all lined with little stalls.
The next day, after a long sleep in in our windowless room, we headed again towards the Flyer and Esplanade. We were trying to find the leaving point of the harbour cruise we wanted to take. Eventually we decided to take a taxi
Singapore Flyer
Seen from below. there, hoping that they would know where to go. This was just as well since it was nowhere near where we were looking and we wouldn’t have found it on foot.
The cruise was really nice. It sailed through the harbour area and around a couple of little islands. One of which, called Kusu, we were invited to alight at and explore. It is a very small island, but has a Chinese temple to honour tortoises and atop a hidden hill are three sacred huts. There I received a blessing for good luck, good health and good fortune for me and all of my friends and family. This was a lovely experience and I am glad that I headed off without the girls to discover it.
Once we had returned to sure we went to a little restaurant at the edge of Little India called Café Salivation. It was a little bit more expensive, but we all really enjoyed our meals and were very full when we left.
All that was left to do was to make sure my bags were all packed for the flight up to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the following morning. And
thus ends my stay in Singapore.
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Sharani
non-member comment
Hello!
I really enjoyed reading your blog Amaya...your trip it sounds wonderful and I am sending you lots of love and good wishes for a great adventure in Vietnam! Love, sharani