Slinging them back in Singapore

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As we expected, Singapore is not the place to come if you are on a tight budget- so far it wins hands down as the priciest place we have been in all of Asia, most prices aren't far off UK ones and not least the infamous Singapore sling! At $22 Singapore dollars (8 quid) the sling wasn't a drink we were planning on having many of, in fact we actually only bought one and shared it between 4 and as cocktails go it wasn't that great - too sweet for me. We decided that as we were in Singapore we felt it would rude not to pop over to the very regal Raffles hotel and see what the fuss is all about. It took some convincing for our Dutch friends but in the end we all enjoyed our night out even if we were left a little out of pocket. Raffles as you can imagine is an impressive hotel but like so much here a requires a healthy bank balance.

Fortunately Singapore isn't entirely about shopping, partying and generally throwing money away. It turned out that we arrived in Singapore during quite an exciting time; because the island is home to so many cultures and religions it is also home to equally as many festivals. This month and last have seen Hari Raya (the end of Ramadan), Deepavali (Hindu festival of light) and the mid-autumn festival, all of which were still in flow when we arrived. We even jumped on a free tour around little India to see the many colourful sights of Deepavali. Singapore really is a very clean, orderly and clinical place (I have spent most of my time looking for rubbish of which there is virtually none) so it was nice to be here during festival season as it meant we got see a more cultural side to the city and there was an overall air of cheerfulness and fun which made it all the more attractive. I am not sure if I could be persuaded back though unless I had pots of cash, except maybe to visit the zoo which is exceptional. As you no doubt know by now I am a lover of all things wild so even though I prefer to see things in there natural environment I couldn't help being lured to the Singapore zoo. It is the biggest zoo I have ever visited with a great range wild life, many of which are (semi) free roaming included various monkeys and birds. Helen also got to feed the giraffes which was fun to watch.

Well that was our brief stint in Singapore, our next stop is kolkatta which is no doubt going to be quite a bit different. Provided we survive our first few days Helen will be sure to tell you all about it.

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Comments

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Ha ha. It is true though, haven't you been recieving them through the post?