Singapore

If you've never been to Singapore, and you get the chance to do a stop over - my advise: take it. Singapore: it's like having the whole world on a single island.

Armed with a list of things to do, I decided to start out in Little India (well I would wouldn't I :-).

What a place - vibrant and colorful - with ever other shop an Indian Restaurant - what more could you ask for? Just before a late dinner, I decided to take a look around one of the Hindu Temples. It was quite late, but the place was still busy.

So I took off my shoes, washed my hands and feet and ventured in to watch the many goings on. It was pretty confusing, and despite repeated attempts to get someone to explain what was going on, I was still none the wiser.

Here's a pic of the outside of the Hindu temple:



And one of Little India:



The next day I decided to make a start in China Town. It was fairly quiet given the early time of day, and after breakfast I headed to the most important Hindu Temple in the city. There wasn't ,much going on given the time in the morning - but they did hand out this paste thing for everyone to eat which was pretty tasty.

Here's a pic of the outside of the temple:



From there I had a wander around China Town on my way to the Buddha Tooth Temple, which had a really interesting museum and an actual relic of the Buddha's Tooth (hence the name :-)

The quiet part of China Town:



The Buddha Tooth Temple:



Just one of the many intricate carvings from the museum at the Temple:



The giant prayer wheel on the roof - along with the incredible Orchid Garden:



Inside the Temple:



China Town:



From China Town it was onto the Subway and to the central part of Singapore - the river area. In direct contrast to everything else I'd seen, there were plenty of modern buildings - nice cafes and shops:





And the man who started it all - Raffles - who was the one to segragate the city into areas to stop any problems between the different communities.



So far from home - yet so near: a "genuine" British Pub - and the Guiness wasn't bad either:



And behind the pub - air con valley:



From there, it was a quick trip on the Singapore Flyer - like the London Eye - only bigger - definitely worth the trip as the views are incredible:











A "Beeeg Digger" going for a swim. There's loads of building going on in Singapore:









A random pic:



From there - it was off to the Raffles Hotel for the obligatory Singapore Sling at the famous "Long Bar". This is a bastion of Britishness - one of the few remaining outposts of the British Empire - where rich whites get served expensive cocktails by the locals - not something I was particularly comfortable with - but an experience all the same. It's not every day you get to drink alcoholic cough syrup (nasty stuff) and throw the shells of the complimentary peanuts on the floor.

Bottoms up - old chap:



One of the "sights" worth seeing are the hawker centers - basically a food hall but with good food - not a Mickey D's or a BK in site. The food is really good, and unbelievably cheap - if your in town skip the posh restaurants and try the food halls - you won't be disappointed. I had the best fried prawn noodles I've ever had - and the locals loved it - there were huge queues at the stall I went to.

With no time to spare - it was off to the one thing everyone talks about: The Night Safari.

It's a good hour out of town - but totally worth the trip. In some regards, it's a bit cheesy and a bit commercial. All of the animals are sponsored by big corporate, and the commentary on the train is a mix between an old fashion working mens club commentator (think Phoenix Nights), and a boxing announcer: Ladies and Gentleman - on your right, weighing in at almost 1.5 tonnes - all the way from East Africa - the one horned rhinoceros.

But what's incredible about the experience is that it doesn't feel like a zoo. There are no bars, and your so close to the animals - it's an incredible experience. The trails are really well laid out, and the viewing points are well thought out.

And not all of the animals are there all the tie. Some are there, some aren't - it's a bit of pot luck - which makes the experience even more real, as the animals aren't being presented to order.

Definitely worth it - a great place for kids of all ages - I'd love to take Joshua (may be next time), and would recommend anyone to go and do it. Here's a pic of one of the animals:



Yep - it was really dark :-) and none of my pics worked out...

And then it was back to the hotel and ready for the flight to Bangkok.

The flight was uneventful (for a change) so won't say anymore on that point...next stop - Bangkok.

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Special thanks go to Sally for putting me in touch with Richard Simpson who gave me a list of stuff to do, and a newspaper article detailing the highlights. And also to Helen for lending me her guide book which had loads of inspiring pictures - all off which helped me create a must do list.