Trip dates 24th September to 15th October

Flight to Singapore 222 departed 3pm And right on time. The food was good lunch was served about an hour after taking off. Flew directly out over Alice Springs and Derby in WA. We were ahead of the setting sun for most of the flight.

In flight wifi available but quite expensive but lasts long enough to send a few messages and etc. Due to land in Singapore 8:50pm and have a transfer organised our hotel Jen Orchard

 

Not planning on any activities too early tomorrow. But hop on hop off booked for the 2 days.

Arrived a bit early and only two people ahead of us in customs. That is always a welcome sight and not always the case in customs anywhere.

Waited short awhile for our transfer. It was very good apart from the slight hiccup of the driver not taking us to the right Jen Hotel, apparently, the confusion happens all the time. A quick $7 10 minute taxi ride we were quickly checked in.  The hotel gave free access to executive lounge for the duration of our stay. Free breakfast, afternoon tea and evening drinks on the 19th floor.

Our room is 1202 and very well appointed, the bed will never be my Adjusta bed by it came very close.

A room service tea and coffee quick showers and be both slept like the proverbial logs

 

 

Our first day in Singapore off to a great start with a complimentary breakfast at the hotel. We stepped outside and after a short walk decide taxi to the main

Hop On Hop Off stop to redeem our vouchers was the order of the day. Very humid and a 20-minute walk wasn’t going to enhance our day.

The sunset city mall is enormous. They hand out guidebooks lol.

 

It didn’t take long to locate the Hippo Hop On Hop Off tour office. We board the yellow loop bus. This city is filled with greenery and green spaces like no other I have seen. The buildings are so interesting from the old to the new, they really take pride in designing them in such a way that each building has its ‘own thing’. Conveniently stop 17 was near our hotel time to recharge both our devices and ourselves. The 7 eleven next for a couple sandwiches and then nap time. Feeling somewhat refreshed it was back to stop 17 to continue on the yellow route back to Suntec city to swap to the red route for a look at little India and China town as well as my hotel the next time I come to visit the Marina Bay Hotel. Both Little India and Chinatown as beautifully maintained with the original buildings very well maintained and interesting

Observations:

• Singapore is very clean and organised
• People aren’t rushing around, a sense of time to get things done.
• Service is very friendly.
• Cabs are spotless
• Doesn’t have the loud noise of a big city
• Heard one siren during whole stay – fire response vehicle
• Shops – a shoppers paradise not sure if the prices stack up but the choices are beyond belief.
• You would never starve- choices and good food everywhere
• No powerlines above ground
• Greenery everywhere you look and almost on every building

Day 2 Our last in Singapore – 26th September

Eased into the day with a sleep in and slowly start today due to the fact we don’t fly to Paris until a bit after midnight tonight.

Our breakfast was a very leisurely one before leaving the hotel we checked out the amazing rooftop pool and bar. I could have easily spent the rest of day right here. We had decided that today we would revisit the stops of interest on the yellow bus line, the Casino which was worth a look just to see so many people playing the tables so early in the day. The access to the casino from the hotel side of the road was via a sky bridge. It was six stories high and lined with trees and provided amazing views. The Casino was big and built in a circle with two public gaming floors and several private gaming rooms and classy looking restaurants on the floors above. The Marina Bay Sands hotel across the road was equally mind blowing up close. The price per night might have the same effect.

https://www.marinabaysands.com/

Back on the bus I did knock over a few emails, posted a couple horse reports and by then we were pulling into the Botanical gardens stop. It was all you could imagine from a rainforest garden. (One of only two Rainforest Botanical gardens in the world located in a city, Rio De Janeiro is the other). We visited the orchid garden which was a bit spectacular, how they maintain such a beautiful place all year round is beyond me. I can’t keep parsley and basil alive lately.

 

We were just about walked out by now so it was time to climb/crawl back on the bus for the final leg back to the hotel. We stopped off to have late lunch somewhere is bowels of the biggest shopping mall I have even been in with its two subway stops right in the mall along with 335 food and retail outlets. ION Orchard is recognised as one of the top shopping malls in Singapore.

We raised one last effort to walk back along Orchard Road to our hotel. The hotel on arrival Monday had gifted us with 3 days access to the club lounge where we will spend the next few hours before our car picks us up for the 13hr flight to Paris. We take off at 15 minutes after midnight (no curfew here) and land in Paris at 7:30am on the same day. Looking forward to a few 💤 on the flight.

Oh Singapore I will be back to explore some more. Still, have to get to races and have Chilli 🦀. Au revoir

 

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