Wednesday, October 05, 2005
27-30 September SINGAPORE
Hi again,
I have one word for Singapore and that is HOT. Firstly it was so nice to arrive at Changi airport being greeted by my very own welcome party with Bronwyn and the girls, Madeline and Hannah waiting patiently for me to walk through the gates. Then home we drove where a the wonderful aroma of roast lamb was waiting for us. Bronwyn and Tony live an ex pats life in Singapore where they enjoy a lovely home, swimming pool and garden and it all comes complete with a very helpful, sweet Filippino maid by the name of Myrna. I have to admit that I enjoyed leaving the bed unmade and putting out my washing and having meals laid out in front of me. It didn't take me long to get used to it and asking Myrna for another slice of toast in the morning seemed quite natural. Thank you Myrna for all you did for me.
I bought a 2 day pass for the hop on hop off bus to see as much as possible of Singapore. It was school holidays so Bronwyn could spend days with the girls while I went out and about. Evenings we spent together. One night Bronwyn took me to a wonderful Asian Bar where we could sip cocktails whilst enjoying a panoramic view of Singapore, the city, the bridges and the many oil tankers moored in the harbour. In fact Bronwyn doesn't let the girls swim at the beach because of all the oil. This was followed by a nice girly evening, just the 2 of us at an outdoor restaurant (we covered ourselves with mosquito repellant due to the Dhengi Fever scare). Do you want to know what we ate? Bruschetta, calamari, chicken kebab followed by cheesecake & coffee etc. It was all very yummy, we girls sure do know how to treat ourselves. We really got to chat and catch up on our lives there which was really nice because we have been friends since about the age of 19. I also tasted my very first SINGAPORE SLING. A must for tourists and I have to say, it was really delicious.
The 2nd evening we took the girls along with us because we went to the Zoo for a magical Night Safari. The Singapore Night Safari has won awards for the last 6 years and I can understand why. You drive through rainforest etc in the dark in an open tram type of vehicle (once again we smothered ourselves with mosquito repellant). On the left and right as we drove along with the other tourists we saw hippopotamus, lion, deer, giraffe, elephant etc etc, in their natural habitat (or as close to the real thing as you can get). Fences couldn't be seen. It was absolutely wonderful with just enough light pointed towards the animals so we could see them clearly but they were not disturbed by us at all.
Now my days were spent touring the city by the HIPPO BUS. I met a lovely woman named Karen who was alone for the days while her husband was here on a business trip. So we had a lovely time together seeing Little India, Chinatown, the red light district, the Thieves market and a long a leisurely stroll through the Singapore Botannical Gardens. We did the Heritage Tour, City Tour and a River Cruise all on the same day (all part of our 2 day Hippo Bus ticket which was excellent value by the way for $29 Singapore). The tour director said many people say that Singapore City reminds them of Batman's Gotham City and I have to agree, certain views only of course. There is such a mixture of architecture from old to modern, to spacy looking silver buildings to temples etc. Amazing to have such variety in the one city. The river cruise was gorgeous and I loved being out on the water again in what is called a "bum boat". We went under many bridges and got some interesting city views from the water.
Karen (who is from Queensland) and I had such a great day together that we decided to meet up again for the 10 am Hippo Bus Tour heading for Sentosa Island. So armed with our swimmers and beach towels and suntan lotion, off we went to the beautiful and peaceful Sentosa Island. Amazing to have such a resort and island so close to a city. Palm trees, hanging bridges, a bit like Gilligans Island. We planted ourselves on our own tiny beach we found called Palawan Beach and spent the afternoon there, chatting, swimming and just lazing around. At 2.30 pm the thunder and grey clouds came over so we decided we had better move because everyone warns you about the fierce storms and torrential rains that can suddenly come up in Singapore without much warning. Bronwyn had actually hoped that I would experience one of these tropical storms during my short 3 day stay because they are amazing. However they always fizzled out with only a bit of noise and a few drops of rain, which was really very welcome because of the heat. So Karen and I decided to have a very very late lunch and afternoon tea combined on the island overlooking another nice beach where we would be undercover in case of a downpour. It costs $2 on entry to the island and from then on all bus travel on the island is free. A great idea and no cars are allowed on the island. So we caught the red bus and the blue bus etc. It's not a big island, however not the type of island you would walk around. So another fun day and nice to have met another very nice person to spend the days with. We exchanged phone numbers, funny how with some people you just click with right from the start. We chatted both days like we had known each other for years in the gardens, at the beach, on the boat etc etc. A nice woman and only 1 year older than me too. She was heading off to Thailand for a week with her husband when his business was over in Singapore.
My final day in Singapore was spent with Bronwyn, Madeline and Hannah. We shopped in Chinatown where I bought the girls handbags they picked out themselves. They are both so cute with gorgeous eyes and eyelashes, that all the locals always stop to look at them and tell them how beautiful they are. We had our final lunch together in town at the Coffee Club, in Ngee An City overlooking the main and famous shopping street called Orchard Road. It is filled with exclusive brand name shops like Chanel and Cartier.
Then once again it was time to say goodbye to the children I had just gotten to know over 3 days since Hannah wasn't even born last time I visited the family in Melbourne and Madeline was just a baby. Bronwyn drove me to the airport for my last overnight flight for Sydney. I couldn't believe it, next stop SYDNEY. Could my 3 month holiday really be over. Only 7 1/2 hrs to fly this time and I scored another excellent seat right up the back of the plane for 2 people only. Too excited this time though to get much sleep.
Time for another short tea break, but before I go I want to thank BRONWYN for all the running around she did for me to make my holiday in Singapore as eventful and comfortable as it was. I will write soon. Hi to the girls and Tony.
love Gisela
I have one word for Singapore and that is HOT. Firstly it was so nice to arrive at Changi airport being greeted by my very own welcome party with Bronwyn and the girls, Madeline and Hannah waiting patiently for me to walk through the gates. Then home we drove where a the wonderful aroma of roast lamb was waiting for us. Bronwyn and Tony live an ex pats life in Singapore where they enjoy a lovely home, swimming pool and garden and it all comes complete with a very helpful, sweet Filippino maid by the name of Myrna. I have to admit that I enjoyed leaving the bed unmade and putting out my washing and having meals laid out in front of me. It didn't take me long to get used to it and asking Myrna for another slice of toast in the morning seemed quite natural. Thank you Myrna for all you did for me.
I bought a 2 day pass for the hop on hop off bus to see as much as possible of Singapore. It was school holidays so Bronwyn could spend days with the girls while I went out and about. Evenings we spent together. One night Bronwyn took me to a wonderful Asian Bar where we could sip cocktails whilst enjoying a panoramic view of Singapore, the city, the bridges and the many oil tankers moored in the harbour. In fact Bronwyn doesn't let the girls swim at the beach because of all the oil. This was followed by a nice girly evening, just the 2 of us at an outdoor restaurant (we covered ourselves with mosquito repellant due to the Dhengi Fever scare). Do you want to know what we ate? Bruschetta, calamari, chicken kebab followed by cheesecake & coffee etc. It was all very yummy, we girls sure do know how to treat ourselves. We really got to chat and catch up on our lives there which was really nice because we have been friends since about the age of 19. I also tasted my very first SINGAPORE SLING. A must for tourists and I have to say, it was really delicious.
The 2nd evening we took the girls along with us because we went to the Zoo for a magical Night Safari. The Singapore Night Safari has won awards for the last 6 years and I can understand why. You drive through rainforest etc in the dark in an open tram type of vehicle (once again we smothered ourselves with mosquito repellant). On the left and right as we drove along with the other tourists we saw hippopotamus, lion, deer, giraffe, elephant etc etc, in their natural habitat (or as close to the real thing as you can get). Fences couldn't be seen. It was absolutely wonderful with just enough light pointed towards the animals so we could see them clearly but they were not disturbed by us at all.
Now my days were spent touring the city by the HIPPO BUS. I met a lovely woman named Karen who was alone for the days while her husband was here on a business trip. So we had a lovely time together seeing Little India, Chinatown, the red light district, the Thieves market and a long a leisurely stroll through the Singapore Botannical Gardens. We did the Heritage Tour, City Tour and a River Cruise all on the same day (all part of our 2 day Hippo Bus ticket which was excellent value by the way for $29 Singapore). The tour director said many people say that Singapore City reminds them of Batman's Gotham City and I have to agree, certain views only of course. There is such a mixture of architecture from old to modern, to spacy looking silver buildings to temples etc. Amazing to have such variety in the one city. The river cruise was gorgeous and I loved being out on the water again in what is called a "bum boat". We went under many bridges and got some interesting city views from the water.
Karen (who is from Queensland) and I had such a great day together that we decided to meet up again for the 10 am Hippo Bus Tour heading for Sentosa Island. So armed with our swimmers and beach towels and suntan lotion, off we went to the beautiful and peaceful Sentosa Island. Amazing to have such a resort and island so close to a city. Palm trees, hanging bridges, a bit like Gilligans Island. We planted ourselves on our own tiny beach we found called Palawan Beach and spent the afternoon there, chatting, swimming and just lazing around. At 2.30 pm the thunder and grey clouds came over so we decided we had better move because everyone warns you about the fierce storms and torrential rains that can suddenly come up in Singapore without much warning. Bronwyn had actually hoped that I would experience one of these tropical storms during my short 3 day stay because they are amazing. However they always fizzled out with only a bit of noise and a few drops of rain, which was really very welcome because of the heat. So Karen and I decided to have a very very late lunch and afternoon tea combined on the island overlooking another nice beach where we would be undercover in case of a downpour. It costs $2 on entry to the island and from then on all bus travel on the island is free. A great idea and no cars are allowed on the island. So we caught the red bus and the blue bus etc. It's not a big island, however not the type of island you would walk around. So another fun day and nice to have met another very nice person to spend the days with. We exchanged phone numbers, funny how with some people you just click with right from the start. We chatted both days like we had known each other for years in the gardens, at the beach, on the boat etc etc. A nice woman and only 1 year older than me too. She was heading off to Thailand for a week with her husband when his business was over in Singapore.
My final day in Singapore was spent with Bronwyn, Madeline and Hannah. We shopped in Chinatown where I bought the girls handbags they picked out themselves. They are both so cute with gorgeous eyes and eyelashes, that all the locals always stop to look at them and tell them how beautiful they are. We had our final lunch together in town at the Coffee Club, in Ngee An City overlooking the main and famous shopping street called Orchard Road. It is filled with exclusive brand name shops like Chanel and Cartier.
Then once again it was time to say goodbye to the children I had just gotten to know over 3 days since Hannah wasn't even born last time I visited the family in Melbourne and Madeline was just a baby. Bronwyn drove me to the airport for my last overnight flight for Sydney. I couldn't believe it, next stop SYDNEY. Could my 3 month holiday really be over. Only 7 1/2 hrs to fly this time and I scored another excellent seat right up the back of the plane for 2 people only. Too excited this time though to get much sleep.
Time for another short tea break, but before I go I want to thank BRONWYN for all the running around she did for me to make my holiday in Singapore as eventful and comfortable as it was. I will write soon. Hi to the girls and Tony.
love Gisela
# posted by Gisela @ 8:45 PM 
