Sights of Singapore

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Alex, happy birthday to you!

After a lavish breakfast that included some amazing eggy-bread and ended with Alex feeling sick, we had a little birthday celebration in our room and Alex opened his cards (that Rach had brought along with her in her rucksack).

The Hangout kindly stowed our bags away and we caught the metro to Chinatown, where we decided to wander for a while and lose ourselves in the stalls and people. We came across two different temples, one Buddhist and one Hindu. There was a prayer service going on at the Hindu temple and it was interesting to stand and listen to, with a colourful display above the entrance.

Around the corner was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple which was beautiful both inside and out. Rach had to wear a shawl to cover her shoulders to get in but these were provided at the entrance. There were some interesting plaques around the outside giving insight into the Buddhist practices and the temple itself.

After leaving the temple we made our way to Marina Bay where we saw the iconic merlion that watches over the harbour. The view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel and the flyer was amazing. We decided to meander around the edge of the harbour having lunch along the way. Having been advised to try the local delicacy ‘the chilli-crab’ Alex, as a Brummie boy and loving spicy foods, went for this. And proceeded to have a small explosion take place in his mouth; the crab was delicious but about as hot as the surface of the sun.

Once the flames had subsided we continued on our walk coming to the very distinctive Marina Bay Sands hotel and skypark and decided we’d lay a bit of our cash down and head for the skies. It was worth every cent. You could see pretty much for 360° and the views were stunning. The sea on one side and the city on the other we spent ages taking it all in. Our only regret was not being able to swim in the infinity pool next to the skypark. That would have been amazing.

We’re at the airport now after a long day with a sprint back to the hostel to get our bags. Waiting for the flight that will take us to Melbourne, Australia which is going to be our home for the next six months!!

Rex’s Rules of the Road

• Metros are an easy and cheap way to get around. You can purchase a tourist travel card from the main stations but make sure that you return it before the day’s end to get your refund.

• If you’re travelling alone take a camera tripod with you. We saw the cutest guy running back and forth to his, taking cheesy smiley/thumbs up pics.

• Try the chilli-crab if you can. But make sure there is a fire extinguisher handy.