Singapore Part 2

After another big buffet breakfast Peter and I went for a walk down to Clarke Quay. We then got Mum and Dad J and went shopping for a while in the centre next to our motel. We found this "Crocs" shop and whilst I am not a fan of the big chunky designs of their shoes I did find a very nice slim flat that looks very stylish so now I am an owner of a pair of "Crocs" Peter and Mum J also bought some....

We had a quick lunch in our room before we were picked up for our first booked tour. Our tour started down at Clarke Quay and it was very interesting to learn the history of the area and our guide Linda has been in Singapore all her life. All these orange roofed houses are the originals from when the Quay was a height of prosperity and commercial centre for barges and bumboats. Some of the houses were homes to generations of families with sometimes 60 to 80 people living in them...

We visited a museum - here we are in front of "the Shroud" of Buddhas...

Onto the Raffles Hotel...

We have been here before but Peter wasn't allowed in as he had shorts on but the girls and I had had a quick peep inside. This time we were going for High Tea! I love the crisp whiteness of the building...

My new Crocs on the marble flooring...

We were having High Tea in the Tiffin Room...

Spotted a bride and groom...

We had a lovely tiered plate of goodies on the table but then they told us to help ourselves to a huge buffet of so much cakes, fruit, savouries and Asian food as well! It was certainly value for money... 

Mum J and In decided to indulge in the famous Singapore Sling - at over $30 per sling it had to be enjoyed!... 

Our tour continued on with a boat ride...

A different view of the Merlion... 

The Art Museum ...

A statue depicting how life was for children who grew up on the river...

 Singaporeans love to make their city vibrant...

Our tour ended with a trip to a Pewter factory... 

When we got back to the motel Mum and Dad J were totally full and worn out after their big day out so they stayed in while Peter and I went down to Chinatown for a walk and had a late Japanese meal...

Next morning we decided to go back to Gardens on he Bay as there was a few things we didn't see. The taxi that took us there was new on he job and she took us a very long way to get there so we got to see a few more streets. We did the shuttle tour with audio around the gardens. Here is another unusual   sculpture of a baby...

Dragonflies

We then walked over the bridge to another lookout... 

And back into the Marina Bay Sands. It is quite amazing that every balcony on this building has a garden as well...

 Looking down on one of the restaurants inside...

 We just kept wandering then ended up in the massive Marina Bay Sands shopping centre. This is partly underground and they even have canals in it with boats to take you for a ride!...

We had some lunch there and then went back for a rest. Next on our list was Sentosa Island. We went across by cable car...

It was very hot and we soon realised that there was nothing for people in their 80's to do here. Everything was pay, pay, pay. You couldn't even get to the beach as it was all barred up unless you paid. So we walked around a bit and then had a cuppa. We were originally going to stay for the light show but that was hours away and Mum and Dad J had had enough and after all they had seen the light show in1977!!!!...

It wasn't a place we would recommend unless you take your bathers and lots of money. It has certainly changed since we were there about 5 years ago. Anyway we enjoyed the ride back and had a lovely meal at a french restaurant near our motel.

Singapore Part 1

Having not been on a holiday with Peter's parents (except for trips to Augusta) we decided to take them away to Singapore. Not sure how they would cope with the travelling (being 88 and 85 respectively) we knew we would have to have a few plans in place! First up was Perth airport where we arranged for them to be taken to the plane first. We were able to join them and a few other elderly people to be first on...

 It was a good day for flying and the views leaving Perth were great...

When we arrived in Singapore a lovely man was waiting for us with a wheelchair for Dad J - it was a long long walk to the baggage claim area so the wheelchair was more than welcome...

 We checked into our motel - the Furama City and were both on the 11th floor with great views over the city and the Singapore Flyer.  Peter and I went for a walk to check out our surroundings and buy a few supplies.

 We were right next to some great shopping centres and had our first night dinner there...

We had arranged for a wheelchair to be delivered to our motel but Dad J insisted on walking to dinner but struggled coming back - lucky his wife of nearly 64 years was there for him :-)... 

 With the older travellers safely settled in their motel room Peter and I went out for a walk down Chinatown...

Next morning we caught a taxi to the Singapore Flyer - the advantage of a wheelchair was no queuing and a capsule to ourselves!...

 The views over the new Marina Bay Sands were great...

 Next we taxied over to the Marina Bay Sands. Wow this is an amazing structure!. The resort has 2561 rooms in the motel, a convention centre, casino, theatres, restaurants and the list goes on. The Skypark shaped like a boat that sits on top is 340 meters long and has a capacity of holding 3900 people and has a 150 metre infinity pool. We started off by just wandering into the building  and observing its amazing structures. We also looked at a diamond necklace in a store (not allowed to take photos) with a price tag of $29000000!!!...

 We bought tickets up to Skypark Observation Deck which was 57 floors up. First we had a professional photo taken...

The view looking down on the Gardens by the Bay and the massive Domes we visit later in the day...

 As Singapore is so tiny and they keep wanting to expand they are constantly reclaiming land and filling in areas of coast to build on. They have even built a floating soccer/sport pitch...

 It rained a little while we were up there but it soon disappeared. The red umbrellas are a restaurant...

 Looking down on the Singapore Flyer...

 Unless you are a hotel guest you cannot go to the pool area but with some zoom on the camera we can see how great the pool area looks (stopover next holiday??)...

 Looking over the port area...

 It was certainly a great experience being up there and surely it would stunning at night (yes I was going to find out later in the week!)...

After a short rest back at the motel we decided to go and explore "Arab St". This is a whole street that just sells fabric and rugs. Dad J stayed and rested in his room while we went. We had a good wander and I found a few bits of fabric to buy... 

Friendly little man cutting me some fabric

 Mum J was getting a bit worn out so we had another rest before heading out again to Gardens by the Bay.This is a huge park area in central Singapore spanning 250 acres with 3 main garden areas, 2 conservatories (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest) and Supertrees Grove.

 We went into the Flower Dome first. The dome is 38 metres  high and is 3 acres. Its hard to get an idea with just a photo. It houses 7 different gardens and a central display area. It replicates a mild, dry climate and stays around 23 degrees...

 Next we went into the Cloud Forest. It is slightly smaller but has a higher roof. This dome replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions. There is a 35 metre waterfall inside and different levels to walk around and look at all the plants...

Also these huge ariel walkways around and through the "mountain" - truly amazing structures...

Spot the wheelchair

 We then walked to the "Supertrees Grove". These "trees" vary in height from 25 metres to 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform different functions like planting and shading. They also have solar panels and catch and store rainwater.As the whole area is only fairly new I guess in a few more years the vertical gardens will cover a lot more of the structures.  The tallest one also has a restaurant in it...

Domes in the backgound

 The ariel walkway is a great way to view more of the gardens...

 At night they put on a spectacular light show with music hard to capture by photo but fantastic to watch...

 Meanwhile over at the Marina Bay Sands another light show is also happening...

It was a busy day!