No dusty dirt tracks but paved streets. Everything was signposted in English. It was very modern and clean.
I can only describe Singapore as Glamorous.... Glamorous Singapore... Here's why...
G is for Glitzy. There's valet parking, security on the complexes. Walking into the huge malls I felt as though I was walking on a red carpet. Everyone looks the part - i.e. swanky - in this cosmopolitan city.
L is for Lucy, our friend who lives there. Thankfully she put us up, as otherwise trying to find a guest house or hostel would have been tricky and cost us a bomb! Unfortunately poor Lynsey had to go into hospital with Gastric Enteritis, so we ended up spending a lot more time in
Singapore than we planned. When she started feeling better it was great to do girly things like go to the cinema (we watched Sex And The City 2), we went for sushi, we went for dinner, we went shopping, had our eyebrows done. Just nice normal girly things that we couldn't really do elsewhere in Asia like at home.A is for Appetite. This definitely came back. I spent a lot of time cooking, either for when Lucy came home from work and just for fun really. We had two roasts in the space of a week! We also went out for dinner. We went to Lucy's favourite restaurant RAW, which is so quaint and also nice and great value for money.
M is for the Marina. It is so pretty, with tall skyscrapers such as the boat building and a big statue of the Merlion.
O is for Organisation. You cannot buy chewing gum, there is no litter on the streets. They have traffic lights and zebra crossings that actually do what they are supposed to (a rarity for Asia). It is a very safe place with very little crime.
R is for Raffles Hotel. This is a colonial style hotel dating back to 1887. Known for being prestigious and upper class. You may not be able to afford the 350 pound-a-night rooms here. However it is a very popular tourist attraction. There's a court with Tiffany's jewellery shop and also a souvenir shop. We just admired it from afar during the day.
O is for Out of town. This place more than anywhere I've been in Asia had a really Chinese feel to it along with a western feel to it. 5 million people live in this island country. Most of them Chinese, Malay, Indians and white. 42% of people living here are foreigners.
U is for Universal Studios. We did not visit this place so I can't actually comment, but they have one here. So maybe you can go and then let me know how it is!
S is for Shopping. There are over a hundred shopping malls. If you have the money - unlike us poor backpackers - then you will really appreciate it here.
On top of the glamour and architecture in this modern city, there was an okay night life - Clark Quay and the Loof cocktail bar are some of many places to visit. It was also an excellent way to spend a few days in the middle of the trip despite Lynsey being poorly. We watched a lot of telly and just chilled out - in Lucy's apartment with the swimming pools, squash courts, tennis courts ..... just like home (not really!). We had a lovely time, we did do one touristy thing - we went to the Night Safari, which was really fun, even though the animals like tigers and lions roam freely near the walkways. How they don't attack anyone I have no idea - maybe like Singapore they are sophisticated too!
