Singapore

Just come to the end of a 3 day break in Singapore, meeting up with Alison on her way through from UK to New Zealand. The idea was to give Alison a lightning tour of the things that I like most about Singapore.

Saturday evening turned out to be Halloween Night, and it seemed that the whole of the under 30 Singapore population were parading on Clarke Quay dressed as ghouls and demons. In fact they seemed to use the occasion as an excuse to dress up as just about anything from British Guardsmen to Rubik Cubes. We ended the evening with a visit to the Crazy Elephant blues club to listen to a great set from the house band supported by the ace guitarist (and club owner), John Chee.

The first full day featured a leisurely cycle ride along East Cost Park, watching the locals go about their Sunday relaxation by the sea. Pity about the backdrop of hundreds of tankers and container ships lined up waiting to go into the port. In the evening we dined out at Boat Quay, where we had my favourite Singapore dish – black pepper crab (see picture for results!).

Monday’s itinerary included a stroll around the Chinatown district, the Singapore River boat ride, and an enforced drink stop in a bar while we waited for the daily downpour to pass. The evening’s highlight was the Singapore Night Safari, which is still an entertaining night out, even on my fourth visit.

I actually had to fit in a work meeting on Tuesday morning, which gave Alison a chance to sample the Singapore shopping experience. After that, a laze by the pool was in order before our respective onward flights.