Singapore (2)

 Singapore - London 5/6 Sept
The first days of my travel diary were written in December 2010 so this is a little out of order, after the January 2011 update I wrote yesterday.

Again, there was too much for me to see to have a sleep in so up very early and pushing Chris to hurry up!! It was drizzling with rain and very humid but we still caught the ' hop on - off bus' for a day of exploring Singapore. We met some fantastic people at the bus stop who were from Barcelona. As we were going there later in the month they loved talking to us about Spain and we had lots of laughs on the bus.

                                

We got off at China Town but as it was so early there wasn't a  lot open. Had a wander around and admired all the colour and beauty of the area, even having a McDonald's breakfast in Singapore was lovely. (No different than NZ mind you)!         

We then continued the bus tour to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and got off the bus in the central city, walked for ages then finally decided to get a taxi out to Sentosa Resort Island. Taxis are very cheap on Sunday's in Singapore to encourage people to go out but leave their vehicles at home due to the high volume of traffic on such a small Island.

We arrived at Sentosa Island and thought we would have a look in the casino but as both Chris and I had left our passports at the hotel we were declined entry. In Singapore gambling and drinking alcohol is discouraged in many parts so it is very expensive for locals to get into a casino; they have to pay high entry fees. Tourists, with a passport, can enter for free.                         

It was getting extremely hot so we took time out to have a cold beer and wine at the Hard Rock cafe before heading off to explore Sentosa Resort.

                       

Our first adventure was the Merlion Experience. We walked through a display then went to a movie show. We then ascended through the middle of the giant Merlion to experience amazing views over Singapore and Malaysia. On entering the experience we were given a coin chip which at the end was put into a small Merlion mouth for a 'treasure'. Lucky Chris and Me, we both ended up with fans and Chris's broke as soon as he opened it.
                  
We then walked around the other beautiful attractions at the resort and finally caught the cable car back to the main land.

                          

                                                        

                              

It was amazing going right over the top of a huge cruise liner, Star Virgo, seeing right into the top deck.

It was a great distraction as the ride was very steep and high and I hate heights.Our cable car trip finished at Harbour Shopping Centre where I managed to get some black sandals for s$13.  It was very lively at this shopping centre with a variety of entertainment, including this band.  


After a rest we walked to the Raffles Shopping complex which was full of families out for Sunday Dinner. We found a nice open air restaurant where we had a lovely, traditional Singaporean meal. We loved watching the children fascinated by the water in a beautiful waterfall display, in the middle of the complex. Children are beautifully dressed and so special in Singapore.

Singaporeans love beautiful things and nature.  I loved my fantastic stay in fabulous Singapore!

On Monday 6th September I woke up knowing it was going to be a long, but such an exciting day.  We left the hotel at 9.30a.m and after a short wait at the airport we were off on the big double decker Singapore Airlines plane to London.  We were luck to be on the upper level and it was certainly a glamorous plane.

We had a big delay before taking off but after 14 hours of flying we finally saw Heathrow Airport.  It is enormous and so many different types of planes from all over the world lined up.  I couldn't believe we were actually there after all the months of planning, saving and anticipation.

What an emotional moment to walk out of customs and see Sarah there waiting for us! A memory I will always treasure.

Sarah knew what she was doing and got us out of the airport fast and then we had the fun of getting all our luggage into Sarah's lovely red and black mini minor car.  Chris and Sarah got it sorted out and we were soon in Eastcote at Sarah and Stephen's flat.  It is a nice place and so easy to get to by train, bus or taxi from London Central.

We were all very tired so after some catch up chats we headed off for an early nigh as Sarah and Stephen had work the next day.  Chris and I needed to prepare ourselves for the next month of adventures and special time with Sarah and Stephen.

Goodbye 2010

January 2nd already and with Christmas and New Year behind us I will now start to make an attempt to recall our fantastic trip to visit Sarah and Stephen, as well as our tour of parts of the UK, Europe and Ireland. The past 3 months have gone so fast, being my busiest time at school and Chris at work but the wonderful memories of the trip have not faded. I will just recap the past few months then start our diary.

We arrived back in New Zealand on Saturday 9th October and straight back into work on the Monday. I recall being so tired in the afternoon, when reading to my class, that I almost fell asleep. Josh Nelson even tip-toed up to me to hear if I was snoring! A lovely boy with a great sense of humour (Christopher's Year 7 teacher's son). I had a fantastic Year 4 class last year, the best I have had for a number of years. I did enjoy my teaching, when I was there, in 2010.

We got through the term with only one hitch, when I slipped on the downstairs bathroom tiles. I hit my head on the door frame and did some rather nasty, but not permanent damage to my face. This resulted in me having another week off work back really didn't come right all term. Catching up now and my face is looking it's normal, aging self again!

Chris has been flat out at work as new expansions are being made this year, hence he will be in Germany February/March for training. He is not taking too much time off over the summer, just a couple of long weekends. One of these we are lucky to be taking a short Pacific cruise on the newly launched, refurbished ship 'Pacific Pearl'. Really looking forward to rest, sunshine and fun after our very full-on, but amazing trip.

We still relate to Wellington as one of the best places to live, but loved visiting 13 other beautiful countries and experience the individual cultures each has to offer.

To all our and family and friends very best wishes for a safe, happy and successful 2011!!!

Singapore

 Our Diary Begins - 3/4 Sept 2010
For most people it will be incredibly boring as it will probably take me all the school holidays to write it but for Chris and Me it is a Year we will never forget! For all those people who look at this site you will say, 'Hey, Helen was out to celebrate her 50th birthday for a whole year, and she did, with the help of Chris.

As written in earlier scripts, I started my year in Queenstown and exploring the Milford Sound - a cold New Year but loved it and not like the -11 degrees Sarah said she drove to work in London a few days ago!

March 5th saw me being swept away to Waiheki Island for a 'Glam Weekend' to celebrate my 50th birthday. A beautiful Island about 40 minutes by ferry from Auckland. I was very spoilt and we loved the 60's atmosphere, great food and wine.

The year then cruised along with the anticipation of our very exciting trip to the UK, Europe and Ireland in September. I had an amazing class this year and they enjoyed my excitement and planning of our trip.

I still remember the excitement of waking up about 4.30a.m on Friday 3 September, not really believing I would be seeing Sarah in 4 days time. The taxi arrived at 6.00a.m and we were at the airport far too early.

After a 2 hour wait in Auckland we were finally on our way to Singapore. 13 hours later we landed and walked straight through customs before being taken to our central Singapore Hotel, Penisula Excelisor. It was a lovely hotel and we were able to walk to most places. Umm... I do remember the 'sleezy bar ' at the hotel that ripped Chris off a huge amount for drinks and I am sure my wine was watered down!

Our sleep patterns were very out of the norm so Chris and I went down to the dinning room for a very comprehensive early breakfast, catering for every nationality. I don't usually eat breakfast so I could already see myself putting on heaps of weight over the next 5 weeks.                        

                                          Chris had been to Singapore before so he was looking forward to showing me the beautiful country. We walked around the main part of Singapore, leaving the hotel about 7.30a.m. and arriving on Orchard Road before the shops even opened.

We were really big spenders there with Chris buying a McDonald's chocolate milkshake and me purchasing some postcards. We were hounded by the less exclusive shop owners in the department stores, as we were obviously 'tourists'! It was like there were two classes of shops along Orchard Road. We crossed a street when seemed to go from the very expensive part to shops catering for the locals. The shops, way people were dressed and general atmosphere changed a lot. One thing which I found interesting was an outdoor escalator in a beautiful park near our hotel.

                                      

                 
It was getting hot so we went back to our resort to get changed then went to a nearby shopping centre. It had at least 5 levels of just electronic shops alone. Chris enjoyed looking through some of these while I managed to find a lovely jewelery shop and bought a silver Singapore 'Merlion' (Singapore's icon)to start my silver charm bracelet collection. I did a bit of bargaining with the young shop assistant and as it was her first sale of the day I got a good deal. She even kissed the s$50 note I gave her but I readily accepted my change.  Across the road was a beautifully preserved fire station.                       

One of Chris's Singaporean work colleagues and his wife met us for lunch and were lovely hosts. Mr and Mrs Choo Ai-hoe took us to the 'Turf Centre' for an Indian lunch then dropped us off for a 'bum boat cruise' along the Boat and Clark Quays. Showed the skyline well with lots of very, high rise buildings and a reconstructed cruise boat (now a restaurant) high above the city.

                                               

                                                

The Merlion is the mascot or symbolic feature of Singapore and stands on the river edge spouting water  from its mouth.  It has the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It is derived from Singapore's old fishing village called, Temasek which means 'sea' in Japanese.  'Mer' means sea and the lion's head represents the original name 'Singapura', which means "lion city'.

                       

There were many beautiful displays, cafes and attractions along both Boat and Clark Quays.  5 o'clock drinks were being offered at cheap prices in hopes tourists would stay on for a meal.  Very competitive, but and the main menus were very much seafood.  We even saw a display of New Zealand crabs.

 

We then returned to our hotel, got dressed up and went to The Raffles Hotel for a Singaporean Gin Sling, peanuts tossed all over the floor and Chris trying to bargain for a $20,000 bracelet for me. Yeah like I am wearing it!!! It was all fun and he did have the shop assistant convinced we would pick it up at 11.00a.m the next morning, with a $8000 reduction!                      

                                                     

                                   

       

                                                                                                                

We then got a rickshaw ride back through the busy streets of Singapore to our hotel. The drivers have right-of-way on some parts of the roads and ring their bell to ensure they can merge into traffic safely. The driver of our rickshaw quoted $20 but on arrival at our hotel he wanted another $20 as he said it was hard work. Yeah right! I threw $20 on his seat and then disappeared.

Singapore is a very clean, beautiful country but everywhere is busy and lots of tourists.

A great way to start our big adventure.

Counting Down

Only 16 more days to go until we leave for Singapore / Europe. Time is zooming by but trying not to get too excited yet. I collected our tickets and tour information last Monday which made it seem a little more realistic. I have made a few alterations to places we are staying and booked train tickets to visit Wales and Chester as well as a tour of Buckingham Palace on the afternoon before we go to the 'We Will Rock You' Westend Show.

Chris and I spent the day in Wanganui with Mum on Saturday. Great to see her and she is looking really well. Always hard to say goodbye when we leave, especially as we won't see her for quitre some time and will be in the other side of the world.

Have been sorting through clothing Sarah wants me to take over for her. Hard to know what she wants but will just make a good judgement call. Will be great to see Sarah and Stephen after 18 months and feel Sarah will be quite different.

Tour

Trafalgar Tours must have read my blog. Our tickets and tour documents were ready for Chris and me to collect yesterday but I didn't pick up the email until after Flight Centre closed so I am so excited to be picking them up tomorrow, Monday.

Had a lovely, long chat with Sarah this morning. We tried to sort out what clothing I will take over for her as she now would like some of her more formal work clothes. Sarah has a 'shop-full' of lovely clothing and under-wear stored with us so we will take as much as we can.

Only 26 sleeps to go. Getting very excited - like a kid anticipating Christmas I guess!!

Close

I can't believe it is August already and only 4 weeks until Chris and I travel to see Sarah and Stephen in London and get a taste of the other side of the world! We are getting so excited after months of planning, saving and anticipation so, 'ROLL ON' Sept 3. Still haven't got our flight tickets and tour documents but they will arrive. I am so organised that I am looking for things to change, which annoys Chris!! He'll get over it and love the better hotels etc.

It is hard to imagine being in 14 countries in 5 weeks (that includes good old New Zealand of course!) but it will be a great experience. New Zealand, Singapore, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

So looking forward to being with Sarah. It seems so long since I have seen her but it is crazy to say 'the time has gone fast' since Sarah and Stephen left New Zealand. We will stay with them on the first night but as they have work and other commitments, we have booked into a hotel very close to their home for the rest of the first week. Hopefully they will put up with us for short stays after our tour??

I will try to keep this blog up-to-date while we are traveling and post photos as we go.