Singapore and friends

Arriving at Singapore Airport, we felt the contrast with Nepal immediately! We were delighted to be back to the warmth again, and everything felt so clean and so modern! Even the drive from the airport was memorable – gorgeous flowers lined every street, and the taxi was on the meter with no haggling to be had.

We split our days in Singapore between being tourists and spending time with friends. We got a taste of Singapore life by staying with our friends Anita and Dave, and their gorgeous little son, Nayan. Our friend Jon joined us too! We visited their favourite restaurants (notably the Indian canteen and the ‘No Sign Board’ spicy crab specialist), we sampled the local bars, and we had a pool-side barbecue. It would be a lie if we said we weren’t just a little bit jealous of their new lifestyle, and we were very sad to say goodbye.

On the tourist trail, we explored the city centre – we walked around Marina Bay, and enjoyed a drink with a view at the top of the Sands Hotel. We found the merlion (half mermaid / half lion), and we wandered through Little India and the Arab district. We also spent a day at the zoo. If we were animals in captivity, this is the zoo which we would like to call home. The layout is so clever, there are hardly any cages and you feel like you’re in a rainforest.

Singapore is a bit of a model city. Everything works as it should, it’s clean, it’s comfortable, it’s safe. The weather was hot, and everyone was well dressed. The branding is slick and most apartment blocks have their own pool. A great place to live, although we hear it gets boring after a while (maybe they say that to make us feel better?!)

F1 pit entrance

Panoramic city view

Cocktails up high!

Olly hitches a lift at the zoo

Orangutan

Mouse deer (the worlds smallest deer), only 30cm high!

With Anita and Dave at the famous No Signboard