Singapore - Part 2 - Pulau Ubin

After a day a the beach on Sentosa, we were definitely in need of a cocktail, or three! Papa T had made dinner reservations at the Fullerton Bay, a beautiful old colonial style hotel right on the bay, overlooking the Marina Bay Sands and the famous Singapore skyline. 

I didn't take any pictures inside, but we had a delicious meal, rounded off with a trio of crème brûlées and some mini macarons. 

The next day, in complete contrast, AN and I headed to the other side of the country....yes Singapore really is that small! We took a little chug-chug boat over to the small island of Pulau Ubin, just off the Changi coast. Pulau Ubin is said to be a glimpse of what Singapore used to be like, before it became so developed and cosmopolitan. 

The island is basically all uncultivated jungle with a police training academy and a few little shacks serving up the catch of the day. With no roads, the best way to explore was to pick up some bikes and head into the jungle! 

We followed the winding trails deep into the hot and humid jungle, passed the mangrove swamps and giant monitor lizards. The sounds of unfamiliar insects were making the trees hum and the heat of the day felt even hotter under the canopy of giant leaves above us. 

We came to a small path leading off the main track, flanked with colourful flag poles, that was too tempting to leave unexplored. The path led to a little temple on the banks of the murky river that had been ceremonially dressed up in colourful prayer flags as far as the eye could see.

In the middle of the jungle this little show was so unexpected and just a little bit magical. It was also completely deserted, so we wandered around taking far too many photos and making some new turtle-like friends. 

We eventually found ourselves back at the little seafood cafes and feasted on plate after plate of the freshest fish and noodles, before heading back to the mainland. 

We ran straight to the airport where we hopped on a plane with Mama and Papa T, heading to Thailand for our next expedition! 

Mood - Inspired 

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Singapore - Part 1, Temples, Skyscrapers and Safari

I had been looking forward to a holiday since last summer! Particularly as this holiday not only meant seeing my family and my brother, but spending some time with AN. HT has been pretending to be a cowboy in Australia for the last two years so it was especially good to pin him down and have a good old catch-up. 

We hopped on a very early flight, via Qatar, and luckily made our connection by about 2 minutes! We were very relieved to land safe and sound in the sunny land of Singapore! After a quick nap and swim we headed out to explore the city. 

As both AN and I had been to Singapore before, we didn't feel the need to do the most touristy activities and mainly just enjoyed walking around and soaking it all in. 

We started our day with a visit to both the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Hindu temple hidden away in Chinatown. Both temples are so very different and yet both display colourful, artistic and intricate decor. In the Hindu temple cameras were not permitted and we had to rely on committing the sights, sounds and even smells to memory. 

The Buddhist temple has a wonderfully serene and calm orchid garden on the roof, far away from the hubbub of chinatown and the business of the wandering tourists and jabbering shopkeepers. 

In complete contrast, the afternoon was spent at the River Safari, one of Singapore's zoos that focusses on river creatures from around the world and few others thrown in for good measure. I can also really recommend the Night Safari and the Zoo. I love that Singapore's zoos have largely open enclosures and have several walk-through experiences that allow you to get up close an personal with lots of animals, without compromising their natural freedoms. 

We both made lots of new friends! 

I was completely smitten with what looked like the cuddliest of pandas. Such a rare treat. 

A quick pit-stop later and we had slipped into something a little fancier in preparation for a dinner at le Comptoir and a few roof-top cocktails at Altitude bar. Altitude is a bar based on the 63rd floor at 1 Raffles Place and offers unrivalled views across the Singapore skyline. The bar is open air, which, at 63 floors up, is only mildly terrifying! 

Day 3 was unique in a completely different way! Sentosa is a little island just across a boardwalk from the coast of the city and has become Singapore's dedicated State of Fun. A slightly bizarre cross between sugar-sweet theme-parks and beautiful beaches, home to some buzzing beach-side bars and cafes. 

The island also houses the original fort used by the armed forces to defend Singapore against the Japanese invasion and just happened to be our first stop for the day. AN was not so impressed by the cannons on display and we found the heat of the day a little overwhelming to really enjoy our visit. 

Next stop was a walk along the beach, a quick paddle in the sea and a milkshake in a near-by surfing cafe. 

Needless to say we managed to experience the amazing variety of life and experiences that Singapore has to offer. For such a young country (50 this year!) Singapore has such an established culture that thrives and bubbles through the busy city, making it a truly exciting and interesting place to visit. 

Mood - hungry for more!

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