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!

Pin It Now!

A Very British Summer

Up until this weekend, my summer has been a very British one. By that I mean I have been enjoying the temperamental British sunshine, freshly grown herbs and the plethora of sporting events that make up the summer season. 

Summer has whizzed passed so quickly and has become one big jumble of fun. 

This summer has included many hours spent watching Wimbledon and sharing in the fun with bowls piled high of strawberries and cream. 

We also spent a dream day by banks of the river Thames watching my two boys TS and CB race at Henley. I obviously cheered hard and soaked in the atmosphere with a few glasses of bubbles. 

BBQ's have become a regular Friday night feature in our house, with friends always invited and a fresh jug of whatever cocktail has been invented that day. It also gives me a chance to show off my new balcony garden. SM would be very proud that I have kept plants alive for more than a week!

I am not sure how, but AN coaxed me onto a boat and entered us into a sailing race. As much as I spent half the time terrifying and debating whether to push him overboard, I managed to restrain myself and even enjoyed racing across the bay with the hot sun warming my cheeks. 

We have spent blissful staycation weekends exploring the countryside surrounding Salisbury and enjoying the costal views in Dorset. 

With dinners out with friends, one police hunt and a cake tin theft, the summer has been a good one. 

Summer work parties and nights out with the best colleagues in the business helped to make my first working summer a little more pleasant. 

Of course, AN managed to find us a few events to pop along to, celebrating 300 years of the KRH with a dinner at the Dorchester and a parade and polo match in Tidworth. 

All in all, summer has been wonderful and even more excitingly, this is only the beginning because tomorrow AN and I are hopping on a plane to Singapore for some real summer sunshine and another whirlwind adventure. 

Mood - grateful 

Pin It Now!