Priya&Tim

Singapore is what everyone says it is....sanitised to the max and what some may view as ridiculous fines for things such as eating or drinking on the the underground, dropping litter or chewing-gum. However, the result is a clean city with a well mannered attitude towards others and property. In fact, we found Singapore to be even more multi-cultural than Malaysia and rules strictly adhered to for your own safety and enjoyment of the city. So all in all, Singapore was a wonderful end to the first leg of our travels! Once we had checked in after a long day of travelling, I managed to persuade Tim (and myself!) to walk to the Little India District. After what seemed like an age of a walk, we were rewarded with a fantastic meal at the Banana Leaf Restaurant! The curries there were beautiful and the smell of incense within the district was a pleasant alternative to the evening traffic pollution, even though a little overpowering.

The next day we took a trip down the famous Orchard Road to see the shopping malls. Singapore is obscene in this sense. Wherever you turn there is plaza or mall that is essentially as big as Lakeside/Bluewater/etc... Imagine a street consisting of over 15 of these type of establishments and then add huge chain hotels, restaurants and bars, banks, offices and food courts; all on one road. It is simply a crazy place to be in! So as a retreat, we decided to go to the Botanical Gardens where the world renowned Orchid Gardens are situated.

This place was beautiful and you find yourself instantly shut off from the hectic city life and the sounds of the traffic. The Orchid gardens themselves were stunning with almost every variety of orchid you can imagine! They even had one to comemorate Maggie Thatcher, and it was a very twisted looking plant that we thought was quite fitting really!

But the real highlights were lakes, the ginger garden and seeing the turtles that are resident to the lakes and wonderful tranquility of the whole area!