Asia begins...

So, it is true what they say, no one is perfect (I have held off admitting to that for SO long). On the morning of our departure from Oz Smally & I got up at 9.15 & got ready to catch a bus to the airport, at 10am. Dixy had left for Singapore the day before & we were due to meet up with him, & Spencer, that evening. As we were getting ready (with good time to spare - or so we thought), Smalls decided to check out itinerary...only to find out that we had been working to the time of our connecting flight (in Brisbane) - our flight left Cairns at 10:05am!!! We got a taxi to the airport for 10am, although that clearly was too late. Therefore we paid $150 to get on the next flight, via Darwin, to Singapore. A costly error, but a mistake neither of us will be making again in an hurry.

It was excellent to see Dan again; we all caught up over a few pints & a curry in Little India, which was good. After which we played some pool & then watched the last day of the premiership season (chuckling at Newcastle's fate, of course)...it was just like old times - just a few miles off our usual destination.

Singapore is one of the CLEANEST cities I have ever visited. It is illegal to sell chewing gum here, so the pavements are clean, & heavy fines are incurred for anyone brave enough to spit or throw their ciggy butts on the ground. The weather is varied, although always hot. The above picture shows the rains decending, although within 30mins of this all of the streets will be dry, due to how warm the place is - & consequently muggy!

On our one full day as a foursome, we decided to check out all that Santosa island had to offer. It is a small island off the south coast of SIngapore, & therefore was a strategic focal point in defending Asia from attack in all previous military conflicts. We visited the Siloso fort, which was built by the empire back in the 1800s. It is incredible to think how anyone was able to work in the temperatures that we were experiencing, but they did! The place was facinating & informative, & I would recommend it.

It was then time to check out the Siloso beach...

Although largely manmade (as with the majority of the island attractions), it was very nice. Smalls didn't agree with the marine life...Jellyfish 1, Smally 0.

Some of the wildlife inhabitants of the island include the very naughty monkeys who watch the picnic area from the trees opposite &/or above. When they see the opportunity they swoop down, en masse, to see what scraps/full meals they can snatch from tourists...they are very successful most of the time too! Fair play to them - I would if I felt I could get away with it! ;-)

We went on the island's dry luge track, which was a lot of fun, although due to the competitive nature of it all there was no time for photos. Dan will remember this epic clash for years, eh mate?! ;-)
Another activity that we had paid for was the Segway machines (left). There was a specially closed circuit through the trees by the beach, which was great fun. They are a little tricky to get going quickly, although once you have the hang of it they are great fun!

After we had done sweating out litres all day (it was SO hot) we got some refreshments & headed to the Aquarium for the Dolphin show. I have to say that it was more than a little disappointing...definitely not worth 15pounds for the priviledge! Also, you cannot appreciate from the picture below, but the Dolphins appeared to have some form of skin complaint - being covered in red blotches?!?

The next day we had enough time for a visit to Raffles hotel, before splitting up - with Dan going to Thailand & us to Malaysia. Visiting the Raffles "Long Bar" for a "Singapore Slinger" is a must (according to many guide books)...so we did!

The other alternative is afternoon tea. We didn't have the time for that - so we had to make do with the morning cocktails! ;-)

Having said our goodbyes to Dan (for the time being, at least...will there be a return on this adventure for him?!?), we made our way to the bus station. We had a pleasant surprise when we found out that we were on a luxury coach, complete with ondemand TV screens & lazy boy reclining chairs...very nice for next to nothing (about twenty pounds). I wish I could say that the crossing of my first boarder in Asia was dull & uneventful, although then that would make me a liar.

Can you spot the problem with the green departure stamp in my passport? I was blissfully unaware of the Sinaporian error, however the lovely Malaysian immigration officers noticed - much to their delight. They continued to tell me how much of a problem this would be throughout my time in Asia, unless I went back across the bridge to rectify the stamp issue in Singapore (not an option, as my bus was heading North to Kuala Lumpur). The head immigration officer then took me aside & politely informed me that if I was to "help him" he would in turn "help me" (aka - $$$ in return for a stamp & passage into the country). I paid the requested bribe of $50 (about 25pounds), & was on my way. A lesson to anyone travelling anywhere, make sure you evaluate the work of the "trained" border staff, or it could be to your cost!!!

Singapore, Singapore