December 9 - Bugis Street Singapore

A friend asked if Bugis Street was still there, and so I had to go and see. I had a couple of hours to spare before my flight out of Singapore, so I headed there in a cab. I'd had some really nice weather for my two days in Singapore despite it being the rainy season, but as soon as I set foot in Bugis Street, the rain came down.

Rickshaw drivers waiting in the rain.
Foodstuffs in bulk.

Singapore to Perth - December 10

Palm shadow in Orchard Road

Tree roots dangling into Singapore River

The Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth was a bit bumpy, and we had to wait for an hour for a connecting BA flight from London to land so the passengers could get on our plane, but apart from that it wasn’t a bad flight. The food was actually quite nice too.
Because we landed an hour late I didn’t actually get to my hotel until 3.45 am, so I’m a bit tired today.
It’s lovely and warm here in Perth, and there’s a free city bus that stops right outside the hotel, so I took a ride in to mail a parcel for a friend, and found the post office without any problem. Then I had a wander around the shopping area, bought a pair of cotton crop trousers for only $13.90 – about £8.40 – a bargain.
Wireless internet is really slow here at the hotel, so I’ve decided write my posts offline and upload them when I get a chance, so the date in the heading may not match the date the blog was updated.

A needle and thread

I put on a new pair of trousers this morning, and they were too long. I went looking for a needle and some thread, or at least a little sewing kit, but I couldn't find a single one. I reckon you can find just about anything in Singapore, but I couldn't find a needle and thread. I went up and down Orchard Road asking in every little store that looked as if it might stock at least a sewing kit, but with no luck. Repeatedly I was told to go to Watsons, and given directions (all of this in the underground walkways in Orchard Road). Now I have no sense of direction, and if I don't have landmarks, I get completely lost after a couple of turns. So I had to keep coming up to the surface to check on where I was, before going back down into the tunnels. After about half an hour of searching, I finally found Watsons, but they didn't have any sewing kits or needles and threads. I went into Tang's Department Store in the hope that I'd find a haberdashery department, but again I was out of luck.

It all ended well, though, because the hotel concierge managed to rustle up a little sewing kit for me, so now my trousers aren't dragging along the floor any more.

PS (a few hours later) I found some needles and thread in a small shop in Bugis Street. I wasn't really looking any more, which is probably why I found them.

Singapore

Arrived here last night after a 12(!) hour flight. The flight was okay, and for me the 31 inch seat pitch was fine, but the seat width left a lot to be desired.

Singapore is amazing, and I'm very happy with my choice of hotels. It's right in the centre within a stone's throw of Orchard Road, which is a shoppers' paradise. The Christmas decorations are brilliant, literally.

Today I did a half day tour by bus and by boat, and then stayed on in the riverside area, and walked the length of the boat trip, getting some really good photos. I managed to find a stall selling noodles by the Esplanade - a theatre housed inside the most unusual looking building.

After finishing up my extremely hot (as in chilli) noodles, I thought I'd walk off the calories by going to Raffles for a Singapore Sling. My Singapore Sling was absolutely delicious, and I really enjoyed the peanuts which sit in a box on the table, particularly the part about chucking the shells on the floor. I did wonder, though, how the peanuts manage to be salty when they're still in their shells.

I was very tempted to have a second drink, because it really was tasty, but thought to ask the waitress if they were terribly alcoholic. The answer was yes, and she reeled off a list of contents, most of which I've forgotten, but which included gin, benedictine, cointreau, cherry brandy and I decided to call it day. I reckoned that if I had another one they'd probably have to scrape me up and pour me into a taxi.

I've had great fun today. I met some nice people on the tour I took, and when I was wandering around on my own taking pictures, lots of people offered to take a picture of me on my camera.

The Start

Today I'm going to set off on a two-month journey to Australia and New Zealand. I'll be stopping in Singapore on the way there, and in Bangkok on the way back.

I'll be travelling alone, except for a three week period over Christmas which I'll be spending with family.