Singapore

Well what can I say, Singapore is a wonderful city. It is illegal to chew gum and litter. Everything is so well laid out, and so clean. After India we felt like we were in heaven as soon as we landed at the airport, which is in itself impressive. The new airport terminal opened last year and is equipped with a spa, swimming pool, free wi-fi, and all the shops you could possibly want. We are now very much looking forward to our connecting flights between Vietnam and Oz and the 6 hours we have to mooch around. Will have to pack the cossie in the hand luggage.

I have also been extremely impressed by the toilets here. Not only are they in every possible location, but they are also done to such high standards. Some have sliding doors, automatic towel dispensers etc and they all flush themselves. What a change from the smelly hole in the ground we were often presented with in India.

After a bit of a kip at the hotel, we decided to head to the Night Safari, which is a tour of the zoo at night, allowing you to see all the nocturnal animals. As with everything here it was done so well. We first saw the live animal show, which had recycling otters, owls and snakes under the seats. Then we boarded a tram with a guided tour of all the animals around the park. There were too many to mention but I was particularly impressed with the elephants and anteaters. You were not allowed to take photos of the animals as they are disturbed by the flashes. Then we had a bit of dinner in Bongo Burger, and then for a stroll round the nature trails. When we got to the tiger enclosure we found ourselves 4-5ft from a large tiger taking a bath. Fortunately there was some very thick glass between us, my water bottle made a cracking sound and the tiger looked straight at us and growled. Dara was very glad of the glass and we made a swift exit.

We found that the best way to get around town was on the public transport. Singapore was the first country to have oyster cards, and the MRT (tube) was very easy to use, with air conditioned and spacious carriages. It was also cheap with bus journeys around 20p and train rides 90p.

We got the MRT to Sentosa Island. This is a purpose built resort on an island just outside Singapore. We took the cable car ride over to the island. It was very high up, but the views of the harbour were cool. I told Dara he wasn't to move at all as he was making the carriage shake. When we got there we took a stroll through the grounds, which had many water features with kids playing in them. I had to try it. Then we got a tram to the Dolphin Island end of the beach. We didn't go into any of the attractions but Dara and Paddy found that they could see over most of the walls. One of the advantages of everyone being small over here I suppose. I took a stroll on the beach and felt the sand between my toes for the first time of our adventure. It felt good. There was miles and miles of beaches, bridges to other little islands, lookouts for you to climb, caves for kids to explore, funky swimming pools, and an aquarium. It is obviously completely artificial but I really enjoyed it.

Singapore has the most amount of shopping malls i have ever seen, and i have been to Dubai. Ladies this is the best shopping I have ever seen. Mary had to be restrained in Marks and Spencer. The prices are only a little bit cheaper than at home but you can claim your tax back at the airport. We didn't buy much stuff as we figured it would just make our bags heavier, but we were very impressed with the lifestyle in this country. I could happily live here.

Of course we had to go to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel, where the first ever Singapore sling was made. They have a tradition there of serving you monkey nuts and you are expected to throw the shells on the floor. Apparently it is the only place in Singapore where you are allowed to litter.

On our last day we went to the IT show in Suntec City. If you are a geek, and I know there is a few of you out there, then this is the place for you. There was 4 floors of the latest gadgets all on special offer and it had thousands of people streaming in and out of it. We bought ourselves a ASUS Eee PC, which is a small cheap basic laptop that Dara had his eye on for a while. It is my first guilty purchase and I have told myself that it will be very useful for emails and storing photos while on the move. There is also the fact that it is incredibly cute.

Dara obviously loved the show, I am not sure if he was more impressed with it or the girls dressed as Guinness in The Dubliner pub. I think most likely the former.