Singapore is an odd place - it is desperately trying to move on from its sterile, business-like reputation to become known for its artistic and cultural features but it isn't really working… It doesn't really have much of a soul to it - compared to other Asian places anyway. Don't get me wrong, you still get the random odd ball - one of which was pressing all of my bruises to try and get rid of them for me! Nevertheless, it was still fun to see Singapore.

Accommodation in Singapore is expensive. We decided to go for a budget hotel in a better location than some, but sacrifice on space (and windows, making working out what to wear due to weather a challenge!) Our hotel was on the outskirts of the city near to Little India, and we spent a lot of time with locals at the nearby Lavender Food Court eating meals for next to nothing… This was actually one of the highlights of our time in Singapore - exploring different foods at the various food courts in Chinatown, Little India and right on our door step! Highlights were prawn noodle soup, fried chicken noodles and wonton soup… Oh and the Tiger Beer to wash it down with wasn't bad either J

We took a flight on the Singapore Flyer, the world's largest observation wheel. It was great to get a view over the whole of Singapore and helped us get our bearings. We decided to go to East Coast Park also - a park that stretches over 10km of coastline on the east of the island. Boy was it hot and humid - we were desperately in need of a fizzy drink when we got there and managed about 1.5 hours of cycling around before we thought we would die of lack of air! It was good to see but not well maintained - much of it is man-made (including the beaches) but there was litter everywhere and the sea was filthy from the various tanker ships just off the shore line. I manged to sit on an ants nest and got bittne everywhere! We also went to Sentosa Island, which is a dedicated entertainment resort. We chilled on the beaches for a while and then headed up to the lookout. It was pretty, although in an artificial way (not much natural beauty existed!) We still appreciated the hundreds of planted palm trees for shade though…

Drinking in Singapore is also expensive - unless you head to the food courts (which we did, on numerous occasions!) We decided to splash out a couple of times - having the customary Singapore Sling at Raffles (incluidng throwing monkey nut shells on the floor) and going to a brewery on the river by Clarke Quay, which was just beautiful… We're looking forward to other parts of Asia where drinks will be a lot more affordable!

We both got our hair cut (unfortunately even us travellers have to do regular everyday chores every now and then!) Dave went for the DIY option with some clippers, whereas I went to a professional salon. I also did my theory pre-work for my diving course next week.

It's been a fun 5 days in Singapore - perhaps a little too long, but good to rest up, recharge our batteries and do some chores ready for the Asia leg of the trip. Next stop is Bali and the Gili Islands, which we are both so excited for!!