A bit touristy and slightly out of budget, but what better way to celebrate the end of an awesome 4 months in Asia, than sipping a Singapore Sling cocktail in the Long Bar at the famous Raffles Hotel!

The city, island and country of Singapore is just a short bus ride over the no mans land bridge from the southern point of Malaysia and a comfortable (luxury in comparison to Cambodian) 5 hour bus ride south of Kuala Lumpur. The island only measures 30 miles wide by 15 miles deep yet has a population of 4.8 million.

The first thing you can't help but notice is how sparkling, clean and new everything looks. You expect to see a wet paint sign on every road, such is the shine to the immaculate tarmac and painted lines. It is simply not possible to find any litter on the streets and chewing gum is banned by law. Even the buildings look like they are cleaned and painted regularly- either that or they are permanently building new ones!

Having spent the last few months struggling to find a pavement free of parked vehicles, motorbikes and general clutter this totally unasian city is a pleasure to walk around. With wide streets and glamorous shopping malls seemingly present every few hundred yards there are regular points at which to dive into the sanctuary of air conditioning and escape very Asian like heat!

Singapore has a diverse mix of cultures including Malay, Indian and western but is predominantly Chinese. So with our arrival coinciding with Chinese new year it made a 2 day stopover even more interesting! Very much like Christmas, there is a large build up to Chinese new year. Houses, streets and shops across Asia have been proudly displaying lanterns, and large rabbits since our new year began. The celebrations last for a week or so with street parties, pantomime horse style lion dances and public holidays all in the week leading up to new year. When walking through a bustling Chinatown the first night we arrived, we soon found out it was actually the day of Chinese new years eve. Streets are again closed off and bands and dancers perform to the expectant crowds but unlike our New year there is no countdown to midnight and accompanying fireworks. People simply go out and enjoy food and drinks in the street and wish everyone else good luck.

We had just eaten at a street food stall in Chinatown and were contemplating retiring to our prison cell of a room, when a Kiwi fellow and his 3 Singaporean mates sat next to us. Before we knew it we were clinking glasses and wishing each other luck for the new year. Aside from the Kiwi ex pat, only one of the 3 could muster a word of English but with the language of beer, words just seemed so unnecessary. The one who did speak told us of their excitement at drinking with a couple of foreigners and helped out with our itinerary plans for the following day. The others seemed happier racing to fill my glass again and again after every mouthful, followed by good luck wishes and glass clinking. 2 hours passed in the blink of an eye and then the eldest of our new drinking friends just got up and walked off. Not unlike one of my friends from home (Rob) we later found out he had drunk enough for one night. A short while later we had not only had a cheap night but were the only ones left. It was comforting to know I still had it, even if the others were only a couple of years younger than my dad!

The following day the streets of Singapore were bustling with a mix of tourists and locals enjoying their public holiday. Most people seemed to be heading for the man made island resort of Sentosa with it's selection of amusement parks, beaches and casinos. Only 500 metres away on another brand new looking board walk it was worth a quick visit.

However, the most interesting part of Singapore is the riverfront quay area of bars and restaurants, complete with a backdrop of the towering hotel and office buildings of the financial district. One hotel in particular is a stunning feat of architecture with a huge boat shaped building seemingly lowered into place and perched across 3 enormous 55 storey towers. Standing alone on the east side of the river at 200 metres it dominates the skyline. The approaching footbridge of tangled metal and impressive pristine mall below complement the grandeur of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I can't imagine you have to walk past beds containing sleeping locals to a small prison style bunk bed room or share bathrooms at this hotel!

So as we sipped at our Singapore Slings with our feet nestled on the traditional piles of empty peanut shells strewn across the bar floor we agreed the dramatic city of Singapore deserved a place in our top 5 cities of Asia. Our 2 day stopover had only allowed a quick glimpse into this exciting independent country. Unfortunately, due to our round the world budget, the ample riverside seafood restaurants were a step too far, but it's dazzling skyline and clean streets alone, made it a pleasure to visit. In terms of cost, it is certainly not designed for the backpacking tourist, bit if you can accept the inflated prices, it is a superb place to spend a couple of days.

For now, we head further south to Australia & New Zealand for a quick stopover en route to our South American adventure. The excitement of the journey that awaits is saddened a little at the thought of leaving a continent in which we have had so many enjoyable days, but such is the life on the road...