SilkAir was fine for a short haul flight before grabbing a cab to the city.

Wow Singapore you are a stunning city. Quite westernised after our recent experiences.

We arrived at our hostel which was right on Boat Quay; a fantastic location in the heart of the city.

A beer was called for and it was a shock to pay $8 instead of 50 cents. Josh was keen to try the Alaska King Crab but at SGD230 per kilo we ended up having a much smaller and cheaper crab in China Town. Chilli Crab is quintessential to Singapore and was pretty good.

People were super friendly and we quickly realised what a multi cultural city Singapore is with a mix of Malays, Indians, Chinese and clearly a lot of foreigners with their families working here. It is also a highly consumerism driven and ordered society with strict rules on no littering and signs telling dis and don’ts are everywhere. Shopping malls abound with even one mall, the Marina Bay Sands complete with its own canal and boats leading into Singapore river which dominates the city.

It’s a real fitness town with people running at all hours or hurtling along on electric scooters or Lamborghinis whizzing by. We felt very under dressed with fashion conscious Singaporeans wearing the latest gear. But it was so nice to be somewhere super clean and with all the amenities for a bit.

For a couple of days we used our Singapore Pass to go on the hop-on-hop off buses to get a feel for the city and we got to see China Town, Little India and the other districts such as the Colonial and Kampong Glam districts. The architecture was simply amazing with massive tall sky scrapers which are really quite something that we have never seen before.

Singaporean life is best epitomised by the ubiquitous (but wholly unique) hawker centre which tends to be located in or next to malls and looks like Asian food courts. We tried out several over the next few days as this is the only place where you can get good cheap eats including satay and Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.

A visit to Gardens By The Bay is a must. It’s a nature park consisting of 101 hectares. The stand outs were the SuperTree Groves and the Cloud Forest and Flower conservatories. Supertrees are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres and 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens. What makes them really stunning is when they light up at night which makes them quite magical. We happened to time it to watch the Garden Rhapsody show which is a sound and light show. The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads such as Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems. Very cool.

We walked back through the Marina Bay Sands Hotels which include three massive towers with a boat shape on top. Then again just by chance we happened on a light and water show (Asians love their lights) in front of the Marina Bay Sands Mall. Spectra reflects Singapore’s journey as a multicultural society into the cosmopolitan city she is today, with each of the four acts seamlessly flowing into the next. In Acts I and II, visual imagery metaphorically represents Singapore society and its complex history and cultural background. Acts III and IV have a forward-looking theme, with futuristic images inspiring us to strive for a better Singapore. The show reflected images onto sheets of the water.

The weather has been pretty perfect so it was lovely to take then take a stroll around the river.

We spent a day at Singapore Zoo which was great to be able to see animals where possible not behind fences.

The Singapore National Gallery was a bit disappointing but the way they have renovated and joined up the Supreme Court and City Hall buildings was impressive.

We didn’t make it have a Singapore Sling at either the Raffles Hotel or the Sky Park as the prices were just too exorbitant but we did have one by the river although l have to say I don’t rate them.

We are excited to now be off to Greece for a complete change of scene from Asia. I am not so excited about our 12 hour flight, 3 hour layover in Frankfurt and then 2 and a half hour flight to Athens. It was be a big change including temperature!