Euphoria, the feeling you get when you break free from regularity and do something outrageous without retribution! You all know what i'm talking about. Well that day has arrived and we are now in full swing on "THE ZIG ZAG WAY"! After an emotional send off at Perth international (headed by Christine, then promptly followed by Lana and Carly) we were off to check in on Sardine Airlines! We had a minor scare when we were informed that all of our documentation was not in order, however fortunately we had a lovely immigration official who proceeded to solve the problem and let us through (nice eyelid batting Little L). After washing down our last serve of exquisite homemade lasagne with a glass of Shiraz, we headed to the boarding gate full of apprehension and imagination. As with most budget airlines, sardine was no exception and not on schedule, so we proceeded to dampen the cocktail of emotions of the journey to come, suddenly realising that we are not coming home for a very, very, very long time. That feeling was, and still is, so surreal!! With a few swift G & T's now under our belts, we are ready! Saying our final goodbyes, we were called to board. It's on, bound for the trade orient of Singapore!! : )

After futile attempts to start my new book and numerous restless shuffles on Sardine Air, we landed in Singapore at approximately 2:55am.Walking off the plane was absolutely necessary after spending the majority of the journey green with envy, as all the appropriately sized commuters soundly slept as I constantly tested the durability of my kneecaps on the notorious 6F in front of me! Immediately we were confronted head on with the "Singapore Stick". Humidity that you can peel and taste but I have to say that the warmth was refreshing and a welcome change from the Scottish weather Perth provided this winter. Lana was smiling amidst the delirium, I was only delirious!

Singapore oh Singapore! City, Country, Island, Capital, a happy safe tropical little utopia of middle earth. We arrived in the early hours of Tuesday at the budget terminal, wiping sleep from our eyes we decided to hang out till the first train of the day rolled in, letting the blood flow back into our legs. Adam experienced the first squatter-class of Asian restroom facilities, then after a swift coffee we navigated our way to the hotel to drop the 40kg plus load. Grabbing a map and the early sunrise, break feast was first on the agenda as we found our way to the "Market". After ruthless negotiating with some very energetic locals at 6:30am, we found a stall with a perfect display to fit the mood both of us were feeling...cheap eats and plenty of it!

Noodle soup with steamed pork dumplings so early? Hell yeah!

With 8 hours to kill until dessert, which was our luxurious 5 star hotel, thoughts of the spa, pool and big brass bed proceeded to tease our tired minds and bodies. We ventured across town on foot to little china to take part in the mid-autumn festival. The streets were alive with vibrant colours and traditional sounds, unimaginable smells and the city appeared to be a buzz, but amazingly clean. The pride of the Singaporeans is blatantly obvious in the consortium of local labourers, meticulously scouring the streets of all trace of debris and debauchery from the previous 24hrs. Industrial size BBQ tongs plucked cigarette butt, loose leaves and newspaper clippings from garden beds and gutters with equal vivacity. We noticed the aftermath of the F1 GP from the weekend which still remained on the tip of everybody's lips, as the morning crowd of Chinese spread rapidly into the city (we later learned that about 75% of Singapore's population is Chinese). Avoiding the imminent crowd and previous night's carnage in Tajong Pagar's busy bar district, we found our way into a traditional temple swarming with shrines of Buddha. Through all the posing, the significant statue for the "year of the monkey" came to light portraying positive messages for us both! Temporary adoption of his holiness however was but a fleeting consideration as it too came with a price tag of which our budget was not prepared for ($S 3000). So we lit some incense, gave our blessing and were on our way, still delirious but enlightened.

Swaggering our way through the busy backstreets we stumbled upon the river and decided to venture out on a small ferry to explore Singapore on water. Images of rowdy, pillaging pirates, Chow Yun fat, booming spice trades, rum, and drunken sailors looking for underground opium dens and oriental beauties to entertain them, sprung immediately to mind as we passed under old bridges and by thriving restaurants and markets. Modern Singapore however is all that dominates these waters today which has become a Mecca for business and tourism, and that is clearly evident as we pass impressive architecture and skyscrapers boasting global financial investment institutions. You can almost smell the money that must ship through this place. However I find old Singapore much more appealing, as Billy sings "The sinners are much more fun"!

After docking back at the quay, it was only a matter of minutes until we ran into our tour guide for the next half hour, straddling a Tri-Shaw and an enormous smile "Garry" was amazing for a man his age and size as he managed to cycle us around Chinatown and Little India without breaking a sweat. Only one dismount was necessary, much to our embarrassment, in order to push us over a bridge after the momentum gained was stalled by a red light.

We wandered around Little India soaking up the atmosphere, wondering how it would compare to the real thing. Visiting a busy Hindu temple and like most tourists walked around trying to absorb the traditions and rituals being carried out by the steady stream of devotees. Our first lunch was enjoyed in the absence of any cutlery in a packed street side restaurant. Dinner was served on stainless steel sectioned plates as Adam observed, identical to those used in prisons...hmmm. Hot, tired and now with curry-laden fingers, we came across an Aussie-owned backpackers serving cocktails, and settled in to cool off in a jug of frozen Margarita.

Almost sprinting back to the hotel, we checked in and lapped up the suite features but lagging hard in the energy department we drifted up to the roof top pool on the 11th floor. After a quick swim and some rejuvenation in the hot spa Lana embarked on poolside snoozing resulting regrettably in 3rd degree burns to chest, breast and shoulders Ha ha... Day 1 - spot the Pom on holiday, first prize a tube of factor 30+.Yes boys and girls it is no myth, you can get burnt under cloud cover!

A welcome rest set us up for the evening, as we headed back to Chinatown for the night-market action, and street food for dinner, swilled down with an ice cold Tiger beer.Resisting the temptation to go wild on souvenirs (ebony chopstick sets, decorative fans, hand carved personal embossing stamps, inflatable transformers for daz etc) we zig zagged our way around the stalls settling on some mini dried crab snacks to enjoy with the live cabaret/holiday camp style Chinese entertainment. The crabs proved too much as did the 'this is Karaoke without the machine' gig, so, in true Manuel style, we retreated to the spoilt for options bar strip. A jug of Tiger in a blue-lit Karaoke bar full of pretty girls went down a treat. Ha ha! The bar area on the edge of Chinatown is unreal. The bars appear to be 'soundproof' from the outside, and are lined up along pretty, immaculate clean streets, in french colonial style terraced buildings with coloured shutters and decorative arcades stretching out over the high pavements. Initial observation was that this would be a perfect destination for a Stag weekend bender! A couple of jugs were savored as we enjoyed watching drinking games with whisky. My kind of town!

Retreating to the hotel paid dividends as our full attention was needed upon arrival in Chennai the following afternoon. In the morning we caught the train into the city to the "Raffles" hotel from a strong recommendation and reliable source (David timbers, global beverage connoisseur) famous for Singapore slings and peanut shells scattered on the floor. We were not disappointed as we headed to the airport bound for India in high spirits...literally!