We're just coming to the end of a fab couple of days in singapore. Had a couple of days off between finishinh at the YWCA and starting our next project at WCH which is an HIV and AIDS hospice near KL so at the last minute we decided to zoom off to singapore on the bus to make the most of our free time!

It's amazing how different it is to Malaysia already;the people are much less friendly. In KL so many people stop to ask who you are and what you are doing but singapore is much more like london -everyone is much busier and concerned with doing whatever it is they're doing and not with anyone else.

So far we've been on a night safari at the zoo which was absolutely amazing although very scary. You go around in a tram and it's so well set up that you can't see any of the fences between you and the animals so we were so close to the lions and bears with nothing protecting us!

I've also ended my 4 week run without alcohol in style - we went to Raffles hotel which is the poshest place in town and the birthplace of the Singapore Sling cocktail but luckily it was so expensive we could only afford one each so I still feel fairly healthy and virtuous!

Photos and more details to follow but I'm on a very dodgy computer that keeps crashing so can't really write any more for now!

xx

Back on a working computer so I can finish off the description of our mini holiday to Singapore!

In only 2 days we seemed to fit a huge amount in - I imagine because we knew the next week of work would be very intense so wanted to make the most of our break! We went on a river sightseeing trip, not quite as good as the Melaka one as we couldn't hear the commentary but still had a good look round and visited the Merlion statue which apparently will bring good luck!

The Botanic Gardens were absolutely amazing. We spent a whole morning wandering round and only got half way through before we got far too hot to carry on and gave up to go for a drink! They're beautifully kept and the Orchid Garden is amazing to wander round. After cooling down again we hit Chinatown and Little India for a wander round the shops. No souvenir buying though as everything was at least double the price it is in KL. The people in Singapore didn't seem to realise this though. We had a taxi driver who was appalled that we were going back to Malaysia as it was such a dangerous country and was telling us about all the people he knows who have been across from Singapore and been mugged. But when I asked him whether he thought that might be because the standard of living is so much higher in Singapore and everyone is so much more wealthy he didn't seem to get it at all and told us it was just because the Malaysians are a very corrupt race and the country is full of foreigners so just isn't safe for anyone!

It's actually quite nice to be back in Malaysia, and not just because everything's cheaper! I really liked Singapore and could easily have spent more time there as there's so much to do but a lot of the time you could be in any big city whereas even in KL you know you're in Malaysia and it's so different to being at home.