The tale of 2 Capital Cities…

Having spent nearly 2 months in India, Paul and Carolyn were ready for adventures in new countries. They boarded a plane in Mumbai which would fly them through the night to Singapore. Stepping off the plane in Singapore seemed like a strange and new world. It was clean, organised, structured and easy to navigate. What was this new land?! There was a display of flamingos on the baggage carrier at the airport, so I felt very welcome to this country!

They fixed themselves up with an EZ Pass (bit like the London Oyster card) and popped on the 'tube' called the (MRT- Mass Rapid Transportation) to their new neighbourhood… Little India! This resembled nothing of the India they had just witnessed. The only similarity were a couple of little chai shops and a few Indian men sprawled out on the pavement. Other than that, this was totally alien! They had checked themselves in to a backpacker's hostel, as Singapore was so much more expensive than Indian digs, and waited the gruelling 4 hours to gain access to their bunk bed paradise! In this time they witnessed MANY nutter travellers milling about them; this wasn't the promised hub of social networking. It was a group of grungy kids simulating a scruffy uni dorm.They were sure their budget could stretch further than this! They stayed one night and checked in to Singapore's version of Travelodge for the remaining days!

Paul and Carolyn enjoyed being submerged in to familiar civilisation after 2 months.They did a city sightseeing bus tour to familiarise themselves with the lay of the land and were impressed with the many shiny new sky scrapers and shopping malls there were. Oh the shopping…. Literally on every turn of every corner there would be another shopping metropolis. It was insane! They stocked up on provisions; new pants from Marks and Spencer and a bulging bag of Percy Pigs, a new netbook computer from one of the mega electronics malls, which was an experience in itself. Singapore Tourism boasts that the shopping malls are a sightseeing experience of itself and they were not wrong. Particularly for a couple who have been foraging around bazaars to find shower gel and toilet roll for 2 months!

Tearing themselves away from the air conditioned malls, they took in some of the top tourist sights. They spent time in the beautiful botanical gardens; acres of immaculately manicured grounds in a tranquil setting. They enjoyed a trek through a little rainforest taking in the sights. Paul, having never been in a Rainforest, was convinced there was drilling going on and the piercing noise wasn't the sound of huge crickets in the trees!

Raffles was a particular highlight. This infamous hotel narrowly missed being bulldozed in the 80's, when instead it underwent a multi-million pound face lift and it's such a good job they did. This beautiful hotel, mainly restricted to the lucky residents staying in the hotel, was a colonial paradise. It housed a funky old bar called the Long Bar. This is where the Singapore Sling cocktail was invented, so it would have been rude of Carolyn and Paul not to participate! They sipped on the gorgeous cocktails and munched on the monkey nuts provided, joining in the tradition of throwing the unwanted shells on the floor, resulting in a sea of nutshells around the islands of tables and chairs.The poor cleaners! Carolyn and Paul also treated themselves to traditional blighty fish and chips which were divine!

The trip to Singapore ended on a high with the Night Safari. This took them on a journey through weaving paths of jungle, where they witnessed giraffes, zebra, hippos, elephants, lions and all sorts of other majestic beasts in near natural surroundings. The only thing coming between the animals and visitors were the deep moats and ditches making it hard for the animals to wander over. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic visit to Singapore.

Next stop Kuala Lumpur; the capital of Malaysia. Transported there in a luxurious coach with seats the size of beds. What a contrast to the bone rattling local India busses!KL; another sky scraper, mall infused city! Paul and Carolyn arrived at their hotel in the centre of bustling Chinatown just in time for the Royal Wedding, so dumped their stuff and grabbed a taxi to a posh hotel Carolyn had found online which advertised hosting a Royal Afternoon tea.It invited you to watch the whole occasion whilst enjoying cucumber sandwiches, scones and cake!The room was packed with expats wanting a bit of the Royal action.

The next couple of days were packed with tourist fun. Again they boarded a city sightseeing tour, but as the traffic was so bad in KL, they opted for the public transport options instead, using the tube and monorail to zip across the city.

As they were not bothered about queuing from before 7am to snap up one of the few tickets to the Skybridge at the Petronas Towers, they scaled a higher viewing platform instead; the Menara KL Tower and admired the view of the city, including the impressive Petronas Towers from ¼ of a mile high 360 degree window.

From there they went for some pamper treatment at one of the world's first fish spas. Carolyn really struggled with the little fishes nibbling at the hard skin on her feet. Paul could hardly feel it through his leathery soles!

Food in KL in delicious and varied. As well as Malay food, you can get top curries in Little India and proper Chinese in Chinatown (where Carolyn and Paul chomped on a pig trotter served at one of the many hawker stalls in Chinatown market).

They visited a butterfly park where they got up close and intimate with 100's of beautiful and huge tropical butterflies. Paul nearly collapsed when he witnesses the array of Malaysian creepy crawly displays on the way out, including tarantulas (Paul's biggest fear), scorpions, beetles as big as your fist and stick insects as long as your arm. Eeeeek! They proudly claimed these creatures were all local to the Malaysian Peninsular where P&C were travelling through. Great!

Their final sightseeing stop was to the world's largest free flying aviary. This amazing net-roofed mini universe was home to an array of feathered friends. Peacocks, storks and many tropical birds (including a HUGE flamingo colony) flew freely in the wide open spaces. I would have liked to have stayed a while longer with my relatives but as time was precious we had to leave. They packed their bags and got on the road again…. Next stop an island retreat in Penang; North Malaysia.

Wish you were here

Love Judith (P&C) xx

PS Check out the latest photos at "A Tale of 2 Cities" folder