Oh..my...goodness, it's is SO HOT! It's very difficult to describe how hot it is, but feeling like you could either melt or explode at any given moment comes close! The only way to survive is to head for somewhere airconditioned, but the minute you step out the heat hits you like a wall and you're sweating in seconds!

We were impressed on entering Singapore by how nice it all was in immigration. Soothing music, polite smiling officials, and even a little bowl of mints on the desk for you to help yourself to! Quite a contrast to LA say, where you stand in endless queues to be barked at by men with large guns and women who look like men, and shouted at to do as you're told (even if you're an old lady who doesn't speak English). Once you reach the desk an unsmiling robot-like figure scans your retina and finger print and then you're brushed off like a bothersome fly! Ah the difference was bliss...

We also had a very immediate reminder that we were in Asia now, when our first night was spent in a dorm with 16 other people all very smelly and sweaty and we had less than a foot of floor space each - spacious by Asian terms no doubt! There was a fan though, and the next night in a private room we had our own air con - ahhh!

The first morning we set out with a grin for our first taste of real Asian food. In Singapore you can eat Chinese, Malay or Indian food- well breakfast that day was Chinese, huge, a little odd and about a quid for all of it! Some rather dubious eggy type things in watery soup but some lovely noodles too.

Apparently Singaporeans love shopping and eating - it soon became apparent this was true! There was a big shopping mall on every corner, and to our (well Cal's) joy, they had Topshop Marks and Spencer, the Body Shop, and though we never made it there, we even saw a?sign for?that much missed haven - Tesco!? We still reckon most people were in those malls for the a/c, although we did see a queue for one little doughnut shop that was about 300 metres long and 4 people wide - no joke. Must have been good doughnuts!

One day we headed over to Sentosa, a little island attached by a bridge that has been crafted into a tourist attraction. It has a feel rather like Disney land! There are fake beaches, fake waterfalls, fake rocks, fake gardens, and fake dragon bones- all quite surreal! In the fake jungle though (just a wood really) there were some very large very much not fake spiders with huge webs stretching across the path - they very nearly had a new home in our hair! Shudderrr!?

In the evening we went to watch the light show which had been recommended by many past visitors to Sentosa, because of being free and good...alas it was no longer free! It was good though and had been upgraded to a laser and pyrotechnic extravaganza complete with lip-synching singing actors of all races flamboyantly getting stuck into a very weak story line! All together now - Ooh! Aaah!

When Sunday came we decided that we would find a church and set out on a major mission to find one that looked like it might be close. We asked God to lead us there but didn't have a map or any real clue where we were going. We gave up after about an hour of walking through suburbs in the heat, nearly melted and dead! Later on we discovered we'd walked exactly the right route, and were only a few minutes away from making it - so close! So we had church by ourselves on a garden bridge, watched by a group of old Chinese men!

After that we explored Chinatown - a bustle of markets, food stalls, and all kinds of interesting tourist tack that some people were actually buying! All mixed up with lots of Chinese culture - very cool. So that's where all the other tourists were hiding out.

Lots of cool meals eaten at plastic tables in food courts - they're everywhere! Some Chinese and some Indian but we never managed to find any Malay - hmm. Delicious and cheap and we felt part of the local scenery as all the local families came out for their tea there too.