G'Day! (That's Australian for Hello, or, more correctly, Good Day. Aren't I clever? :P)

And so to the next instalment. Sorry it's been a while but the lack of Internet is becoming ever more apparent as we travel further northwest into the Australian outback, but more on that later.

We awoke, the next morning, rather late and opted for an easy start to the day. Trying to claw back hours lost on the plane couldn't take all day and so we eventually got up and went upstairs to the terrace where we had ended the night before. Just as impressive in the daylight, we relaxed by the pool and bathed our feet in the cool waters. The terrace was alive with colour from the many flowers in bloom. I busily photographed what must have been almost every flower whilst wondering how they must be pollinated, if they did, indeed, get pollinated - being so far up there was little insect life. Eventually we headed out into a dimming Singapore to witness its nightlife.

We walked down roads, still busy with businessmen, past the parliament building toward Clarke Quay and Singapore's business district where the many skyscrapers stood proudly by the water. Approaching the waterfront, I couldn't help but be dazzled by the rainbow of shimmering colours coming from the Chinese lanterns that are scattered among the restaurants beneath the towers. The softly rippling water, full of sparkling colours, made the quay look like sheet glass with multicoloured lights flashing underneath and added to the bustling but relaxed atmosphere as we wandered past the various Chinese restaurants; most of which had tanks with lobsters, crabs and various fish all awaiting their culinary fate. After turning a corner past a well-to-do hotel, a building came into sight that I had been looking forward to seeing very much - the Esplanade Theatre. At night it is probably at it's most impressive as the organic blob-like mess of glass and stainless steel is illuminated with hundreds of small white lights that sit on the peak of every triangle protruding from it's curved surface. The result is no less than impressive and perhaps reminiscent the eye's of a fly due to the theatre's twinned building construction.

Continuing along the waterfront we came across the Merlion, a large white marble statue that shoots water into the sea and a popular tourist attraction - it was still drawing a crowd at 23:00 when the water was turned off. Crossing the bridge towards the Theatre the rain began start, though it didn't dampen our spirit. We kept going towards the Singapore Flyer, and past the pit lane, still under construction, for Formula One's first Singapore night race. We were losing night time to early morning and so, now unable to purchase bus tickets, we walked back to the hotel, getting rather wet in the process. I noted how at no point did I feel unsafe around passers-by or being out so late in the city, compared to London, say. We were back by about 02:30 as we squelched up the stairs and into the suspiciously speedy lift and then crawled into our expectant beds; my feet sighed as I drifted into a land quite far from here.

Morning came around far to quickly for my liking but I was quick to get up to make the most of my final day in Singapore. I packed my last few bits and headed down to check out. We decided to take the SMRT from Little India to the Suntec City, a large shopping complex consisting of several towers that surround the world's largest fountain - the Fountain of Wealth. Not particularly attractive but impressive nonetheless once the water begins to flow at 12:00. After exploring the towers' shops and a thwarted attempt to reach the top of Tower 3 by security, we decided to head over to China town for lunch and brave the congested maze of glass and concrete where a lot of very important people do some very important work - the business district. This less accommodating region of Singapore reaches its busiest peak around lunchtime as business men and women go to lunch to discuss work. Business meetings, in Singapore, are generally conducted out of office, preferentially at a restaurant. Though uncomfortably busy it cannot compete with a great deal of roads in London - not a bad thing, I thought.

We came across a small outlet selling exclusively authentic Singapore food for the Singapore people. When dining abroad I find that eating where the locals eat is often a good indicator that the food is genuine and what with the food being half the reason to come to Singapore I thought that this rule should apply. I was not disappointed. All of the kitchens had plenty of pictures making deciding what to have a little easier but, as always, the food served never quite looks like how it is advertised. After some embarrassed hand gestures at an ill-English speaking Singaporean I was rescued by her colleague who was more than happy to recommend a dish that might suit my palette. I opted for chilli beef raymen, a thin, not particularly appetising soup, on appearance, with noodles, vegetables and, of course, beef. I spent a little time analysing how the Singaporeans tackle this kind of food to try and not make myself look too conspicuous when it came to eating it, despite the red face and backpack. A combination of frantic use of chopsticks and a Chinese soupspoon was used. I couldn't help but liken this to a crayfish or lobster - lots of arms waving, all with pincers at the end, fishing around in a hole looking for some tasty morsel by touch alone, and when something is found it is quickly and efficiently ingested. A tray was thrust into my impatient stomach as I was wished an enjoyable meal. I quickly tucked in and soon got used to eating with the new tools. The soup was thin but very tasty, and the solid contents cooked perfectly. I was given a small accompaniment of cooked cabbage in a thick chilli sauce that went surprisingly well. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt refreshed and energised, ready for the exploration of a large Chinese Temple next to the market. A surprising feeling considering soups at home tend to be warming, hearty meals that fill you up on a cold winters day, not in the middle of a 36-degree summer day. I was amazed by just how many English businessmen were eating and walking about, and also by, apart from the Chinese-Singaporeans, there were very few other nationalities represented in both the business district and the city as a whole.

The business district, being run by mainly the Chinese population of Singapore, is aptly placed surrounding the old, and mostly untouched, area of old China Town, complete with it's temple and large market. A short thunderstorm freshened the air before arriving at what quickly became my favourite religious building in Singapore. The temple was of typical Chinese style with flat boat-shaped tiled roofs and bright red columns. Gargoyles watched from every corner as we entered this large temple to the smell of incense and the sound of recital. Behind a huge floral arrangement sat many Chinese inhabitants reading from a book filled with Chinese symbols. Several monks clad in bright orange robes led the recital with one man's voice being strongest. The speech was in one of the Chinese dialects and almost hypnotic. The main monk did most of the speaking with everyone else following in his or her book and occasionally joining in the 'song' at specific points. I stood in awe at this man as he delivered each word straight after the previous one making no audible pause for breathes forming an almost exotic melody of sounds. The interior of the temple of magnificent and immaculate, an array of red, yellow and gold wooden painted latticework with hundreds of small statues embedded in the walls of the square room. Long red flags hung from the intricately painted ceiling and guided the eye to the opposite wall where a huge gold Buddha sat atop a stage with a painted backdrop of dancing dragons. This truly memorable sight continued into a further room at the rear of the building of similar design. Small god-like figures bordered the room with another floral arrangement toward the centre. This temple, unlike the other temples and mosques, felt very organised, members of the public would enter, bow and leave soon after.

Not wanting to impose, we left for the market and a much needed drink. Running diagonally from opposite buildings were red Chinese lanterns, swaying in the breeze above the stalls selling many different goods. We milled about trying not to get too close to attracting unwanted attention from a salesman and being drawn into a bidding for goods or services we didn't want. It was evident that this was happening around us and provided some amusement, for us at least. The garish colours of the buildings, shop displays and general decorative items that littered the streets seemed unusually attractive in this bustling small community that obviously thrives from tourism. Having resisted engagement from shopkeepers, we made our way to Orchard Road, the main shopping area in Singapore. Just like other areas within the city, redevelopment was taking place that made for some ugly building sites but they were all in the name of progress. From the more modern architecture in the city it was evident that whatever was to be constructed was going to be impressive. Several shops and a rather scrummy ice cream later, it was time to head back to the hotel and collect our bags and jump in the Taxi that the hotel had kindly booked for us. We'd already purchased tickets for the tube and so the taxi took us to the best station for us to get to the airport, much to the disgust of the rather amusing driver. He seemed incapable of understanding why we would get the train to the airport when there are taxis available. Despite our prepaid tickets, he still tried to convince us that paying twenty times the price of a rail ticket for a taxi was a good idea. He was friendly, though, and dropped us as close as he could get us to the station, which involved stopping the meter at the station, detouring around a block of houses then driving through a market to get us all of 5 metres closer, then proceeded to carry our baggage to the entrance.

We boarded the train on the air-conditioned platform and arrived at the airport within no time at all. The airport was calm and quiet with relaxing water features and gardens inside the terminal. I spent my last Singaporean coinage on my last authentic meal, of which I forget the name. It was another noodle soup type dish but was a vivid orange colour and equally as tasty as it looked. Gemma relented and had a Burger King as she'd felt a little iffy that morning so didn't want anything that might provoke an unwanted reaction during the flight, or so was her excuse. We checked in for our flight to Sydney Kingsford Smith in front of a family of eight Australians with more surfboards in tow than you can shake a didgeridoo at. We got through security OK minus a bottle of sun cream, which I had stupidly put in my hand luggage. Upon completion of the questionnaire that was the landing pass, we boarded the plane and found our window seats before settling down for a few hours sleep. The novelty of the in-flight entertainment quickly wore off as the last couple of hours past slowly. The plane landed on time and we were through immigration by 10:30 with a rather large queue to get out of the airport itself. After expecting a rather strict regime from immigration, we were shocked when a member of staff ushered out an open door and into Sydney - no x-ray machine, no sensors, no questions!

I'll try and write again soon, I trust you are all well and making the most of your summer.