Well it doesn't feel like I was only in work on Tuesday! Landed in Singapore Thursday morning to torrential rain and thunder storms but at least it was warm.

We checked into our hotel (hotel 1929, Chinatown) and then headed to the river to do a boat cruise of the sites, though unfortunately the rain didn't stop. Jet lag had certainly taken it's toll so after a bit of a snooze at the hotel, we headed for dinner at the Maxwell Road hawker market tasting some local specialities.

The evening took us to Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling. Yum! We then got the train and bus (eek!) to the Singapore night safari seeing all sorts of animals like rhinos, elephants, leopards, lions, flamingos and bats. It is a great experience and set up there where you really feel you are close to the animals.

By the end of that, tiredness got the better of us and we headed back to the hotel for an early night.

Friday morning brought the sunshine to Singapore so after breakfast and packing we decided to walk to Orchard Road, the main shopping district. It was baking hot so the air con of the shops was even more tempting! We walked all the way down to the Marina (great for steps) and relaxed in the park near the waterfront before heading back to the hotel for the last time to collect our bags and head to the hotel via their amazing underground train system, the MRT.

After another decent flight we arrived into Sydney airport bright and early this morning. Jo and Andy met us there and then took us on the scenic ride home, seeing the city skyline, the harbour bridge, the opera house and then actually driving over the Bridge, before stopping for a photo opportunity as the sun came up. Awesome!

After some much needed sleep we walked down to the beach for a barbie brunch of bacon and egg sandwiches. How Australian! We walked to the headland of Manly and even managed to spot a couple of straggler whales on their way up the coast. Hope to see more of them in a week or so :-)

We walked back along Manly beach, enjoying the sunshine (this is winter??) paddling in the sea and relaxing. What a start to a great trip!