Hi all, we have arrived safe and well - however, the tiger beer here is good and we may have consumed a few before attempting to write this. Dave left our map of Singapore on the plane and then couldn't get it back so our first purchase was another Singapore guide book. When we arrived there was a bit of drizzle (tropical storm) as well as ridiculous humidity. Despite this we still made it to the hostel and ventured out and found a shopping centre and some beer. Our first hostel was outside of most the action but we've now moved into the heart of Little India which smells constantly of incense and has a thriving atmosphere with lots of interesting markets and food. We visited the thieves market, which is basically just everyday items you might see in a charity shop being sold on rugs on the street.Lyds did all the haggling which saved us a grand total of ..... $6.

We caught the MRT down to Clarke Quay had an expensive cocktail then took a walk through Fort Canning Park where Lyds found a huge leaf to be her fan. Had dinner at a place called French Stall, can you guess the type of cuisine? It is run by Michelin star chef Xavier Le Henaff although I'm pretty sure I heard someone call him Ray. Food was good but dangerous as you cooked your own beef in a pan of boiling oil at your table. On our way home we walked passed some people playing a random game in a random building. Dave went into to ask what it was, they pointed to the wall. It turns out it was the Kiangsi Association of Singapore. Thats for you Stan/Grandad.

Today we have been down Orchard Road in another "light drizzle". Fortunately there are lots of shops the best of which was Far East Plaza as it had more boutique than main stream stores.

We plan to head off to a couple of the islands in a few days so we will let you know how that goes. Thank you for all your messages, Dave won't let me write the next bit but I will anyway - they make us smile. Catch up soon. L&D x