The end of the holiday
Nov. 26th, 2012 10:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pensnestThe last few days of our holiday were spent in Singapore, which is a fabulous place!
On our first morning, we got a taxi to the place where bus tours start. Singapore, it turns out, has a whole bunch of really interesting buildings. There's one shaped like a lotus blossom, and two like rival armadillos, and buildings with holes in, and all sorts. But this was the first thing I really noticed on the way there.
Awesome building, right?
Different views revealed that it is more interesting than that, because each of the towers is twisted in an interesting way, *and* the whole thing is curved, not a straightforward block.
See?
Personally, I think it looks like one of the gigantic machines from Star Wars. It's walking somewhere…
So, anyway. We took an amphibious tour, not an entirely successful venture as the vehicle was so noisy we could hardly hear any of the commentary. There was also frenetic texting between myself and JM, which resulted in her coming to meet us after the tour, yay! We followed her to a nice dim sum restaurant for lunch, then went to investigate the lotus-shaped building you can see in two of the above pics, which is the Art Science Museum. There was a very interesting photography exhibition in there, and the building is wonderful. We also visited a more history-oriented museum, I can't remember which one, and spent a while in there at some cost to our poor feet, before finding somewhere to have tea and the remains of our dim sum. It was splendid to have a local guide to take us around everywhere, else we'd have wasted so much time trying to figure out how to get to what!
Then it was a shuttle bus to the Night Safari, which was awesome, an experience I would certainly recommend to anyone visiting Singapore. We walked part of it, then got on the train that toured the remainder. I'm sad we didn't get to see the fishing cats actually catch any fish, but it was a really fabulous way of experiencing a zoo. Quite remarkable.
Next morning, we braved the metro system on our own and met JM for breakfast/brunch at a hawker centre, exciting noodles and carrot cake, etc, and the sort of place we could never have found on our own. We ended up on Orchard Street in one of the huge shopping malls, where I inevitably managed to acquire more pretty paper. Everyone's feet were pretty much on fire by this time, so we said goodbye to JM, and thanks for a *great* tour, and went back to swim in the hotel pool. Sadly our plans to eat somewhere on Clarke Quay were scuppered by the bucketloads of rain that came down shortly after our swim, so we had dinner at the hotel instead.
At this point I must note that the Christmas decorations in the shopping areas were both splendid and *completely* random.
The giant baubles in the trees on Orchard Street looked really good. But the prize for the most peculiar Christmas decoration ever goes to…
…an owl in a pink mask and pink pigtailed wig, sitting on a decorative mushroom.
Right.
Beast and I thought a proper bus tour of the city would be the best way to spend some of our final day, but in fact got off the bus almost at once and explored the Marina Bay Gardens, which again I would heartily recommend. The gardens themselves are lovely—we could have spent longer wandering about, really—and hold two giant, curvaceous greenhouses.
The first of these contained plants from Meditarranean climates, a whole lot of pumpkins and scarecrows, and an occasional random but charming artwork, like this:
We needed a bit of a break, and sat down to eat the biggest two-scoop ice-cream I've ever been sold. One of the scoops was lavender ice-cream, an experience I should like to repeat sometime.
The second dome held, well, a small mountain. I'd never seen anything quite like it. It was a representation of Cloud Forest, the very topmost tip of the rainforest, and held a lot of very interesting information on why the cloud forest is important, and why it's in danger.
After that we wandered down to the Marina Bay Barrage for a bit, then resumed our bus ride just in time, as the rain came down again. Quite a decent tour, and by now we had some idea of where we were and what we were seeing, which was nice. And then we caught a taxi to the airport and loafed in the airline lounge until it was time to leave.
We'll have to go back, next time we visit FIL. Although I do feel it would be appropriate also to sendrikes, to take all the photos I haven't the ability to take!
On our first morning, we got a taxi to the place where bus tours start. Singapore, it turns out, has a whole bunch of really interesting buildings. There's one shaped like a lotus blossom, and two like rival armadillos, and buildings with holes in, and all sorts. But this was the first thing I really noticed on the way there.
Awesome building, right?
Different views revealed that it is more interesting than that, because each of the towers is twisted in an interesting way, *and* the whole thing is curved, not a straightforward block.
See?
Personally, I think it looks like one of the gigantic machines from Star Wars. It's walking somewhere…
So, anyway. We took an amphibious tour, not an entirely successful venture as the vehicle was so noisy we could hardly hear any of the commentary. There was also frenetic texting between myself and JM, which resulted in her coming to meet us after the tour, yay! We followed her to a nice dim sum restaurant for lunch, then went to investigate the lotus-shaped building you can see in two of the above pics, which is the Art Science Museum. There was a very interesting photography exhibition in there, and the building is wonderful. We also visited a more history-oriented museum, I can't remember which one, and spent a while in there at some cost to our poor feet, before finding somewhere to have tea and the remains of our dim sum. It was splendid to have a local guide to take us around everywhere, else we'd have wasted so much time trying to figure out how to get to what!
Then it was a shuttle bus to the Night Safari, which was awesome, an experience I would certainly recommend to anyone visiting Singapore. We walked part of it, then got on the train that toured the remainder. I'm sad we didn't get to see the fishing cats actually catch any fish, but it was a really fabulous way of experiencing a zoo. Quite remarkable.
Next morning, we braved the metro system on our own and met JM for breakfast/brunch at a hawker centre, exciting noodles and carrot cake, etc, and the sort of place we could never have found on our own. We ended up on Orchard Street in one of the huge shopping malls, where I inevitably managed to acquire more pretty paper. Everyone's feet were pretty much on fire by this time, so we said goodbye to JM, and thanks for a *great* tour, and went back to swim in the hotel pool. Sadly our plans to eat somewhere on Clarke Quay were scuppered by the bucketloads of rain that came down shortly after our swim, so we had dinner at the hotel instead.
At this point I must note that the Christmas decorations in the shopping areas were both splendid and *completely* random.
The giant baubles in the trees on Orchard Street looked really good. But the prize for the most peculiar Christmas decoration ever goes to…
…an owl in a pink mask and pink pigtailed wig, sitting on a decorative mushroom.
Right.
Beast and I thought a proper bus tour of the city would be the best way to spend some of our final day, but in fact got off the bus almost at once and explored the Marina Bay Gardens, which again I would heartily recommend. The gardens themselves are lovely—we could have spent longer wandering about, really—and hold two giant, curvaceous greenhouses.
The first of these contained plants from Meditarranean climates, a whole lot of pumpkins and scarecrows, and an occasional random but charming artwork, like this:
We needed a bit of a break, and sat down to eat the biggest two-scoop ice-cream I've ever been sold. One of the scoops was lavender ice-cream, an experience I should like to repeat sometime.
The second dome held, well, a small mountain. I'd never seen anything quite like it. It was a representation of Cloud Forest, the very topmost tip of the rainforest, and held a lot of very interesting information on why the cloud forest is important, and why it's in danger.
After that we wandered down to the Marina Bay Barrage for a bit, then resumed our bus ride just in time, as the rain came down again. Quite a decent tour, and by now we had some idea of where we were and what we were seeing, which was nice. And then we caught a taxi to the airport and loafed in the airline lounge until it was time to leave.
We'll have to go back, next time we visit FIL. Although I do feel it would be appropriate also to send
rikes, to take all the photos I haven't the ability to take!![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-11-27 02:34 pm (UTC)This year's decorations are even more random than ever. The designers really seem to have forgotten which festival they're for...
You and Beast are always welcome back any time.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 06:13 pm (UTC)In addition to the completely random owl in the pink wig, I also spotted a couple of door ornaments - possibly rats - dressed as pirates. I remain baffled.
Well, I guess we'll be visiting FIL again in a couple of years...
no subject
Date: 2012-11-29 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-30 10:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-30 09:13 pm (UTC)Also - you got JM time *envy*!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-02 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-27 03:07 am (UTC)When I was a little girl in grade school, perhaps 2nd or 3rd grade, our teacher organized a cross-cultural exchange and everyone in class was assigned a penpal. Mine was in Singapore, (and of course this was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we had to communicate by ink and paper, as the internets hadn't been invented yet) so I've always been curious about her home.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 01:16 am (UTC)next time put me in your suitcase!
so glad you had a great time. singapore looks beautiful.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 05:33 pm (UTC)Singapore was full of interesting stuff. It really helps when you have a local guide, too.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 11:35 am (UTC)Those buildings look incredibly cool.
no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 05:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 12:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-11-28 05:35 pm (UTC)