End of the odyssey - last stop Singapore

Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Singapore, Singapore
So here we are in Singapore. Its a culture shock for us, not because its Asia, we have experienced Asia many times before. Its because its not Europe.
  
As difficult as it sometimes was to communicate in some parts of Europe I already miss the challenge of trying to speak the local language . Despite the fact that there is little or or no language barrier here service is nowhere near as friendly as in Europe and I miss that too. Perhaps that's because there is no tipping culture in Singapore. Maybe they should introduce one! In the higher class establishments the service is extremely courteous and sometimes friendly but in other places the service can be downright rude. But maybe that's because some people are distracted by their hunger as they fast for Ramadan. Alot of the food outlets seem deserted or don't open until late but I'm guessing that may also be because of the holy month. 

But never mind about the service, the food is fantastic as always. After weeks of dining in restaurants we are definitely ready for the food culture here which is pretty much always combining shopping districts with food precincts. The upmarket European style shopping centres have their fine dining restaurants and the more traditional shopping areas with market stalls selling basic items usually have a hawker style food centre attached . So we are very much enjoying the street style food and the prices there. With Singapore being one of the most expensive places in the world to live at present and with the Australian dollar only being at parity with the Singapore dollar the fine dining restaurants are pretty much out of our price range. Not that we mind, the hawker food centres have a great atmosphere and give you a better local experience. Sometimes that experience is just a little bit too local and the sights and smells get the better of you but overall its way more fun.

Fortunately though it seems that hotels in Singapore are still pretty good value for money. I managed to book a very nice and spacious room on the 16th floor overlooking the park on the waterfront with a few of the modern luxuries like a glass walled bathroom and a bath with a view and it certainly didn't break the budget. Its not downtown, so maybe that's why its good value. Downtown is only a few kilometres away. From our hotel room we can see all the ships moored in the bay waiting for a berth at the port . There must be hundreds of them. We also have a great city view at night. 

We are located on the equator here so its hot and humid all year round. Its sometimes difficult to be motivated to get out and see the sights and tempting to retreat back to our climate controlled hotel room. We did manage a trip to East Coast park yesterday and walked along the waterfront where all the locals have picnics and barbecues and try to learn how to rollerblade. We also took a drive downtown to check out the bay area as it is today in its attempt to rival Dubai or Shanghai. I think they have a bit of a way to go but there are a few examples of unique modern architecture. While we were waiting for the food centre to open we stopped for guiness and a cider at an Irish bar of all places. That set us back a whopping $50. Today we visited a local temple and an old area very close to our hotel where we could see traditional sea villas as they were in the 1960s when this area was on the waterfront, before the land to the east was reclaimed to build the old airport. It appeared to also be an Aussie expat area as the iconc sense of humour was on display on the signs promoting the bars and restaurants.

Tonight we will board our plane for Brisbane and will be on our way back to our own abode. It has been heaps of fun and I wish we could just keep on travelling but I guess we have to go back to base sometime. No doubt when we get there, home will seem like a more comfortable and welcoming place than it did when we left.
 

 
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Comments

Lyndal
2015-06-26

Thanks Julie & Andrew. We have enjoyed following your adventures.

Theresa
2015-06-27

the family have enjoyed your travel blogs and great photos.

2025-02-10

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