Singapore

On day 52 we flew from Perth to Singapore . Thank goodness there wasn't any time change to deal with. We landed in daylight at one of their 4 terminals. What amazed us was the number of freighters out in the Sea as there must have been hundreds. Also the high rise apartment buildings as we didn't see any single dwellings. Over 4 million people live on this island. We took a cab to our hotel, the Marina Mandarin and when we got out of the cab we were met by a fellow dressed in Chinese attire. Our luggage was taken from us and we were told to take the lift to the 4th floor to check in. The inside of this place was just mindblowing as we have never seen anything quite like it. It has an interior atrium 23 stories high. Eric has some pictures of the interior.
We checked in and were escorted to our room by a Chinese lady dressed in a long silk dress as are all the other ladies working at reception. Our luggage arrived a few minutes later. We then went to one of the restaurants here in the hotel and afterwards we went for a walk. There is a mall right next to the hotel so we investigated . Shopping lasts until 10pm seven days a week. The only holiday they have here is the Chinese New Year.

Day 53 April 4th (Saturday)
We didn't rush this morning but Eric was up early. After breakfast we got a cab to the Arab Village of the city and the cab driver was very informative. We walked around the Parkville Square to see all the bronze statues of different famous artists, historians and authors. The inside was made of marble and holds concerts on the weekend -- very beautiful.
We then crossed the street and started walking up and down streets. Jane C. you would love this area as we have never seen so many little shops selling fabrics and every kind of accessory only a semestress could appreciated. There were all kinds of rayon silk including Thai silk and Japanese cotton. I didn't buy anything as there was so much that it was mind boggling. Also everything was very neat and compact. There are also alot of beautiful carpets in through here.
We than walked over into the Little India Village and here we found it more disorganized and dirty . Men were sitting at little tables here dipping their food into all differnt types of sauces and no women around. There was a fresh food market and all the differnt types of noodles. We then walked into a Mosque just to have a look around. We just had to remove our shoes and then climbed the steps to enter.
We got a cab back to the hotel to regroup. Took a cab to the Tourist Office and it wasn't the one Eric wanted to go to and since this one was closed we started to walk again. This time it was along Orchard Drive which is the main shopping district of Singapore. We walked for about an hour and found the information centre that Eric wanted in the first place so we went in to get some brochures. We then found a little restaurant for lunch. There are over 4000 restaurants in this city so finding something to eat is not a problem. Afterwards we got a cab back to the hotel.
After we got back to the hotel I went for a reflexology as my body was really complaining. Susan -- this lady wasn't as kind to me as you are but everytime I jumped she did go to another spot and then returned to the sore spots . She worked on my knee as it is still bothering me even though the swelling has gone down. I still need a massage. Tried to talk Eric into getting a pedicure but he hasn't agreed yet.
When I got back I walked out onto our balcony and took in the view of the harbour and the ferris wheel which reminds me of the "eye" in London. There are still alot of freighters in the harbour area.
We ate in the mall and the food at this restaurant wasn't that great. Then we got an ice cream which I didn't need but it was good.

Day 54 April 5th (Sunday)
After breakfast we walked across the street and caught our tickets for the "Hop on and Hop off" bus which takes you all around the city. The skies are dark so there is going to be some rain. The first stop for us was the Fire Department Museum and we learned how the department developed from the very beginning. We were also looking for the stamp museum but missed it in our travels. We then hopped back on the bus after the rain stopped and it was very humid. We got off at the Cathay Centre just to walk about and then back on the bus. As we arrived at the Suntec Centre and while we were walking around it started to rain again. We walked to the Mandarin Centre and had lunch and came back to the hotel to wait for the downpour to end.
It finally cleared enough that we went back out and got on the bus to Chinatown. It was amazing. The noise was intense as the people with their micrphones trying to compete to be heard . It reminded us of the CNE. We continued to walk around and the crowds seemed to get denser. This was definitely worth the trip and got back on the bus back to the hotel. Dinner wasn't the greatest and it made us miss cooking our own food in the RV.

Day 55 April 6th (Monday)
Eric found out that the cruise ship doesn't arrive until tomorrow at 7am as we board after lunch.
We went back out this morning and got on the "Hop on and hop off" bus again as there were afew place we wanted to see. This time we got off to walk along the Sinapore River which is chocolate brown. The lion at the harbour has a constant roar with water continuely spewing from his mouth. He is located in front of the Fullerton Hotel. It was interesting to see the skyline lined with cranes as there is alot of construction going on around here. We then walked to the parliament bldg. and were only allowed into the Gallery where learned that their form of government is exactly the same as ours and has 5 parties represented . This government is relatively new as Singapore didn't get their independence from Britain until 1965. 
We got back onto the bus and headed to the Botanical Gardens as I wanted to see the Orchid Gardens (there are suppose to be over 60,000 different types of orchids here). I would have enjoyed it more if Robbie had been with me as this is her realm. The ones that were in bloom are absolutely gorgeous and cover alot of ground. The Gardens cover 3 hectares so you could walk for hours. As I was walking along I saw the Symphony Concert Stage and it is in the shape of an orchid and water in front of the stage. Went I connected with Eric again we had a bite to eat and then caught the bus again. We were going to go to Sentosa but the skies opened up once again so we came back to the hotel to wait for it to clear.
I went for a massage and it was so different from what I usually get but my back sure feels alot better
We decided to try another restaurant but not in the mall -- the food was much better tonight. We then went to find me a sweater as these people love their air conditioning . After being outside in the heat and humidity once you go indoors it is freezing and the contrast is too drastic. We finally found one as it is hard to find something like that as all their summer clothing is in the stores. In Australia it was winter clothing and now it is summer. It is hard to keep up with all these changes.

Day 56 April 7th (Tuesday)
After breakfast we took a cab to the cruise centre just to check things out. After walking around we took a cab back into the city and finished packing. We checked out and went back to the cruise centre where we went through security and immigration very much like the airport. Once on board we were treated to a buffet lunch which really surprised us as it was so elaborate. I guess if you are catering to 650 people you have to have this much food. Eric was upset as he had to hand over his passport but settled later.
We didn't get to our rooms until nearly 3pm sp wandered about the ship. We unpacked and then ther was the emergency drill which was compulsory before we set sail. I have always wondered what goes through people minds when ships set sail so now I know. We went up on deck to look at the harbour as we set sail at 5pm. This is one of the busiest harbours in the world and is huge. It took 1 and 1/2 hours just to get out to sea and seeing all these freighters lined up in the harbour coming and going was magnificent. Over 100 freighters come and go daily.
Went to dinner and ended up with 2 American couples and one from Belgium. Needless the conversation got around to the economy, the auto industry and gov't.
It has been a very interesting day as we are on another new leg of our journey.