After an hour's wait for the overbooked Dubai to Singapore flight the check in attendant finally gave us the good news we were waiting to here- there were two last seats on the plane for us, phew! We settled in with our tablets, books and inflight entertainment but after dinner I was out like a light! This maybe because I tried to tire myself out by going to the gym in Dubai before we left. Feeling brave I tried the treadmill but instantly I was in agony so resorted to the stationary bike and weights. Easy enough workout but with no water during Ramadan I couldn't do more than 30 mins cardio! Thank goodness for the hotel staff who delivered cold wet towels to me as I worked up a sweat!
Arriving in lush Singapore I felt fresh and raring to go - it was great to feel the temperature below 40 and the sun still shining in a clear blue sky (quite unusual for monsoon season here!) The taxi ride into the city was fast, cheap and gave us the opportunity to see some of the sights. We were staying at the Park hotel by Clark quay, a bustling hive of colourful cafes, bars and restaurants by the river.
We spent the rest of the day walking about this vibrant city including taking a tour down China town. Not only did I have some amazing spicy authentic asian food but also got a massage and accupuncture on my dodgy hip! I'm not going to lie - it was extremely painful but I was willing to give anything a shot. The Dr said I should get another appointment and rest from running for at least 2 weeks as my hip was out of alignment and the muscles around were very tight and cramping causing the pain. Not quite the news or instant remedy I was hoping for...
After spending a lazy few hours in the sunshine by the hotel pool, we glammed up and took a quick cab to the marina bay sands hotel to see the city lights and the lazer shows on the water. A friend had recommended bar 33 to get fantastic views but ended up in the sky bar of the marina bay sands hotel and glad we did! What a magnificent view, great atmosphere and tasty cocktails however at $25 a drink (14 approx) we didn't have many! The rooftop infinity pool was reserved for hotel patrons only and looked so inviting - definitely staying there on my next visit.
We then headed back to lively clark quay for more spicy asian cuisine and a few mojitos. My plan of rising early the next morning didn't quite happen but I did manage to get a few hours by the pool and thankfully for me, and the sanity of Ryan my travel companion, I managed to swim 64 lengths of the peaceful 25m pool without too much hip pain. 2nd day in a row I have managed to swim without my comedy limp getting any worse. Result! Feeling on a roll I tried 20 mins resistance work in the gym too. Not quite my usual 2 maybe 3 hours training per day but I certainly felt I deserved my sumptuous Singapore sling cocktail in the legendary raffles hotel later that afternoon!
After a bit of navigation and a lack of taxis we hopped on the metro back to the gardens at the bay where we walked through a beautiful tropical botanic garden. The sun was starting to set which was in ideal time for us to head North out the city (when the tour guide finally remembered us and drove back for us that is!) to Singapore rainforest for the night safari. The tram ride around allowed us to get up close and personal to all of the magnificent nocturnal animals such as tigers, lions, elephants, hippos and tapiers. Glad that none of them wanted to get too close to us I was pleased to finish the tour and tuck into an indian buffet washed down by another sling of course. One animal that did have a fancy for me seemed to be the fish! Ok they only wanted my dead skin so that was a fair deal for $10!
Another mile swim in the morning set me up for a traditional or local breakfast surprisingly consisting of toast! Toast shops seemed to be on,most corners so I felt intrigued to try... And yes, it was just white toast! Ryan and I both opted for what looked like the most popular choice on the menu - toast, runny eggs and tea. The eggs were served in a small bowl with 2 slices of white toast sandwiched together in what seemed like a sugary sweet butter. Hmmmm... I'm all for savoury/sweet combinations but I'm undecided on this one. I think I'll stick to their cocktail specialities!
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