Sultry Singapore

Well this is the quick pass through Singapore, I arrive at 7am and leave right after midnight the same night, that's a long time to be out the in the heat!

Here's a few photos... part of today's time was spent visiting a very nice and odd little stall run by a Chinese lady - yes, I have ordered myself some new glasses. She's the cheap spot to stop in Singapore. From what people said on the web I thought she would be old, but she was quite young and insisted on checking my prescription with her kit of eye testing devices...

Oh well I will see what she has for me on the way back through ! They were not the greatest frame but they looked ok to me. For something that is out of date in a couple of years...

 The above wall is one of several at ION mall on Orchard Road - it really is an Orchard as the street is full of greenery, but anyway these LED walls are giant fish tanks and everything swims around! I was talking to Jeff at the same time, so blame him for the lousy framing...

 Odd plants at the botanical gardens

 Above is a Kapok tree - exploited by the colonials, like rubber was in this region..

 The palm above has the sign below. It lives and grows for 80 years then makes 24 million flowers then dies. I feel like that tree most days.. I give my all.

 The palm below is over 30 feet tall.

 A rolling ball fountain.

 If you have been to Hawaii you may know this as plumeria, but in Asia it is called frangipani.

 Awesome colours.

Below was called the cannon ball tree.

 In among the lush, lush growth there are some lovely flowers.

 And outside there are some of the nicest houses, the one below they obviously have money and little taste...

 Even the apartments are posh.

Below is IOn on Orchand a Japanese themed mall

 The hotel below dates to colonial times

 Old Singapore buildings were jungle ones, lifted off the ground for snakes and water...

 Now you get places like the building below, each corner has a glass elevator that lifts your car and it gets parked next to your condo, it was on the news a short while ago.

 Below is the hot-hot nasi goreng place!

 And the sad crabs awaiting the death in chill  :(

 No flies here but the odd bird comes looking

 More old style buildings

 In Chinatown, well preparations about for New Year's eve

 Outside though, the weather popped!

 Downpour!

 And so many places just closed up shop!

I went through the botanical garden today, found out that many small businesses are closed because it is New Year's Eve here. So the Newton open air food court, the myriad of south-east asian cooking kiosks was pretty sparse. I ate a Malay place, Nasi Goreng with shrimp - they forgot to mention it was RED HOT with spice but they served it with chili sauce anyway...lol I washed it down with a fresh coconut. Apparently tonight would be a bad time to go to the usual crab eating spot - everyone will be out for it. So after a visit to Chinatown, to see all the locals buying their new year stuff, I am going to my favourite sushi stop at a Japanese mall on Orchard, then back to the airport to upload photos for you. I would have stayed in Chinatown until late but the tropical downpour that came was quite substantive. So the humidity level must be 180%.

How dedicated I am... I also have to wash up in a bathroom and put some deodorant in my armpits... just like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz I am melting... yesterday freezing... today, boiling!

What a small world!