Sleeping pods and "honest they aren't mine!" - Singapore, Singapore
Singapore, Singapore
Where I stayed
The Pod
Arriving first class we stumbled bleary eyed into the arrivals hall of the train station. The sign said medication had to be declared, but when Rhianwyn went to declare our bag full of diarrhoea and rehydration tablets we were impatiently waved through. Still, better to be safe than sorry! The bus, underground and short walk passed by quickly as we eagerly awaited our 4 nights in the latest trendy place to stay - 'The Pod'. Opened two months ago, it is a more spacious and stylish version of the Japanese Pod hotels. Beds are placed in cupboards and stacked one upon another with a blind to give some privacy. We were not disappointed, except for the realisation that eating omelettes when staying in small spaces is not a good idea ;) We had breakfast and a posh coffee every morning and although we had to share 3 bathrooms with 32 others they were up to show house standards. We also had free use of a washing machine and tumble drier - super luxury! Having given all our clothes the machine treatment it was time that John's smelly beach trainers had a good wash and dry. As Rhianwyn came out of the dorm room she was confronted with a hotel worker, "These shoes yours?", declared the petite staff member holding them up for inspection. Panicking inside and allowing the small child response to come out Rhianwyn hastily replied, "No". In her head thinking, "please don't tell me the tumble dryer has broken - it wasn't my fault!", even though it was she who had the idea to put them in the dryer and did the deed.....but only after asking John. They were his trainers after all, surely he should get the row?! Thankfully the machine was fine but trainers are not permitted. At this point John emerged from the shower wrapped only in a towel, confronted with the same allegation, he stooped to examine the offending trainers which were held aloft by the tiny inquisitor. "Yes....", John hesitantly admitted, "They're mine". Receiving a short lecture on hygiene, Rhianwyn could see that John was contemplating telling our little friend that the trainers were very clean, as prior to putting them in the dryer we had put them through the Pods washing machine (prior to that John had washed them by hand). Thankfully he concluded that discretion is the better part of valour and humbly shuffled off clutching the now spotless footwear. It's been a little strange drinking tap water again, at first we were distrustful and even swallowing a tiny amount whilst brushing our teeth bought visions of illness, but so far so good. Singapore has been amazing. There are so many parks and green spaces. We did a bus tour - yes another one! - and it was much better, we also had a boat ride thrown in. There are some great colonial buildings alongside the newer sky scrapers which have a height limit by law for aviation security. We saw the Cathedral, Fort, Indian and Chinese quarters. Saw the huge Botanical gardens, the Gardens in the Bay light show, walked by the barrage, saw the water & light show in the actual bay, power walked by MacRitchie water reserve and saw evidence of Formula 1's recent visit. It is a clean, efficient and beautiful place with so much to do and see. Scooters are a rare sight but congestion is not nearly as bad as other Asian cities due to the high cost of running a car and the excellent public transport system. The highlight was on Sunday being looked after by ChongLeong & LayHoon Tang. We went to Covenant Evangelical Free Church. It is massive (4000 people) with 16 services in 2 locations in 6 languages!! It was something else, but we were made to feel so welcomed. It was 'Children's Day' in Singapore and we left challenged by the message on how Christians are to behave in families from Ephesians 6:1-4. After we were taken to a local market and food hawkers court where we tried lots of different food and drink such as 'Jelly Grass drink' and 'Fried Carrot Cake' which was neither made with carrots nor was a cake! It was great. Following this we went back to Chong and Ley's apartment for coffee and to try some yummy fruit such as 'Jack' fruit which we hadn't tried before. Now all that eating meant we needed to exercise and we power walked round the water reserve, amused as people screamed at monkeys approaching them out of curiosity and in search of food. It was such a great day and we loved it! On the final night we decided to go on top of the Marina Bay Resort hotel. The hotel is 3 towers with a ship like structure on top linking all three. We had been told we could get a drink from the rooftop bar and enjoy the view, but there was a dress code. Thinking that we would once again (as we had in Hong Kong) outsmart the hotel charge for the viewing platform by buying a drink in the bar we dressed in our best. . . Ok, so we just buttoned up our shirts, but did manage what others we met had not managed - we were admitted into the bar. We soon realised that the bar is in the middle of the viewing platform surrounded by a barrier. We couldn't walk around and see the full view - the hotel is obviously one step ahead! So we made the walk of shame back down 57 floors to buy a ticket for the viewing platform. Totally worth it though! Can't believe we have been in Asia for 5 months and 2 weeks. . . Now onto the next leg - Australia!